Blogging Mets

Every August when I was a kid my family would make its annual pilgrimmage to Shea Stadium. My father and I would go to the local branch of the Manufacturers Hanover bank to buy tickets. Yes, that’s where they used to sell Mets tickets back then. Money was tight, but my father always insisted on buying field level box seats — $16. No, that wasn’t $16 for each ticket, that was for four tickets. $4 a piece! One year we sat right behind home plate, tickets that go for up to $695 now. That game in 1973 was a 16 inning affair against the Reds. We stayed for the entire game, much to the chagrin of my baseball-weary mother.

I was especially excited for the game the previous year because the Mets were playing the Braves, and I would get to see my hero, Hank Aaron, in the flesh. Alas, he did not start (I guess they did the day-game-after-a-night-game thing back then, too). My memory of the game is this — Tom Seaver started, Tug McGraw came in in relief in the ninth to pitch to pinch-hitter Aaron and intentionally walked him as the crowd booed. I guess I wasn’t the only one who wanted to see him hit. The Mets won 2-1. I was able to find the boxscore on baseball-reference.com, and it turns out that’s the way the game went down. I was pleasantly surprised my memory as a 9-year-old was correct.

As the years went on, I went to dozens of games at Shea, some of them very memorable — Fernando Valenzuela’s first start in New York during his incredible 1981 rookie season that started the spread of Fernandomania across the country. The final game of that season with about a thousand people in the stands. Dwight Gooden’s one-hitter against the Cubs in 1984, when the upper deck was swaying so much I thought it was going to collapse. Game 3 of the NLDS against the Diamondbacks in 1999. Aaron Heilman’s one-hitter (yes, Aaron Heilman threw a one-hitter!) against the Marlins in 2005.

While the players changed and the people with whom I went to the game changed, the one constant was Shea Stadium. A few things changed — the color of the seats, the Jumbotron, those cheap-looking bleachers in the picnic area, that hideous black tower for TV cameras. But Shea pretty much stayed the same. Except each time I went it seemed the worse for wear.  The place was turning into a deteriorating, hulking mass. You couldn’t find anyone who didn’t think it was time for a new stadium. Mike Piazza said it best when asked about Shea. He shrugged his shoulders and said, “it’s home.”

And now we have a new home. The gleaming Citi Field rose in the shadows of decrepit Shea. We could see the future and the past at the same time, and the future, while ironically looking like the past of another field, looked bright.  It was time to move into our new home.

Citi Field is a huge step up from Shea, on par with any of the new retro stadiums built over the past decade or so. Much has been written about the lack of Mets history in the park, so there’s no reason to re-visit that here. I will ask, though, where’s the blue and orange? The seats are green. The outfield wall is black. Those are not Mets colors. They both should have been blue. And would it have killed them to put the Mets logo on one of the two scoreboards? Check out the scoreboard at Comerica Park. There’s no doubt who plays there.

Photo courtesy Sports Illustrated

Overall, Citi Field is a winner. The seats are closer to the field than Shea, the corridors are spacious, you can see the field from the concession stands, the food court is a great idea, and the bridge is kind of cool.

But one thing Citi Field is missing is that signature piece that tells you where you are. Some stadiums have something natural to use — the bay at AT&T Park in San Francisco, the skyline and bridge at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, the warehouse at Camden Yards in Baltimore. Other stadiums created something — the hill and flagpole in center field at Minute Maid Park in Houston, the big Coke bottle at Turner Field in Atlanta, the green monster at Fenway Park in Boston.

Now, unless you find auto body shops naturally beautiful, there is nothing of beauty for Citi Field to use. And they really didn’t create anything that says “hey, you’re at Citi Field.”  The bridge is a possibility, but it really doesn’t stand out. Maybe something will develop that will become the stadium’s signature, but so far, nothing.

As I watched my first game at Citi Field, though, I couldn’t stop thinking about the place that used to stand across the parking lot. Suddenly, I was nostalgic for old Shea. And looking at those photos of Shea being unceremoniously torn down makes me sad.

I am surprised at how I feel. I was happy to see ugly Shea go. And now I want it back. It’s kind of like that old girlfriend (or boyfriend, for that matter) about whom you can’t stop thinking. She wasn’t so bad, you think. We had a lot of great times together. And when you get back together, you realized why you broke up with her in the first place.

Well, Shea is gone, and we can never have it back. And maybe it’s better that way. We can just think about the good times we had there, and forget what a rotten building it truly was. With Shea out of the picture forever, we can concentrate on making memories in our new place. It may not be perfect — no place can possibly be – but the good far outweighs the bad. But most important, it’s home now.

