3 ways the Mets can continue to honor the franchise's history in 2023

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.