The first thing I noticed when SNY commenced their coverage of Old-Timers Day was the effusive praise heaped upon owner Steve Cohen by Cleon Jones and Ron Swoboda during the very first interview of the day. It wasn’t a complulsory comment either, like the Wilpons used to get. It was totally unprovoked and repeated. Underlined and in bold. It was the difference between the person behind the Chipoltle counter who is really stingy with the chicken in your bowl, and the person behind the Five Guys counter who gives you enough fries to spend the day eating through to get to your burger.
Was it “shade”? I thought no. I thought it was just simply well deserved praise for someone who made a day happen for not only Mets fans, but for all the players involved who have craved for a day like this but since 1994 never got it. People might have taken it as shade, but I did take it as proof that being a good organization just wasn’t all that hard. Hell, the people I rooted for? They don’t throw shade. They just flat out tell you that you suck. It’s what makes New York great.
Ray Knight: “I love the New York Mets. I don’t like the Wilpons.”
— Mike Puma (@NYPost_Mets) August 27, 2022
I mean, how cool was all of it? The introductions. Seeing relatives of Mets who aren’t with us anymore accompany players to the foul lines. Seeing Sid Fernandez all tatted up. Realizing that Darryl Strawberry and Jesse Orosco just don’t age. Kevin Elster coming out looking like he’s starring alongside Nicolas Cage in a bad buddy cop movie. Hearing Jay Hook say that this was his first ever game at Citi Field and wondering why the hell we haven’t brought the winning pitcher of the first ever Mets win back every single year for something.
Seeing Steve Henderson take an at-bat at the age of 69 waggling the bat like he did in his hey day. How about Steve Dillon, who pitched three games for the Mets in 1963 and 1964, being brought back and pitching from the rubber at age 79, reaching the plate with the same motion he had back in the early 60’s … and in the process going from lost footnote in Mets history to a place forever in the hearts in the fans of the present. Or how about Turk Wendell playing third base? Steve Trachsel pitching with pace? John Stearns. Skip Lockwood. Doug Sisk. Bobby Valentine’s faux mustache. Ed Lynch wearing 35 because 36 belongs eternally to Jerry Koosman. Bob Ojeda returning to the Mets now that the people who canned him from SNY are now limited to stock in SNY. Daniel Murphy finally dekeing a runner by letting a line drive drop to get the double play, only to have Howard Johnson make an error to ruin it? I mean, if you didn’t see caricatures of every era of Mets history in that one play, then you just haven’t been around that long.
Also, I have to say that I’m thrilled to death that even among a group that included seeker of schools Mike Hampton and Yankee legend who was fired at 3:16 AM Willie Randolph, the only Met legend to receive any boos was Joe Torre. Having to manage bad Mets teams was one thing. Winning four titles including one against the Mets was another thing. But being a dick about the FDNY and NYPD hats and not punishing Chase Utley for assault earned him those boos and they were music to my ears. I’m glad he was invited. He deserved to be here. I’m also glad he got booed. He deserved every last one.
In the middle of all of that, Howie Rose brought our attention to the scoreboard for what he called a “very special video presentation”. I thought it might have been a message from a beloved player who couldn’t be there. David Wright? Davey Johnson? Armando Benitez? Nope. The first two words were “Willie Mays”.
It was right then I knew. Holy shit … they’re retiring 24!
The Mets have retired No. 24 in honor of Willie Mays.
➡️ @Cadillac pic.twitter.com/NqMRNF33G0
— SNY (@SNYtv) August 27, 2022
Now I wish Kelvin Torve had come back for the ceremony (though I’m sure his obligations with the Post 22 Hardhats kept him from appearing.)
Willie Mays is quite arguably the best player in MLB history, and he meant everything to baseball in New York, and especially National League baseball in New York. Mays finishing his career as a Met, as non-descript the mere numbers were, cinched that 24 should have never been issued again. Torve (who hit .545 as a Met while wearing 24, as if the number was still yearning for hits), was an accidental case. Rickey Henderson was at least a Hall of Famer in his own right, and got permission from Willie to wear the number. Robinson Cano should have never happened. But after 49 years, a wrong was righted. Better still to hear that the decision was to keep a promise to Joan Payson. It’s one of those “how can you not be romantic about baseball” moments, and everyone who was there (and even for those who watched on television) will never forget it. Old Timers Day was really cool. But Willie getting his number retired made me emotional.
***
The game was almost secondary. But this was a big one with the Braves rumored to go the rest of the season without losing. David Peterson delivered with six shutout innings agianst the Rockies, and Brandon Nimmo provided all the offense with a home run in the first, an RBI double in the 2nd, and a run scored on a 7th inning Starling Marte double to steamroll the Mets to a 3-0 victory. Better still was that Seth Lugo, Trevor May, and Adam Ottavino were able to preserve the victory without all that much drama. Even better still was right after Ottavino put Elias Diaz away with sliders and sinkers, we were able to flip on FOX just in time to see Kenley Jansen blow a save.
And away we go! pic.twitter.com/7gJtqOXxXx
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) August 28, 2022
Tyler O'Neill draws a walk to win the game for the @Cardinals!
📹: NTT #BallparkCam | #STLCards pic.twitter.com/hs61GZ1GRj
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) August 28, 2022
The Mets now have a three game lead in the N.L. East.
The other guy I really enjoyed seeing at Old Timers Day was Pedro Martinez. Still joyful, still thoughtful, and not being able to be healthy enough to finish off 2006 (and if he was, that team wins the whole thing.) While I hate that he carries this, I love that he cares enough to carry it. Even after winning one of the ultimate World Series in baseball history with Boston, he still feels he has “unfinished business” in New York.
Pedro Martínez says he stepped into the Mets clubhouse today and asked Max Scherzer and Jacob deGrom to "get it done for me."
"I feel like it's unfinished business," Martínez said of his own time in Flushing. "I just pray to God that those guys do what I couldn't do."
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) August 27, 2022
The Mets fulfilled one promise on Saturday. Maybe by the end of the season, they’ll keep this one too. Ironically, it could happen … as long as their top two starting pitchers remain healthy.
Today’s Hate List
Joe Torre
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