This Week in Mets History 1-14: King Kong, Tom Terrific and Pedro Martinez

Frank Gray
MM Editor

The New York Mets are finishing up a frigid and dismal road trip today in Colorado. With such cold moments from this series to remember, now seems as good of a time as any to warm ourselves up with warm memories from yeas past.

This week, we reminisce about Tom Seaver notching a historic win, Dave Kingman hitting a blast that should be consider breaking and entering, Pedro Martinez and Gary Sheffield reaching milestones on the same date,  David Wright leading the Mets to a home run derby in Philly and much more.


April 14, 1976 - The Mets visit the rival Chicago Cubs in Wrigley Field. Mets RF Dave Kingman launches a home run that measured 530 ft. What was more impressive was that his moonshot hit a house! The house and the Cubs both survived, however, as they beat the Mets 6-5 that day.


April 17, 1964 - After two years in existence, the Mets have a home of their own. The team says goodbye to the Polo Grounds and hello to the sparkling new Shea Stadium. The first game in their new home drew 50,312 fans as the Mets hosted the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Pirates defeated the home team 4-3 as Willie Stargell becomes the first player to homer in Shea Stadium history.


April 17, 2006 - After years of dominating batters in Montreal and Boston, Pedro Martinez accumulates 200 career wins while playing for the Mets. At the time, he becomes only the 103rd MLB pitcher to record 200 wins. In front of 36,867 fans, the Mets defeat the Atlanta Braves 4-3.


April 17, 2009 - Being recently released by the Detroit Tigers, Gary Sheffield finds himself in Queens seeking the illusive 500th home run of his career. He finally finds it at Citi Field as a pinch hitter and as a Mets player. He becomes only the third player to homer as a teenager and as a 40 year old, joining Ty Cobb and former Mets great, Rusty Staub.


April 19, 2005 - The Mets have always had unique games in Philadelphia. A game on this date was  no different. The Mets blasted their way to a club record seven home runs. The barrage of long balls features Mike Piazza, Jose Reyes and Doug Mientkiewicz, among others, with David Wright sealing the deal with a grand slam in the seventh. The Mets crush the Phillies 16-4.


April 20, 1967 - It is said that every mighty tree begins as a seed. The same is true for great players. On his way to a Hall of Fame career, Tom Seaver recorded 311 wins in his Major League career. Most of them (198) were with the Mets. On this day, against the Chicago Cubs, he recorded his very first one. Seaver goes 7 2/3 while giving up only one run en route to career win number one.


April 20. 2006 - Just days after Pedro Martinez etches his name into the history books, Julio Franco gets his turn in the historical spotlight. The Mets are on the road in San Diego. Julio Franco launches a pinch hit home run as the Mets defeat the Padres 7-2.  Franco becomes the oldest player in MLB history to hit a home run at 47 years and 240 days old.

The World Baseball Classic: Why David Wright, Johan Santana and other players should avoid it

Photo courtesy of NY Daily News

Frank Gray
Editor

The concept of the World Baseball Classic is not a bad one, in and of itself. It allows baseball to spread popularity of the sport around the world. That exposure is huge for Major League Baseball. It allows them to attract the very best from other countries to play in America and it helps TV ratings.

This is all understandable. To this point, it makes sense that MLB should only want the very best of their players to represent their countries; the better the athlete, the better the competition, the better the games, the better the ratings and popularity levels.

With all that said, baseball does not need to grow in other countries as much as MLB is protesting that it does. According to the International Baseball Federation, there are 118 countries throughout the world that play professional baseball. This includes the dozens of countries in the WBC. MLB has branched out to these countries where the sport is most popular. They have repeatedly played their season games in Japan, Puerto Rico and Mexico, just to name a few.

Does that mean the sport couldn't use more growth? Absolutely not. Globally speaking, baseball is not always even a top five sport in television ratings, with Cricket, Soccer, American Football, Basketball and the Summer Olympic Games all ranking higher at various points this past year than our beloved sport of baseball.

Therefore, it is in the MLB's best interest to have their best players on the biggest global stage; the WBC. However, is it the best thing for the players? The answer isn't immediately clear. There is always the risk of injury when a player will play extra games for another team and not the initial team of which he is signed.

That, of course, means he will be impacting his contractual teammates, their clubhouse, their environment and their rhythm for an extended period of time, not to mention the player's rhythm own as well. While there is no hard evidence that links an injury curse to the WBC, it is always a relevant possibility.

Whether it is national pride or professional ego, playing in these games is tempting and prestigious for players. They get national recognition and are embraced as heroes. Some, like Oliver Perez, have actually parlayed their performances in the WBC into large MLB contracts.

Still, others seem to be effected negatively by the extra effort. Take the face of the Mets franchise for example, David Wright, He hit 33 home runs the year prior to the WBC and just 10 the year of the WBC. That 2009 season is also the debut of Citi Field, so this could be a coincidence, but there are others.

Jose Reyes, for example, had a dismal 2009. He only played 36 games and was shut down due to a calf injury in May. In addition to Reyes, Carlos Beltran's downward spiral with the Mets began after his appearance in the 2009 WBC. He only played 81 games and hit 10 home runs in that 2009 campaign. The next few years, he spent nursing the same ailments that would repeatedly be re-aggravated.

One more example would be Carlos Delgado. In 2009, he played in the WBC and was subsequently shut down in May of that season and would never play a Major League game again..

While other teams can claim the same type of horror stories with a few of their players, it is not wise for anyone in the Mets organization to take part in the WBC. They are not in a position where they have the type of depth to make up for a major player going down to injury or could afford the hit of a major player having an underachieving year.

Johan Santana (if healthy) and David Wright have both confirmed they will participate in this year's festivities. While it can be debated how much good or bad they can do for their national rosters, it can be certain that their MLB team can't afford taking the chance.

If the Mets don't wish to step in because they are contractually covered, the mantle of responsibility falls on the player. They have more to risk in being accountable to their everyday teammates and fans than their national teammates should something go awry in this WBC.

When it comes to the WBC, for the good of the players, the team, the fans and the health of the clubhouse, the players must resist the temptation and just say no.