The Mets will be gathering several members of the 2000 National League Championship at Citi Field before Friday’s game against the Yankees, in honor of their 10–year anniversary.
…i loved that team… i’ll be at the game super early Friday to try and meet, talk to and snap pictures of as many players i can, live blogging every step of the way…
…that said, why, WHY are they getting these guys together on the day they’re currently playing against the same franchise they lost to… i mean, wouldn’t it have been better to have this go down with the Cardinals in town, who the Mets defeated to get to the World Series…
…that said, i AM glad to see these guys together… though, i wonder if Bobby Valentine will be in the house… i’m guessing he will not be, which is a shame… since, he was as much a part of that team’s success as any one player… however, i’d think his presence at Citi Field might be a bit of a distraction these days, to say the least…
Mike Piazza, Benny Agbayani, Edgardo Alfonzo, Mike Hampton and John Franco will be on SNY’s Mets Pre Game Show prior to Friday’s game.
…i believe SNY’s set will be set up next to the old Home Run Apple, in front of the Rotunda, just like they were for before Opening Day…
Turk Wendell and Rick Reed will be guests Friday on SNY’s Daily News Live, which airs at 5 pm.
…from what i understand, players will be dropping by the booth during the game as well…
“since, he was as much a part of that team’s success as any player”
C’mon, I loved that team too, and think the world of Bobby Valentine, but you don’t honestly believe this to be true, do you?
Yes, otherwise why would I write it?
Hyperbole, perhaps.
I guess I just think that Piazza, Alfonzo, Leiter, and Hampton had more to do with that team’s success than Bobby V. But we’re free to disagree.
I promise you if Willie or Jerry were managing that team they don’t end up in the World Series and the season isn’t as enjoyable. Managers do matter; especially when you one who fits the team perfectly like Bobby did that year.
proving the utterly unprovable. Bobby Valentine did a great job with the teams in 1999 and 2000 but at the end of the day his players played very well. In 1999 he had three superstar offensive players in Piazza, Alfonzo and Olerud, with superb contributions from Ventura (career year) and RIckey Henderson and Roger Cedeno.
2000 he again had superstar performances from Piazza and Alfonzo, with superb pitching from Hampton, Lieter and Reed and a great bullpen. Zeile, Ventura and Agbayani put up nice efforts.
Bottomline, Wille Randolph took the 2006 Mets with superstar performances from Carlos Beltran, David Wright, Carlos Delgado and Jose Reyes to the same brink and one game further than Valentine took the 1999 Mets, and it is aguable that Valentine had a better pitching staff and at least as better pen.
It is completely impossible to attribute all the success of 1999 and 2000 to Valentine, nor is it possible to say those teams do not make the playoffs without him.
What he did do with certainty was out manage Buck Showalter in 1999 and moreso Dusty Baker and LaRussa in 2000.
I LOVE THE 99-00 METS !! They are the only METS team to make back-back playoffs and are the best team in recent METS history. The current team should pay attention, they can learn alot from these guys.
“I promise you if Willie or Jerry were managing that team they don’t end up in the World Series and the season isn’t as enjoyable. Managers do matter; especially when you one who fits the team perfectly like Bobby did that year.”
mos1982, I pretty much agree with everything you said here. I have said nothing to the contrary. All I said was that I think this comment Matt made, “[Bobby Valentine] was as much a part of that team’s success as any player”, is not true. Because I think that certain players, like the 4 examples I gave (Piazza, Fonzie, Leiter, and Hampton), were MORE a part of that team’s success. Matt says he disagrees, which is fine, but it doesn’t mean that I think Valentine had no impact. Similarly, I think 5 is greater than 3. That doesn’t mean I think 3 equals 0.
GOOD ANSWER.. this is what I deal with here on a daily basis.
Bobby V took a ridiculous outfield and a patchwork rotation to the World Series. If Timo doesn’t run the bases like Jerry Lewis and Benitez AND Franco don’t both blow Game 1, who knows???
yup, that was a seriously overachieving team, and Bobby’s got to get some credit for that.
I think that a weaker than usual group of NL playoff teams helped as much as Bobby V.
Well that is not exactly so, the Giants and Cardinals were both well favored over the Mets. And had the Braves beat the Cardinals they would have been of course favored against the Mets.
Bobby did not get there alone, and his teams certainly had some insane fortune especially in the NLDS in 2000, but he did out gun Baker and LaRussa who at the time were both considered vastly superior managers.
Totally agree that Valentine deserves a lot of credit for that team’s success. But I also believe that Mike Piazza deserves more. That’s all.
I know what you’re saying. To any degree that we credit managers for a team’s success, Bobby V gets it; but of course player performance drives the bus.
Al Leiter, Mike Hampton and Rick Reed was NOT a patchwork rotation.
John Franco pitched the 8th inning of game 1, allowed a single to Derek Jeter and then got Justice, Williams and Martinez to flyout. You’d have preferred three k’s to make it more dominant?
Geezus, invite them back vs the Yankees…..UGH!!! Seriously, who made this decision?
They’re damned if they do and damned if they don’t. If they did this during a series with the Cards, the NY media would tear them apart saying how they are weak for not doing it during the subway series.
It’s more of a sad commentary that this is what we have to celebrate. A decade old team who lost.
Can we play the game with the 2000 team and Bobby V as manager that night? I bet they would do better than the current cast of misfits and underachievers we are running out there.