With another off-season almost upon us, Omar Minaya will soon embark on his latest quest to improve the Mets. Minaya (left) has been the general manger of the team since September 2004. And in that time, he’s made some spectacularly bad moves that have had a severe impact on the club, both financially and on the field. Many of those had ripple effects that forced other bad deals. While hindsight is a great thing, these are moves that raised eyebrows when they were made, or at least should have. To be fair, he’s made plenty of good moves. Sure, we can talk about those, but where’s the fun it that? So here they are — the worst moves by Omar Minaya (so far):

12/9/05-Signed 87-year-old Julio Franco to two-year , $2.2 million contract
Okay, so he wasn’t 87. But he was close. You could perhaps argue for a one-year deal for a player of that age (actually, he was 47) who kept himself in incredible shape. But two years? He was a fairly productive player in ’06. Of course, he was done by the second year, and the Mets cut him mid-season.

7/31/06-Traded Xavier Nady to Pittsburgh for Oliver Perez and Roberto Hernandez
This was a panic move, following Duaner Sanchez’s late-night-food-run taxi accident in Miami the night before. Sanchez was pitching lights-out up until the crash, so there was no way Minaya was truly going to replace him. But trading a solid player in Nady for Hernandez, who left the Mets as a free agent after the ’05 season and who obviously didn’t want to play for them, was just dumb. Dealing the right handed hitting Nady left the Mets, a predominantly left handed hitting lineup, vulnerable to left handed pitching. And we won’t even mention that the trade ushered in the Oliver Perez era in Flushing. More on him later.

11/15/06-Traded Heath Bell and Royce Ring to San Diego for Ben Johnson and Jon Adkins
Minaya set out to rebuild the bullpen after the 2006 season. Every move failed. This one was just incomprehensible. He sent two relievers away who showed some promise for a backup outfielder and a pitcher who went on to appear in just one game for the Mets. In contrast, Bell went on to be an All-Star closer.

11/20/06-Signed Moises Alou to one-year, $7.5 million contract plus team option
There’s no doubting Alou (left) is a great hitter when he’s healthy, which he never is. So why count on a 40-year-old player who had health problems even when he was in his 20s and 30s? Of course, Alou went down with a quadriceps strain, and missed two and a half months. He did hit .341 in 2007, but the Mets got only 87 games out of Alou – not enough for $7.5 million. The option? More on that later.

11/20/06-Traded Matt Lindstrom and Henry Owens to Florida for Jason Vargas and Adam Bostick
Another bullpen move that failed. Lindstrom was the closer for the Marlins earlier this season before battling injuries. Vargas started two games for the Mets in ’07 and left behind a 12.19 ERA. Adam who?

11/30/06-Let Chad Bradford leave via free agency
Bradford pitched extremely well in middle relief for the Mets in ’06. So what does Minaya do? – he lets him walk. Minaya chose not to match Baltimore’s offer of 3 years, $10.5 million for the submariner. That’s certainly a lot of money for a middle reliever, but the Mets spent almost that exact amount to replace him. More on that later.

12/6/06-Traded Brian Bannister to Kansas City for Ambiorix Burgos
Bannister showed promise in his one injury-shortened season in 2006, when he was just 25-years-old. They gave up on him in order to acquire Burgos, a hard thrower who pitched one so-so season for the Mets, but had off-field problems that included assaulting his girlfriend and a hit-and-run that left two women dead. Bannister, who would have fit in nicely at the back of the Mets rotation, went on to become a serviceable starter for the Royals.

12/8/06-Re-signed Guillermo Mota to two-year, $5 million contract
Minaya got Mota (left)  late in the 2006 season, and he proved to be the lights-out replacement for Sanchez. Mota was brilliant – 3-0, 1.00 ERA in 18 games, after pitching terribly in Cleveland. After the season, we found out how Mota rebounded – he tested positive for steroids. So what does Minaya do with this information? He signs Mota to a two-year, $5 million contract. After serving his 50 game suspension to start the 2007 season, the presumably steroid-free Mota reverted to form, posting a 5.76 ERA, and incurring the wrath of Mets fans reserved for such favorites as Bobby Bonilla and Doug Sisk.

12/11/06-Let Darren Oliver leave via free agency
Just like Bradford, Oliver pitched well in his one season with the Mets. And just like Bradford, Minaya let him walk after showing no apparent interest in re-signing him. Oliver signed with the Angels for a reasonable $1.75 million, and is now in his third season as a key component in the bullpen for the AL West champs.

1/16/07-Signed Scott Schoeneweis to 3-year, $10.8 million contract
The Bradford replacement. Schoeneweis is a lefty, but as a submariner, the right-handed Bradford is actually more effective against lefties than righties. And he was certainly more effective than Schoeneweis. Minaya spent $10.8 million for Schoeneweis, who was terrible in ’07, and rivaled Mota as most hated Met. Schoeneweis was better in ’08, but was sent to Arizona to spend the final year of his ill-fated contract. By the way, the Mets paid $1.6 million of his $3.6 million 2009 salary.

