Countdown to Release OOTP 18

[actionjackson]

Originally Posted by cavebutter

In 1998, the Dodgers made a trade that outraged many and left even more just shaking their heads. In the first big move during the ownership transition from the O'Malley family to Fox, the Dodgers sent Mike Piazza and Todd Zeile to the Marlins for Gary Sheffield, Bobby Bonilla, Charles Johnson, Jim Eisenreich and minor leaguer Manuel Barrios. We found out later, of course, that Piazza had a ton of resentment towards the Dodger organization and probably would have left during the offseason as a free agent anyway. And this is not to say that they didn't get value in return: Sheff, Bonilla, and Johnson weren't exactly scraps. Still, this one hurt us a bit. Sheff had his bright moments, but he had just as much of an attitude as Piazza. And he was much less exciting to watch.

It's hard to love him so much now, especially after what he said about Vin Scully, but he's still one of ours. #31, Mike Piazza.

He was definitely at his personal best as a Dodger. Even the most ardent Mets' supporters can't deny that. For that reason, he maybe should've gone in as a Dodger, but it sounds like there was a huge falling out between the two parties, which is sad, because his story is such a great one. Very sad to hear about the comments about Scully though. I assume that's the stuff from the book "Long Shot". Sad to see they haven't patched things up yet. Hopefully they can patch it up before Scully is gone, but it may be too late. Seems a bit petty to me.

[actionjackson]

As a proud Canadian, I can't leave the #31 without posting a snap of this guy. The greatest Canadian to ever lace them up - the pride of Chatham, Ontario who will turn 75 on December 13th this year. Ferguson Jenkins #31

[rjl518]

Originally Posted by actionjackson

He was definitely at his personal best as a Dodger. Even the most ardent Mets' supporters can't deny that. For that reason, he maybe should've gone in as a Dodger, but it sounds like there was a huge falling out between the two parties, which is sad, because his story is such a great one. Very sad to hear about the comments about Scully though. I assume that's the stuff from the book "Long Shot". Sad to see they haven't patched things up yet. Hopefully they can patch it up before Scully is gone, but it may be too late. Seems a bit petty to me.

yeah...and Gary Carter wanted to go in as a Met also, but he wears an Expos cap...I don't want to hear about it.

btw...I am an ardent Mets supporter...and Mike Piazza should have went in and he did as a MET!!!

he had a better hitting average with the LAD but he hit more HRs as a NYM

we disagree here actionjackson...but I still love you man.

[Sam_15]

This guy was an excellent pitcher for the Sox for a while, and I still have fond memories of watching him toe the rubber, even though he's putting up better numbers in a different uniform now (switching from the AL to the NL can do that for you). He survived cancer, and was a big player in two world series wins in '07 and '13. Throwing over 1500 great innings of baseball for the Sox was #31 Jon Lester.

[actionjackson]

Originally Posted by rjl518

yeah...and Gary Carter wanted to go in as a Met also, but he wears an Expos cap...I don't want to hear about it.

btw...I am an ardent Mets supporter...and Mike Piazza should have went in and he did as a MET!!!

we disagree here actionjackson...but I still love you man.

Love you too. Your passion for the game and your Mets is clear and your contributions to this community are substantial, especially in these annual threads. What I said was that Piazza "was at his personal best as a Dodger". There's no denying that. A 160 OPS+ with the Dodgers and a 136 OPS+ with the Mets. 31.9 bWAR with the Dodgers to 24.5 bWAR with the Mets (and he had almost 1,000 more PA with the Mets), and 22.8 WAA as a Dodger vs 12.5 WAA as a Met. It's clear where he was the better/more valuable player, but the issue is that he had a huge falling out with the Dodger organization, which is a shame, and therefore he should go in as a Met because right now he won't even allow the Dodger organization to honour him with a lousy bobblehead. Be sure to post your picture of him as a Met, even though Germaniac beat you to it. The more the merrier I say!

As for Gary Carter, 1985 and 1986 were great but after that not so much. Yeah sure, he was named to the 1987 and 1988 All-Star teams (I know the fans voted him in for both years, but it meant that rookie sensation Benito Santiago didn't even make the team in 1987), but should he have been when he was an absolute shell of his former great self and there were many better catchers to choose from? Eight of his nine best seasons came as an Expo. He's a slam dunk Expo. The only reason he didn't want to be in as an Expo was that the writing was on the wall for the franchise when he was elected in 2003. Things have changed in the last 14 years. It seems like there's hope for a return of the franchise, and if/when it comes back, they will bring his number from the Bell Centre (home of the Canadiens) in Montreal to whatever ballpark exists in Montreal, and he'll be there along with Dawson and Raines in perpetuity.

