Joey's Soapbox (of Chocolates): My Mets Valentine

Greetings, everyone!  This is Joey Beartran.  How has everyone been celebrating their Valentine's Day?  As you can see, I got a heart-shaped box of Mets chocolates today, which got me thinking.  What is it that I love the most about the Mets?  And why is it so great to be a Mets fan?

I hope you're ready, because I'm about to get on my soapbox.  But today will be a little different, as today will be a loving rant on my fav'rit team.

It's not easy being a Mets fan.  Whereas fans of other teams get to root for players like Albert Pujols, Josh Hamilton or Justin Verlander, we got to cheer to our heart's content whenever Jason Bay doesn't strike out or Mike Pelfrey holds an opposing batter to a single.  Anyone can root for a superstar when he does what he's supposed to do.  But as Mets fans, we have different things to root for.  And we take pride in doing so.  Except for maybe Cubs fans, who are used to rooting for anything positive, like Alfonso Soriano not tripping over his shoelaces when chasing after a fly ball, we come up with new and exciting things to be happy for.  Try topping that, Derek Jeter fans!

Speaking of Derek Jeter, the team for which he plays for considers it a failure if they don't win the World Series every year.  From 1996-2000, they won four championships, but because they didn't win in 1997, there was a flaw in their dynasty.  A .300 hitter can fail seven out of ten times, but try being a Yankee.  One championship over the past 11 seasons (which is one fewer than the Red Sox and Cardinals have won over the same time period) is considered a major disappointment.  That's something I love about being a Mets fan.  We rarely ever have such lofty expectations.  It's easy to be a frontrunner.  It takes a real fan to root for a team like the Mets.  And when the Mets do capture our hearts with a memorable season, it makes it all the more special.

The Mets have character.  They also have characters.  Over the past 50 seasons, we've seen Choo Choo, Marvelous Marv, the Glider, the Stork, Tugger, Mookie, Doc, the Straw Man, Turk, Jason Phillips' goggles and Don Aase.  Why Don Aase?  Because I like to say Aase.  Can another team claim so many characters?  Methinks not.  Being a Mets fan is always fun, even when the team on the field is not.

Finally, every once in a while, we get to see something truly special.  As Mets fans, we've seen the Miracle of 1969, Ya Gotta Believe, Lee Mazzilli's pants, Hendu Can Do, the Hotfoot, Jesse Orosco's flying glove and the Grand Slam Single.  "Every once in a while" still doesn't include a league MVP or a no-hitter, but hey, if Anthony Young could win a game, then anything is possible.

Today is Valentine's Day.  It's a day people show their love for each other with cards, gifts, etc.  The greatest loves in my life wear orange and blue.  And nothing will ever cause my love for them to waver.  They may break my heart sometimes, they may collapse every once in a while (or twice in a  while, or three times if you count 1998), and they may give Oliver Perez $36 million to suck more than Dracula at a blood bank, but they're my team.  And nothing will ever make that change.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some chocolates that I have to take care of.  Don't forget to tell that special person or team you love exactly how you feel about them.  Even if that person is Mel Rojas.

Happy Valentine's Day to all!  And as always, let's go Mets!!!

One Season Wonders: Dave Magadan

In 1986, the Mets were rolling towards their first division title in 13 years.  Entering September, the Mets' lead in the NL East had increased to 20 games and the inevitable clinching was only days away.  As with any other team, the Mets called up a number of minor leaguers once the rosters expanded on September 1.  One of those players was a lanky first baseman from Tampa who was an excellent contact hitter, even if that contact produced mostly singles.

In four minor league seasons, the first baseman never hit lower than .309 and never had an on-base percentage lower than .411.  But of his 495 base hits, only 104 went for extra bases and a mere four left the ballpark.  Despite his penchant for collecting singles and drawing walks, the Mets didn't call him up to the big leagues until after he had amassed over 1,500 minor league at-bats.  But he made a name for himself quickly once he got his first start.

On September 17, 1986, the Mets were playing before a packed house at Shea Stadium, needing a win to seal the deal on the NL East crown.  However, team leader Keith Hernandez was unable to start because of the flu, so the start was given to the rookie with the singles bat.  Four plate appearances, three hits and two RBIs later, the September call-up took a seat so that Hernandez could take part in the on-field celebration.  Before September 17, no one had heard of the Mets' rookie, but after his performance in the Mets' first division clincher since 1973, everyone knew who Dave Magadan was.

Dave Magadan never met a single he didn't like.

David Joseph Magadan wasn't the only baseball player in his family.  The cousin of Lou Piniella, Magadan played the game much like his famous family member.  Just as Sweet Lou had done before him, Magadan carved out a nice résumé for himself in the minor leagues before getting an opportunity to play in the majors.  (Piniella was drafted in 1962 but did not become a regular in the big leagues until 1969.)  Also like his cousin, Magadan followed in the family tradition of lashing single after single.  (1,257 of Piniella's 1,705 hits went for one base.)  But the one difference in Magadan's game was his ability to draw a walk.  Piniella never walked more than 35 times in any of his 18 years in the big leagues, while Magadan had never walked less than 51 times in any of his four seasons in the Mets' minor league system.  And it was because of that ability that Magadan never returned to the minor leagues as a Met, even with Keith Hernandez still blocking his path to first base.

In 1987, Keith Hernandez was still the Mets' regular first baseman, but with the departure of third baseman Ray Knight, the Mets needed a backup at the hot corner now that Howard Johnson was taking over the position.  Unfortunately for Magadan, HoJo had a breakout season in 1987, so he was mostly relegated to pinch-hitting duties, appearing in only 85 games and collecting 192 at-bats.  But things began to change in 1988 when Hernandez started to show his age at first.

After a letdown in 1987, the Mets were back atop the NL East in 1988, although they were doing it without the help of their co-captains.  Gary Carter went through a prolonged power slump as he was seeking to hit his 300th career home run and Keith Hernandez injured his hamstring twice.  With the Mets needing a replacement at first base, Magadan stepped in, but for the first time in his professional career, failed to hit .300, finishing the year with a .277 batting average in 112 games.  The next year, Hernandez was hurt again and Magadan found himself playing more than he did in 1988.  But for the second straight year, Magadan was not able to maintain a lofty batting average, although it did improve slightly to .286 in 127 games. 

As the '80s turned into the '90s, Dave Magadan had been with the Mets for parts of four seasons.  However, he still had not become an everyday player, with less than 900 at-bats over those four seasons.  He mainly served a pinch-hitter or an injury replacement.  But when the Mets chose not to re-sign Keith Hernandez after the 1989 season, a full-time spot finally opened for Dave Magadan.  He responded with the best season of his career.

After four years in Keith Hernandez's shadow, Dave Magadan set his sights on a career year in 1990.

Dave Magadan appeared to finally have the everyday first baseman's job once Keith Hernandez signed a free-agent contract with the Cleveland Indians in early December 1989.  But two weeks after Hernandez was officially an ex-Met, the team swung a deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers for reliever Alejandro Peña and first baseman Mike Marshall.  Dave Magadan was back on the bench and Mike Marshall was named Keith Hernandez's replacement at first base by manager Davey Johnson.

Marshall, who hit 137 home runs in nine years as a Dodger, was a complete disaster at first base, hitting .226 with four home runs and 20 RBI through May 27.  His performance at the plate mirrored the team's performance on the field, and on that date, the Davey Johnson era came to a close with the firing of the Mets' most successful manager.  Long-time Mets player and coach Buddy Harrelson replaced Johnson as skipper, immediately making the team his own.  After only two weeks on the job, Harrelson took Mike Marshall out of the lineup, replacing him with Dave Magadan.  This time, there was no one in Magadan's way to prevent him from breaking out.  And it all started with a windy day at Wrigley Field.

