Keith Hejna

As the New York Mets ponder the pros and cons of adding a Manny Ramirez, trading for a Jermaine Dye, or possibly signing Trevor Hoffman, perhaps it's time to remember that those who forget their history are usually doomed to repeat it.

When the New York Mets were born, their first-ever GM, George Weiss, had a very difficult decision to make.  When looking at the pool of talent that was going to be available to him in the first-ever expansion draft, he chose to build the 1962 major league roster with the rest of baseball's discarded veterans, rather than other clubs' discarded younger players. The club's roster would be made up of former New York-area players that the hometown fans would be comfortable with during the inevitable losing that would follow.  At least Weiss knew what he was doing was the lesser of evils, and he did construct the foundation of the 1969 Mets.  However, since then, the Mets have little excuse for their knack for acquiring older veterans to play a significant role in the team's fortunes, only to find the said players at the end their rope.

For a variety of reasons, Mets GMs from Devine to Minaya have made this critical mistake.  Some players’ careers were already terminal when the Mets acquired them, while others took a turn for the worse once they arrived in Shea due to injuries or poor performance. In each case, the Mets suffered because of shoddy decision-making, poor scouting or bad luck.

Warren Spahn – After a Hall of Fame career with the Braves of Boston and Milwaukee from 1946-63, Spahn had a down year in 1964, posting a 6-13 record with a 5.29 ERA. The Mets decided to purchase the 44-year old from the Braves in 1965 in order to draw fans to the budding franchise. The southpaw posted a ghastly 4-12 record before the Mets released him. He was picked up by the San Francisco Giants and there he finished the year, and his career.

Duke Snider – “The Duke” enjoyed a fruitful career as a Brooklyn Dodger but his productivity began to decline once the Dodgers moved to Los Angeles in 1958, recording 370 at bats or less in each of his final seven seasons. The Mets acquired the aging New York idol in 1963 and though he played in his eighth All-Star game, it was his first in seven years and his slot on the roster was more sentimental than performance-related. He hit .243 with 14 home runs and 45 RBIs in his one season with the Mets, all down from his career average of .295, 31 home runs, and 101 RBIs. Like Spahn, Snider finished his career with the San Francisco Giants, but only recorded 167 at bats in his final season.

Willie Mays – Mays was the rookie of the year in 1951 and the player of the decade in the 1960’s. But from 1967-72, his production began to fall off. When the Mets traded Charlie Williams and cash to the San Francisco Giants for the legendary centerfielder in 1972, he produced a measly 14 home runs and 44 RBI in 404 at bats over the next two years. Mays retired as a Met with a .211 batting average in his final season, albeit he was voted to the All-Star team and appeared in a World Series.

Mickey Lolich – Best known for his performance in the 1968 World Series when he won three games en route to an MVP trophy, Lolich won 14 or more games for ten consecutive seasons, including 25 in 1971 and 22 in 1972. He had also struck out 200 or more batters seven times during his career.  In 1975, during which he lost 18 games, his career appeared all but over.  Yet, M Donald Grant and GM Joe McDonald didn't want to pay outfielder Rusty Staub what he was worth, and traded him to the Tigers for Lolich.  In 1976, an out of shape Lolich went just 8-13 with a 3.22 ERA.  He skipped the 1977 season before pitching two forgettable years for the Padres.  Staub?  He enjoyed three more years as a top-notch slugger, driving in more than 300 runs before becoming one of the game's best pinch-hitters. Staub wound up returning to the Mets a few years later, but was far from the player he was when he first departed.  

