23

Congratulations to Matt Harvey, the Mets' first pick and seventh overall, in this year's amateur draft. Photos from his University of North Carolina career show Harvey wearing No. 43.

It will be some time before Harvey arrives, but hopefully not as much as Jesus Feliciano has waited. The Buffalo outfielder, who just turned 31 and has logged some 1,300 minor league games and nearly 5,000 plate appearances, was recalled to take the slot temporarily occupied by Omir Santos. No word yet on his uni number, although reader Dave Mackey points out Feliciano was wearing 23 in Buffalo (currently Chris Carter's uni here). Dave points out that 27 is free but I wouldn't be surprised if the Mets briskly re-issue the 19 last belonging to Gary Matthews Jr. as a means of instant palate-cleansing. We will update!

The accompanying photo is a wire photo of Jack Fisher, beneficiary of the 19 runs the Mets scored in May of 1964 to beat the Cubs, referred to below in the first Meet the Dicks post. A copy was sent along by reader Paul C. The caption, difficult to read in this shrunken size reads as follows:

CHICAGO -- With the New York Mets hitting like champions here 5/26 against the Cubs, and setting a new team record for hits and runs, Jack Fisher, shown here in dressing room, coasted and finished the game for the first time in 17 starts, eight of them this year, with his second win against three defeats. The last place Mets blasted 23 hits off six Cub hurlers for a 19-1 triumph.

I'm out here in fabulous Las Vegas and missed most of the debacle last night that made my previous post about looking up at the Nationals in the standings prophetic. I did see however that the game included what possibly could be the last turn at bat in Frank Catalanotto's career. I'm glad for his sake that he got a chance, he even got his number, 27, but he sure wasn't helping the Mets win, and he was designated for assignment last night. Chris "The Animal" Carter, whom they couldn't stop in Spring Training and couldn't stop at Buffalo, has been recalled to take his place and I wouldn't be surprised that he a la Ike Davis provides the club with a little bounce. Let's Go Mets!

My friend Edward suggests this is a good opportunity for the Mets to break out the No. 8 jersey again (or you know, just use some old ones) but it would be most likely he alights in the same No. 23 he wore this spring. Also saw where Josh Thole replaced Henry Blanco while the latter goes to the bereavement list. Thole is back in his familiar 30. More later!

The photo above of the Bobbsey Twins (Bob "Righty" Miller and Bob "Lefty" Miller) comes from our friend Paul, who noted it was a wire photo dated May 8, 1962.The Mets were at Wrigley Field that day, as the scoreboard in the background should give away, and we won -- a momentus occasion indeed.

One interesting fact that photo unfortunately doesn't show is that on that day, the uniform Lefty Miller is wearing was No. 23 -- and not the No.36 he'd be dressed in once he appeared in a Mets game. That's because although Lefty Miller was obviously with the club -- he'd only just been traded for two days before, from the Reds for Don Zimmer -- by the time the Mets returned from this roadtrip Miller was assigned to the minors and Joe Christopher called up: He'd be wearing No. 23 when Miller returned.

The other gentleman in the photo -- like the newest Met, Gary Matthews Jr. -- is notable for having been one of 35 men who've played for the Mets, then someone else, then the Mets again. Few have made their second go-round significantly better than their first, but Bob Miller did, and we may as well hope Matthews can. Behold the list:

Frank Lary                             1964                      1965                      17

Al Jackson                             1962-65                 1968-69                 15/38

Jim Gosger                             1969                      1973-74                 18/19, 5

Bob L. Miller                         1962                      1973-74                 24/30

Ray Sadecki                          1970-74                 1977                      33

Tim Foli                                  1970-71                 1978-79                 19

Mike Jorgensen                      1970-71                 1980-83                 16/22

Dave Kingman                       1975-77                 1981-83                 26

Rusty Staub                           1972-75                 1981-85                 4, 10/10

Tom Seaver                           1967-77                 1983                      41