On June 12, 1990, the Mets were playing the second game of a four-game series at Wrigley Field in Chicago.  At the time, Magadan was hitting .307 in 75 at-bats, with one home run and six runs batted in.  By the time the game was over, those numbers had doubled.  In what became Dave Magadan's breakout week, the first baseman went 4-for-4 with a triple, home run and six RBI.  The next day, Magadan collected four more hits in a doubleheader against the Cubs.  The Mets then traveled to Pittsburgh.  Different venue, same result, as Magadan went 4-for-4 with two doubles, a run scored and an RBI in a 7-5 victory over the first place Pittsburgh Pirates.

In his first seven days as an everyday player, Magadan collected an astounding 18 hits, but what was more amazing was that he was collecting his share of extra-base hits as well.  For the seven-game period, Magadan hit .563 (18-for-32), with three doubles, a triple and a home run.  He also scored eight runs and drove in ten, all with an un-Magadan-like .813 slugging percentage.  By the time the week was over, Magadan was hitting .383, which would have led the league had he collected enough at-bats to qualify.  But with Magadan now firmly entrenched at first base, it wouldn't be long before his name appeared among the league leaders in batting average.

Every once in a while, Dave Magadan put on a glove, but it was his bat that did the talking in 1990.

From June 24 until the end of July, Magadan continued his torrid pace.  In 35 games (33 starts), Magadan hit .336 with 15 extra-base hits (ten doubles, three triples, two home runs), 25 runs scored and 19 RBI.  He also continued to show exceptional discipline at the plate, drawing 18 walks while striking out only 12 times.  By the time July was over, Magadan was officially among the National League's leading hitters, while Mike Marshall was on his way to Boston, traded for minor leaguers Ed Perozo and Greg Hansell (the same Greg Hansell who was the losing pitcher against the Mets in the 162nd game of 1999, the game that sent the Mets to Cincinnati for the one-game playoff to determine the National League wild card berth).

As hot as Magadan was, the Mets were even hotter.  In a two-month stretch from June 4 to August 3, the Mets' record was 40-15.  They had gone from a season-high 9½-game deficit on June 7 to a one-game lead on August 3.  The Mets had become Buddy Harrelson's team, a scrappy bunch that won games in every possible way.  And this feisty attitude had brought them back into division contention, with Dave Magadan leading the way.

On August 24, Dave Magadan was second in the league in batting, hitting .337 to Lenny Dykstra's .341.  Willie McGee was right on their tails with a .336 batting average.  Five days later, a trade was made that would influence the National League batting race when Willie McGee was shipped off to the Oakland A's.  Since McGee was switching leagues, his .335 batting average at the time of the trade would stay frozen and McGee's batting average in the American League would remain separate.  Therefore, regardless of what McGee did in Oakland, his season-ending batting average in the National League was locked in at .335.  At the time of the deal, Dykstra was still leading the league with a .340 batting average, but McGee had passed Magadan into second place, as the Mets' first baseman had dropped to .333.  There was one month to go in the season to see if Magadan was going to become the Mets' first batting champion, but more importantly, the Mets were down to their final month if they wanted to take the division from the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The Mets were still leading the division by a half-game on September 3, but a five-game losing streak, which included a three-game sweep at the hands of the Pirates, knocked them 3½ games back.  Magadan did his best to keep the team afloat, batting .350 with a double, two triples and a home run in the six games he played from September 4 to September 9.  But by then, his teammates had gone into a team-wide slump, and the Mets never took over first place again.  The only thing left to decide was the National League batting race, and one of the participants was also in the midst of a slump.

Lenny Dykstra, who appeared ready to win his first batting title for the Phillies, completely lost it at the plate in the month of September.  On the morning of September 8, Dykstra was still leading the league with a .343 batting average.  Eight days later, he had already fallen behind Willie McGee and his stationary .335 average.  By season's end, Magadan had also passed Dykstra.  The former Met had to settle for a .325 batting average, the result of hitting .213 over his final 20 games.  As cold as Dykstra was, it was a future Met who went on a tear of his own in September.  Eddie Murray, then a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers, hit .411 over his final 30 games to insert his name into the batting race.  Murray's blazing finish raised his average to .330 by season's end, just five percentage points behind Willie McGee.  Unfortunately, Murray's average had also surpassed Dave Magadan, who settled for a .328 average and a third-place finish in the National League batting race.

Although Dave Magadan fell short in his quest to become the Mets' first batting champion, his .328 average was still the second-highest batting average ever recorded by a Met who qualified for the batting title (Cleon Jones set the franchise record of .340 in 1969).  However, since Jones was a right-handed batter, Magadan's average was the highest recorded by a left-handed hitter in Mets' history.  (Both Jones' and Magadan's marks were erased by John Olerud in 1998, when the sweet-swinging lefty set the new team standard with a .354 batting average.)

We're not worthy!  We're not worthy!  Such was life in Dave's World.

Dave Magadan's 1990 season was by far the best year of his career.  The first baseman set career highs in batting average (.328), slugging percentage (.457), OPS (.874), hits (148), doubles (28), triples (6), home runs (6), RBI (72) and runs scored (74).  It was also the only time in his career that he received MVP votes, as Magadan earned four votes to finish 22nd in the NL MVP vote.

As quickly as Magadan rose to the top, his star faded quickly.  In 1991, his average plummeted to .258 and in 1992, he played in only 99 games, batting .283 with 12 extra-base hits.  By then, the Mets had already signed Magadan's old batting champion rival, Eddie Murray, to be the team's first baseman, and Magadan was back to splitting his time between first base and third base.  The 1992 season would turn out to be Magadan's last season in New York.

After the 1992 season, Magadan became a journeyman.  Just as Don Zimmer became the first Met to play the hot corner, Dave Magadan became the first Florida Marlins' third baseman, playing the position in the Marlins' inaugural game in 1993.  Magadan's stay in Florida didn't last very long, as he was traded to Seattle in June.  Magadan returned to the Marlins in 1994, followed by stints with the Houston Astros (1995), Chicago Cubs (1996), Oakland A's (1997-98) and San Diego Padres (1999-2001).  Although he played for nine seasons after leaving the Mets, Magadan was never able to duplicate his successful 1990 campaign.  Still, Magadan's longevity made him the only position player from the 1986 team to extend his playing career into the 21st century.  (Pitcher Jesse Orosco hung up his spikes after the 2003 season.)

Dave Magadan was never a great player, but he was still good enough to play 16 seasons for seven different teams.  He was a decent hitter, finishing his career with a .288 batting average and had a great eye at the plate (.390 lifetime on-base percentage).  As a result, Magadan is still in the major leagues, serving as the hitting coach for the San Diego Padres from 2003 to 2006, before joining the Boston Red Sox in the same role in 2007.  Magadan won a World Series ring with the Red Sox 21 years after making his major league debut for another World Series winner.  He is now entering his sixth season as the Red Sox hitting instructor and his first under former Mets manager Bobby Valentine.

After spending four seasons in the minor leagues, Dave Magadan finally got a chance to play in the big show.  He waited four more years to become an everyday player.  It was his patience at the plate that first got him noticed and it was his patience on the bench that allowed him to have one of the most unexpected seasons in Mets history.  The Mets might not have won the division title in 1990, but Dave Magadan proved to be a winner that season.  He's still winning today.


