R.I.P. "My Wife's Ass Is On Scott Hairston's Wikipedia Page"

On April 9, 2011, my wife – a veritable Gal For All Seasons – was invited to take the field prior to the game against the Washington Nationals as part of the Mets’ season ticket holder appreciation program.  I was unable to attend the game because I was coughing up a lung, kidney, gall bladder, and I think a gerbil came up as well.  Therefore, my Studious Metsimus co-blogger, Joey Beartran, accompanied my wife on the field.

Each season ticket holder invited to partake in the pre-game festivities was assigned a position on the field where he or she would be met by the starting player at that particular position.  My wife was hoping not to get second base because Chin-lung Hu was starting there on that night (come to think of it, I think I might have coughed him up as well).  Fortunately, she did not get Hu on second.  Instead, she was sent out to left field, which would have led to a tête-à-tête with Jason Bay had he not been on the disabled list to start the season.  The player starting in left field that night was Scott Hairston.  And so began the “wife’s ass” craze.

I'd be smiling, too, if I went out to my position and found THAT waiting for me.
(Photo by Sharon Chapman)

According to my wife’s report, Hairston gave Joey a high-one (Joey doesn’t have fingers, hence the high-one instead of a high-five) and was quite engaging in the short amount of time they shared together in left field.  Friend of Studious Metsimus, Sharon Chapman, took the above photo of the meeting and submitted it to Wikipedia, where it has been ever since.  The rest, as they say, is history.

For the remainder of the 2011 season and the entire 2012 campaign, any time Hairston made a positive contribution to the team –and there were plenty – my wife would tweet about it and:

• remind us all of the online reader-edited encyclopedia where her derriere could be found
• occasionally add the hashtag, #MyAssIsOnScottHairstonsWikipediaPage

After two seasons in New York, including an unexpected 20-homer season in 2012, Scott Hairston is now a former Met, taking his powerful bat and Wikipedia references with him to the North Side of Chicago.  The Mets’ refusal to give Hairston more than a one-year deal led to his decision to abandon Citi Field for confines that are rumored to be friendlier.  The Mets, already lacking outfield depth due to the departures of Andres Torres to San Francisco and Jason Bay to Siberia (a.k.a. Seattle), now have to cope with the loss of their most consistent bat in the outfield, one that finished third on the team in home runs.  But that’s nothing compared to the loss my wife and her Twitter followers are experiencing.

Scott Hairston is now a Cub. The real question is, will my ass still be on his Wikipedia page?
— The Coop (@Coopz22) January 24, 2013

For the time being, my wife’s ass is still on Scott Hairston’s Wikipedia page.  But now that Hairston’s ass will be bombing Wrigley Field (as in home run bombs, not what your 12-year-old mind is thinking), it’s only a matter of time before his photo is replaced by one of him in a Cubs uniform.  It’s now up to the Mets to find themselves an outfielder that will approach the numbers Hairston gave the team in 2012.  If they can’t replace his 20 homers in the outfield, it’ll be the front office that’ll look like a bunch of asses.

Joey's Small Bites: Mets Re-Sign Scott Hairston

Greetings and a happy new year to everyone!  This is Joey Beartran and I'm here to give you some small bites on what's going on with the Mets these days.

If you recall, last April I had the opportunity to take the field with a member of the Mets before the first Saturday night game of the season.  I was hoping to meet either Jose Reyes or Carlos Beltran since I was named after both of them.  But then I saw the starting lineup and feared I'd get Chin-lung Hu.

I didn't get to take the field with my namesakes or the man named after two body parts and a question.  Instead I got to meet the starting leftfielder for the night.  I wanted it to be Jason Bay so we could discuss the finer things in life, like Canadian bacon, poutine and Tim Horton's.

Unfortunately, Bay was on the disabled list to start the season so I got his replacement du jour.  That's right, my friends.  I got to meet Scott Hairston.