Bill Almon                              1980                      1985                      25/2

Lee Mazzilli                            1976-81                 1986-89                 12, 16/13

Clint Hurdle                           1983, 1985             1987                      33/13/7

Alex Trevino                          1978-81                 1990                      29/6

Hubie Brooks                        1980-84                 1991                      62, 39, 7/7

Jeff McKnight                        1989                      1992-94                 15/5, 7, 17, 18

Kevin McReynolds                  1987-91                 1994                      22

Greg McMichael                    1997-98                 1998-99                 36

Bobby Bonilla                        1992-95                 1999                      25

Josias Manzanillo                   1993-95                 1999                      39

Jeff Tam                                 1998                      1999                      38, 36/36

Bill Pulsipher                          1995, 1998             2000                      21/25

Lenny Harris                          1998                      2000-01                 19

Pete Walker                           1995                      2001-02                 49/43

Roger Cedeno                       1999                      2002-03                 19

Jeromy Burnitz                       1993-94                 2002-03                 5/20

Tsuyoshi Shinjo                      2001                      2003                      5

David Cone                           1987-92                 2003                      44, 17/16

Todd Zeile                             2000-01                 2004                      9/27

Roberto Hernandez                2005                      2006                      39/49, 39

Kelly Stinnett                         1994-95                 2006                      33/36

Marlon Anderson                   2005                      2007                      18/23

Brady Clark                           2002                      2008                      15/44

Anderson Hernandez              2005-07                2009                      1, 4/11 

 

Ouch. The Mets officially got their off-season work underway this week by re-signing veteran Alex Cora and giving free agent catcher Chris Coste a split contract and a shot at the 2010 Mets. In the meantime they saw their own catcher, Brian Schneider, sign with the Phillies, accepting the backup job he probably should have had here all this time.

Cora, it is to be assumed, will step right back into the same No. 3 jersey he wore last season, when unexpected and especially slow-healing injuries to starting shortstop Jose Reyes thrust Cora into a full-time role he was never physically up to. Playing with one and then two sprained thumbs was admirable and gritty, but it didn't do much to help the Mets win, which raises the question why the Mets would expect a different outcome should Reyes get hurt again. Is he even healed yet? Who knows.

Looks doubtful from here that Coste comes out of his Mets experience with fodder for another inspiring true-life bestseller, but with a decent right-handed bat and some experience playing first base, it's not out of the realm of possiblity he helps some in 2010. At worst he could be the 2010 Robinson Cancel; much may depend on who winds up with the starting assignment behind the dish: Henry Blanco? Bengie Molina? I'd prefer a trade.

Coste wore 27 with the Phillies (and 41 more recently in Houston) but with Schneider shedding 23, he might slide in there. I've always felt Schneider never got enough credit for playing as poorly as he did for the Mets -- his defense was less than advertised and his bat was nonexistent but for stretches of both his years here -- but news accompanying his signing with the Phillies that he grew up a Phillies fan I'm sure will bring the boo-birds out upon his next visit to CitiField.

Baseball is a very humbling game. Just saying, Joe. And you don't ask Shelly Duncan for his number, you take it while he's drunk.

With the offseason officially underway and the countdown to April 5 already begun, two future ex-Mets already filed for free agency and as far as I'm concerned can beat it. See you later, Carlos Delgado and Brian Schneider.

Delgado is obviously a terrific talent and really made the difference in 2006 but like way too many Omarian acquisitions his best days were behind him and he spent entirely too much time nursing injuries and maybe a few grudges as a Met. He made pretty clear in 2005 he didn't care to be here anyway. Schneider in the meantime might be one of the most overlooked busts the Mets have ever had. In any other year, his 2009 stinking-up-of-the-joint would make him the target of vicious fan abuse and a major concern in the offense. But amid all the other bad news and bad players, he just about got away with it. Schneider's 2008 was pretty rotten as well.

