The Mets Police

Absurd Curse Week continues here at Mets Police.

Today's curse is not based upon Bob Murphy , Gary Cohen or even Lee Mazzilli.

I'm here to tell you about the curse of 17.

Mets and 17.  Who did you think of?

Was it Jeff McKnight or Brett Mayne?  Luis Lopez perhaps?

Was it Saturo Komiyama?   Dae-Sun Koo?

Maybe Jason Anderson?

These are the folks that have been allowed to wear the number of The Captain, Keith Hernandez.

The new park honors a bailed out bank, has a big giant soda logo in right, but nowhere on the fence is a 17.

This year, once again a journeyman ballplayer will be allowed to wear Keith's number.

This from a franchise that think it's the Dodgers, and protects the number of one of the great San Francisco Giants of all time.

You can be on 8 teams in 10 years and ask the Mets for #17 and they will hand it to you.

Keith last wore the 17 in 1989.   The last time the Mets won a series Keith was wearing the number.

It's time to hang the 17 on the fence and have Keith Hernandez day.

It's a new park.  Let's start some new traditions and start a new culture that respects the history of the Mets, not teams that split town 50 years ago.

End the Curse.  Retire #17.

(Thanks Mets By The Numbers for the awesome database).


www.metspolice.com

Yesterday we discussed The Curse Of Bob Murphy. Yes it's absurd, but people seem to enjoy my absurd theories such as the Curse of Lee Mazzilli (any way to explain the awfulness that befalls this franchise.)

Today's theory is based upon The Curse of Bob Murphy, and it's the Gary Cohen Curse.

I like Gary, he is a fine broadcaster. I liked that the Mets brought him up from the minors way back when. He's solid and I've enjoyed his work on both radio and TV.

The problem is that he has put a curse on this team.

Gary showed up in 1989. The Mets were coming off their best run in franchise history, with a championship and some very good teams in 1985 and 1988.

He started off slow, and could only drag the Mets to a second place finish in '89. Do you even remember who won the East that year? No it wasn't the Pirates and it wasn't the Cardinals. Think harder. Anyway, the Mets lost to them.

In 1990 Gary managed to get Davey fired, and then worked his magic on making New Yorkers hate Buddy Harrelson. Guys like Torborg and Howe who were geniuses elsewhere - became busts.

Baseball had to change the rules to get the Mets to another series. In 2000 the King Of Finishing Second (Bobby Valentine) finished second as expected but because of Selig's ruining of baseball the Mets were able to get crushed by the Yankees.

In 2003, Cohen became the Mets main play by play guy on radio. (See Curse of Bob Murphy). When the Mets started SNY they made Gary the main guy. Gary is the voice of terrible late-season collapses. The Gary Cohen highlight reel is filled with a Todd Pratt home run and a bunch of crushing defeats.

The Curse of Cohen also applies to St. John's basketball which really used to be something in this town.

Gary is back behind the mike. Is Jerry Manuel enough of a gangsta to overcome Cohen's jinxing from the broadcast booth. Will there ever again be a happy recap? Should we trick Gary into taking the Phillies play by play job?






www.metspolice.com

1.  Giants - teams don't repeat, the Giants were never that good to begin with, and there is a PSL Curse upon this franchise.

2.  Eagles - Donovan McNabb is back, they have great backs blah blah blah.   Never works out.

3.  Redskins - Daniel Snyder still owns the team.  Talent won't matter, and they don't have the talent.

Tony Romo is for real.   Get ready for a third generation of Cowboys fans living throughout the entire country.

When you're sitting in the upper deck at Shea during a long game, the conversation can wander a bit with one topic leading into another.

The Mets Police and I were discussing uniforms (possibly the only time most men will discuss fashion) and I mentioned how in 1992 at Tom Seaver's induction ceremony I saw a family of 4 all wearing different versions of his uniform - the father had a classic Mets jersey, the mother a Cincinatti one, the son a Chicago White Sox 41, and the daughter a Seaver Red Sox shirt - truly a dedicated family.

Mentioning Seaver on the Red Sox in 1986, we realized that the only times the Mets have been in the World Series, Seaver has been present:

• In 1969 he was their ace


• In 1973 he was their ace


• In 1986 he was in the Boston bullpen


• In 2000 he was a roving instructor and broadcaster. (There was also a Tom Seaver bobblehead promotion in July)

Seaver has not had a role with the team since 2005 and is now concentrating on his vinyard in Napa Valley (first bottles are due out sometime this year).

Can the Mets get to the World Series without Tom Terrific somewhere nearby?