Nothing helps you get through the homestretch of a Friday afternoon like a bonus edition of 1986 Mets: A Year to Remember theater! You’ve gotten dirty with the Wild Boys, given your teammates the hot foot and witnessed a rock solid man-on-man relationship. And now comes a video that celebrates the entire 1986 Mets team.
Watch as the Mets become the toast of New York. Gasp as you see how many magazine covers they graced (who decided to include WWOR broadcaster Tim McCarver twice in the montage?). Giggle when you catch Ray Knight subtly give a TV camera the finger. The Mets belonged to the city. And this sax riff belongs to the ages.
It’s almost time to slide down the dinosaur’s neck and call it a weekend. Hang in there, baby!
Welcome to another episode of 1986 Mets: A Year to Remember theater. If you’re just joining us, we’ve rocked out with Wild Boys Lenny Dykstra and Wally Backman and learned to give a hot foot with Roger McDowell and HoJo. In today’s episode, we celebrate the machismo, determination and bromance of Keith Hernandez and Gary Carter.
Like a rock, Keith and Gary were the stable leaders the Mets needed. And like a rock, their man-love could not be broken.
With a special appearance by Davey Johnson’s mustache!
Happy Friday, kids. Let’s make it a stachetastic end to the week.
If Ollie sees his shadow, he'll have an ERA over 6.00.
This all looks so familiar. After last night’s stark reminder that all bullpens, even rebuilt ones, can struggle, today gave us a friendly reminder that Oliver Perez is the most confounding thing to come out of Mexico since Carlos Mencia’s successful career. Ollie started strong, but the wheels came off in the third inning and the rest of the car spontaneously combusted in the fifth. His final line: 4.1 IP (ugh), 5 H (eh), 8 R (ruhroh), 5 BB (blargh) and 7 K (huzzah!). And with that, the Mets were downed by the Red 8-6.
Once again, the heart of the order looked strong as the Carloses continued to be RBI machines. David Wright had his first multi-hit game of 2009 and picked up an impressive fourth walk of the season. And Ryan Church continued to show what he’s capable of when he’s not overly concussed by adding two hits, including a two RBI double.
The bullpen pitched 3.2 scoreless innings, so that’s a plus. Brian Stokes looked strong with three strikeouts in two innings of work. Meanwhile, Gary Sheffield had his first AB as a Met. He struck out looking in the ninth. For the record, he has a beard.
The Amazins head to Florida for three against the suddenly potent Marlins and we head to the bar for some Thursday night drunkiness without the guilt of missing a Mets game.
Today, we take an educational turn as Roger McDowell and a young (yet balding and mustachioed) Howard Johnson teach us how to give our teammates a hot foot. Don’t know what a hot foot is? Well, grab a cigarette, a book of matches, some bubblegum and get ready to be the funniest guy in your office. And, after watching the video, this blog will make more sense.
Enjoy Roger’s culturally sensitive comic stylings, HoJo’s unbridled enthusiasm and other amazingness.
Well, that was exciting. Mike Pelfrey looked shaky, then settled down. The bats looked lively and the heart of the order showed potency that lasted longer than four hours (they should consult their physician) and the bullpen was just good enough to hang on for the 9-7 win over the Cincinnati Reds.
The Carloses went 4 for 9 with four runs scored, six RBI and one HR by the bald one. As for our non-mustached third baseman, he went 1 for 4 with three runs scored and a walk. His one hit came in the 7th inning when he appeared to be sporting some late evening stubble, once again supporting our theory that David performs better when he has some facial hair to keep him warm during this chilly Spring games.
It wasn’t the prettiest win but this isn’t a beauty contest. Which is a plus, because Ramon Castro has no business putting on an evening gown.
Minor League Baseball is always more in touch with the fans. They understand that baseball is a game and that it’s played for our enjoyment. Minor League Baseball is about passion, love for the game and reminds us of simpler times. And Minor League Baseball is willing to acknowledge the stache.
TWS Detroit Bureau Chief Misopogon checks in with this tidbit about MiLB’s favorite Minor’s mustache fan poll. As it turns out, some of the youngins out there are growing staches, embracing the lifestyle and showing the world that it’s awesome to have a mustache.
Granted, this news is from last season, but hey, that’s OK. What’s matters is that staches are developing themselves in the minors. Honing their game. Working out the kinks and learning to become Major League mustaches. That means that we’ll soon have some well-seasoned, mature mustaches in the Bigs.