Note: One Season Wonders is a thirteen-part weekly series spotlighting those Mets who had one and only one memorable season in New York.  For previous installments, please click on the players' names below:
 
January 2, 2012: Bernard Gilkey
January 9, 2012: Terry Leach 
January 16, 2012: George Stone
January 23, 2012: Roger Cedeño
January 30, 2012: Frank Viola
February 6, 2012: Joe Christopher

Long-Term Deals Lead To Long-Term Headaches

In 2006, the Mets needed one more win to reach the World Series.  When they failed to do that, they decided to go shopping for a pitcher that would help them get that win.  Barry Zito was the name on everyone's minds that offseason.  In seven years with Oakland, Zito had an impressive 102-63 record and a 3.55 ERA.  From 2001 to 2006, Zito made at least 34 starts in every season and did not pitch fewer than 213 innings in any of those campaigns.  He was also a three-time All-Star and a former Cy Young Award winner.  But to get him, the Mets would have to pay a pretty penny.  They'd also have to give him many years.

The San Francisco Giants beat the Mets to the punch, signing Zito to a seven-year, $126 million contract.  At the time, it was the largest contract ever offered to a pitcher.  Zito has thanked the Giants for their generosity by going 43-61 with a 4.55 ERA over the first five years of his contract.  The Giants thanked him back by leaving him off the World Series roster in 2010.

It could have been the Mets paying for Zito over the past five seasons.  Before becoming a Giant, Zito's lifetime numbers (102-63, 3.55 ERA, 222 starts, 1,096 strikeouts) looked a lot like what Ron Darling put up with the Mets (99-70, 3.50 ERA, 241 starts, 1,148 strikeouts).  Since then, Zito has been paid an average of $18 million per year to pitch like Al Jackson.  (Jackson went 43-80 with a 4.26 ERA as a Met.)

Fortunately, the Mets didn't give Zito the long-term deal afforded to him by the Giants.  But that hasn't stopped them from giving other deals of four years or more to pitchers.  In fact, over the past decade the Mets have given a number of long-term deals (four years or more) to various pitchers and although they haven't been Zito-esque, they still weren't rewarded the way they expected to be.  Let's take a look at those faulty deals.

2000:  Armando Benitez - Four years, $22 million

After long-time Mets closer John Franco was sidelined with an injury in 1999, Armando Benitez stepped in and became the team's closer.  Benitez helped the Mets end an 11-year playoff drought in 1999, but gave up a game-tying single to Ozzie Guillen (yes, that Ozzie Guillen) in the tenth inning of Game 6, with the Mets two outs away from forcing an improbable Game 7 after losing the first three games of the series.  It would not be the first time Benitez would blow a lead in a crucial game.  However, it didn't stop the Mets from signing him to a four-year deal during that offseason.

In 2000, Benitez was armed with a new contract to go with his blazing fastball.  He set the Mets' single season record with 41 saves and was part of the team's first World Series appearance since 1986.  But he gave up a game-tying three-run homer to the Giants' J.T. Snow in Game 2 of the NLDS, a game eventually won by the Mets in extra innings when John Franco, the man Benitez replaced as closer only a year before, struck out Barry Bonds to tie the series.  Franco couldn't help him in Game 1 of the World Series, as Benitez gave up a walk, two singles and a game-tying sacrifice fly in the ninth inning, blowing yet another save in a crucial postseason game.  The Mets went on to lose the game and the series to the Yankees.

The following season, the Mets didn't make the playoffs, but that didn't stop Benitez from blowing huge saves.  In 2001, the Mets were attempting to make a 1973-like run to the top of the division.  After starting the year with a 54-68 record, the Mets went on a tear, winning 22 of their next 27 games to pull to within 3½ games of the first place Braves.  With the Mets one out away from cutting the lead to 2½ games, Armando Benitez gave up a two-run homer to Brian Jordan and an RBI single to B.J. Surhoff, in a game eventually lost by the Mets in 11 innings, when Jordan hit his second home run in as many at-bats.  A week later, Benitez was at it again, blowing a four-run ninth inning lead by giving up five runs in two-thirds of an inning to the Braves.  By then, Benitez had worn out his welcome in New York, with fans booing loudly every time he came into a game.  With a few months left on his contract in 2003, the Mets were finally able to unload Benitez, trading him to the Yankees who in turn flipped him to Seattle.  Benitez thanked the Mets in 2004 by saving 11 games against them as a member of the Florida Marlins.  He's still waiting for a "you're welcome".

2001: Kevin Appier - Four years, $42 million

After the Mets went to the World Series in 2000, Mike Hampton defected to the Colorado Rockies in order to pay the $121 million tuition bill for their precious school system. (That was his reason for leaving, right?)  Needing to fill the void left by Hampton's departure, the Mets turned to free agent Kevin Appier.  Appier was a 12-year veteran with 136 career wins and a respectable 3.63 career ERA.  Those numbers look good on paper, but most of them were achieved during his first five seasons in the majors.

From 1989-1993, Appier was 59-38 for the Kansas City Royals with a stellar 2.95 ERA.  In the seven years prior to becoming a Met, Appier had gone 77-67 with a 4.11 ERA for the Royals and Oakland A's, hardly the numbers that would earn a player a four-year, $42 million deal in 2001.  But the Mets were desperate, so they overpaid for Appier.

Appier pitched one year for the Mets, going 11-10 with a 3.57 ERA.  Although the ERA was his lowest since 1997, it was still not the kind of season the Mets expected from their $42 million man.  The Mets traded Appier after only one season in New York, sending him to Anaheim for the past-his-prime Mo Vaughn.  Appier won 22 games over the remaining three years of his contract, never pitching again after the deal was done.  Vaughn played 166 games for the Mets, before retiring due to knee problems.  Who says the stomach isn't connected to the knee bone?

2003: Tom Glavine - Four years, $42.5 million

In 2002, the Mets suffered their first losing season since 1996 and first last place finish since 1993.  Much of the blame was placed on their free agent flops, as Mo Vaughn, Roberto Alomar and Jeromy Burnitz brought underachieving to new depths. But another reason for their failures was their pitching staff.  Al Leiter and Steve Trachsel were .500 pitchers.  Pedro Astacio was the rotation's sole winning pitcher at 12-11.  Jeff D'Amico (another free agent flop) won six games.  And Shawn Estes couldn't hit the strike zone or Roger Clemens.  To fix the pitching mess, general manager Steve Phillips imported one of the best pitchers from the Mets' fiercest rival.

Tom Glavine had always been a thorn in the Mets' side.  Prior to 2003, Glavine had gone 17-7 with a 2.82 ERA in 36 starts against the Mets.  The Mets expected great things from the 242-game winner and got a season reminiscent of another eventual 300-game winner named Tom.  Unfortunately, that season was Tom Seaver's 1983 campaign, a season that Glavine mirrored two decades later by going 9-14 for the Mets.

Although Glavine did up his win by two every year for the next three years, he still failed to pitch like the Hall of Famer he will probably become.  Throughout the length of his original four-year deal (the fourth year was an option year based on innings pitched), Glavine was merely a .500 pitcher, going 48-48.  But the sting of losing to the Cardinals in the 2006 NLCS left Glavine wanting more, so he signed a one-year deal to pitch the Mets back to the playoffs.  He got his chance on the final day of the 2007 season.  How did he do?  Let's just say that instead of being the second coming of Tom Terrific, he became the first coming of Tom Horrific, but at least he wasn't devastated by it.  Too bad the same couldn't be said for Mets fans.