George Foster – Foster peaked in 1977 with the Cincinnati Reds, belting 52 home runs, 149 RBIs, and posting a .320 average while earning the NL MVP award. His home runs and RBIs dropped each year through 1981 before the Mets traded for the slugger, and his acquisition (much like Pedro Martinez's two decades later), was heralded as “The Mets Are Now Credible.”  However, his first year at Flushing was dreadful, as he hit just .247 with 13 home runs and 70 RBIs.  It was a far cry from the powerful slugger they thought they were getting.  Though history has treated him poorly, he did have two mildly productive seasons for the Mets in 1984-85, but even the presence of Keith Hernandez, Darryl Strawberry and later Gary Carter, couldn't get the former MVP's numbers back to where his paycheck demanded they be.  For those who had waited years for Foster to be the player he was “supposed to be,” on June 5 of the 1986 season, he was hitting .270 with 10 home runs. Unfortunately, the rest of the season became a nightmare.  He was released in August of 1986, after he was quoted saying that his benching was racially motivated.  He played in a few games with the White Sox that season and then retired.    

Bobby Bonilla – One brutal stretch with “Bobby Bo” wasn't enough for the Mets. Two different GMs thought he could make a difference in New York, and each was completely wrong.  The first victim was Al Harazin, who signed Bonilla to a then-record $29 million contract. Surrounded by Andy Van Slyke and Barry Bonds in Pittsburgh, Bonilla enjoyed success that earned him three Silver Slugger awards. In New York, though he posted decent power numbers (19, 34, and 20 home runs from 1992-94), he failed to provide the leadership, consistency or accountability that he was noted for as a Pirate.  Of course, in 1995, after he was dealt to the Orioles for “five-tool” prospect Alex Ochoa, he became a solid citizen again with Davey Johnson's Orioles. He helped the O's get to the 1996 ALCS, and then became a World Series winner with the Marlins in 1997.  In 1999, for some inexplicable reason, ESPN expert Steve Phillips re-acquired Bonilla, and like Mo Vaughn would be a few years later, was out of shape, terrible in the field, and a huge cancer in the Mets' clubhouse. He hit just .160 with 4 home runs and 18 RBIs in 141 plate appearances that year, but the real fun was soon to follow. After he and Rickey Henderson were caught playing cards in the clubhouse during an 11-inning NLCS game six against the Braves, the Mets decided to pay out the remainder of his contract. The deal leaves the Mets responsible for paying him 25 payments of $1.19 million each July 1 from 2011 to 2035.  

Carlos Baerga – From 1992-95, Baerga played Silver Slugger and All-Star caliber ball with the Cleveland Indians. While having a down year in 1996, batting .267 over 100 games with Cleveland, the Mets traded Jeff Kent and Jose Vizcaino for the veteran second baseman and former Yankees infielder Alvaro Espinoza. Baerga’s slump continued with the Mets, batting .267 and committing 27 errors over two and a half years in New York

Derek Bell – Bell had a career year with the Astros in 1998, batting .314 with 22 home runs and 108 RBIs. He followed that year with 121 fewer at bats, 10 fewer home runs, 42 fewer RBIs, and his batting average dropped to .236. The Mets had to take Bell in the Mike Hampton trade (which sent Roger Cedeno, Octavio Dotel and Kyle Kessell to Houston). His production picked up a bit in 2000 – 18 home runs, 69 RBIs and a .266 average – but most of his production came in the first half of that season.  The NL champion Mets hoped for more from their starting right fielder, and his injury in the NLDS against San Francisco was the highlight of his Mets career, as it allowed Timo Perez to play RF for the Mets as they made it to the World Series. Just one year later, in spring training with the Pirates, upset with the fact that no one in the organization would promise him a starting job, he went into the self-named, “Operation Shutdown.”  At last report, that operation is ongoing.

Mo Vaughn – The slugging first baseman had some very impressive offensive seasons in Boston, earning the AL MVP award in 1995 and belting 44 home run and 143 RBIs while batting .326 the following season. He played two decent years with the Angels, albeit his numbers continued to wane, before missing all of 2001 due to surgery on a ruptured tendon in his arm. Even though Vaughn, who had surgery on his knee a few years earlier, hadn’t played in over a year, the Mets decided to trade their most consistent pitcher, Kevin Appier, to Anaheim for the rights to the hefty lefty, adding him to the already supposedly potent offense Steve Phillips assembled consisting of Roberto Alomar, Mike Piazza and Jeremy Burnitz. His first and only full year with the Mets was his worst – and heaviest – since his second year in the big leagues, hitting just 26 home runs and 72 RBIs with a .259 batting average, and weighing in at 275 pounds. The next year, Vaughn played for about a month before a developing career-ending arthritis in his previously operated on left knee.

