David Wright and Jose Reyes have been selected to the 2010 National League All-Star team, which will be played at Angels Stadium in Anaheim on Tuesday, July 13.

According to the Mets, Wright’s string of five consecutive All-Star Games is tied for the third-longest streak in franchise history with Mike Piazza.

Tom Seaver and Darryl Strawberry were each named to seven straight NL All-Star teams.

This will be Reyes’s third All-Star appearance.

His three All-Star appearances are the most in team history by a shortstop.

…in the above link, Shannon from Mets Police recalls a fantastic story from when he was a little boy, about his encounter with Tom Seaver at Shea Stadium…

Patrick from Exile on 126th Street takes a look at Alex Cora, and notes he led the Majors in “Productive Outs” last season.

Brian over at Fonzie Forever wonders if Fernando Martinez is an option in center field?

Over at Mets Minor League Blog, Toby Hyde compares Alex Cora and Ruben Tejada, and believes Cora might be the better fit at shortstop.

Finally, Scott over at Mets Paradise has a ballot out for the Mets All-Time Starting Rotation.

…my vote would have to be Tom Seaver, Dwight Gooden, Jerry Koosman, Johan Santana, and David Cone…i would have voted for Nolan Ryan, but i didn’t think his tenure was long enough to make him an all time great Met…

In a post to Sweet Spot, for ESPN.com, Rob Neyer takes a look at seven future Hall of Famers, and wonders what team hat they will wear when inducted in to the Hall of Fame.

Neyer believes Mike Piazza should get inducted as a member of the Mets, adding, “But it’s close enough that his input might play a role, and I don’t have any idea which way he’s leaning.”

…i have heard from people in the Mets organization who feel piazza could one day see his number retired in Citi Field… the team clearly puts him on the same pedestal as Tom Seaver, having the two featured shoulder to shoulder, with no one else, during various on-field ceremonies over the last few years… however, from what i can gather, the Mets are waiting to see what happens with mike and the Hall of Fame… i actually think this is pretty smart… i mean, if they retire mike’s number and then he is inducted in to the Hall of Fame in a Dodgers cap, or, if they have to retire his number after he’s in the hall as a Dodger, given all the Wilpons-Love-the-Dodgers criticism from Mets fans, i’m thinking that could end up being quite awkward for the team… and so, i can understand why they’re waiting, and letting this play out… mike isn’t eligible until 2012… he last played for the Mets in 2005… so, who knows, maybe in 2015, the 10–year anniversary of him leaving the Mets, maybe that will mark a good time to send up his number…

In a post to Mets Police, Shannon Shark asks: “Who are the five greatest Mets?”

Shannon lists Tom Seaver, Keith Hernandez, Dwight Gooden, Jerry Koosman and Lee Mazilli.

Shannon left Mike Piazza off the list, just to generate a reaction.

…so, i’m assuming, Shannon, that you feel Piazza belongs on the list…i would have to say, when i think about the five greatest Mets, Seaver, Piazza and Hernandez come to mind, but also Gary Carter who besides Seaver, i idolized as a child…i also think about Darryl Strawberry, probably over Gooden although i thought Gooden was just unreal between 1984-1986….

To follow Shannon on Twitter, click here.

Last week, someone asked me if I was excited about the Mets adding a Museum and Hall of Fame to Citi Field.

I think I am.  I don’t know yet. 

I mean, right now, I am more interested in who I will be watching on field next season, not what will be featured off field.

That said, I like knowing parents will soon be able to walk their kids through a specific area and show off images of Ed Kranepool, Tom Seaver, the Trophies, the ground ball through Bill Buckner’s legs, etc., and essentially pass on that history, visually, with tangible items from the team’s past.

By the way, speaking of Seaver, to see video from his first game in the big leagues, check out On the Black.

In the end, I have no idea what to expect, in terms of what the Hall of Fame and Museum will look like.

If you have any ideas for what it will be, what you’d like it to be, what it should include, and so on, feel free to write it in the comment section of this post… I’m curious to hear what people think.

In case you missed it, over the weekend, the Mets announced a variety of additions to Citi Field for 2010, including naming the bridge in center field, and installing a team museum and Hall of Fame, located adjacent to the Jackie Robinson Rotunda and accessible from both inside and outside the ballpark.