2005: Pedro Martinez - Four years, $53 million

In 2004, the Mets had just come off their third consecutive losing season and new general manager Omar Minaya felt the need to make a big splash (a common theme during his time in New York).  Free agent pitcher Pedro Martinez was the big name on the market and Minaya was adamant about signing him.  Martinez was arguably the best pitcher in the American League during his seven-year stay in Boston, going 117-37 with a 2.52 ERA.  He was also a six-time All-Star, three-time Cy Young Award winner, five-time ERA leader and three-time strikeout champion.  But one overlooked fact about Pedro was that in his final season in Boston, his ERA ballooned to 3.90 and his 193 hits allowed were the most he had ever given up in a full season.

Speaking of full seasons, Martinez had only surpassed 30 starts in four of the 11 seasons since he became a full-time starter.  Over his final six seasons in Boston, he had only gone past 30 starts once.  His fragility was the reason why Boston wouldn't guarantee a fourth year, something the Mets eventually did in order to bring him into the fold.

The contract looked like a bargain in 2005.  In his first season in New York, Pedro went 15-8 with a 2.82 ERA and 208 strikeouts.  He also made 31 starts and led the major leagues with his 0.95 WHIP.  However, after winning his first five starts in 2006, Martinez broke down.  And broke down.  And broke down some more.  From May 2006 to the end of his contract in 2008, Martinez went 12-15 with a 5.00 ERA, making only 48 starts, none of which came in the playoffs during the Mets' run to Game 7 of the NLCS.  His contract and injury history made him untradeable, and Martinez did not pitch again in the major leagues until late in the 2009 season, when he helped the Phillies reach the World Series.  Of course.

2006: Billy Wagner - Four years, $43 million

The Braden Looper experiment of 2004 and 2005 failed, to put it mildly.  Although the Mets were headed in the right direction in 2005, improving by 12 wins under first-year manager Willie Randolph, Looper wasn't the right fit for the team coming into late-inning pressure situations.  General manager Omar Minaya felt that a change was needed at the closer position, so he dipped his toe into the free agent waters again.  Enter Billy Wagner, as the Sandman who did his best to give opposing hitters nightmares.

Wagner was outstanding in 2006, becoming the first left-handed pitcher in club history to record 40 saves in a single season.  But Wagner started to fall apart late over the next two seasons.  In 2007, it was his performance on the mound towards the end of the season (6.91 ERA, three blown saves in his final 14 appearances) that helped the Mets give up their seemingly insurmountable lead in the division.  One year later, it was his lack of appearances on the mound that led to the Mets' downfall.

After blowing a save against the Astros on August 2, Wagner did not pitch again in 2008, needing Tommy John surgery to repair his damaged elbow.  Two weeks after Wagner's season-ending injury, the Mets acquired Luis Ayala and he became the club's fill-in closer.  This was the same Luis Ayala who had racked up a whopping nine saves in four seasons with the Washington Nationals.  Two blown saves, two losses and a 5.50 ERA later, Ayala had done more than just blow the lead in various games.  He helped blow the Mets' lead in the division, all while Billy Wagner was collecting his paycheck in the recovery room.  Ayala was gone by 2009, as was Billy Wagner, who made two token appearances after the All-Star Break to up his trade value from getting a bag of golf balls to getting Chris Carter from the Boston Red Sox.  Perhaps the golf balls would have been the better deal.

2008:  Johan Santana - Six years, $137.5 million

A year after the Mets failed to make Barry Zito the highest paid pitcher in baseball, they pulled out their wallets for a far more deserving candidate in Johan Santana.  After completing a deal with the Minnesota Twins for the star lefty (not the first time the Mets sent a bushel of young players to Minnesota for a former Cy Young Award winning southpaw), the Mets signed Santana to a six-year extension, hoping the put the stunning late-season collapse of 2007 behind them.

In his first year in New York, Santana gave the Mets everything they could have wanted and more.  The 29-year-old finished the season with a 16-7 record and a major league-leading 2.53 ERA.  Santana finished third in the Cy Young Award vote and could have finished higher had it not been for the seven games he handed over to the bullpen with the lead that they failed to hold.  (Dang you, Billy Wagner and Luis Ayala!)

In 2009, Santana started the season well (8-3, 2.39 ERA over his first 12 starts), but became an average pitcher over his final 13 starts (5-6, 3.80 ERA) before missing the final six weeks of the season with an elbow injury.  The 2010 season wasn't much different for Santana, who had a fine start (8-5, 2.79 ERA), followed by a sluggish finish (3-4, 3.47 ERA) and another season-ending injury.  However, this injury ended two seasons, as Santana has not thrown a baseball in a major league game since then.  Santana is entering his fifth season with the Mets with a 40-25 career mark in New York, which isn't bad, but the Mets probably expected him to be in the franchise's top ten in wins by now (Steve Trachsel currently rounds out the top ten with 66 wins as a Met).  Instead, Santana is still chasing guys like Craig Swan (59 wins), Mike Pelfrey (50 wins), Al Jackson (43 wins) and Pat Zachry (41 wins).  That's what $137.5 million buys you in the Mets' world.

The Mets have flushed a lot of their money down the toilet by signing pitchers to long-term deals.

In 2007, The Mets wouldn't offer Barry Zito the long-term commitment the Giants did, and rightfully so, as Zito has been one of the worst free-agent signings in baseball history.  However, that doesn't mean the Mets haven't given away (literally) their money to other top pitchers over the past decade.

Since the advent of the 21st century, the Mets have signed six pitchers to deals of four years or more.  Armando Benitez almost made it through the four years, but not before having to tell his kids that the correct pronunciation of their last name wasn't Boo-nitez.  Kevin Appier was traded away after one season for a player who retired before Appier's contract was up.  Tom Glavine was a .500 pitcher throughout his four-year deal, which of course translated into another one-year contract that the Mets and their fans would like to forget.  Pedro Martinez might have ushered in the "New Mets" before Carlos Beltran coined the phrase, but really ushered out his own career after one successful campaign.  Billy Wagner celebrated a division title in the arms of Paul LoDuca, but then had arm troubles of his own.  And Johan Santana still has a chance to earn some of his record-setting contract, but has thus far given the Mets one start in the month of September since becoming the last Met pitcher to record a win at Shea Stadium in 2008.

Bad contracts of four years or more have not been limited to pitchers (see Castillo, Luis) and not all bad contracts doled out to pitchers have been for four years or more (see Perez, Oliver).  But ever since the Mets signed Al Leiter to a four-year deal following the 1998 season, they haven't had much success with long-term contracts for pitchers.  Perhaps Sandy Alderson knows what he's doing by not giving out any contracts of more than two years to a pitcher since his arrival in 2010.  Either that or he's well-read on how Mets pitchers have fared after signing long-term deals in the 21st century.  My guess is on the latter.  Then again, like an Armando Benitez fastball in a crucial spot, it's kind of hard to miss.

Where Have All The Shea Stadium Players Gone?

Since late July, the Mets have parted ways with several players.  First, it was Carlos Beltran leaving his heart in New York to go to San Francisco.  Then Jose Reyes decided to take the money and run the basepaths in Miami.  Soon after, Angel Pagan flapped his wings to the Bay Area.  Even Nick Evans took the job security by signing in Pittsburgh.

What do all these players have in common, including the too-good-for-Triple-A, too-blah-for-the-major-leagues Nick Evans?  All four of them played for the Mets at Shea Stadium.

With the departure of Beltran, Reyes, Pagan and Evans, the Mets are now left with only six players who played home games at Shea Stadium.  The current longest tenured Met, David Wright, played his first five seasons at Shea.  Meanwhile, Mike Pelfrey came aboard for cups of coffee in 2006 and 2007, followed by his first full season during Shea's last year.