Roberto Alomar – As a Cleveland Indian in 2001, Alomar hit .336 with 20 home runs, 30 stolen bases, 100 RBIs, and 113 runs. That offseason, the Mets made a deal for Alomar, which sent Billy Traber, Matt Lawton and Alex Escobar to Cleveland, but Alomar did not produce in the New York limelight. He hit .266 with 11 home runs, 16 stolen bases, 53 RBIs and 73 runs while deteriorating defensively at second base. His career continued its downward spiral in Chicago with the White Sox and in Arizona with the Diamondbacks.

Moises Alou – The Mets signed the 40-year old Alou to a one-year deal for the 2007 season with an option for 2008. The six-time All-Star was productive with the Mets, but could not stay healthy. He missed several games over the summer of 2007 with a torn quadriceps muscle, but hit .341 in 328 at bats with 13 home runs and 49 RBIs, earning his 2008 team option. After missing the start of the season due to hernia surgery, Alou’s season (and possibly his career) was finished after he suffered a torn hamstring in AA Binghamton. He played in just 15 games for the Mets in 2008 before his body broke down, forcing the Mets to use a platoon in left field for the remainder of the season.  However, like with Bell's injury, it opened the door for the young tandem of Daniel Muprhy and Nick Evans.  

Luis Castillo – His best year came with the Marlins in 2000 when he batted .334 with a .418 OBP and 62 stolen bases. His production declined over the course of the decade, and the Mets acquired the three-time All-Star and Gold Glover from Minnesota in July of 2007. In his first off-season with the Mets, he had surgery on his right knee and he followed it up with a stint on the DL during the 2008 season. As a result, he has lost significant range in the field and his offensive numbers fell off. The slap hitter still has three years left on his 4-year, $25 million contract and the Mets are stuck with the deteriorating second baseman unless they can deal him elsewhere.  They could always give him the “Bobby Bonilla Buyout,” right?

Pedro Martinez – Arguably the most dominant pitcher of his era, Martinez pitched seven illustrious seasons in Boston, where he achieved the summit of his fame. The Mets acquired the three-time Cy Young Award winner through free agency after the 2004 season, offering him a 4-year, $53 million contract. His first year with the Mets yielded the expected results: 15-8 record with 208 strikeouts and a 2.82 ERA. Perhaps had the Mets been able to make the postseason that year, and he had pitched a few gems in the playoffs, his name wouldn't be in this article. But they didn't and there is little doubt that had he been healthy, productive and a strong presence in the Mets' clubhouse, the club may have accomplished much more. But, after beginning the 2006 season 5-1, Martinez suffered a myriad of injuries over the next two years to his hip, calf, rotator cuff and most recently his hamstring, forcing him to miss most of the 2008 season and reinvent his pitching style. Though his return was admirable, it was not back to his original form. His contract with the Mets expired this year, and though his career may not yet be over, the best years of it have certainly passed.

The Kid” is back in New York.  On Monday, Hall of Fame catcher Gary Carter was introduced as the manager of the Long Island Ducks of the Atlantic League. As he did for the 1986 World Series champion Mets, he will wear number 8, but this time it will be on a jersey of a different color.  

“I’m just very proud to be back in New York and in this organization,” the former three-time Gold Glove award winner said at his press conference at Citibank Park.
 
Carter coached the Gulf Coast Mets in 2005, the A-level St. Lucie Mets in 2006, and most recently the Orange County Flyers of the Golden Baseball League in California. He had immediate success, leading all three teams to respective championship games (winning with the latter two) and earning Manager of the Year honors in each league.  

“I’ve come here to try to provide a championship for the Ducks,” said the Fullerton, CA native. “I love to win and I hate to lose… at anything.”

Carter joins a staff that includes former Mets shortstop and manager, Bud Harrelson, who is a coach and Sr. Vice President of Baseball Operations, and former Met Kevin Baez, who coaches third base.  