Actually, I was slow to criticize the lack of Mets stuff in Citi Field when the season started, though it bugged me more and more as the year went on… and, I am not that fired up by the changes today, though I am sure I will find them more interesting when I get to a game in 2010.

Don’t get me wrong, I like these additions.  In 20 years, though, I bet nobody will remember how or when certain adjustments were made, they’re just going to know they exist… and that’s fine by me.

In the end, its the product on the field that will make Citi Field seem like home, it’s about the memories that have yet to be created, and not the color of the paint or the name of the bridge.

Also, things like aesthetics take on more meaning when the team is losing.  For instance, while both would be nice, I bet most Mets fans would exchange a Tom Seaver Statue for a 2010 Championship Trophy any day… and so, the point is, while i’m glad the team is doing right by the fans, today, if it really wants to do right by the fans, they should get back to winning.

That said, if I could make one change to Citi Field, not involving the talent on the field, it would be to change the color of the outfield wall and Bridge from Soot to Blue, such as the following picture, sent to me by Dan Asnis:

Today, the Mets announced a variety of changes to Citi Field.

1) The first base VIP entrance will be named after Gil Hodges; third Base VIP will honor Tom Seaver; left Field VIP will be named after Casey Stengel; and the outfield bridge will be named Shea Bridge.

2) The Mets Hall of Fame & Museum will be located adjacent to the Jackie Robinson Rotunda and accessible from both inside and outside the ballpark.  According to the team press release, “A re-formed Mets Hall of Fame Committee will evaluate potential inductees, and is comprised of a combination of media members with a long-standing connection to the club and Mets front office staff,” including Marty Noble, Gary Cohen, and Howie Rose.  The Mets will announce further details about the Hall of Fame & Museum in the coming weeks.

3) The release also reads, “Next season, fans will be greeted by Mets colors as they approach Citi Field with full-color banners of Mets players on Mets Plaza in front of the Jackie Robinson Rotunda.”  The team’s logo will be added on entry points to the parking areas and on the light poles in the parking lots; the staircases will be painted blue and orange; while blue and orange flowers will be planted at the gardens in Mets Plaza in front of the Jackie Robinson Rotunda.

…i still can’t believe the Mets are needing to issue a press release telling people they’re making their ballpark reflect the Mets… nevertheless, i like all of this, though Shea Bridge is a bit goofy, just because i can’t imagine any one actually saying that out loud… nevertheless, i like the references to players, i like the blue and orange and, though i’d still like to see a retired number from my generation of players, i am excited to know i will be able to walk around the museum and tell my some-day kids about the team’s history…

Jada Yuan of New York Magazine caught up with Mike Piazza at a local charity event earlier this week.

Piazza, on whether the Mets are the unluckiest team in baseball, told Yuan:

“No.  I don’t believe in luck.  No.  Look, we had a lot of frustrations when I was there.  That’s just the unfortunate thing of playing for the Mets.  The highs are extremely high, and the lows are really low.   It’s really like a roller coaster. There’s really not a lot of middle ground with them…. The Mets have won two World Series.  There’s no question.  Things will get better.”

…i miss mike… The Piazza Era feels like so, so long ago, doesn’t it… i guess that’s because it was… i always figured he would make for a perfect, once-in-a-while, on-air personality for SNY, sort of like Darryl Strawberry and John Franco do for them… i recall him being very good on television when he would slot in to help broadcast post-season games for ESPN…

…i suppose he is happy with his wife and kid in California, and why work when you don’t have to, but it seemed, for him, like it would also be a good way to keep his memory alive and a way to connect with his biggest fans…

…or, the Mets could just get it over with already and retire his number, which seems inevitable since they are always putting him in the same spotlight as Tom Seaver… i wonder if the team is waiting to see which team MLB makes him enter the Hall of Fame with, the Mets or Dodgers… if it’s the Mets, i hope they retire his number the following season…

To hear more from Piazza, on whether or not he keeps in touch with people in the Mets front office, his thoughts on their season, Citi Field, and whether he is available to catch next season, read Yuan’s post, here.

The staff from the New York Times lists 10 Moments that Said it All for the Mets, from Ryan Church missing third base in May to Carlos Beltran being thrown out at home, and not sliding, in late April.

Meanwhile, Coop of My Summer Family lists 10 Positive Moments from 2009, including, “Nolan Ryan returns to Flushing.”