The short list of Shea players also includes Johan Santana, Daniel Murphy, Jonathon Niese and Bobby Parnell.  All four made it just in time for Shea's farewell season, but only Santana was on the team for the entire season.  Murphy played his first game at Shea in August 2008, while Niese waited until mid-September and Parnell almost didn't make it in time, not appearing in a game at Shea until the ballpark's final homestand.

There was once another New York team whose stadium was razed.  You might have heard about them.  They played their home games at 55 Sullivan Place.  Still doesn't ring a bell?  Well, I'm sure the patriarch of the Wilpon family will be more than happy to tell you about them in great detail.

Forget "Where's Waldo?".  Let's play "Where's Wilpon?".  You know he's somewhere in this photo.

In 1957, the Brooklyn Dodgers left Kings County to move to Los Angeles.  As late as 1966, there were still five players who played home games at Ebbets Field toiling for the Los Angeles Dodgers.  Those players (Jim Gilliam, John Roseboro, Don Drysdale, Johnny Podres and some guy named Koufax) all remained with the team long after they switched coasts, with Roseboro remaining a Dodger until 1967 and Drysdale playing his final game in Los Angeles in 1969.

In addition, one former Brooklyn Dodger was still playing in the major leagues into the 1970s, finishing his career as a New York Met.  Bob Aspromonte played one game for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1956, then returned to the Dodgers for parts of two seasons in 1960 and 1961.  In 1971, he became the last former Brooklyn Dodger to play in the major leagues, playing 104 games at third base for the Mets.

Although Bob Aspromonte might be the answer to the trivia question, "who was the final Brooklyn Dodger to play in the major leagues?", to Mets fans, he's known as one of the reasons the team felt the need to trade away Nolan Ryan.

Aspromonte's poor season at the plate in 1971 (.225, 5 HR, 33 RBI), along with the lack of development by third-year player Wayne Garrett, led the Mets to search elsewhere for a third baseman who could hit for average and power.  Their search ended with shortstop (not third baseman) Jim Fregosi, at the cost of Nolan Ryan.  Fregosi's time as a productive hitter pretty much ended there as well, as did the career of the last Brooklyn Dodger.

Johan Santana was the last Mets pitcher to record a win at Shea Stadium.  Now he's left to wonder if he'll also be the final current Met to have played his home games there.

With his recent injury history, Johan Santana is doubtful to be a Met after his current contract expires in 2013 (although there is a club option for 2014).  Similarly, David Wright is only under team control until next year.  If Mike Pelfrey doesn't return to form, he might be writing his ticket out of New York as well.

Do you see where this is going?  There is a real possibility that within six or seven years of Shea Stadium's final game, there might be no one left on the Mets who could say they were there when we all Shea'd Goodbye.

Nearly a decade after Ebbets Field closed for good, several former Brooklyn players still had "Dodgers" emblazoned on their chests.  Less than half a decade after Shea shut down, the number of players who could call it home is dwindling to a precious few.

Where have all the Shea Stadium players gone?  If things don't change, there will be none left very soon.

What Do Jeremy Lin And Jon Niese Have In Common?

What do Knicks' starting point guard Jeremy Lin and Mets' starting pitcher Jonathon Niese have in common?  Let's see.  They're not the same age, as Lin was born in 1988 and Niese's mom got over her pregnancy on the night the Mets won the 1986 World Series.  They're also not the same height, as Niese is one inch taller than Lin.  Jeremy Lin is a righty, while Jonathon Niese is a lefty.  Okay, so what do they have in common then?

The answer is NOTHING!  But they should have something in common, even though the Mets aren't exactly doing anything about it.

Earlier today, Madison Square Garden and other sporting goods stores started selling Jeremy Lin jerseys.  This comes after Lin's recent stretch of excellence in which he's carried the Knicks to four consecutive wins, including Friday night's game against the Lakers.  Let me remind you that these four straight victories are the only four games Lin has started for the Knicks.  But despite the tiny résumé, Lin is now having his jersey sold at the Garden.

There is no truth to the rumor that the Knicks will retire No. 17 for their floor captain before the Mets retire No. 17 for their first captain.  Of course, that could always change.

That brings us to Jonathon Niese.  Niese will be entering his fifth season as a Met, his third as a regular member of the starting rotation.  He is one of only six players left on the Mets who played for the team at Shea Stadium (the others being David Wright, Mike Pelfrey, Johan Santana, Bobby Parnell and Daniel Murphy).

Niese made his final start for the Mets in 2011 on August 23 before missing the rest of the season with an injured ribcage.  At the time of his injury, Niese was leading the team in wins (11 - tied with Dillon Gee) and strikeouts (138).  Eventually, he was surpassed in wins by Gee and strikeouts by Chris Capuano, but still finished second on the team in both categories.

Although Niese is only 25, he is already 43th on the Mets' all-time wins list and 39th in strikeouts.  With a healthy season in 2012, Niese could jump into the top 25 in both categories.  He's already in the top ten in strikeouts per nine innings, as his 7.6 K/9 IP is the eighth best ratio in franchise history, ahead of such stars as Tom Seaver (7.5 K/9 IP) and Johan Santana (7.4 K/9 IP).  He's also improved every year in strikeout to walk ratio, from 1.38 K/BB in 2008 to a career-best 3.14 K/BB in 2011.

And of course, on the individual game front, Niese came within one Chris Denorfia double of pitching a perfect game in 2010.  Perhaps had he retired Denorfia, we would have had Jonathon Niese No. 49 jerseys printed up immediately.  But alas, he did not.  We're still waiting for those No. 49 jerseys.

Since Jason Bay became a Met in 2010, I've seen No. 44 jerseys and T-shirts for sale at Citi Field.  The one place I haven't seen them is on the backs of Mets fans.  Meanwhile, Justin Turner, a player who wasn't even a homegrown Met, had his No. 2 T-shirt for sale at Citi Field.  Even Sandy Koufax, who never played for the Mets, and whose 9-10 career mark as a Brooklyn Dodger (the same record Jonathon Niese had for the Mets in 2010) was less than extraordinary, had a replica jersey for sale at Citi Field last year.

Do you think Fred Wilpon wears these to bed at night?

Jose Reyes is gone.  So are Francisco Rodriguez, Carlos Beltran and Angel Pagan.  All four players had their merchandise for sale at Citi Field in 2011.  With their departures, there will now be some real estate available at the Team Stores.

It's time for Jonathon Niese No. 49 apparel to go on sale at Citi Field.  If Knicks fans can proudly wear No. 17 Jeremy Lin jerseys after only four starts, why can't Mets fans do the same for Niese, a homegrown player who's been with the team since 2008?  Lin and Niese need something in common, don't you think?

Never Mind Santana's Arm; The Mets Need His Bat!

Here's a bit of trivia for you.  There are six pitchers in Mets history who hit at least 10 doubles during their tenure in Flushing.  Can you name them?

Well, five of the six had long careers in New York.  The club's all-time leader in doubles by a pitcher is Ron Darling, who collected 20 two-base hits in nine seasons as a Met (but somehow, all he remembers are his home runs in back-to-back games in 1989).  Next up are Tom Seaver (17 doubles in 12 seasons), Dwight Gooden (15 doubles in 11 seasons), Sid Fernandez (14 doubles in 10 seasons) and Jerry Koosman (12 doubles in 12 seasons).  But right behind all of them with 11 two-baggers is a guy who's only been a Met for four seasons and one of them was spent entirely on the disabled list.