Scott Hairston was in awe that the world's preeminent bear blogger was taking the field with him.  Either that or he was checking out my colleague's wife.  (Photo by Sharon Chapman)

Hairston was very polite and seemed happy to see us keeping his position warm for him.  He even gave me a high five before we ran off the field to head for our seats.  Although he didn't do very well in the game (0-for-3, 2 Ks, HBP, one run scored), I still enjoyed my first meeting with him and rooted openly for him during the season.

Therefore, it should come as no surprise that I was overjoyed when word came out that the Mets had re-signed Hairston for the 2012 season.  At first, I was a little skeptical about the news.  After all, the Mets aren't signing anyone these days.  They're leaving that for the other teams in the NL East.

But then I checked Twitter and scanned through Jon Heyman's tweets and found confirmation of the news (because everything Heyman tweets is true, right?):

scott hairston will get $1.1M from mets in '12, give or take a few pennies
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeymanCBS) January 5, 2012

So one of the Mets' key bench players will be returning to Citi Field in 2012 at a bargain basement price of $1.1 million (or less than 10% of what they paid Oliver Perez not to pitch for the Mets in 2011).

Although Hairston only hit .235 last year, he excelled at producing extra-base hits.  Of his 31 hits, 16 went for extra bases (eight doubles, one triple, seven home runs), giving him a .470 slugging percentage.  In addition, Hairston picked up 24 RBI in 149 plate appearances.  His rate of one RBI every 6.2 plate appearances was better than Carlos Beltran (6.3 PA/RBI), David Wright (7.3 PA/RBI) and Lucas Duda (6.9 PA/RBI).  Jason Bay?  He drove in a run every 8.9 plate appearances in 2011 and will be paid approximately 15 times the amount Hairston will be earning in 2012.

Scott Hairston hit three of his seven home runs as a pinch-hitter in 2011, leading all Mets in that department, despite the fact that he didn't play after August 23 because of injury.  No other Met hit more than one pinch-hit homer in 2011.

The Mets didn't hit for much power in 2011.  For the second time in the three-year history of Citi Field, no Met hit more than 15 HR.  The team's leading home run hitter (Carlos Beltran) played the final two months of the season as a member of the San Francisco Giants.  Scott Hairston was one of the few players on the team who could actually hit the ball out of the ballpark with some regularity.  Therefore, I believe it's a good thing that he's returning to Citi Field in 2012, especially with the walls being lowered and moved in.

A healthy Scott Hairston will provide the Mets with a legitimate home run threat on the bench, as well as a utility player who can play in the infield and outfield when needed.  The Mets might not be big spenders this offseason, but at least they're keeping their inexpensive talent.

Jose Reyes is gone.  So is Carlos Beltran.  Maybe I should change my name from Joey Beartran to Scotty Bearston.  At least that way I know I'll have my namesake around in 2012.

First Quarter Recap: Things We Observed By Watching

Okay, so technically the first quarter of the season ended in the middle of the fifth inning on Monday, when the Mets had played 40½ games. But blogging isn't an exact science and my watch wasn't working, so let's just say the first quarter of the season just ended today. After their second consecutive shutout victory over the Washington Nationals, the Mets' record stands at 21-22. For a team that started the season by losing 13 of their first 18 games, they've made quite a turnaround.

So as we look back on those first 43 games and look ahead to the next 118 (because I'm still convinced that the Mets will have a game rained out that doesn't get made up), let's see what we observed during the first quarter and what we can look forward to over the next three-quarters of the season.

There are two things we noticed about Jason Bay. Neither one of them is very positive. Let's ignore that he banged out three hits today. Instead, let's focus on home runs and runs batted in, or the lack of them.

We still think Jason Bay is a nice guy who tries his best. Too bad his best produces strikeouts and pop-ups.

These are the career batting statistics of two former Mets, followed by Jason Bay's numbers as a Met (through games of May 18, 2011):

• Player A: 17 doubles, 5 triples, 6 HR, 60 RBI, 70 runs scored.
• Player B: 15 doubles, 5 triples, 7 HR, 65 RBI, 59 runs scored.
• Jason Bay: 23 doubles, 6 triples, 8 HR, 54 RBI, 60 runs scored.

