2010 Mets Hall of Fame on SNY Spotlight

This is a programming note courtesy of a commercial seen on SNY:

SNY Spotlight has a show featuring the 2010 Mets Hall of Fame this Thursday at 7pm. Runtime is 30 minutes. It will replay next Sunday at 5:30pm and the following night at 6:30pm as well as a week from Wednesday (8/25) at 1:30pm.


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This and That

A few observations while I enjoy being home and not being jet-lagged for the first time in a month.

• the Braves are inducting Tom Glavine into the club's Hall of Fame. Let's put aside feelings towards him from his days as a Met and his last appearance in 2007. Let me make this observation. The Braves are also retiring his number 47. The Mets have inducted many former players, among others, into their Hall of Fame. How many of them have had numbers retired? I'm just saying...
• SNY does a great job showing the old Mets Yearbooks as time fillers. But here's a new idea to throw into the mix (as an hour-long program). Replay old Mets pregame ceremonies. Wouldn't it be cool to see Tom Seaver's jersey retirement ceremony, the 40th Anniversary celebration, Bob Murphy Appreciation night, and so on? Shea Goodbye and the 1987 Opening Day ceremony with the world championship rings would be like the sweeps week specials.
• I don't know when the new season of SNY's Beer Money will air. I don't know if I made the cut. I was filmed and won some money before a game in June.
• I've decided on going to 2 more Mets game this year - next Saturday night (Aug 14) and the GKR Main Event (Oct 2). 6 games is enough for me with this club. I'll see them again in Spring Training.
• Is it me, or are the new Mets commercials now sponsored? They're really good, but they look like they're sponsored by Citi. And I saw one for Xerox with Mr. Met.

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Mets HOF and Museum

I went to the Mets Hall of Fame and Museum for the first time today. I've heard about it. I've seen pictures of it. Today I saw it for myself for the first time. The word I use to describe it is "overwhelming". It really is. But in a good way. There's just so much to see. There are video displays all over the place. Jerseys, balls, bases, etc., on display. The World Series trophies and the Hall of Fame plaques were there of course. World Series rings from both of the Championship teams as well. So much that I don't think I could do justice describing it. If you're a Mets fan, you need to go and see for yourself!. Of everything that was there, this one struck me as the most interesting - that's Casey Stengel of course. It's not lifesize, but rather a miniature figure. It was in a bad place to be able to see it and photograph it well, right next to the window almost like a silouhette. I got this photo using my flash before I was scolded by a security person telling me that I can't use the flash.

Here's 2 other photos from an album that I'll post on facebook. I should note that I got to the park just a few minutes after 10:40 when the gates opened for a day game, and had no line going in. Leaving after visiting the team store about 30 minutes later, there was a line to get in. The physical space is a bit croweded, but they do have crowd control. I'm sure that I missed stuff. I'll go back another day. So much to see.

The one thing that I'll criticize about it is that they don't include every longtime voice of the Mets. They have Bob Murphy, Lindsey Nelson, and Ralph Kiner, but no Gary Cohen (who's been here longer than Nelson was), no Howie Rose (other than his expression that's seen below), and he's been here even longer if you count Mets Extra, and for that matter, Fran Healy worked more years than either of them (for now). Maybe the next improvement is to have a full broadcaster's wing in the Mets Hall of Fame. But maybe I missed it since I didn't spend as much time inside as I could have.

Update: - the entire set of photos from the Mets Museum is on Facebook.

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We need another Frank Cashen

A great article in the Port St. Lucie area newspaper yesterday (available online at TCPalm.com) by Ray McNulty on former Mets GM, and soon-to-be Mets HOFer, Frank Cashen, here. This is the type of GM that we need in Flushing.

Some items that I was unaware of.

Frank Cashen was an award winning sportswriter in Baltimore before joining the Orioles front office.

Frank Cashen created the Mets Hall of Fame.

“I started it because I think it’s good for an organization to honor its past and have successful alumni around,” said Cashen, who already has been enshrined in the Orioles Hall of Fame. “For some reason, the Mets stopped doing it in 2002. I was gone by then, so I don’t know why, exactly. But I’m glad they’ve started it up again.

Like I said, this is the type of guy we need running the Mets.

Starting with the 1984 season, under Frank Cashen (until 1990), the Mets never finished worse than 2nd place in the 6-team NL East, with 1989 being the worst of those years (87 wins, 6 games back).


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Prime 9 - Mets edition

In the style of MLB Network's series "Prime 9", I am here to start the debates - what Mets are next in line for the Mets Hall of Fame, and what Mets are next in line for having their uniform number retired?

Before I throw out my 9, I should note that I didn't start following the Mets until very late October in 1986, so there's about half of the Mets history that I didn't live first-hand.