10/31/07-Picked up Moises Alou $7.5 million option
So what do you do when you have a $7.5 million option on a now 41-year-old player who is always hurt, and who only played in 87 games the previous year because of injury? Why, you pick up that option, of course. At the time, Minaya said, “I don’t want to use a no-brainer, but we felt it was a wise decision.” His nemesis Adam Rubin of the New York Daily News did use the term “no-brainer” to describe the move. Really? You should be glad you don’t have their brains! Alou, shock of shocks, spent most of 2008 on the disabled list, racking up a whopping total of 54 at bats in 15 games. He did hit .347, however. I did say there’s no doubting he’s a great hitter, if not for that pesky health thing.

11/19/07-Re-signed Luis Castillo to four-year, $24 million contract
When Minaya traded for Castillo midway through the 2007 season, it was hailed as a great move that solidified the infield. And indeed, it was. But Castillo needed surgery on both knees in the off-season, so perhaps a short-term deal, or no deal at all, was in order. But not out Omar. He handed Castillo a four-year deal for $6 million per year. Now be honest – who at the time really thought Castillo would be manning second base through 2011? After a terrible 2008 with predictable post-surgery knee issues that limited him to 87 games, Castillo is having a good 2009, the dropped pop-up against the Yankees notwithstanding (left). But the contract made it impossible to sign Orlando Hudson, who would have been a perfect fit for the Mets both on the field and in the clubhouse.

2/2/09-Re-signed Oliver Perez to three-year, $36 million contract
This may go down not only as Minaya’s worst move, not only the Mets’ all time worst move, but he worst free agent signing in MLB history. And that says something. After watching him for three and a half seasons, Minaya should have known better than anyone else what Perez (below) brings – unbelievable stuff one night, a nightmare the next. Yet he still paid him like an ace. What was Minaya thinking? Perez responded to the big contract by going 3-4 with a 6.82 ERA in just 14 starts in 2009. And there’s no reason to think the next two years will be any different.

Incidentally, Minaya is criticized, unfairly in my view, for not signing Derek Lowe, his first choice, instead of Perez. There are two issues here – one, at 36-years-old, Minaya was right not to want to give Lowe a four year deal. And while Lowe is a fine pitcher, he’s not a $15 million a year pitcher. It was a contract Minaya was smart not to match. Second, Minaya was never going to be given the chance to match it. Lowe and Perez are both represented by Scott Boras. And Boras knew damn well that except for the Mets, there was no market for Perez. So if Lowe signed with the Mets, his other client was screwed. So Boras steered Lowe to the Braves, and in the process forced the Mets to re-sign Perez. At that point, Minaya should have either walked away and looked to other pitchers, or given Perez a shorter, cheaper deal. He would have taken it – he had no other place to go. Instead, we’re stuck with him for another two years.

And it appears we are stuck with Minaya for many more years to come as well. Following the ’08 season after the second straight September collapse, the Wilpons inexplicably gave Minaya a three-year contract extension through 2012. And the Madoff-scammed Wilpons are loath to eat the roughly $1 million per year Minaya is owed. On the bright side, given Minaya’s track record, we’ll have more bad moves to add to this list.

Photos Courtesy NY Daily News

Doug Sisk (1982-1987)

The standard by which all hated Mets are held.

Kevin McReynolds (1987-1991, 1994)

His lazy, lackadaisical style of play infuriated fans.

Vince Coleman (1991-1993)

He was just a jerk.

Bobby Bonilla (1992-1995, 1999)

What to hate most — the earplugs, the medicore numbers, threatening a reporter? I’ll go with the latter, because in the effort of full disclosure, the reporter, Art McFarland, was a former colleague at WABC-TV, and is one of the nicest people you’ll ever meet. Watch the ridiculous confrontation:

Mel Rojas (1997-1998)

In a case of the lesser of two evils, was traded straight-up for Bonilla after the ’98 season.

Armando Benitez (1999-2003)

Was great from April to mid-September, but famously choked in big games.

Braden Looper (2004-2005)

Deserves credit for absorbing the boos during his lousy second season, and not telling the media he was pitching injured all year.

Guillermo Mota (2006-2007)

He should have stayed on the steroids — he was actually really good when juiced. Clean? — not so much.

Scott Schoeneweis (2007-2008)

Was it just me, or were the Mets announcers late in 2007 always saying, “It’s Schoeneweis and Mota warming up in the bullpen?”

Luis Castillo (2007-present)

Is having a nice bouce-back 2009 season that has quieted the fans. He just might work his way off of this list, but the boos he got in 2008 were among the worst since, well, Doug Sisk.

Mug Shots courtesy Ultimate Mets Database, http://ultimatemets.com/mugshots.php

Tug McGraw (1965-1967, 1969-1974)

Came up with “You Gotta Believe,” willing the 1973 Mets to the East title.