As you can see, Player A and Player B both have career numbers comparable to Jason Bay. Who are these players? Player A is Tom Seaver and Player B is Dwight Gooden. At least Bay can say that he has numbers that compare to two of the best players ever to put on a Mets uniform. Of course, those weren't exactly the Mets players fans had in mind when they envisioned the batting marks Jason Bay would approach.

So do you know which hitter Jason Bay resembles the most? How about Chico Walker? The man who made the final out AGAINST the Mets in the game that clinched the 1986 NL East division title and the final out FOR the Mets the last time they were no-hit, put up numbers stunningly similar to the Mets' current $66 million man:

• Chico Walker: .268 AVG/.322 OBP/.382 SLG, 9 HR, 55 RBI, 21 SB in 440 at-bats.
• Jason Bay: .250 AVG/.340 OBP/.388 SLG, 8 HR, 54 RBI, 12 SB in 428 at-bats.

Perhaps with a little surge in the second quarter of the season, Bay might approach Richie Hebner's career stats for the Mets (.268, 25 doubles, 10 HR, 79 RBI in 473 at-bats).

Richie Hebner hated New York and Mets fans. I wonder if he can claim John Rocker as a dependent.

What was the other thing we noticed about Jason Bay this season? In 23 games, the Mets' leftfielder has driven in seven runs. In the last four games alone, second baseman/third baseman Justin Turner has knocked in nine.

Here are a few other things we observed over the first quarter of the season that have nothing to do with Jason Bay.

One of the newest members of the Buffalo Bisons, Chin-Lung Hu didn't do very well in his time with the Mets. In fact, he finished the first quarter of the season with more body parts in his name (two - Chin and Lung) than base hits collected (Hu notched one safety in 20 at-bats).

Jose Reyes is back to leading the National League in stolen bases, a feat he accomplished three times from 2005 to 2007. His 16 stolen bases are two more than Astros' speedster Michael Bourn. What's amazing about Reyes' stolen base total is that he also has 20 extra-base hits on the year. For those who aren't aware, it's a little difficult for Jose to steal second base when he's already standing on it or past it because he keeps churning out extra-base hit after extra-base hit. Can you say contract year, kids?

What about Reyes' partner in grime, David Wright? The recently-DL'ed third baseman has struck out 43 times in 146 at-bats this season (an average of one strikeout every 3.4 at-bats). The Mets' starting rotation (Mike Pelfrey, Jonathon Niese, R.A. Dickey, Chris Capuano, Dillon Gee) has struck out 25 times in 65 at-bats. But Chris Capuano has struck out nine times in 12 at-bats. Therefore, the other four starters have gone down on strikes only 16 times in 53 at-bats, or once every 3.3 at-bats. Perhaps his time on the DL will remind David Wright that he should stop running away from good pitches and start making contact with them.

You can run, but you can't hide (from strike three).

Over the past two seasons, the Mets finished a combined 61-101 away from Citi Field (compared to an 88-74 record at home). This year, the opposite is true, as the Mets are 11-10 on the road and 10-12 at home. Their improvement on the road will come in handy during the second quarter of the season, as the Mets will play 33 of 49 games in their road grays (and blacks) from June 7 through July 31.

Upcoming Milestones Within Reach

David Wright is tied with Darryl Strawberry for first place on the all-time runs scored list (662). But with Wright on the disabled list, Jose Reyes should become the club's all-time leader in runs scored sometime this weekend. Reyes is currently third with 660.

Similarly, Wright and Reyes are both close to passing Cleon Jones for second place on the franchise's all-time hits list. Jones is currently in second place with 1,188 hits. Wright has 1,182 safeties and Reyes has 1,178.

Carlos Beltran is 12 home runs away from cracking the top five in home runs. Dave Kingman is currently fifth with 154 home runs as a Met, while Beltran has 142. With 22 RBIs, Beltran will surpass Cleon Jones (521, 7th all-time) and Edgardo Alfonzo (538, 6th all-time) in runs batted in. Of course, with each home run and RBI, Beltran becomes more attractive to teams looking to make a trade for the rightfielder.

