Biz of Baseball: Mets led minor leagues in drug suspensions in 2009

Sorry to bring some actual policing into the fun and frivolity of discussing uniforms and the 80’s, but The Biz of Baseball has a great breakdown of drug suspensions in baseball in 2009 and says the Mets led the minors with 8.

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Mets Police Decade In Review: Dopiest moment in Shea Stadium history

Continuing our look back….As Shea’s run came to a close, we looked at the dopiest moments in Shea Stadium history, and the fans vote was a three-way tie.  From September 28th 2008:




It somehow seems fitting that the poll for The Dopiest Moment In Mets History ended in a three way tie.  How absurd, but isn’t life as Mets fan often absurd.   So in chronological order….

Winter 1984 – The Mets leave Tom Seaver unprotected.

I think my favorite Shea moment of all-time was Opening Day 1983 when Tom Seaver walked in from the bullpen along the right field line.    The Franchise was back, and all was right in the universe.  Sure he only won 9 games in 1983 but that was more about the team sucking than Tom sucking (check the stats).  Also for a brief while in April he led the league in triples.    Tons of fun.

Some genius in a bow-tie decided not to protect him in the off-season, and the White Sox claimed him.   Why would you want Seaver in a Mets uniform winning his 300th game.  Who would grab a future Hall of Famer off the wires?

There were 45 wins left in that arm….and ironically he would be in the dugout when the 1986 Mets won the World Series.  Too bad it was on the third base side.
June 1989 – The Mets trade Roger McDowell and Lenny Dykstra for Juan Samuel.

I still don’t understand this one.   These were two of the most beloved Mets, both performing well and they trade them within the division for a bum.   The Phillies are probably still laughing.   This is one of those moments you never forget – I was on I-80 coming back from a rafting trip in Pennsylvania, we could barely pick up WFAN and we thought they said that McDowell and Dysktra had been traded.    That doesn’t make sense, why would they do that?   This was one of many “Mets don’t understand their fanbase” moments.   Well, at least we’ll always have Mookie Wilson.  They would never trade him.
November 1998 – The Mets bring Bobby Bonilla back????!!!
Speaking of not understanding the fanbase -if you think the 2008 bullpen gets booed, you should have been around for Boo-nilla the first time.   After killing the Mets in a Pirates uniform, this was the first of the “if you can’t beat ’em, sign ’em” signings that I hate.  (Another one was Tom “Cylon” Glavine who was paid by Atlanta to be the ultimate sleeper agent).

Bonilla got separated from a guy named Barry Bonds, who turned out to be the slightly better of the two, and sucked.   Everything Johan Santana was, Bobby Boo-nilla was not.   Lazy, check.   Douche, check.  Clutch, uncheck.     They couldn’t get him out of town fast enough.   Then what do they do in 1998, they bring him back.  Like we were going to love him.  Idiots.

So it’s a three-way tie for the Dopiest Moment In Shea Stadium History (although a blown save today might re-open the poll).  Hopefully Shea closes out on a high-note, and the dopey moments are few and far between at New Ebbetts Field, home of FredWilpon’s Dodgmets.

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Five Questions For An Average Mets Fan (Fan #78)


Our 78th Average Mets fan is Mike.


1. When did you start following the Mets?


I’ve been a Mets fan “my whole life” (Born in 1978), but I really started following them (meaning, following/caring about players other than the superstars, really caring about wins and losses) around 1995, when I got my drivers license, and was able to go to games whenever I wanted. I’ve consistently been to around 15-20 per season since, and catch at least a portion of every game on TV or the Radio.




2. What is your favorite Mets memory? 


My Grandmother passed away on October 1st, 1999.  She had been sick for a while, and we all knew it was coming, but it still hit me like a ton of bricks.  The Mets run to the Wild Card that season was the only thing that gave me and my family some sort of escape from what was going on with her.  She always told me how she didn’t follow baseball much but rooted for the Mets because “When they win, it makes you (meaning me) happy.” If I had to single out one moment, it would definitely be being at Shea for Todd Pratt’s walk-off homer in the NLDS.  He was my favorite player at the time, and I still remember the 3 seconds of silence between the ball (barely) eluding Steve Finley’s glove, and everyone realizing the that ball went out.




3. What is your worst Mets memory or experience? 


Being at Shea when Beltran watched that wicked Adam Wainright curveball pass him by to end the 2006 NLCS.




4. If you could change one off-field thing about the franchise what would it be? 


Just the fan’s overall perception of the Mets as a franchise.  If they miss the playoffs, most react like they’re the Pirates, and have been losing for the past 15 years.  They were in the World Series less than a decade ago, and were an inning or two away from the World Series (which I think they would’ve won) in 2006.  Some teams don’t even sniff the playoffs for decades at a time.  Combined with the fact that (in fans and media’s mind) they constantly have to be compared to the Yankees.  You can’t compare ANY team to the Yankees.


5. If you owned the team starting tomorrow, what is the first thing you would change?  


Build the team around the strengths of Citi Field.  Fly Ball pitchers in the rotation.  Young, speedy, gap hitters in the lineup.  And I’d retire Keith Hernandez’ and Ed Kranepool’s numbers.  Sorry Jose, #7 should’ve been hanging on the wall long before you put it on.

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Great pictures of old Yankee Stadium

Thanks to ABS for sending me this link to old photos of NYC in the 1970s.

This one is Old Yankee Stadium pre-renovation.  The new fake place does look similar, although the uppers look much closer to me in this shot.

There’s more shots of Yankee in there, plus a few of Shea.  Good stuff.

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