“No one played harder and worked harder than Gary Carter,” Harrelson said. “The way that Gary worked, if that rubs off on the Ducks, we’re going to be awesome.”

The Ducks, who were named the 2007 Independent Organization of the Year, celebrate their 10th anniversary next season. Players such as Edgardo Alfonso, Carlos Baerga, Juan Gonzalez, Bill Pulsipher, Nelson Figueroa, and the infamous John Rocker have come through the organization, which helps cultivate young talent and keep veteran players’ careers alive. 

“The Atlantic League is known as the big leagues of the independent leagues,” Carter said. It is one of eight independent professional baseball leagues in the United States.
 
The Ducks have been to the playoffs every season since their 2004 championship run, but have not made it back to the top of the Atlantic League since. Carter aims to change that.

“There is nothing that could ever replace winning a championship,” he said. “I played in one World Series, right here in New York, and there was nothing like it.”

Carter hit a two-out, two-one fastball into left field in the tenth inning of Game 6 of the 1986 World Series to begin a late rally that ended with the most notorious error in baseball history – a grounder through Bill Buckner’s legs. Though Carter spent most of his 18-year career in Montreal, and went into the Hall of Fame as an Expo, he still feels at home in New York.

“In a lot of ways I feel like my identity, a lot of it, came from being here in New York,” he said. “Coming to New York was probably the best thing that could have happened to me.”

His 324 homeruns rank him fourth behind Mike Piazza, Carlton Fisk, and Johnny Bench for career homeruns by a catcher.

“The focus has been placed more on handling the pitchers, who are the higher paid players of today, but I think the emphasis is reverting back to the era in which Johnny Bench, Carlton Fisk, Lance Parrish and myself played in – where there were more power hitting-type catchers.”

Carter worked as a television analyst for the Florida Marlins for three years after he retired, but decided to pursue a managerial career instead. 

“My passion is being in uniform, and being on the field working with the up and coming superstars of the future,” he said, looking as comfortable as ever behind the microphones and in front of the cameras. “Hopefully this will lead to a major league job.”

Though he hopes to crack back into the big leagues as a manager, he has his immediate sights set on winning another championship, in another league, with another team. With the same wide-eyed grin and driven attitude that opposing players hated and Mets fans loved, he might just do it.

“It’s kind of nice to be 54 years old and still be called ‘The Kid.’”

Most of the Yankees fans I know rooted for the Rays to win the World Series. That would be like me cheering for the Nationals if they clashed with the Red Sox in late October.

Maybe the Yankees fans I spoke to (who are also New York Giants fans) were already in NFL-mode and were taking their anti-Eagles sentiments out on the Phillies. Maybe the Rays’ jump from last place in 2007 to first place in 2008 was too much of a feel-good story to root against. Maybe they just liked the mohawks.

I understand that fans with no stake in a series are inclined to root for the underdog (the Rays were the underdog in terms of star-power and payroll), or for their team’s league, but shouldn’t there be an unwritten rule in the imaginary “Book of Fandom” that states that no fan shall, under any circumstances, root for a team in his/her team’s division, unless the outcome directly effects his/her team?

Sure, the 108-year Yankees-Red Sox rivalry is more than twice as old as the Mets-Phillies 47-year dispute that has heightened since Jimmy Rollins’ and Carlos Beltran’s tit-for-tat preseason guarantees, but that doesn’t mean that Yankees fans should forget about the other teams in the AL East.

It feels like not all that long ago the Mets’ most heated division rivalry came against the Braves. Today it is against the Phillies. This is not to say that the storied Yankees-Red Sox rivalry will fade if Boston is in last place and New York is battling Tampa for first, but a new rivalry may bud, and eventually blossom.

Where will that benevolence toward Tampa be when the Rays make their bid for the division again next year? At what point does the AL East stretch beyond Boston and New York to include Toronto, Baltimore and now, Tampa?

Yankees fans, the Rays are your enemies. They are one of the four teams that you should want to lose at all costs, unless their opponent is in the Wild Card race with the Yankees.