The Not-So-Glorious Pageant of Mets History

I haven't written much about my New York Mets lately. Not only is it the off season, but Omar Minaya hasn't made any impressive talent acquisitions this winter. Like most Mets bloggers, I've had a mixed reaction to the loss of Barry Zito to the Giants: I would have liked to add him to our rotation, but the price the Giants ended up paying ($17 million per year over seven years) seems absurdly high. On the whole, I'm inclined to give Omar the benefit of the doubt on this year's apparent lack of activity; he has been so effective in his Mets tenure so far that he deserves that much.

With the news commentary out of the way, let me recommend to my fellow Mets fans this ongoing series of hot-stove diaries at Amazin' Avenue, one of the best Mets-oriented blogs. It's a collection of articles by Eric Simon discussing The 50 Top Mets of All Time, and based on how thorough and interesting each of the first three articles has been, the entire package will amount practically to a book about the best Mets players in team history.

Most striking observation: how very mediocre the "best" Mets have been. Eric's first three choices (top Mets #50, #49, and #48) are Rey Ordonez, Bernard Gilkey, and Kevin Elster--two better-than-average defensive infielders who couldn't hit, and a journeyman outfielder who had one outstanding offensive season. I suspect that none of these would crack even the top 150 list of such franchises as the Dodgers, Cardinals, or Red Sox--to say nothing of the hated Yankees.

Of course, by the time Eric gets to the very top of his list, there will be a handful of truly excellent ballplayers to discuss--Seaver, Piazza, Carter, Hernandez, Strawberry. But let's face it, those pickings are pretty slim. Being a Mets fan has always been an exercise in patience: slogging through long periods of crummy play waiting for a few bright periods in the sunlight.

Thankfully, we seem to be in the midst of one of those bright periods right now--here's hoping it'll hang around for a few years.

Tags: New York Mets, Amazin' Avenue