From 2008 to 2010, Johan Santana collected 11 doubles in 182 at-bats, am impressive feat for a player who had spent his entire career in the American League prior to joining the Mets in 2008.  That's as many doubles as Willie Randolph hit as a Met in 286 at-bats.  Even Jason Bay, who is paid to be a big-time hitter, needed 360 at-bats to reach 11 doubles in 2011.

Santana has averaged a double every 16.5 at bats as a Met.  Let's compare that to the top ten doubles leaders in Mets history:

• David Wright: 281 doubles in 4,161 at-bats (14.8 AB/double)
• Ed Kranepool: 225 doubles in 5,436 at-bats (24.2 AB/double)
• Jose Reyes: 222 doubles in 4,453 at-bats (20.1 AB/double)
• Howard Johnson: 214 doubles in 3,968 at-bats (18.5 AB/double)
• Edgardo Alfonzo: 212 doubles in 3,897 at-bats (18.4 AB/double)
• Carlos Beltran: 208 doubles in 3,133 at-bats (15.1 AB/double)
• Mike Piazza: 193 doubles in 3,478 at-bats (18.0 AB/double)
• Darryl Strawberry: 187 doubles in 3,903 at-bats (20.9 AB/double)
• Cleon Jones: 182 doubles in 4,223 at-bats (23.2 AB/double)
• Mookie Wilson : 170 doubles in 4,027 at-bats (23.7 AB/double)

As you can see, only David Wright and Carlos Beltran had a better doubles per at-bat ratio than Johan Santana, and their ratio isn't that much better than Santana's.

There are two Hall of Famers who hit fewer doubles while they were on the Mets than John Santana.  Duke Snider hit eight doubles as a Met in 354 at-bats and Richie Ashburn hit seven doubles in 389 at-bats.  Did I mention that both Snider and Ashburn were All-Stars as Mets despite their lack of two-base hits?

Mike Hampton was considered by many to be one of the best hitting pitchers of his generation.  But in his one season as a Met, he did not collect a single extra-base hit, despite his .274 batting average.

Johan Santana spent the entire 2011 season on the disabled list.  Obviously, the Mets missed him on the mound.  But looking at his career numbers, they might have missed him more at the plate.  Without question, Johan Santana not being available is double trouble for the Mets.  And I do mean double.

The Mets Weren't Alone In Finishing '86 On A High Note

During his ten years in the major leagues, Dennis "Oil Can" Boyd was never one to keep his mouth shut about anything.  But there was one thing he kept mum about over the past quarter century.  Until now.

In an interview with Jon ("I'm not the one who says Bel-TRON") Miller of WBZ radio in Boston, Boyd admitted that he pitched under the influence of cocaine in every ballpark.  In addition to the revelation about his rampant drug use, Boyd offered the following oily nuggets:

"Some of the best games that I've ever, ever pitched in the major leagues, I stayed up all night.  I'd say two-thirds of them.  And if I had went to bed, I would have won 150 ballgames in the time span that I played.  I felt like my career was cut short for a lot of reasons."

"If I wasn't outspoken and so-called 'a proud, proud black man', maybe I would have got empathy and sympathy like other ballplayers got that I didn't get; like a Darryl Strawberry or Dwight Gooden, Steve Howe.  I can name 50 people that got third and fourth chances all because they weren't outspoken black individuals."

So let me get this straight.  "Oil Can" Boyd, who was supposed to start Game 7 of the 1986 World Series against the Mets until the game was postponed and pushed back a day, felt his career was cut short for many reasons.  I can give him a good reason why he threw his final pitch in the major leagues before his 32nd birthday.  How about this?

He was high on cocaine!

"Oil Can" Boyd wasn't always high, as evidenced by this photograph during the 1986 World Series.  Getting knocked around for four first-inning runs in your first World Series start will do that to you.

After Boyd was replaced as the Game 7 starter by Bruce Hurst (who had already been proclaimed the World Series MVP before the Mets mounted their improbable rally in Game 6), his next three seasons weren't exactly something to sniff your nose at.

From 1987 to 1989, Boyd combined to go 13-12 in 40 starts with a 5.19 ERA.  Boyd did recover to go 10-6 with a 2.93 ERA in 1990 as a member of the Montreal Expos, but stumbled mightily in 1991.  In his final year in the majors, Boyd went 8-15 for Les Expos and the Texas Rangers.  In 12 starts for the Rangers, Boyd went 2-7 and posted a 6.68 ERA.  Everything is supposedly bigger in Texas.  Perhaps that explains why Boyd was such a big flop in Arlington.  Or perhaps it was his sleep deprivation and the rolled up 20s he kept leaving behind in hotel bathrooms.

Now, about the excuse about not getting empathy, sympathy and any other "pathy" there is to get.  Boyd was quoted as saying that because he was an outspoken black individual, he didn't get multiple chances the way rehab regulars Darryl Strawberry, Dwight Gooden and Steve Howe got.  Um, I hate to say it to you, "Oil Can", but that certain former Mets rightfielder you mentioned wasn't exactly Sherman Shushypants.  And the last time I checked, he appeared to be African-American.  Just sayin'.

Cocaine is not something to be proud of and I'm sure "Oil Can" Boyd wishes he had done things a little differently when he was a player.  But to come out 25 years later and make claims like the ones he's making not only don't make anyone feel sympathetic towards him, but in some cases, might make people dislike him more than when he was an active major leaguer.

Maybe "Oil Can" Boyd would have done better if he would just stop making excuses for everything he caused to himself.  When he finally learns to take the blame for his actions, perhaps he'll see things for what they really are.  Until then, I'm sure he'll sell plenty of books on the topic.

Editor's note: "They Call Me Oil Can: My Life In Baseball" will be released in June.  How convenient that he's discussing his past drug use now when his autobiography is about to be released.

Joey's Soapbox: The Calm Before The Storm

Have you noticed that I’ve stayed silent about the Mets in 2012?  I haven’t climbed on my soapbox in over a month.  Why haven’t I gone on a chicken nacho-fueled rant in some time?   The answer is simple, really.

Shhhh.  Be vewwy, vewwy quiet.  The Wilpons are hunting wabbits.  Or at least it seems as if that's what they're doing.

Things have been very quiet around Citi Field this offseason.  Other than a brief flurry of activity at the Winter Meetings to solidify the bullpen and the continuation of the OWS movement (Operation Whittling Salary) by replacing Angel Pagan with Andres Torres, the Mets have not added many players to the team that succeeded in furthering the tradition of fourth place finishes in Flushing.

Instead, they’re going by the time honored tradition (and by time honored, I mean since 2009) of adding players from within.  These players are the ones coming off injury-shortened seasons or seasons in which they didn’t take the field in a game at all.

Every player scheduled to start in the infield in 2012 did not play full seasons in New York.  First baseman Ike Davis missed the rest of the season after playing footsie with David Wright at Coors Field in May.  Second baseman Daniel Murphy might have competed with Jose Reyes for the National League batting title had he not been spiked while trying to lay a tag on the Braves' Jose Constanza.  Third baseman David Wright injured his back against the Astros and missed two months.  At least shortstop Ruben Tejada didn’t get hurt.  But he did start the 2011 season fielding grounders hit by minor leaguers in Buffalo.

The starting rotation is also counting on the walking wounded from 2011 to make a triumphant return in 2012.  The last time Johan Santana pitched in a major league game, the Texas Rangers were still in search of their first American League pennant.  Jonathon Niese is also attempting to pitch an entire season without checking in to the DL Hotel.  Both pitchers expect to be on the mound during the Mets’ first homestand in April.

