Gil Griffin

a baseball player with carter 8 on his jersey ALT: a baseball player with carter 8 on his jersey

It has long angered me that #Mets STILL have not retired Kid's No. 8. They better change that in '26, especially during the 40-year anniversary of the '86 season. Like Juan Soto, #Mets acquired Gary's services around my birthday, so I have a special affinity for both players. Long live the Kid!🙏🏿

😂The high school catcher I pitched to also was a QB on our football team and a strong basketball player -- a three-sport athlete. I have tremendous respect for catchers, who don "the tools of ignorance," but are the smartest players on the field. My all-time favorite? Our legend, HOFer Gary Carter.

Also, the Pirates' catcher Jason Kendall, of the late-90s/early '00s, also ran well.

Wait again! What about John Stearns, the #mets All-Star of the late-'70s? He too was a noted base stealer, even swiping 25 one season. Stearns even played defensive back for the University of Colorado before turning to MLB. He also was a great athlete. Not all catchers are fire hydrants with legs.

Wait! What about Astros Hall of Famer Craig Biggio? He might've been the best-ever athlete as a catcher. Remember he also played CF and then won four Gold Gloves at 2B.

You can't generalize all catchers' athletic abilities or body types. Maybe there was less specialization back in the day, but besides the three HOFers I named, Todd Zeile also caught, played 1B, 3B, and some OF. It wasn't entirely uncommon, even 20 years ago for catchers to see some OF action.

Yes he did, notably and very well in the game in Cincy in '86 after Ray Knight got ejected for punching the Reds' Eric Davis. Carter was a TREMENDOUS all-around athlete and student of the game.

@pauladonovan.bsky.social The idea itself wasn't stupid -- the timing of the ask? Questionable. Hundley was a good enough athlete to play OF, but asking him to capably play it mid-season, without having a Spring Training to prepare was unrealistic -- about as unrealistic as Mets landing Piazza!

Catchers aren't as one-dimensional athletes as you think. Three Hall of Famers also regularly played OF, too: Craig Biggio, Mets legend Gary Carter, early in his career in Montreal, before winning three Gold Gloves as a catcher, and Yankees legend and eventual Mets manager, Yogi Berra.

.354 -- still a Mets single-season record. Crazy that Larry Walker hit .363 that year with the Rockies to win the NL batting title. It's a shame that those BAs, outside of Aaron Judge's this year, have become so rare.

Not with .354 hitter (still a #mets single season record) and defensive wiz John Olerud playing there at the time.😃 Olerud's average would be second that year to NL batting champ Larry Walker (.363), and he also hit 20+ HR and knocked in 90+ runs.

It actually wasn't as dumb as you might think. Mets wanted to keep Hundley's bat in the lineup. This was 26 years before universal DH. Hundley was a good athlete with good mobility and good arm and the move to LF would take stress of his knees. As an Expo, Gary Carter played OF early in his career.

@pauladonovan.bsky.social You're way too young to remember, but Todd Hundley's father, Randy, was a longtime Cubs catcher, including in the Mets Miracle Year of 1969. If you find it on YouTube, he can be seen jumping up and down in protest after ump called Mets' Tommie Agee safe on a play at home.

Not sure if #mets will ever recover from his departure.🙄

He did, after Piazza's acquisition.

Benny is forever immortalized in #mets lore for three things: 1) His walk-off, 13th inning HR in '00 NLDS Game 3 vs. the Giants; 2) His extra inning, game-winning grand slam in Mar. '00 game at Tokyo Dome vs. Cubs; 3) His handing a ball to a fan at Shea after catching a fly ball for the SECOND out!🤦🏿

So why do you have a pic of someone in this post who obviously is NOT Freddy Peralta? #credibilitycounts

Second most interesting aspects of the photo: 1) Mookie rounding first (was he thinking Knight would stop at 3B?); 2) Why is Bob Stanley looking toward 2B? Why would he be looking there after the ball went through Bill Buckner's legs behind 1B? Also, why would Buckner be playing so deep at 1B?

I've never seen Mookie's mad dash ever photographed from this angle. The most interesting aspect of this? Where Ray Knight and Bob Stanley are, in relation to Mookie hitting the 1B bag. I never knew Stanley got over so fast to cover and that Knight is just rounding third when Mookie hits first.

He absolutely hated it when the Mets traded for Mike Piazza, forcing him to left field.

Desi Druschel, we hardly knew ye.

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Didn’t watch, mate — World Series Game 1 was on. Enjoyed #bluejays smash the Dodgers! Go 🇨🇦

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Happy birthday, mate!

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If we lose a decent prospect to another team via the Rule V draft all because Stearns has a hardon for keeping Richard Lovelady on the 40-man roster, that's a problem that would occur months before the Opening Day roster is set.

Please see my comment on the Rule V draft

I'm not freaking out. I'm irritated by two things: 1)Lovelady is not part of any solution; 2) Stearns's sense of urgency to sign him. No, It's not my $, but it IS a team roster space. Why is this retread taking a spot we can give to a kid we can protect from being taken in the Rule V draft?