Francisco Rodriguez picked up his 74th save as a Met today, good for seventh on the team's all-time list. However, with 13 more saves he will pass Roger McDowell (84) and Tug McGraw (86) to enter the top five. Of course, if he finishes 38 more games this season, he will get plenty of opportunities to go even higher on the all-time saves list, as he will reach the 55-game plateau needed for his 2012 contract to vest.

It's Not Just The Failure To Hit With The Bases Loaded

Much has been said about the Mets' failure to produce with the bases loaded this season. After all, the team is hitting .182 (6-for-33) with the bags full. By contrast, the rest of the National League is hitting .294 in those situations. But this is not the only favorable hitting situation that the Mets have failed in repeatedly this season. In fact, the Mets have become quite adept at being inept.

David K. Wright doing what he does best.

Anytime a team has a runner on third base and less than two outs, the odds of scoring that run are obviously very good, as it can score without the benefit of a base hit. However, the Mets seem to have not received that memo. With a runner on third and less than two outs, the Mets are hitting a paltry .196 (11-for-56) with 34 RBI (10 sacrifice flies). They have struck out 17 times in these situations and have yet to hit a home run.

Even scarier is that the Mets have not hit a home run all season with a runner on third base. Of their 28 home runs, 15 have been of the solo variety, five have come with a man on first, five have been hit with a man on second, and the other three (all three-run homers) were blasted with men on first and second. Mets players have come to bat 150 times this season with a man on third base and have yet to hit a ball out of the ballpark. How many hits have they gotten in those 150 plate appearances? A measly 21, with only eight extra-base hits. They have struck out 31 times against only 18 walks in those situations. But wait, there's more.

In the late innings, when good teams are able to put together rallies to prevail in tight games, the Mets' bats go to sleep. Over the first six innings this season, the Mets have actually been quite respectable, hitting .265. They also have a .335 on-base percentage and a .419 slugging percentage from innings 1 through 6. However, over the final three innings, it's a completely different story (.201/.300/.325). Why is this so shocking? Because a starting pitcher usually contributes to lowering the batting avg./OBP/slugging pct. of his team during the first six innings of a ballgame. His spot is often taken by a pinch-hitter over the final three innings, a pinch-hitter who can usually be counted on to be a more productive hitter than the pitcher he's replacing in the batting order.

Of course, pinch-hitting has not been the Mets' forté this season, as substitutes have combined to hit .172 (16-for-93), have reached base at a .235 clip, and are slugging .258. Players such as Willie Harris, Scott Hairston and Chin-Lung Hu have yet the put the word "hitting" in pinch-hitting, as they have come off the bench to strike out 31 times while drawing only six walks.

This has become too familiar a sight at Citi Field this season.

So what does a first place team do with the bases loaded and some of the other situations discussed here? The Philadelphia Phillies have hit .300 (12-for-40) with the bags full this season. With runners on third base and less than two outs, they're hitting .299 with 50 RBI. They have 35 hits with runners on third base, including three home runs. And for all those who say "all they do is hit home runs", let it be known that as of today, both the Phillies and the Mets have hit exactly 28 home runs.

Yeah. That's what a first place team does at the plate when presented with favorable hitting situations. They don't strand runners on base. They move guys around. They make productive outs. They draw walks. They don't strike out, pop out or hit into inning-ending double plays. Last place teams do that. That's where the Mets are right now, and that's where they're going to stay if they don't start recognizing what needs to be done at the plate.

Just In Time For Turner

Second baseman Brad Emaus has been designated for assignment by the Mets, less than a month after winning the job by default and because Argenis Reyes was no longer available. In his stead, the Mets have recalled Justin Turner from AAA-Buffalo.

Turner was hitting .300 (12-for-40) at Buffalo, with five of his hits going for extra bases (three doubles, two triples). In his minor league career, Turner has hit .309, never finishing a full season below .298. However, his prowess for hitting minor league pitching has yet to translate into major league success, as the 26-year-old second baseman has hit a mere .114 (3-for-35) in three separate short stints in the majors. (Turner was 1-for-8 in four games as a Met last year.)