With David Wright entering the final guaranteed year of the contract he signed an eternity ago (2006 is an eternity to Mets fans such as myself who have memories, however faint, of a time when the team was a legitimate contender), he should have a bounceback campaign in 2012.  Maybe.

Daniel Murphy could resume doubling opponents to death (Murphy hit 28 doubles in only 391 at-bats before suffering his season-ending injury), assuming his defense at second base doesn’t send him back to the bench.

And what about Jason Bay?  (Thought I had forgotten about him, didn’t you?)  The walls at Citi Field have been lowered and moved in.  But how will that help him on the road, where he hit .215 with only seven doubles, six homers and 28 RBI in 2011?  In addition, with Reyes (39 steals) and Pagan (32 steals) gone, is Bay going to have the added responsibility of being one of the top base stealers on the team?  He’s quietly reached double digits in steals in each of his two seasons as a Met.  Who else is going to steal bases on the team besides David Wright (13 steals in 2011) and Andres Torres (19 steals as a Giant in 2011)?

Is this a celebration for a two-run homer or a double steal?  In 2012, it could be both.

Despite all the injuries that have beset the Mets since they moved across the parking lot to Citi Field, they’ve still managed to win at least 70 games in each of the last three seasons and have averaged 78 wins over the last two campaigns.  That may not seem like much, but think of all the walk-off losses created by the shaky bullpen, the balls that clanged off the former Great Wall of Flushing instead of going over it, not to mention all the (you know it’s coming) INJURIES!  Surely, this team can find a way to add four wins to what they’ve averaged over the past two years, right?  If they do, that would give them 82 wins.  And what does 82 wins give you?  A WINNING RECORD!

It may be easier said than done, but why can’t the 2012 Mets win 82 games?  Sure, it seems as if every team in the National League East improved by leaps and bounds.  But remember that just seven years ago, the Washington Nationals played in an über-competitive NL East.  The Braves won their 14^th consecutive division title with 90 wins.  The Phillies and Mets were up-and-coming teams who were on their way to becoming the rivals they were over the next three seasons.  Even the Marlins finished with a winning record and were just two years removed from their second World Series championship.  Despite all the intense competition in the division, the little team that could in Washington still managed to win 81 games.

It’s not impossible for the Mets to finish with a winning record in 2012.  They just have to be consistent and play the game.  All teams go through their share of injuries and cold streaks.  But it’s the good teams that find a way to overcome those obstacles.  Right now, the Mets are not a great team.  They don’t have the personnel to pose a legitimate threat to the Phillies in the NL East.  But why can’t they be a good team?

Eighty-two wins.  That’s all the Mets need to be a winning team.  The 2005 Mets won 83 games after finishing with losing records in each of their previous three seasons.  The following year, they were one win away from the World Series.  This year’s Mets are also coming off three consecutive losing campaigns.  I’m not crazy enough to assume that winning 82 games this year will push the Mets near a pennant in 2013.  But it would be a step in the right direction.

There are many question marks surrounding the 2012 Mets.  Will the infield be able to stay together for a full season without succumbing to the injury bug?  Will Jason Bay realize that it’s okay to hit a ball over the wall every once in a while?  Will Ruben Tejada, Lucas Duda and Dillon Gee - all members of the 2011 Buffalo Bisons’ Opening Day roster - be able to continue their development now that they’re assured a spot on this year’s major league roster?  And then there’s the Johan Santana question…

All teams have question marks.  Although the front office was mostly quiet this offseason, some questions have been answered, particularly in the bullpen.  Now it’s up to the players to provide the other answers, or else the quiet offseason will lead to a quiet summer at Citi Field.  Oh, well.  At least the line for chicken nachos won't be very long if that happens.

One Season Wonders: Joe Christopher

When the New York Giants and Brooklyn Dodgers packed their bags for California after the 1957 season, the New York metropolitan area was left without National League baseball for the first time since 1882, the year before the New York Gothams (who later became the Giants) played their inaugural campaign.

Three years after the defection of the Giants and Dodgers to the West Coast, New York was given a new National League team.  Along with the Houston Colt .45s, the New York Metropolitan Baseball Club (or Mets, for short) would be part of the first wave of expansion in the National League.  Naturally, both the Colt .45s and the Mets would need to stock up their major league rosters with players, so in 1961, a special expansion draft was held.

Former Brooklyn Dodger great (and future legendary manager) Gil Hodges was selected seventh by the Mets in the draft, two spots after another former World Series champion.  That fifth pick was a part-time player with the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1959 to 1961, appearing in three games for the Bucs in the 1960 World Series.  In his sole plate appearance in the Fall Classic (he appeared as a pinch-runner in the other two games), he was hit by a pitch.  Of course, that made him a perfect candidate to be on the Mets.

Who was the player with a 1.000 career World Series on-base percentage who the Mets felt should be drafted before local hero Gil Hodges?  None other than outfielder Joe Christopher.

Joe Christopher, the man who was four picks behind Hobie Landrith in the expansion draft.

Joseph O'Neal Christopher was never much of a power threat in the minors, hitting a total of 24 home runs at various minor league levels from 1955 to 1960.  As a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates, he displayed even less of an ability to take the opposing pitcher deep, or to get anything other than a single.  In 254 at-bats as a Pirate, Christopher collected a mere 13 extra-base hits, of which only one was a home run.

As an original Met in 1962, Christopher more than doubled his career at-bat total, but was still considered a singles hitter, picking up 18 extra-base hits in 271 at-bats for the fledgling Mets.  Although his home run total went up to six, his batting average left a lot to be desired, as Christopher hit .244 in 1962, the same average he compiled in three seasons as a Pirate.

As a result, Christopher began the 1963 season in the minor leagues with the AAA-Buffalo Bisons, hoping to play his way back to the Polo Grounds.  That extra seasoning in the minor leagues awakened Christopher's power stroke, as he swatted 19 HR in 85 games with the Bisons, earning a July call-up to the Mets.  Alas, his minor league power did not translate well at the big league level, as Christopher only hit .221 with seven extra-base hits (one homer) in 64 games with the Mets.

It appeared as if Joe Christopher was never going to become a great hitter in the major leagues.  But the Mets were about to christen a new ballpark in Flushing in 1964.  The opening of Shea Stadium awakened the Mets fanbase, as attendance nearly doubled once the team moved from the Polo Grounds to their new stadium.  The fans weren't the only ones awakened by the move.  Joe Christopher was awakened as well and National League outfielders soon found out that they would have to position themselves just a little bit deeper whenever he came to bat.

Joe Christopher wore his Mets jacket to hide his budding power from opponents.

After beginning the 1963 season in the minors, Joe Christopher was part of the Opening Day lineup in 1964.  It didn't take long for Christopher to prove that he belonged in the major leagues, as his fourth inning home run against the Phillies provided the Mets with their first run of the new season.  Of course, this was before 1970, so the Mets lost their opener, 5-3, on the way to losing their first four games.

The Mets finally broke through in the win column in their fifth game, shutting out the Pirates, 6-0.  Of course, Joe Christopher was the offensive star of the game, reaching base in each of his four plate appearances.  Christopher singled, doubled, walked and was hit by a pitch.  He also scored two runs and stole a base.

Although Christopher was hitting .308 through the Mets' first 26 games, his Opening Day home run was still his only homer of the year.  Furthermore, he had only driven in three runs.  That all changed on May 14, when Christopher's power and run-production finally emerged from its month-long slumber.