Tom Seaver (1967-1977, 1983)

How could a player who is the all-time face of a franchise be lost to that team not once, but twice? Only the Mets.

Rusty Staub (1972-1975, 1981-1985)

With all the food at Citi Field, why is there no Rusty’s Ribs?

Lee Mazzilli (1976-1981, 1986-1989)

Is it me, or does it seem like the Mets keep trading their most popular players, only to re-acquire them later?

Mookie Wilson (1980-1989)

Do you think he would have been as popular if his name wasn’t Mookie?

Keith Hernandez (1983-1989)

Every girl in the ’80s loved Hernandez. How do you compete with that?

Dwight Gooden (1984-1994)

Despite everything that went wrong, he’s still beloved by Mets fans. Still, it’s hard not to imagine what might have been.

Mike Piazza (1998-2005)

The best hitter the Mets have ever had. Hopefully he’ll go into the Hall of Fame as a Met.

Jose Reyes (2003-present)

The most exciting position player the Mets have ever had. It seems like everyone is wearing a Reyes jersey at the game. 

David Wright (2004-present)

Unless they are wearing a Wright jersey. The new face of the franchise, he’ll be named captain soon.

Mug Shots courtesy Ultimate Mets Database, http://ultimatemets.com/mugshots.php

A friend of mine married a Mets fan late in the 2005 season, and began following the team the next year. She was heartbroken along with the rest of us when Carlos Beltran’s knees were locked by that vicious curveball, ending what had been a successful year. After the collapse in 2007, she told me, “I’m not used to seeing the Mets lose.” I had to laugh. She will soon learn why the phrase “long suffering” often appears before the words “Mets fans.” But have we really suffered when compared to fans of other teams? Sure, we had to watch Joe Frazier manage, Armando Benitez blow saves, and Kevin McReynolds play his maddening style of ball. But if the ultimate goal is to get to and win the World Series, then the Mets surprisingly haven’t done too badly compared to the rest of the league.

The Mets are arguably the most successful expansion club in MLB history. They’ve been to 4 World Series — no other expansion team has even been to 3. The 2 Mets victories match the Marlins and Blue Jays as the only expansion clubs to win multiple times. Marlins fans will tell you they are more successful, since their 2 victories came in just 16 years of existence, compared to 47 for the Mets and 32 for the Blue Jays. That’s why I said “arguably.” But let’s do some more comparisons. How about the futility of the Senators/Rangers (48 seasons), Expos/ Nationals (40), and Mariners (32) – exactly zero World Series appearances. Then we have the one appearance and no victories by the Astros (47), Brewers (40) Rockies (16) and Rays (11). The Padres (40) appeared in two World Series with no victories. The Angels (48) and Diamondbacks (11) are one for one. And the Royals (40) won one and lost one. When you look at it this way, it’s been pretty good being a Mets fan.

How do the Mets compare with the histories of the original 16 teams? Well, looking at raw numbers is not fair, because those teams had a 60 year head start on the Mets. So we’ll use the rate of World Series appearances and victories. The Mets appear in the Series roughly once every 12 years, and win roughly one every 24 years. That sounds pretty grim, but only a handful of teams have better rates. The Yankees are just freaks, appearing in the World Series about every three years, and winning one about every four seasons. The Cardinals (6/10), Dodgers (6/18), Giants (6/21), A’s (7/12), Red Sox (10/15), and the Reds (12/21) have better rates. The Pirates (15/21) and Tigers (10/26) are pretty much even with the Mets.

They fare even better when you look at all teams since the Mets were born in 1962. Only the Yankees (13), Dodgers (8), Cardinals (8), A’s (6), Orioles (6), Red Sox (5), and Reds (5) have appeared in more World Series than the Mets’ 4 (the Phillies also have 4 appearances). And only the Yankees (7), Dodgers (4), Cards (4), A’s (4), Orioles (3), and Reds (3) have more than the Mets 2 victories (also with 2 – the Red Sox, Tigers, Twins, Phillies, Pirates, Marlins and Blue Jays).

And how about the Mets’ arch enemies – the Braves and Phillies? In spite of all of their recent regular season success, the Braves have won just 3 World Series in their history – only 1 more than the Mets, with 60 extra years on the field. And those additional 60 years of play gave the Phillies just two more World Series appearances than the Mets, with the same 2 wins.

We Mets fans like to see ourselves as the martyrs of the sport, rooting for our bad teams with as much passion as when they are playing well. While admittedly we’ve had many, many, many down years, the numbers show so have other teams. However, we’ve had more to cheer for in October than fans of most of the teams in the league. But if you must continue being a pessimist, disregard everything you just read, and just think about the years Harry Parker was our ace, Bobby Bonilla and his earplugs, and Mel Rojas and the majestic home runs he very often yielded.