Category Archives: Spring Training Countdown

9 DUPACR: Gregg Jefferies

Posted on February 6, 2011 by Joe Janish

With 9 Days Until Pitchers And Catchers Report, the focus is on former wunderkind Gregg Jefferies. Jefferies was supposed to be the next Pete Rose — and the greatest offensive player ever produced by the Mets farm system, next to … Continue reading →

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10 DUPACR: Rusty Staub

Posted on February 5, 2011 by Joe Janish

Some of you may be saying, “Joe, Rusty wore #4!”. He did, it’s true. And in fact, his best years as a Met occurred when he wore a single digit. But I was fairly young when Rusty was singlehandedly hitting … Continue reading →

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11 DUPACR: Lenny Randle

Posted on February 4, 2011 by Joe Janish

There are 11 Days Until Pitchers And Catchers Report to spring training, and today I’m honoring former #11 Lenny Randle. To be perfectly blunt, Randle was (and still is) a nut job. But he was ours. A switch-hitter with speed … Continue reading →

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12 DUPACR: John Stearns

Posted on February 3, 2011 by Joe Janish

With 12 Days Until Pitchers And Catchers Report, we honor former #12 John Stearns. Why Stearns? If you are a loyal MetsToday reader, you know I have a special place in my heart for all catchers. Stearns in particular was … Continue reading →

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13 DUPACR: Edgardo Alfonzo

Posted on February 2, 2011 by Joe Janish

With 13 Days Until Pitchers And Catchers Report, we mark the day with former #13 Edgardo Alfonzo. “Fonzie” was a key player for the last Met team to win the NL pennant, a quiet leader who spent his first four … Continue reading →

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14 DUPACR: Gil Hodges

Posted on February 1, 2011 by Joe Janish

With 14 Days Until Pitchers And Catchers Report, we honor #14 Gil Hodges. This was easy, since only three people in Mets history ever wore #14 on their back — Hodges, Ron Swoboda (for one season) and Ken Boyer (for … Continue reading →

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15 DUPACR: Jerry Grote

Posted on January 31, 2011 by Joe Janish

Loyal readers of MetsToday know that I’m a catcher. Do you know why I’m a catcher? Because when I first became aware of baseball (thanks to WOR and WPIX), in the mid-1970s, my two favorite players were Thurman Munson and … Continue reading →

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16 DUPACR: Dwight Gooden

Posted on January 30, 2011 by Joe Janish

With 16 Days Until Pitchers And Catchers Report, we honor the day with former #16 Dwight Gooden. This was a fairly easy choice, though I did for a moment consider Lee Mazzilli, who made the number famous in Flushing in … Continue reading →

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