From May 14 to the end of the month, Christopher batted .338 and had an impressive .493 slugging percentage.  In 19 games, he banged out three doubles, one triple and two home runs, but what was most impressive was his 14 RBI during the 2½ week stretch, a stretch that culminated with one of the most memorable games in Mets history.

On May 31, the Mets were scheduled to play a doubleheader with the San Francisco Giants at Shea Stadium.  The Mets lost the first game, with Joe Christopher going 1-for-4 with a run scored.  But in the nightcap (and we do mean nightcap), the Mets and Giants played for 7 hours and 23 minutes (still a National League record for longest game by time) before the Giants won the game in the 23rd inning.  However, had it not been for Joe Christopher's bat, the game might never have gone into extra innings.

The Mets fell behind early, trailing the Giants by five runs after three innings.  But after scoring two runs in the sixth, Joe Christopher hit a game-tying three-run homer with two outs in the seventh.  It was one of four hits by Christopher in the game, who also scored two runs and drove in three in the 8-6 loss to the Giants.

Even after a 23-inning loss, Joe Christopher still had reason to smile.  He was having a great season.

Joe Christopher's power came out in full force as summer arrived.  Although his batting average took a tumble in June, going down to a season-low .280 (well, not quite - he was actually hitting .250 after beginning the season with one hit in his first four at-bats), he had a tremendous month with power and run production.  In the month of June, Christopher hit six homers and drove in 19 runs.

His mini-slump in the batting average department probably cost Christopher a spot on the National League All-Star team.  By the break, Christopher's batting average was down to .277 even though his other numbers (.438 slugging percentage, 9 HR, 36 RBI, 32 runs scored) were all All-Star-worthy in this pitching-rich era.  Although Christopher was denied the opportunity to play in the only Midsummer Classic played at Shea Stadium (that honor went to Ron Hunt, who only had three home runs and 22 RBI at the break, but was hitting .311), he used his snub as motivation to have an even better second half.  And what a second half it was.

In his first 19 games after the break, Christopher hit .377, with six doubles, a homer and 13 RBI.  Then, from August 7 to August 18, Christopher went on an absolute tear.  Over the 11-game stretch, Christopher hit .477 (21-for-44).  But what was most impressive was how the extra-base hits just kept on coming.  Christopher banged out seven doubles, two triples and three homers over the nearly two-week period, scoring 11 runs and driving in nine more.  The final game of the hot streak, in which Christopher went 4-for-5 with a double, two triples and a homer, coincided with the Mets' longest winning streak of the year, a five-game skein that matched the franchise's longest in their short history.

The Mets weren't going anywhere in 1964, other than another last place finish.  But Christopher kept on hitting even after the Mets were officially eliminated from contention in the 10-team National League.  From August 28 to September 18, Christopher hit .315 and had a .534 slugging percentage, rapping out nine extra-base hits, crossing the plate 12 times while picking up a dozen RBIs.  At season's end, Christopher's numbers were far better than anything he had accomplished before.

For the year, Christopher hit an even .300, with 26 doubles, eight triples, 16 HR, 76 RBI and 78 runs scored.  He became the first player in Mets history with at least 500 at-bats to bat .300 over a full season.  Christopher also set franchise records for base hits (163) and runs scored (78).  Prior to 1964, Christopher had played parts of five seasons in the major leagues, accumulating 674 at-bats for the Pirates and Mets.  Over those five seasons, he had hit .239 with 24 doubles, six triples, eight home runs and 57 RBI.  He surpassed all of those numbers in 1964 alone.

Joe Christopher was the first Shea superstar, but his star fizzled almost as fast as it rose.

Unfortunately, Christopher could not produce a similar campaign after 1964.  The following season, Christopher played in 148 games, but was only able to hit .249 with 18 doubles, three triples, five homers and 40 RBI.  His slugging percentage also went down from .466 to .339.  Figuring he was done, the Mets traded Christopher to the Boston Red Sox after the 1965 season for utility infielder Eddie Bressoud.  Bressoud only played one year in New York, batting .225 with 10 HR and 49 RBI before being shipped off to St. Louis.

Christopher only collected one hit as a member of the Boston Red Sox in 1966 before being traded to the Detroit Tigers.  For the next two and a half seasons, Christopher bounced around from team to team, playing for the minor league affiliates of the Tigers, Braves, Cardinals, Pirates and Phillies.  He never played in the major leagues again.

Joe Christopher was one of the first players the Mets drafted to play for the team in their inaugural 1962 season.  It took him three seasons, but he finally had his breakout year in 1964, albeit for a 109-loss team.  One year later, the promise Christopher showed as a 28-year-old was all but gone and by the time he was 30, he was out of the major leagues.  Joe Christopher was a true one-season wonder for the Mets, but for that one year, he gave the fans who packed into the newly-opened Shea Stadium something to cheer about.  It was a welcome change for a team whose only "star" had been their septuagenarian manager.


Note: One Season Wonders is a thirteen-part weekly series spotlighting those Mets who had one and only one memorable season in New York.  For previous installments, please click on the players' names below:
 
January 2, 2012: Bernard Gilkey
January 9, 2012: Terry Leach 
January 16, 2012: George Stone
January 23, 2012: Roger Cedeño
January 30, 2012: Frank Viola

ESPN Writer Jokes On The Mets In A Super Bowl Article

Today is Super Bowl Sunday, a day in which thoughts of the traditional national pastime are temporarily put aside for the current national pastime.  In today's matchup, the New England Patriots will be taking on the New York Giants in a much-anticipated rematch of Super Bowl XLII.

Everywhere you turn to, sports writers and bloggers are covering a certain angle of the game.  From Victor Cruz's penchant for salsa dancing to Tom Brady's overrated good looks to Madonna's halftime show, there is no shortage of material for writers to cover.  So tell me, Mets fans.  Why did one particular writer use his Super Bowl article to make a joke about the Mets?

In an article posted to espn.com this morning, Jerry Greene touched upon a gamut of topics from Wing Bowl XX (won by Takeru Kobayashi - who I guess has gotten over his three losses to Carlos Beltran in the fictional Wiener War) to chicken plucking to the actual Super Bowl itself.  However, it was a paragraph near the end of his article that caught my attention.

A few paragraphs before his Super Bowl prediction (he picks the Pats to win by two touchdowns), he provides a link to an article by Drew Davison of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.  Never mind the fact that he misspelled Davison's name (Greene spelled it Davidson).  What was truly offensive was his little rip on the Mets at the end of the paragraph.  In discussing Davison's article about which five teams had the best offseasons and which five had the poorest, Greene says:

"Hey, Mets fans, which list do you think you're on?"

So nice that a fan of chicken plucking found it in him to add his two cents and a plucked feather about the state of the Mets in his Super Bowl article.  We all know the Mets had a poor offseason.  So did the Milwaukee Brewers, Minnesota Twins, Oakland Athletics and Houston Astros, according to Davison's well-written article (a writer Greene can learn a thing or two from).  But of course, he chooses to single out the Mets in his weak attempt at humor.

We get it.  It's fun to rip on the Mets when they're doing poorly.  Even I, a die-hard Mets fan, do it on this site.  (Ask me about my disdain for Joe Orsulak one day.  It's a doozy of a story.)  But to do it in an article that's supposed to be about football on the most sacred day in all of sports, Super Bowl Sunday?  That's just a little overboard.

Super Bowl Sunday is the one day of the year that it's okay not to think about baseball.  The day should be all about football and all the trimmings that go with it (like the chicken wings that Takeru Kobayashi enjoys so much).  It's not a time to make jokes at the Mets' expense.  Jerry Greene can go pluck himself for all I care.  But then again, a kick through his uprights would probably do the trick just as well.