10 Mets players fans love to loathe
Which Mets players do you love? Which one’s make you seethe? There is a formidable list on both sides of the debate. Today we discuss the players and managers we love to loathe.
Baseball fans. We love our team, and we love the players and our history (from Casey Stengel to Tug McGraw, Doc and Darryl and Francisco Lindor) and, despite the fact he is not a player, we can’t overlook Mr. Met.
The history of the blue and orange is very personal. Our senior Mets fans remember Casey and Throneberry and the like; the next generation was Seaver, Cleon, Agee and Bud; then Maz, Kingman and Stearns and on and on.
It’s your history, your team and you probably have a list in your head of players you loathe. There’s no question the Mets have a formidable list of players to choose from into franchise history.
My Top 10 list of Mets I loathe is in no particular order, but a list that stirs up emotion for their failures. Here we go:
Bobby Bonilla: There are so many reasons Mets fans despise Bonilla. The one-time star just never lived up to the expectations in New York. We deserve better for the price we are still paying while Bonilla laughs all the way to the bank.
Vince Coleman: What an utter disaster. Coleman disappointed on and off the field, culminating in his childish firecracker incident in Los Angeles.
Luis Castillo: Even with a team history loaded with futility, Castillo is on a short list of players in consideration for the most egregious error ever recorded by a Mets player when he misplayed a potential game-ending pop up at Yankee Stadium in a stunning 9-8 lose. He will forever be remembered for his err.
Daniel Vogelbach: I never expected much and that’s exactly what we got. How Vogelbach has ever lasted as long as he has at the major league level is a mystery to me.
Juan Samuel: Just as Mets fans are reaching the point of completely wiping Samuel from their memories, here comes @MetsRewind to remind you how bad the trade and his time in New York was. I apologize.
Richie Hebner: He despised New York and Mets fans returned the disdain. Hebner had no business wearing a Mets uniform. He was an embarrassment to fans and the franchise.
Jason Bay: Maybe one of the nicest guys you’d ever meet, but Bay was a bust in New York. I actually had more sympathy for his ineptitude than any of the others on this list. Bay actually cared and wanted to do well.
Aaron Heilman: 2006. ‘Nuff said.
Armando Benítez: I am pretty certain it’s just a perceptual problem for me, but it felt like Benitez blew more games than he saved. I never felt comfortable when he came in during a close game. He couldn’t be trusted — ever.
Roberto Alomar: By the time the Mets acquired him, Alomar’s heart was not in it. His days of being an All Star and Gold Glove seasons were clearly in the rearview mirror.
Honorable mention to Oliver Perez, Jed Lowrie, Mickey Callaway, Darin Ruf, Jim Fregosi, Gregg Jefferies, and Carl Everett.
ABOUT @METSREWIND
New York was redefined on March 6, 1961 when the New York Metropolitan Baseball Club Inc. formally received a certificate of membership from league president Warren Giles.
Of the 30 Major League Baseball clubs today, the case could be made that no other team has a more compelling franchise history than the New York Mets. From Casey Stengel to Yogi Berra, Marv Throneberry to Tom Seaver, Willie Mays, Tug McGraw, Darryl Strawberry, Dwight Gooden, Keith Hernandez, Bobby Valentine, Pedro Martinez, Matt Harvey and Pete Alonso, the Mets are loaded with character(s).
Then there are the Amazin’ seasons — 1962, 1969, 1973, 1986, 2000, 2006-2008 and 2015 — full of miracles, joy, hope and heartbreak.
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