We'll see what the Mets have in mind regarding the potential replacements for these guys, but I wouldn't kill them for looking into what it might take to pry catcher Chris Iannetta from the Rockies. I tend to think the Mets might be best off holding their noses and getting Daniel Murphy a right-handed hitting platoonmate at first base while waiting to mix in promising prospect Ike Davis at first base. Garrett Atkins? Xavier Nady? Let's think on it.

 

 

OK, so now that Johan Santana is in the fold and will presumably slip on a No. 57 jersey at a press event sometime next week, there's still the matter of the other new guys and what they'll turn up in when spring training begins later this month.

What new guys? Well, those indicated by the "--" symbol alongside their names on the mets.com 40-man roster: Pitchers Ruddy Lugo; Steven Register, Brian Stokes and Matt Wise; and outfielders Ryan Church and Angel Pagan. Catcher Brian Schneider is also indicated with a double-en-space, but we're reasonably sure he's headed for the No. 23 jersey photographed below and Marlon Anderson will change into something new.

 

I was just about to write a message expressing the desire to see a jersey reveal photo-op when I came across this here photo of new Mets catcher Brian Schneider, his cuteypie wife Jordan, and the No. 23 jersey he may wear next season.

As related by Larry in the comments secition of the Matt Wise post below, issuing 23 to Schneider leaves Marlon Anderson in temporary digital limbo: The 18 he wore in his first Met go-round blongs to Moises Alou, and the 8 he wore most frequently (though never exclusively) in his career is itself in mothballs for Gary Carter. (The New York Post, you may recall, reported the Mets had designs to retire the number back in 2006 but never got around to it).

(November 30, 2007 )

Back in the 80s, when comedy was funny, the National Lampoon ran a recurring comic called Mr. Vengeance, written and illustrated by Buddy Hickerson, who today illustrates The Quigmans. This comic typically illustrated the title character suffering some minor misfortune in the opening panel, and devoted the rest of the comic to his hilarously violent overreactions to it, i.e.: “Sure enough, there is a blemish on his wax job. He decides to get EVEN!!” This comic was genius in that it made the same joke over and over again — varying only over the question of how mundane the slight, and how creatively violent the reaction, would be each episode. Mr. Vengeance would torture not only those “responsible” for his pain but, feeling rightous, anyone who’d done anything wrong. “Someone MUST pay,” was his credo.

I’m reminded of Mr. Vengeance today — and incredibly frustrated that I cannot locate a comic online* (”someone WILL pay!”) — as Marlon Anderson returns to the Mets tonight to debut against the club that recently released him, the Dodgers. May Marlon find rightousness in his revenge. May David Newhan take it out on AAA pitching: He’s the one DFAed to make room for Anderson. And may his remaining Met teammates take out their frustrations from the recently completed Padres series on the Dodgers.

That was NOT a nice way to lose a series and whatever momentum Tuesday’s win might have provided. And, really, shouldn’t be enough that Heath Bell has a good season in an important role with his new team? Is it necessary that he chase down anyone with a rolling tape recorder to detail all manner of abuses and excuses stemming from his time at Shea? To kick us when we’re down? Who does he think he is, Mr. Vengenance? To paraphrase another National Lampoon product of my childhood. “He can’t say that about us. Only WE can say those things about us!”

Well, as far I’m concerned the time has come to get mad. To take some revenge, even if it’s not on Heath Bell. To get EVEN!

It’s not clear what number Anderson will appear in tonight. Despite the ruminations below, one commenter thinks 23 is likely because 8 is still in mothballs, and it may very well be. Anderson wore 21 with the Dodgers earlier this year (not available here). Twenty-three happens to be available due to the relase of Julio Franco. Yesterday, he since signed with the Braves where he’s doubt planning some revenge.

*-Ironically the best I could do is find a site where a former collaborator of Hickerson’s takes his own revenge. If you can point out Mr. Vengeance online, or send a copy of a scanned comic here, I promise to leave you out of my next rampage.