9 greatest Mets
9, tie) Frank Cashen and Davey Johnson - without them, there would be do fond memories of the 1980s. Being inducted together into the Mets Hall of Fame in 2010.
8) Ed Kranepool - Longevity says something. Inducted into the Mets Hall of Fame in 1990.
7) Keith Hernandez - the captain 25 years ago and popular announcer now. Inducted into the Mets Hall of Fame in 1997.
6) Gil Hodges - singlehandedly brought the Mets to respectibility in the late '60s. His number 37 is retired, and he was inducted into the Mets Hall of Fame in 1982.
5) Mike Piazza - He brought fans to Shea and led the Mets to the playoffs twice and the World Series once.
4) Darryl Strawberry - Another piece of energy from the 1980s Mets. Being inducted into the Mets Hall of Fame in 2010.
3) Jerry Koosman - Widely regarded as the #2 guy from the 1969 championship team. Mets Hall of FAme class of 1989.
2) Doc Gooden - I've heard that Shea was electric when he pitched. He will be indcuted into the Mets Hall of Fame in 2010.
1) Tom Seaver - "the franchise". His number 41 is retired, and he was inducted into the Mets Hall of Fame in 1988.

So where does that leave us?

The next 9 to be inducted into the Mets Hall of Fame (not including active and future Mets players)
9) Filax Milan - maybe the best of the rest from the 1970s
8) David Cone - another ace from the good days
7) Edgardo Alfonzo - 3rd all time in Mets career hits.
6 & 5) Gary Cohen and Howie Rose - the voices of summer for a generation. The original announcing trio was inducted during the club's 23rd year, and these guys are almost at that point themselves. I'm not sure who would be the MC of the ceremony though.
4) Al Leiter - the ace of the staff that brought the Mets back to respectibility (again)
3) Bobby Valentine - he led the Mets to the playoffs twice
2) John Franco - longevity speaks for itself.
1) Mike Piazza

The next 9 numbers to be retired (not including active and future Mets players)
9) Edgardo Alfonzo
8) Al Leiter
7) John Franco
6) Ed Kranepool
5) Keith Hernandez
4) Mike Piazza
3) Darryl Strawberry
2) Jerry Koosman
1) Doc Gooden

I hope some day David Wright and Jose Reyes lead us to good times in the next 10-15 years and can get themselves on this list.


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The Hall of Fame

The Mets announced today a quadruple-hall of fame induction in the 2010 season. Actually, it will be all on the same day - Sunday, August 1.

Davey Johnson, Frank Cashen, Darryl Strawberry, and Doc Gooden. I like this. I cannot say that enough. I had recently read (thanks, Coop, for reminding me that it came from your post on MySummerFamily) a case for the Mets to retire Davey's number 5. I like this. I like the sheer fact that the Mets are opening the doors to the Mets Hall of Fame, and that this group, 4 of the 6 most important Mets from the 1986 World Championship, are going in together. This is a great re-start. I should note that the other 2 Mets from the 1986 championship have already been inducted (Gary Carter and Keith Hernandez).

I like this. I really do hope the Mets do the physical museum justice. Let me make a suggestion. They should buy back, or pull from their own archives (I don't know what the Mets thought to keep) a couple pair of Shea seats, some Shea signs, and maybe some of the other Mets-ie items that never sold in the Shea Memorabilia sale in the past year and a half. The Mets should buy/collect/steal all of these items and find a home for them inside the museum. Don't have it just be the 25 plaques that the Mets say will be "one of the main attractions at the new Mets Hall of Fame and Museum".

Wait. The Mets Hall of Fame has plaques? Where have they been hiding all this time? Was it in the Diamond Club at Shea? Where were they inside Citi Field in 2009? Oh I don't want to open that can of worms.


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Real Progress

I saw this in my RSS reader while playing my usual evening catch-up on the blogs.

From metsblog.com, the Mets have placed the Doc Gooden autograph on display by the bullpen gate and the Shea Home Run apple for all to see. Matt Cerrone reports that other signatures and World Series trophys will join Doc's in a new museum-like area next to the Mo's Zone sometime around June.

Now that's real progress!

something to lighten the mood

I guess Fred Wilpon IS going ahead with his ideas of building a new Mets Hall of Fame at Chez Amazin'. That's a good thing. I'm sure he'll have great Mets players like Duke Snider and Gil Hodges. Way to think ahead on this one, Freddy! Even WFAN hosts were getting on you for the lack of Mets stuff at new Chez, and this while they're at the other ballpark's Opening Day.

Based on the feedback on other blogs, maybe not everyone cares about that. Take a page from the New Jersey Devils (the last team to open a major league sports venue in the NY/NJ area since the Meadowlands Arena opened in 1981). I walked in there, the for the very first hockey game they played there, and I knew two things. I was in a hockey arena (with all the local High School Hockey jerseys on the wall), and I was there to see the Devils (with beautiful artwork painted on some walls). I didn't get that feeling when I walked into the Jackie Robinson Rotunda from the Ebbets Field-looking entrance, into something that made me think Arthur Ashe stadium (not that any of those things are bad).

The new Yankee Stadium is opening today. Good for those fans. They get what we all deserve. A ballpark that feels like home, and with a big screen TV in the middle of the living room. The Onion may well have an article today saying that the recent Yankee Stadium was being moved over to Yogi's museum to be a permanent exhibit.

And according to the Onion, even Mr. Met is having some trouble there.