Who would you choose for the "Mets Mount Rushmore"?
Who are those four all-time greats that truly represent the team, the fans, the greatness that is NY Mets baseball, and who epitomize all things Mets?
It's not an easy choice is it?
You have greats like Dwight Gooden, Jerry Koosman, Ed Kranepool, Tug McGraw, Mookie Wilson, maybe Strawberry too....but you know they just don't belong on the Mets Mount Rushmore.
You think harder and decide against Gary Carter and John Franco. Al Leiter comes to mind along with Jon Matlack, but they don't quite make the cut either.
Then you think about Mike Piazza--surely he belongs...but, but, but...he does not just quite fit up there.
Then you look at Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran...two of the very best to ever wear the uniform...but again, not quite right.
So in the end you come up with four...you kind of knew along along who they would be, you even tried to talk yourself out of one or two of them.
But you knew...we all knew.
The Mets Mount Rushmore
EDIT: A lot of folks are clamoring for Piazza....look, I love the guy, but his last 3 years with the team were not very good, and he never won a ring.
If there was a 5th person on Mount Rushmore, Mike Piazza would be there.
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7 comments:
It's tough. Piazza belongs, but I kind of agree with the four you have.
What about Kranepool too?
I think Piazza belongs there. Keith's best years were before NY, but it doesn't stop him from being included. Piazza didn't win a ring, but either has Wright - that can't be the criteria when the franchise has only won 2 titles. I'd go with Tom Terrific, Keith Hernandez, Mike Piazza and David Wright.
I've gotten three Piazza e-mails in the last 5 minutes.
I'd go:
Seaver, Wright, Strawberry, Piazza
Piazza's last 3 years here were poor, but look at Keith's last 2. I'm not sure if you're factoring off the field stuff here as well (i.e. announcing) so I guess that helps Keith. However, he had 4.5 good seasons with the Mets. Keith would be my 5th.
Tough to omit Strawberry, even with his off the field stuff. He's still the club record holder in runs scored, homers and RBI. And was part of 1986.
"Nobody puts Eddie Kranepool in the corner"
Dave yo uhave it right espcially Gil Hodges who turned the franchise into a winner from a laughingstock. His death set the the Mets back 10 yrs.
Thanks guys...Straw is tough, as is Gooden, but to me they were both part of our great solution in the mid 80s and the big downfall that followed.
I think the current generation forgets about Gil Hodges...a legend taken from us way too soon.
Here is my Mets Mt. Rushmore:
*Tom Seaver -- obvious
*Jerry Koosman -- paired with Seaver to lift the Mets to legitimacy, and deserves credit, along with Seaver, for getting Mets to the World Series twice.
*Darryl Strawberry -- drove in more runs than any other Met in the '80s, for my money was the Mets MVP in the 1980s glory years, and did not come to us by mid-career trade or signing (like Carter, Hernandez, Agee, Santana, Beltran, Olerud, M. Hampton, etc.)
*Mike Piazza -- OK, also an LA Dodger, but brought our team out of ignominy and carried us to the 2000 Subway Series
Ten years from now, my list might be like this:
Seaver, Strawberry, D. Wright, Reyes
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