The "Wright" Man for the "Job"...

I can still remember getting my first Tom Seaver Mets' shirt; I can also remember my first Mets' cap. The shirt was purchased at a clothing store in Woodhaven, Queens, from a store on Jamaica Avenue, near where I grew up, and it was simply a three-quarter sleeve t-shirt with a team logo on the front and the word "Seaver" and the number "41" on the back, not exactly of the quality of similar items today, but it was a true prize for me! My first hat was an orange, felt hat with Mr. Met and the team's "NY" logo on the back (similar to the hat on the right, but in felt), and was given to me by my god-sister, who was a HUGE Mets fan and a few years older than me (and she also gave me a number of yearbooks, scorecards, even a Mr. Met plush doll!) Those were 2 of my favorite possessions growing up, because of who gave them to me, but also because George Thomas "Tom" Seaver was my first "hero" (before I knew that it was really my dad).

I cut out any photo of Seaver from the newspapers and put them into scrapbooks. I watched nearly every game he pitched, hoping he'd appear on that days' "Kiner's Korner" post-game show. I begged my dad for tickets any time he pitched, and was often rewarded with them (especially after we saw that my younger brother was becoming a huge Mets fan, too). Tom Seaver was, truly, my first baseball hero, and it made it a lot easier to root for the Mets with Seaver on-board.  

 

Even today, my collection of Seaver memorabilia is prevalent in my home office, a room filled to the brim with all kinds of great mementos of my favorite sports. From a blown up, signed copy of Andy Warhol's Seaver painting to a signed (by all entrants) Hall-of-Fame Program, Seaver remains a part of my life, some 35 years after he was traded for the first time, the worst day of my young life (besides the deaths of 3 of my grand-parents). I can still remember that day, and I'll write more about it on the actual 35th anniversary; suffice it to say that I felt like someone from my family was stolen and I'd never see him again. In your early teens, you don't think about whether or not it was a good move for the player OR the team- you only think about yourself, and for this 13 year old fanatic, it was the WORST thing that could happen!!

After Seaver's trade, I tried hard to find another hero on the team, and my loyalty bounced around quite a lot- from Lee Mazzilli to Steve Henderson to Doug Flynn to John Stearns to George Foster...each had their moments, but none could come close to taking Seaver's place, least of all the one-time slugging all-star, Foster, who cost the team a pretty penny and provided little pop for the buck, sadly. He was soft-spoken and his voice high-pitched, and this gentleman seemed grossly miscast as a New York-slugger. His best days were sadly behind him, and Foster was a symbol of frustration for THIS high schooler, who's friends were happy to show off their Yankee hats and cards and, essentially, their success. These were the days of empty stadiums and fan frustration, and Foster became a pin cushion for our misplaced hatred. After all, George Steinbrenner was the first baseball owner to garner tons of newspaper print since the days of Walter O'Malley, and fans were just starting to transfer their hatred not towards the players themselves but to the owners who wrote their checks. This was a turning point in fandom, as free agency began to take home-grown players out of town, leaving fans, for the first time, to seek other stars to replace them. More often than not, fans were left holding the bag and waited years (sometimes decades) for an able replacement to be found, if not on the field then at least in their hearts.

The 80's began a turning point for the team, as the days of Foster leading the way were mercifully short. Under new ownership and leadership, there was a return to greatness for the team, built around home-grown stars such as Mookie and Gooden and Strawberry, supplemented by shrewd acquisitions like Darling, Hernandez and Carter. The home-grown talent never lived up to long-term expectations (drugs, alcohol and attitude helped curtail many of their careers), and the home-grown stars like "Mex" and "Kid" weren't on the team long enough for any of our liking. The team itself only won one World Series, much to the surprise of fans specifically and baseball in general. I loved Carter and Gooden the most, and was disappointed by Carter's short tenure with the team and Gooden's choice of recreational drugs. It was easy to pick "short-term heroes" from this team, but none of them would be either on the team or relevant by the time the early 90's came around...


The 90's featured one player, closer John Franco, Brooklyn-bred, who became a defacto hero until the next "superstar" arrived, in the form of catcher Mike Piazza. Mikey P was a Dodger first and foremost, having won the Rookie-of-The-Year award with the former team from Brooklyn. The trade for Piazza was one of the best deals the club has ever made, and it set the team on a course for relevancy once more. Sure enough, Piazza took an offensively-challenged club and basically threw it on his back and pulled the team to the World Series versus the Yankees in 2000 (hey- the starting outfield consisted of Payton, Agbayani and Perez!) Piazza was the best-hitting catcher anyone in the game had ever seen, and his poor throwing skills were mitigated not only by his bat but by his game-calling and marquee value. Sadly, again, Piazza didn't retire as a Met, spending his final seasons in Oakland and San Diego, but when the hall calls, most likely he'll be the second Met, after Seaver, to enter the hallowed halls in the blue and orange.


After Piazza's departure, two home-grown players took the reins - shortstop Jose Reyes, since departed to the Marlins, and third baseman David Wright. Wright, of course, remains with the team, with a club-option for 2013, and is considered to be the captain of the team without holding the title officially. Wright is at or near the top of every relevant offensive statistic in team history, and with a few more years' on the team, he'll hold every meaningful record, especially most games played at third base. That's no minor feat, considering that the "hot corner" was the hardest position the team has ever had to fill, so the thought of not having Wright out there, day-in, day-out is almost too much to bear for any Met fan over the age of 40, let alone his multitude of young fans!! Wright is the kid that every father wishes his daughter brings home over the holidays; he's the friend who buys you the first round at the bar, every time; and he's the one player on this team most deserving of being given a long-term contract (think 6-7 years plus a team option) at fair market value, a la rival/friend Ryan Zimmerman. Put the injuries aside- Wright is a reliable performer, a potential hall-of-famer (still) and one of the most decent people to ever wear the uniform. As much as I love the job Sandy Alderson is doing, he won't get the same "pass" for letting Reyes leave if he allows Wright to depart and play for any other team (let alone another rival). After all, any GM who allows Ed Kranepool to remain at the top of ANY statistical column doesn't deserve to remain in the position!! (NO knock against Eddie- he'll always be a personal favorite but he should NEVER be at the top of any important offensive stat- period!) Besides- I don't want to add 4 more uniforms/t-shirts to my ever-growing pile of "ex-players never to be worn again" clothes - it's already taken over the top shelf of one of my closets...


Finally, in order to develop young fans, there must be a player (or players) that they can look to and root for, at least for a number of years, so that team loyalty is developed and they experience what it's like to have someone great in the line-up to look forward to seeing each and every time they arrive at the ballpark. David Wright IS that guy, just like Seaver WAS that guy, and can remain so for 6-7 years; wouldn't it be wonderful to not have to worry about third base for the remainder of this decade??? Wouldn't it also be wonderful to finally have a hall-worthy (or close to it) remain solely with the Mets for a change??