It's obvious that the Mets need some offense from the second base position. The combined "talents" of Brad Emaus, Daniel Murphy and Chin-Lung Hu have managed to produce as many strikeouts as hits (11 hits in 60 at-bats with 11 Ks).

In addition, the second baseman of the future (Reese Havens) can't stay healthy in the present. Havens has still not played in a game this year, as he is recovering from off-season rib surgery. No timetable has been set for his return, but when he does come of the disabled list, he will most likely play for AA-Binghamton, which is the highest level he has reached in the minor leagues.

As shown below (thanks to the Mets' official Twitter page) Justin Turner will be in the starting lineup for the Mets tonight, batting eighth against Astros' pitcher Wandy Rodriguez.

For now, the right-handed hitting Turner will be in a platoon with the lefty-swinging Daniel Murphy. So far this season, Murphy has been the most productive hitter at second base, if you want to call a .226 batting average and a .294 on-base percentage productive. Murphy has also not shown an understanding of the "fundies" that Keith Hernandez lives by, as he was thrown out trying to steal third base with no outs (well, one out after his failed attempt at a theft) in the nightcap of Saturday's doubleheader against the Braves.

So now the Mets are giving Justin Turner a shot as Jose Reyes' double play partner. The Mets showed very little patience with Brad Emaus at second base. How much patience are they willing to show for the new kid on the bag? And if he fails to impress Terry Collins, will Daniel Murphy be given the everyday job at the position?

Ike Davis was called up last April 19 and gave the Mets a much-needed spark after a 4-8 start to the season. Can Justin Turner do the same this April 19? One thing's for sure. If he doesn't, someone else will be given the opportunity. It's the way these Mets roll.

If At Second You Don't Succeed...

Second base was a question mark for the Mets going into the 2011 season. After deciding to cut ties with the incumbent Luis Castillo during spring training, the team decided to go with Rule 5 pick Brad Emaus as their starting second baseman, with Daniel Murphy and Chin-Lung Hu serving as his backups.

So how has the second base experiment gone so far? Let's look at the game-by-game performances for Emaus, Murphy and Hu over the first 16 games of the season. (Note: Stats are for players while they were playing second base. Pinch-hitting appearances are not included in individual game stats.)

• April 1 @Fla: Brad Emaus (0-for-2, BB)
• April 2 @Fla: Brad Emaus (1-for-4, K), Chin-Lung Hu (0-for-1, K)
• April 3 @Fla: Daniel Murphy (1-for-3, R, RBI, BB), Chi-Lung Hu (0-for-2, R)
• April 5 @Phi: Brad Emaus (1-for-4, RBI), Chin-Lung Hu (1-for-1)
• April 6 @Phi: Brad Emaus (2-for-3, BB)
• April 7 @Phi: Brad Emaus (0-for-4, K)
• April 8 vs. Was: Brad Emaus (0-for-3, BB, K)
• April 9 vs. Was: Chin-Lung Hu (0-for-2, 2K), Brad Emaus (0-for-o, R)
• April 10 vs. Was: Brad Emaus (0-for-3, 2K), Daniel Murphy (o-for-1)
• April 11 vs. Col: Daniel Murphy (1-for-5, R, K)
• April 13 vs. Col: Daniel Murphy (1-for-4, R, RBI, BB)
• April 14 vs. Col: Daniel Murphy (1-for-4, BB)
• April 14 vs. Col: Brad Emaus (1-for-4, R)
• April 16 @Atl: Brad Emaus (0-for-4, K)
• April 16 @Atl: Daniel Murphy (1-for-3)
• April 17 @Atl: Brad Emaus (0-for-3, BB, K)

Over the first 16 games, the three men who have played second base for the Mets are hitting a combined .183 (11-for-60) with five runs scored, three runs batted in, seven walks and eleven strikeouts. It almost makes you wonder if Sandy Alderson still has Luis Castillo's number on speed dial.

