Wow, what does it say for previous Mets administrations that this past Saturday saw the first Mets Old Timers' Day since 1994?
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It was Old-Timers’ Day in Flushing, the first since 1994, and Old-Timers young (such as Jose Reyes and Daniel Murphy) and a little more “seasoned” (such as 1962 Mets Frank Thomas and Ed Kranepool) graced the field for a get-together that was worthy of this franchise, its place in New York baseball history and the fans who unfailingly support it.
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The club used the occasion to announce that "the Mets are retiring the No. 24 worn by Hall of Famer Willie Mays when he played for the team from 1972-73 (and last worn by Robinson Cano earlier this year)."
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Mets Old-Timers’ Day withered away in the mid-1990s, dropped by the club because of lack of enthusiasm (and a lack of will from the previous owners to honor their own team’s history).
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Yet, the first time in 28 years that they held the event, "a total of 64 former Mets players and managers attended the event" and the stadium was "nearly full."
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How long does it take to introduce 64 Old-Timers and other special guests? With Howie Rose doing the honors, it took exactly 30 minutes, from Original Met Ken MacKenzie to Hall of Famer Mike Piazza.
Loudest ovations? On a day when limited-impact Mets such as Dennis Cook and Glendon Rusch received hearty applause, you knew the fans were happy to see anyone in a Mets jersey — with the exception of Joe Torre, who actually heard some boos because he made the Hall of Fame for what he did in the Bronx, not Queens. (It was a little odd to see Torre in a No. 9 Mets uniform top.)
Fans seemed particularly stoked to see Benny Agbayani, Endy Chavez, Bartolo Colon (of course), Pedro Martinez, Darryl Strawberry, Dwight Gooden, Keith Hernandez and Piazza.
But there were many, many others whom the fans were clearly thrilled to welcome back. Just imagine a nearly full stadium clapping and cheering for 30 straight minutes — with the exception of when Mookie Wilson was introduced and they yelled “Moooooookie” — and you’ll get the picture.
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What kind of numbnuts team ownership and management did you guys have over there?
