Last Saturday was the Mets first Old Timers' Day since 1994. There was lots of build-up and excitement and anticipation for this event from the fans. Watching a melding of Mets players from different eras (and different uniform styles) coming together as one (all wearing the Swoosh-branded modern day/traditional uniform), I felt like a pig in shit. That was first how I thought it might have felt for emcee Howie Rose, who grew up as a Mets fan starting from Day 1 of the franchise and has been covering them for more than half of their history. After the exhibition game was complete, that's how I felt too.
These were the different eras of my Mets fandom, as well as the "pre-historical" times, coming together on the same field. This was my childhood and my adulthood and the history lessons all coming back to life. Doc Gooden was back on the mound in Queens. Steve Henderson (who I'm told played for the Mets in the "dead" era of the late '70s) was in Right Field. Turk Wendell was back at third base. Wait - what? This was a seriously executed event that was just lots of fun to watch, and I'm sure even more fun to take part in for the players. I don't know if it was lack of roster depth, or some players just letting their personalities get the best of them, but pitchers Turk Wendell and Roger McDowell (two of the better personalities in Mets history) both played in the "field" (non-pitching positions) during the game. Because of course they did. McDowell even had a few RBIs.
I'm still having trouble decribing what was going through my mind watching the introduction of players and watching the game. For so many of these guys (save for the older ones that were always "Old Timers" to me), it still sort of feels like yesterday that they were active players in Mets uniforms, and here they are mixing together in different uniforms (even the most contemporary Mets didn't wear that Swoosh icon on the front when they played). I always think of different distinct eras (the late '80s when I grew up; the mid-90's when I was in high school; the Bobby V years when I was in and just out of college; the David Wright years; and the more modern days that somehow feel like so long ago, with the 2015 pennant). Here they were mixing together. It was weird seeing the 1986 Mets in uniforms lacking the iconic racing stripe. (Heck, at this point, it was weird seeing Ron Darling and Keith Hernandez in uniform and not in their SNY polo shirts and headsets.)
Was it a perfect day? No. As a Mets fan, I'm conditioned to expect things to be wrong. I can point to 10 things that were wrong, ranging from missing players to a warning light that illuminated my car as I was passing LaGuardia Airport on the way in. But given who was there and what the event was, it certainly was as close to perfect as Mets fans can accept. But a pig in shit is as close to perfect as one can get.