After today's 3-2 victory against the Braves, the Mets have now played approximately 10% of their schedule. If they plan on having winning streaks that are longer than one game, they're going to need their second basemen to stop playing at 10% of their capabilities and contribute positively to the team's success.

Even former Mets' second baseman Kaz Matsui, who knows a thing or two about being booed in New York, could do better than the team's current second sackers.

Somewhere out there, Matsui is looking at this team and laughing. If the trio of Emaus, Murphy and Hu can't break free of their early season doldrums, Kaz won't be the only one laughing. The rest of the National League will be joining him.

Wait, You Gave Him Hu's Number?

Yesterday at Citi Field, new Mets utility infielder Chin-lung Hu was introduced at a press conference. The soon-to-be 27-year-old Hu was acquired by the Mets from the Los Angeles Dodgers in an attempt to find Jose Reyes an adequate backup.

If by adequate backup, the Mets mean a .191 career hitter in the major leagues over 96 games, then they've found the perfect man for the job.

Chin-lung Hu did have a good minor league career, batting .299 in 754 games. He provided some speed, hitting 154 doubles, 28 triples and stealing 97 bases. He also makes good contact, striking out only 332 times over those 754 games. However, he does not draw many walks (190 bases on balls in 3,434 career plate appearances between the minors and majors) and provides little pop, hitting 47 HR over his minor league career and only two in parts of four seasons in the major leagues, none since 2007.

Still, the Mets are not just handing him a major league job. He will have to earn it out of Spring Training. And if he does, he will have to deal with a Citi Field crowd that is quick to let you know whether or not they appreciate what you're doing on the field.

Does Hu have a chance to succeed at Citi Field? If you look at the recent history of the number he wore on his back during Wednesday's press conference, he might need a "Hu"-lot of luck.

When you think of current Mets who regularly receive one-finger salutes, the first names that come to mind are Oliver Perez and Luis Castillo. But if you go back just a few years, say from 2004-2006, the boobirds at Shea were reserved for another Met wearing number 25, Kaz Matsui.

When he was signed to a three-year deal prior to the 2004 season, Kaz Matsui looked like a savior from overseas. He was so highly regarded that the Mets immediately put him at shortstop, moving the incumbent (and injured) Jose Reyes over to second base. The move appeared to pay off after Matsui's first game of the season, a game in which he homered in his first major league at-bat and reached base all five times he batted.

Matsui's hot start continued over the first two weeks of the season. In his first 12 games, he hit .333 and carried an on-base percentage of .456. He almost looked like a bargain at $20.1 million over three years. Then came this thing called reality, also known as the rest of the season.

After April 18, Matsui played in 102 games, hitting only .265. His on-base percentage (.315) was far below what was expected from the Mets' leadoff hitter. As the oh-fers piled up, so did the boos at Shea Stadium.

Matsui was traded to the Colorado Rockies on June 9, 2006, but not before he compiled jaw-dropping numbers. And by jaw-dropping, I mean everyone's jaw would drop whenever they thought about how much the Mets paid for a stiff like Matsui. Over the course of his 239-game Mets career, Matsui batted .256, with 106 runs scored, 11 HR and 75 RBI. Compare that to what Jose Reyes did in 2006 alone, when he hit .300, with 122 runs scored, 19 HR and 81 RBI. Is it no wonder that Matsui sounded more like Mat-BOO-i at Shea Stadium?

Prior to the failed Matsui experiment, another Met wore #25 for more years than he should have. The number was given to a hometown boy who was trying to bring the Mets back from the abyss. Instead, he pushed them further in to a place they didn't return from until after he left the team.

Is striking out something they do in the Bronx, Bobby?

Bobby Bonilla was part of a fearsome twosome in Pittsburgh. Along with the skinny Barry Bonds (not to be confused with the asterisked Barry Bonds*), the Pirates won division title in 1990 and 1991. Bonilla was a major part of Pittsburgh's divisional dynasty, hitting 39 doubles, 32 HR and driving in 120 runs in 1990. He followed that up by hitting .302 in 1991 with a league-leading 44 doubles and another 100 RBI season. As one of the most feared sluggers in the league, the Mets made him a prime target during the 1991-1992 offseason.

