Talk Me In Off The Ledge!

I know, I know, it's been a long time since the last 'Talk Me In Off The Ledge', and Jobu and Long Island Met Fan have been waiting with baited breath for my next installment, but normally this early in the season, there isn't much to rant about: then comes today...

My esteemed colleague Jobu, in his last post, has sparked the fire.

I have complained continuously about the Wilpon's lack of sense of history when dealing with the Mets. For an ownership that is neurotically concerned about public perception, they are deaf, dumb and blind when it comes to what the fans really want.

Fast forward to this past week when Dwight Gooden signed a bare wall with: "Doc Gooden 84 R.O.Y., 85 Cy Young, 86 W.S. Champs." This bare wall is located in the Ebbets Club, and was in dire need of some Mets history. Gooden obliged. Jay Horwitz, Mets VP of PR, said the autograph will either be covered or removed. Now, back to a sense of history - EBBETS CLUB...why not Shea Club? Why not Joan Payson Bar & Grill? Maybe they could serve a Hot Rod Kanehl Klub Sandwich. The Rube Walker Reuben? Maybe the John Pacella Pub? The Flushing Tavern? Grand Central Parkway Grill? Throneberry's Tavern? The possibilities are limitless. The difference between my lame ideas and those of the Mets? My lame ideas are laden in Mets history.

As I have stated before, I love the history of the Brooklyn Dodgers, and it does have it's place. The problem is, the Mets have been in existence for 48 years, and have a history of their own. Two World Series Championships (one more than Brooklyn), five divisional titles, four World Series appearances, six NLCS appearances, and the likes of Tom Seaver, Mike Piazza (yes, he played more years with the Mets than the Dodgers), Marv Throneberry, Choo Choo Coleman, Ed Kranepool, Frank Viola, Mickey Lolich, Ellis Valentine, Tommie Agee, Gregg Jefferies, and Cleon Jones. Good, bad, or ugly - these were our Mets. They should be embraced. We can laugh at the ineptitude of the 1962 inaugural team, celebrate with the 1969 and 1986 teams, have our hearts torn out by the 1973, 1988, 2006, 2007, and 2008 teams. This is our team!

History and lineage isn't A la Carte. Smart, dumb, good, or bad - it is all that comes together to make up our history. This team can frustrate me beyond words, but I will still be back tomorrow to cheer them on.

As for Gooden signing the wall, BRAVO! Not only should it remain, but Keith Hernandez should sign, Tom Seaver, Mike Piazza, Anthony Young, Mickey Lolich,
Randy Tate, Kevin Kobel, Bruce Berenyi, Ron Taylor, Nolan Ryan, Jerry Koosman, Jon Matlack, and every other Mets player(s) that come back and who have donned a Mets uniform.

How cool would it be to walk into the Ebbets Club and look at the wall adorned with a multitude of signatures of former Mets? Let fans take their picture next to all the autographs, you know sort of like people line up to have their picture taken next to the huge #42 in the Jackie Robinson Rotunda.

C'Mon Fred and Jeff, give us fans what we want. We want Dwight back. We want Darryl back. We want Wally Backman back. We want Jon Matlack, Jerry Koosman, Gary Gentry, Jerry Grote, Craig Swan, Ron Swoboda, Cleon Jones, Davey Johnson, etc. to be respected as part of OUR HISTORY. We want GHMP to be OUR Ballpark. The Dodgers had one (Ebbets Field) and have one (Dodger Stadium). Let the Mets and their fans have their own ball park. Nothing wrong with respecting the Giants and Dodgers, in fact I'm all for it. The problem is, the history of the inception should not supersede the history and existence of the Mets.

Do the right thing Fred and Jeff...Don't disrespect your fans. We couldn't care less about your corporate sponsors. We care about our team, whether it was Juan Samuel and Keith Miller playing CF, Gregg Jefferies playing 2B, Gary Rajsich playing RF, Del Unser playing CF, Dave Kingman playing 1B, Tommy Herr or Felix Millan playing 2B, Frank Taveras or Bud Harrelson playing SS, Roy Staiger, Wayne Garrett, Richie Hebner, or Lenny Randle playing 3B - this is our team, and we need to respect, cherish, and understand it. We are the ones who attend games when the team can't buy a win. We are also the ones who now sell body parts to attend a game. Rain or shine, good team or bad - we are the one's who attend whether the stadium is packed or not. We care. We live and die with our team. Citi Bank, Caesar's, Models, Pepsi, and Budweiser do not.

Talk me in folks, I'm on the ledge!