NY Mets: 3 ways to honor the team’s history in 2023

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Under Steve Cohen, the New York Mets are a brand new organization. They aren’t just playing better. They’re also paying homage to their history a lot more.

This year, they’ve found three ways to honor different generations. Opening Day began with the Tom Seaver statue unveiling. Later this year, they’ll pay tribute to Johan Santana on the ten-year anniversary of his no-hitter. Even later this season, Keith Hernandez has his number retired.

These celebrations of the past won’t end in 2022. Every year, we should expect the Mets to find ways to tip their caps to the past. In 2023, there are three fairly obvious ways to do it and cover three different generations.

The Mets can honor the early years by celebrating the 50th anniversary of 1973 team

The 1973 Mets had a truly remarkable season. In a National League East division that was up for grabs all year long, they managed to snatch the division title then take down the Big Red Machine Cincinnati Reds in the NLCS.

Up against the American League powerhouse Oakland Athletics in the World Series, the Mets were up 3-2 in the series before falling to the A’s in seven games. A roster full of holdovers from the 1969 championship club but also with some new faces, they are one of the few Mets clubs to ever make it as far as they did.

The festivities for this team shouldn’t be as extensive as it has been whenever they paid tribute to the 1969 club. After all, the 1973 team did come up short.

Nonetheless, they were one of the most successful teams in franchise history. And with the 50th anniversary taking place, it would be a nice excuse to invite some of the old crew back.

New York Mets / Focus On Sport/GettyImages

It’s time the Mets put Howard Johnson into the team’s Hall of Fame

How is Howard Johnson not in the Mets Hall of Fame? A team Hall of Fame shouldn’t be reserved for only the absolute best in club history. That’s what jersey retirements are meant for.

Johnson more than qualifies for the Mets Hall of Fame. He is easily one of the best infielders in club history. Before David Wright, he was the best third baseman.

Johnson accomplished a lot over a relatively short period of time. He was a 30/30 guy twice in his career and remains the only Mets player to ever win an RBI title. In 1991, the year when he led the National League with 117 RBI, he also happened to lead the way with 38 home runs.

HoJo’s mix of power and speed was and remains a rarity in the game. From 1987-1991, the offense relied on him heavily for run production. How have all of these years gone by without the Mets adding him into their franchise’s Hall of Fame?

It’s only a matter of time before the organization does the right thing and puts him there. Why wait any longer? Adding HoJo crosses off the list of ways to please fans who remember the teams from the 1980s so fondly.

Miami Marlins v New York Mets / Jim McIsaac/GettyImages

Retiring David Wright’s number 5 is a Mets necessity

For the younger generation of Mets fans, the retirement of number 5 is bound to happen very soon. Is 2023 too soon? Considering David Wright hasn’t played since 2018 now, enough time has passed for the organization to make it official.

Wright defined Mets baseball for more than a decade. He holds multiple franchise records and never suited up for any other organization. He also happens to have a superb reputation as a human being; a quality I should add is shared with Howard Johnson.

The Mets had previously been shy about retiring jersey numbers in the past. In 2020, Jerry Koosman was set to have his number retired only for it to get delayed a year due to the pandemic. This year, with Keith Hernandez getting his number hung, things seem to be different for this organization.

The Mets should remain cautious about not retiring too many numbers unnecessarily. For Wright, there is no argument. He is on the Mount Rushmore of Mets players.

Since his retirement, Wright has made some appearances at Mets camp but has remained relatively quiet in comparison to some other retirees. He’s going to get a day at some point. Let’s not wait much longer. Number 5 needs to hang out Citi Field as soon as possible.

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