On December 2, 1991, the Mets got their man, signing the Bronx-born Bonilla to a five-year, $29 million deal. How did the perpetually-smiling Bonilla handle his first year in New York? How does a .249, 19 HR, 70 RBI, 23 doubles season sound to you?

The team that Bob Klapisch and John Harper immortalized in their book "The Worst Team Money Could Buy: The Collapse of the New York Mets" was one of the biggest underachieving teams in franchise history. With Eddie Murray, Bret Saberhagen and Bonilla on board, along with new skipper Jeff Torborg, the Mets were supposed to return to the top of the NL East standings after finishing the 1991 season with their first losing record in eight years. Instead they continued their downward spiral.

In Bonilla's second season in New York, he actually improved upon his atrocious 1992 season, batting .265, with 34 HR and 87 RBI. But despite his good season on the field, what he did off the field kept him stranded in Boo York City. Still fuming over his representation in the book, Bonilla confronted Bob Klapisch, threatening to "show him the Bronx", which was perceived as a not-so-veiled threat against the author. This was not the only time Bonilla's conduct became headline-worthy.

During his Mets career, he once called the press box to complain about an error given to him by the official scorer. He also made a famous fashion statement at Shea Stadium, wearing earplugs during a game to drown out the sea of boos that threatened to envelop him.

Bonilla was finally relieved of his Met duties when he was traded on July 28, 1995 to the Baltimore Orioles for supposed five-tool stud Alex Ochoa and Damon Buford, neither of whom ever became big-time players on the Mets. His time away from "home" was short-lived, as the Mets re-acquired Bonilla on November 11, 1998, by sending another boo-worthy player, Mel Rojas, to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Bobby Bo.

Just because the fans had more to cheer about in 1999 didn't mean everything was fine and dandy for the former superstar. Bonilla had a (how shall we say this to avoid being shown the northern-most borough of New York) putrid season in 1999. He played in 60 games and collected only 19 hits. His .160 batting average was lower than pitcher Masato Yoshii's .164 mark. Fans who weren't around during his first stint in New York got a quick education on how to boo Bobby Bonilla properly.

What was once a star player had shriveled into an aloof, uncaring "athlete", one who seemed to be more interested in getting to the World Series of Poker with Rickey Henderson during Game 6 of the 1999 NLCS than the actual World Series.

Pick a card, Bobby. Any card. If you can't hear me because of the earplugs you're wearing, have Rickey pick the card out for you.

Thankfully, Bonilla was given his walking papers on January 3, 2000, never appearing in a Mets uniform again. However, due to a clause in his contract, Bobby Bonilla is back on the Mets payroll, receiving an estimated $29 million over the next 25 years. Although the deal is actually a good one from a financial standpoint, it's given Mets fans another reason to hate Bobby Bonilla.

So now it's Chin-lung Hu's turn to wear the number once worn by Kaz Matsui and Bobby Bonilla. Will he become the latest player to receive the boo treatment, which appears destined for anyone wearing #25? Pedro Feliciano seemed immune to it, as he wore the number from 2006 until his last game as a Met in 2010, but perhaps that was only an aberration.

For Chin-lung Hu to avoid the boobirds at Citi Field, he must play at a level expected of a major leaguer. If he doesn't improve upon his career .191 batting average, he won't be able to block out the boos, even if he finds one of Bobby Bonilla's old earplugs.

Hu's that standing next to Sandy Alderson? Naturally!

Hu must remember that he is there to back up Jose Reyes, not to be Jose Reyes. No one on the Mets is like the effervescent Reyes. His charismatic personality and All-Star caliber play on the field has endeared him to Mets fans since 2003. Hu can't possibly expect to achieve that status overnight. But what he can do is play as hard as he can, whether it be in a pinch-hitting role or just giving Jose Reyes a day off here and there.

Chin-lung Hu will either be accepted as a quality utility player in New York or he will be booed out of town if his performance warrants it. Hu's it going to be?