I’m not suggesting that David be sent down to Buffalo to work on his mustache. I’m just saying that the coaches in Binghamton and Norfolk failed him (I’m looking at you, John Stearns and Ken Oberkfell).
Keeping reaching for the stars, Minor League staches! You’ll get your cup of coffee soon.
The Wright Stache recently received a copy of 1986 Mets: A Year to Remember from our dear friend Nerdzah Ball Soup at Nerd Baseball. He converted the VHS to DVD and, well, I could not be happier. After a proper viewing last night, I began the task of slicing it up into segments. I’ll be sharing some gems with you in the coming days and weeks, but one clip deserved to be first.
Ladies and gentlemen, with the help of Duran Duran, I give you a profile of the gritty play of Wally Backman and Lenny Dykstra in a segment that Sports Channel and Rainbow Home Video call “Wild Boys.”
Ah, Wikipedia. I was hanging out with friend o’ the stache and frequent commenter The Other DAW and Mrs. Other DAW this evening. As often happens, the conversation turned to Keith Hernandez. Some wild accusations were made which I will not dignify with mentions in this here blog of record. All that matters is that we ended up on the Wikipedia page of our patron saint.
While there, we stumbled on an interesting fun fact (Fun fact: I love fun facts). In the miscellany section, you’ll find this:
Hernandez admitted that he never wore eyeblack while playing because he had high cheekbones. Hernandez felt his mustache reduced glare thereby eliminating the need for eyeblack.
The source cited is the Athlon Sports 2008 Baseball Annual. Now, you can’t argue that Keith doesn’t have high cheekbones. He has rugged features and his cheekbones are part of that macho handsomeness. What’s worth considering, however, is his theory that mustaches reduce glare.
If that’s the case (and I have no reason to doubt Keith even if the photo above proves either him or Athlon Sports to be a liar), then David needs to grow a stache to handle the sun. There’s a long, bright summer ahead and the winds in Flushing make things adventurous enough on pop-ups without having to battle the glare.
Grow a stache, David. Keith was an amazing fielder (11 straight Gold Gloves from 1978 to 1988). If the stache helped him, it can help you.
It’s time once again to focus on irrefutable reasons why David Wright should grow a mustache. This time around, we focus on music. It’s a scientific fact that we are all shaped by the song that is #1 on the Billboard charts on the day we’re born. How else would you explain my awesomeness if not for this? So, naturally, I was not the least bit surprised to learn that the #1 song in America on December 20, 1982 was none other than “Maneater” by Hall & Oates.
Willing always looked to the horizon. Waiting...waiting...
It’s a slow news day. Only one game in the books. No game today. No movement on the hairs of David Wright’s lip. So, I thought I’d throw a classic stache out there into the ether for you all to enjoy. Courtesy of our good friends at Nerd Baseball, we’re honored to shine a spotlight on Willie Hernández.
Willie won the Cy Young and MVP in 1984 after going 9-3 with 32 saves, a 1.92 ERA and 112 K in 140 IP. He also picked up a World Series ring. Not a bad year for a mustache!
I wish I had more to say. Hairy Backman is on the beach in the Caribbean and JCP is shaking off jetlag after catching a flight back from San Diego where he was scouting West Coast staches at Petco.
Back to action tomorrow agains the Reds. I promise we’ll be more interesting.
Kevin McReynolds was actually a 12-year-old boy trapped in a man's body.
We’re pleased to feature one of the unsung heroes of the 1988 National League East Champion New York Mets today. While all eyes were on Doc, Straw, Keith and the rest of the big names, us real fans in the upper deck of Shea knew that our secret weapon was waiting patiently in left field. Waiting for a chance to shine. Waiting…for his mustache to get wispier. Today, we profile Kevin McReynolds.
After the 1986 championship season, the Mets traded Kevin Mitchell (along with Stan Jefferson and Shawn Abner) to the San Diego Padres in exchange for McReynolds and some dead weight. McReynolds was viewed as significantly less batshit crazy than Mitchell, who many considered to be a bad influence on Doc and Straw. McReynolds was a country boy from Arkansas who was never accused of killing his girlfriend’s cat. So, in that respect, he was an upgrade in left field.Read more »
Many predict that Michelle could be a .300 hitter with decent power.