Man I miss the days of Alfonzo, Piazza, Leiter et all…
we need 9 fonzie’s right now.
1000% agreed. Fonzie was, IMO, one of the most underrated Mets of all time.
EXACTLY.. gave everything he had..all around
I think the fact that his production fell off so dramatically really hurts him. Fonzie was really good but only for 3 years..
Agreed, but like DW2008 said Alfonzo always gave his all. And not only was he a 2nd basemen who had diesel offensive #s (especially for the 90s), he also did the deed when it came to defesnse. Ordonez and Alfonzo policed that infield like nothing I have seen, they were spectacular and perhaps one of the reasons I loved going to Shea during those years.
So great that they are doing this—silly to do it on a day that citifield is 1/3 yankee fans.
So great Hampton is coming. Always one of the most unpopular ex mets because how he left–even I booed him.
Now he comes back–class move–hope the fans give him a standing ovation.
You mean Benny Agbayani was available?
Hahahaha
Once we blew that game 1 lead, i knew we were doomed to lose the series. And Jose freakin Vizcaino of all people!
What kind of voodoo did the Yanks pull to get Piazza’s ball to stay in the yard to end game 5? That ball was GONE!
I agree with Matt on this one. Bobby V was a huge part of that 2000 team. We didn’t have the best talent on paper and still went to the World Series. Most of Bobby V’s years the team overachieved I think he should get credit for that. Whether you like him or not proof is in the pudding we were contenders and a playoff team with him at the helm. Bring Him Back!
A weaker than usual playoff field helped too..
I still cant forget that 20 hopper that went through the middle in Game 5 that Bordick soemhow couldnt get to.. Little rey Ordonez would of made a routine play out of that if he wasnt hurt. Although he couldnt hit much Bordick did nothing with the bat either.But Rey was far superior defender.
Bordick had no chance at it since he was not even on the field. It was Abbott playing short, which in fact was a critical mistake, Bobby started him at shortstop in game 5.
Matt, I would think they are getting these guys together this night to fill the stadium… A task in itself.
To do this now is silly…The Mets always make you scratch your head. Why have this team come back now esp. when we lost to the yankees that series?… Not only that but from a business standpoint I would have this team come back against a lesser opponent. The Mets may not sell out this weekend but they are gonna sell a lot of tickets. You would think that they could use the extra ticket sales against an opponent that doesnt create a buzz like the Yankees do
How about we have Jerry Manuel show up for the reunion and Bobby V manage the team going forward?
Terrible job doing this on a night you’re already close (?) to selling out, against the team that BEAT you! Just another tone-deaf move, like giving Rivera the pitching rubber that time. The Wipons have this “Hooray for New York City and baseball!” mentality, when they don’t understand that most of us frickin’ HATE those guys!
This decision is a microcosm of the dysfunctional nature of the Mets organization. 1) This is take place during a game against the team they lost to. 2) That team happens to be the Mets cross-team rival. 3) That cross-team rival would never, ever, have a day to commemorate a team that lost the World Series. This smacks of embarrassment.
it speaks to the Mets brass comfort in being the 2nd NY baseball team and understanding that role.
No Leiter or Ventura? Is Hampton retired or just injured?
I have to agree. Poor choice for the celebration. Let it be done so an ALL-Mets stadium could enjoy it and return proper respect … not when at least 1/3 of the stadium will be filled with Yankee fans (the team we lost to).
Plus it is described above that all these players will be visiting the booth …. that is great for everyone watching at home … but the fans at the stadium miss out on that stuff. I would love to see/hear what Turk (one of my all time favorite Mets from that era) is up to.
Great. Honor a team that never won anything against a team that beat them for the championship.
Brilliant.
And its only 10 years after! Whats next, they’re gonna honor the 06′ team next year? It’ll only be 5 years! Why not?
I have no problem honoring that team. I went to the ’73 team 30-year anniversary and it was wonderful. But don’t do it in front of 20,000 jackals who will be jeering!
“WHY are they getting these guys together on the day they’re currently playing against the same franchise they lost to… i mean, wouldn’t it have been better to have this go down with the Cardinals in town, who the Mets defeated to get to the World Series…?”
Good point. I’ll go with because this is the Mets. Jeff and company are clueless, and we are all going to lose years off our lives as a result of rooting for this joke of an organization.
Can you tell I am a bit frustrated? I’m sorry. But I am too young to be living off the 86 Mets ( i was 9). And I am tired of rooting for a team that is always in the top 3 in payroll, yet constantly (with the exception of a few winning seasons) disappoints.
…they are waiting to honor the 2006 club vs st louis…LOL…
Yes, I agree that it is an interesting time to do have this special honor/ceremony.
That being said, of course the 2000 team overachieved. One can make the case that they had been in the playoffs the previous year, but there were parts of the team that were held together like a patchwork. I think Bobby V mixed and matched these pieces to great effect.
I am not going to try and make the case, but the wildcard field may be similarly week in 2010. So, if the Mets can get hot during the right time and somehow squeak into the playoffs, they could make an overachieving run. The major difference this year is that the Phillies are the goliath that needs to be slayed, and well, we would really have to overcome whatever complex we have against them.
All that being said, I will enjoy seeing Benny and Edgardo in particular. (Rick Reed? Really?)