…no doubt, but, like Mark Healey of Gotham Baseball said to me the other day, it does seem a little wrong that ryan was asked to throw out the first pitch on that 1969 Day, along with Tom Seaver and Jerry Koosman, and not Gary Gentry, who was the team’s third starter that season, while ryan was mostly a relief pitcher…

Ed Ryan of Mets Fever wonders if Jason Bay in left field and Daniel Murphy at first base will be enough offense for the Mets in 2010.

According to Mets Merized Online, this was the Worst Decade in Mets History.

…i don’t think it was the worst, so much as it was the most disappointing… i mean, the Mets did make the post season twice, including a World Series… however, they could have done so much more, if not for injuries and late-season collapses… when i think of the 00s, particularly the last half, i feel unfulfilled knowing what could have been had it been for just a few more wins… also, i can’t believe i am speaking about the end of this decade… wow, that was quick…

Kingman of Loge 13 raises his glass to 2009, making 12 toasts, such as, ‘Here’s to you, Carlos Beltran. Really. You were one of the brave few to come back from that boogeyland called the DL and played hard these past few weeks.’

In a must-read report for Newsday, Neil Best spends the day with Keith Hernandez at his home in Sag Harbor, detailing Hernandez’s home life away from baseball and SNY.

“People think I’m more of a loose cannon than I really am,” Hernandez told Best.  “I’m not that far off the charts.  My life is pretty mundane.  When people meet me and they’re all excited, I tell them, ‘Trust me, I’m overrated.  Just ask my wife.’”

…i don’t know, keith, speak for yourself… i mean, most fans, myself included, think you are a pretty fascinating individual… earlier today on Twitter i asked, “If Keith Hernandez wrote a blog, what would you u want it to be? Player analysis? His day-to-day adventures? Baseball? Non-Baseball?”… feel free to respond in the comment section… also, to follow me on Twitter, click here…

Speaking of SNY…

Tonight, at 7 pm on SNY, Ron Darling will host Amazin’ Aces of ‘69, featuring interviews with Tom Seaver, Jerry Koosman, and Nolan Ryan.

In a recent reports for FoxSports.com, Ken Rosenthal looked at the market for starting pitchers, which will is likely to include:

John Lackey, Rich Harden, Randy Wolf, Jarrod Washburn, Jason Marquis, Doug Davis, Jon Garland, Pedro Martinez, John Smoltz, Brad Penny, Erik Bedard, Ben Sheets and Joel Pineiro.

…there are plenty of pitchers on this list, and they can’t all sign with one or two teams, so it’s looking like a buyer’s market for this level player… which is good for the Mets… because, i think every one agrees they need a bonafide, reliable second starter to couple up with Johan Santana…

Jon Heyman of SI.com believes there has been very little talk this season between the Angels and Lackey.

…the early buzz suggests lackey will be seeking a four– or five-year deal, much like Derek Lowe got last off season, worth roughly $16 million per season…

In addition to the free agent market, the Braves may look to trade Javier Vazquez, reports Jon Perrotto of Baseball Prospectus.

Meanwhile, the Cubs may field offers for RHP Carlos Zambrano, while the Astros may finally look to deal Roy Oswalt, according to this recent report from Rosenthal of FoxSports.com, during which he also discusses Carl Crawford’s future.

Zambrano is due roughly $17 million each of the next three seasons, with a vesting-player option for 2013.

Meanwhile, the 32–year-old Oswalt is due roughly $30 million through the next two seasons.

…zambrano is tempting… he’s crazy… which is a good thing, and a bad thing… i think the Mets could use some attitude like that… at the same time, he’s freakin crazy… remember this… i mean, i love the show, but i can see where that could be disruptive, to say the least…

…and, of course, there will be the Roy Halladay sweepstakes…

Speaking of pitching…

Tonight, at 7 pm on SNY, Ron Darling will host Amazin’ Aces of ’69, featuring interviews with Tom Seaver, Jerry Koosman, and Nolan Ryan.

Prior to yesterday’s game, the Mets honored their 1969 World Championship with an on-field, pre-game celebration.

For photos from last night’s game, click out Michael Baron’s photos here.