[rjl518]

31 Days Left

Well...since somebody stole my thunder on Mike Piazza, before he wore that number there was...

John Franco

Maybe the best closer in Mets history!

[Caporegime]

Dang! Just 30 days left. Time is flying.

Willie Randolph was as solid as they came at 2nd base. He possessed a terrific batting eye, which netted him a lifetime. 373 OBP, and resulted in him walking nearly twice as much as he struck out over his 18 year career. He was an excellent situational hitter who was especially adept at doing the "little things" to help his team win, such as moving baserunners over by either laying down a pinpoint sac bunt (a lost art if ever there was one) or via "swinging sacrifice", purposely trying to hit a grounder the opposite way to advance a baserunner. He was also the best defensive 2nd baseman I've ever seen who never won a Gold Glove (blast Frank White!). Lastly, he was Yankee co-captain along with Ron Guidry from 1986-88.

[Sam_15]

Decided I'd take the day off of posting Red Sox exclusively, considering #30 isn't a very storied number for us...anyway, it turns out to be opportunistic, because now I can post about one of my favorite players: he was the first baseman on a Giants team that was loaded with names (Mays, McCovey, Alou) that may have even overshadowed his excellent play, then you further consider that the first base position was dominated by Frank Robinson at this time. Still, 'Cha Cha' had a hall of fame career. #30 Orlando Cepeda

[Germaniac]

I know he was mentioned a few days ago - but that's where the magic began:

[Airdrop01]

.

[cavebutter]

Fans stay with teams for much longer than players do. Certainly so in the age of free agency. Players have to look out for themselves, of course. All of those would-be Dodgers-for-life we lost to free agency would have been taken advantage of by the owners. That's why free agency came about in the first place.

At the same time, we remember that Jackie Robinson retired rather than going to play for the Giants. As a Dodger fan, this story resonates. He had the same loyalty to the team as I do. Then, there's erstwhile Dodger #30, John Tudor. Proud member of the Cardinal team who broke our hearts in the '85 NLCS. Spend a humdrum year with the Dodgers before returning to St. Louis the next year like it was just a little detour. Worst part - he was traded for one of my favorite players at the time: Pedro Guerrero.

[cavebutter]

While certainly not as high-pressure as managing in New York, managing the Dodgers is no walk in the park. There are some very big shoes to fill: Stengel, Durocher, Alston, and Lasorda.

Dave Roberts wore number 30 as a player in LA and wears it again as the manager. I was very happy with his performance in his rookie year as manager. He wasn't afraid to take chances, managed to win the division despite a historically banged up rotation, and managed the post-season like a boss. #30, Dave "Doc" Roberts.

[Airdrop01]

Surprised this one hasn't gone up yet!

[actionjackson]

Three moundsmen from days gone by in Blue Jays history at the number 30.

He was a starter on the World Series team, who we had a lot of hope for based on bloodlines. Interestingly enough, his best work for us came outside of the World Series years in 1989-1991 and 1994. Todd Stottlemyre #30

This guy was in the bullpen in 1993, and wasn't wearing the #30 until 1997. He wound up being a solid starter for us. Woody Williams #30

This guy also had great bloodlines and was a rock solid bullpen piece during some lean years from 2004-2006. Justin Speier #30

[actionjackson]

The most recent #30 for us is a fan favourite for many reasons. One of which is memories of the feelings surrounding the second picture, which is most of the reason for getting him in here. He was also very classy when Russell Martin came in to shuffle him off to a backup role. A lot of guys would pout, but he seemed to adjust OK to it. It's never easy when this happens, but he put the team first. Dioner Navarro #30

[actionjackson]

This guy just went into the HoF after a looong wait in ballot purgatory. In the end it doesn't matter when you get in if you deserve it, but rather that you get in, and he deserved it IMHO. The all-time leader in SB% among those who stole 400 or more bases, and he stole 808. Tim Raines #30

[actionjackson]

Originally Posted by Airdrop01

Surprised this one hasn't gone up yet!

Rats! Beat me to it. As I was posting I'll bet. Oh well, the more the merrier!

[swoboda]

...and here he is again. Worst trade the Mets ever made? Ryan for Fregosi.
When I was a kid I almost saw him pitch a no hitter for the Mets against the Phils. First Phillies batter singled and that was it, one hitter with 15Ks. As Casey said, " You could look it up"

[Germaniac]

He deserves to be mentioned twice !

[wwines]

Mags and Pudge helped turn the Tigers around.



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