…they did a great job… very similar to the one for 1986… the biggest applauds seemed to go to Ralph Kiner and the memory of Bob Murphy, Tom Seaver, Jerry Koosman, Bud Harrelson and Nolan Ryan, who returned to the Mets for the first time since 1971… two things i found interesting at the end of the ceremony, as the men crosses the field, wondered the outfield, and set up for a team photo… Billy Wagner seemed enamored with koosman, talking and walking alongside him… and, wow, understandably, today’s player loves ryan…

…in the end, this was great for a person like me, who was not alive yet when the Mets won their first world series… it was fun and educational to see them in a tangible way, today…

For a recap of the day’s events, check out the Daily News.

According to the Bergen Record, Jerry Grote pulled a Joe Namath in 1969.

Lastly, in Newsday, Mark Herrmann explains how the 1969 Mets gave us all  hope.

The Mets will honor the 1969 World Championship prior to Saturday’s game, with an on-field celebration featuring players from the team, including Tom Seaver, Jerry Koosman and Nolan Ryan, among others.

Honestly, I completely forgot about this event.  I hate to admit that, because it’s the 1969 Mets, the Amazins, the guys that truly started the legacy of hope and disbelief, and the idea of miracles.  I’m not alone, apparently, because I do not hear many other fans talking about it as well, nor do I hear any buzz on WFAN, other blogs, in the stands, or even on SNY.

From what I understand, there are still plenty of tickets available for Saturday’s game, despite the team announcing this event five months ago.

It’s bizarre, too.  I mean, I have spent so much of this season ripping the team for not paying enough attention to their history.  Yet, here we are, days before Koosman and Seaver will be in the house, and I’m essentially ignoring it.  Why?

Like someone with the team recently said to me, ‘Fans want an Old Timer’s Day, they want a statue of Seaver… well, here he is, the real person, here they are, and nobody seems to care.’

I don’t think it’s a lack of care, though.  I mean, I love the Mets.  I am proud of their legacy.  I got chills and was very nervous when I had the chance to interview Seaver last season.

The thing is, I grew up in the 80s.  Keith Hernandez, Gary Carter, Darryl Strawberry, the Home Run Apple, the neon signs outside Shea, 1986, etc., that’s my era.  That’s my history.  The 80s is where my path to loving this team… not 1969. 

I also think the long season has taken a toll.  I’m exhausted.  I bet you are too.  Unlike today, in 2006, there was a ton of hype and excitement around the 1986 20th Anniversary Celebration.  The 1986 team resonates better with people my age because we lived it, but also the 2006 Mets were charging towards the post season, and similarly dominating the National League.  There was a sense of full-circleness going on, which made the celebration all the more relevant.

Today, the Mets are bumbling around the bottom of the league, playing uninspired baseball with players nobody recognizes.  To celebrate any success, let alone success from 40 years ago, is almost depressing. 

I worry the team and players may soon be sent a message that nobody cares about their history, despite all the clamoring for it earlier in the season. 

This is not the case, though.  We care.  We’re all just really tired.

In a report in the New York Post, Mark Hale says that the Mets have no plans to retire Mike Piazza‘s number at Citi Field.

The Mets released a statement about honoring Piazza on Thursday:

“There are a number of great players from our team’s past that we will honor at Citi Field. That process is under way as we have begun installation of photographic imagery of famous Mets — including Mike — and historic moments in team history on the Field and Promenade Levels. Mike is one of the greatest Mets ever, and we certainly will recognize his significant impact on our franchise and his meaningful connection to our fans in a special way at Citi Field.”

…simply put, Piazza is the greatest hitter in team history and the greatest hitting catcher in baseball history…he has become the face of this team’s past and tradition along with Tom Seaver who is clearly the best pitcher in franchise history…

…so if Seaver is the best pitcher in team history and Piazza is the best hitter in team history, why won’t the Mets retire Piazza’s number…

In today’s Daily News, Adam Rubin is reporting that Tom Seaver, Jerry Koosman, and Nolan Ryan will be at Citi Field for the 1969 World Championship reunion on August 22.

A charity event will be held in the Caesars Club prior to the game.

For more information, check out Rubin’s article.

…i am thrilled that Ryan will be joining the others for the festivities…it seems that the Mets have so rarely mentioned him as part of that championship despite playing an integral role in that postseason, and there is no better time for his original team to celebrate his career…