Yesterday, I astutely observed that Johan Santana has personalized handshakes with many of his Mets teammates. Well, the kind folks at Deadspin have blessed us with video of the choreographed greetings. Personally, we’re happy to see Johan playing Patty Cake with his brothers in arms. After he lost a solid five or so wins last year because of the bullpen, it’s just good news that he doesn’t hate his teammates.
Meanwhile, Johan looked solid yesterday coming off elbow surgery. He pitched 5+ solid innings considering the cold weather and looked dominant at times.
Off-day today, so we’ll try to create news for you.
Daniel Murphy looked as good as he did all Spring. The bullpen lived up to the promise. And the Mets won their opener against the Cincinnati Reds. With the win, the Mets surged from out of nowhere into a first-place tie in the National East. Quite the turnaround for a team that was winless as recently as yesterday.
As for David Wright, he began the season without a mustache. He went 1-3 with two walks and two adventures on the basepaths. He was thrown out at home after being given the go-ahead by the appropriately named (for this blog’s purposes) Razor Shines. Later, he was picked off of first while representing a potential insurance run.
So, a mixed bag on day 1. A Mets win but an inconsistent day from David, who clearly would have benefited from a stache.
1 down. 161 (plus playoffs) to go. Let’s GROW Mets!
Every year an average of 23 people are attacked by Hawaii's rainbows.
I was scouring the internet for mustache news while watching the Mets cling to a 2-1 lead over the Reds and stumbled across this story. Back on March 26, the University of Hawaii baseball team was no-hit by Coastal Carolina (Hawaii’s natural rival). One player had the final chance to avoid the no-hitter: Kevin Macdonald. And this, folks, is where things got hairy. Read more »
I just watched Johan Santana enter the visitors’ dugout at Great American Ballpark and exchange approximately 15 different elaborate handshakes/hugs/fist pounds with his teammates. This pleases me on a level that I cannot describe.
My only disappointment? Johan and Wright only hugged. No escalating progression of slaps, hugs, hip checks and forearm bashes. Could it be that Johan doesn’t respect Wright? Would a mustache help?
Mr. Met avoided the mandatory waiting period by purchasing a black market t-shirt cannon.
It’s Opening Day and the internet is aflutter with news, predictions and analysis. But at The Wright Stache, we’re not into prognostication. Opening Day is sacred. We prefer to sit back and enjoy. Also, I work from home, so I’ll be watching the Mets-Reds game on TV (weather in Cincy permitting).
Hairy Backman is away for the week, so we’ll try to pick up the slack. Let’s start the day with a look around the Mets blogging universe and others’ takes on Opening Day. Meanwhile, I’m going to order a six-foot party sub for myself.
Amazin’ Avenue breaks down the Reds with one of their beat reporters.
MetsBlog delivers the good news that Johan is finding his rhythm.
The Daily Stache goes beyond Opening Day and looks at the full week ahead.
And the ‘Ropolitans get us pumped up in the best possible way.
So, it may be Monday, it may be raining in New York and you may have a painful burning from your weekend escapades, but it’s Opening Day! All is “Wright” with the world. See what I did there? Yeah, it’s going to be a good week.
One of the reasons that Gary Sheffield signed with the Mets is that David Wright texted him. David sent an SMS to the slugger to recruit him to join the blue and orange. That, along with the urging of his uncle, Dwight Gooden, led Sheffield to sign the one-year deal with the Mets.
Sheffield acknowldeged that he’s reached a point in his career when he’s no longer a superstar. He sounded agreeable to coming off the bench and being a part of a team effort to win a championship.
Jerry Manuel said that Sheffield will not play the field during the series in Cincinnati to allow the aging outfielder to get into playing shape. He’ll pinch hit and wear ridiculous sunglasses while he gets his throwing arm warmed up.
So there you have it. David booty texted Gary and now they’re friends with benefits.
Credit (or blame) Hairy Backman for this week’s closing photo. We were discussing Mets who made us sad and, well, here we are. What a waste of a solid stache. At the Wright Stache, we hate waste. We seize all opportunities and capitalize on every situation to further our cause to get David Wright to grow a mustache. To that end, let’s celebrate another fruitful week. We didn’t waste a chance to…
Sure, some of you were hurt by David’s negative first reaction to The Wright Stache. But we remain emboldened to pursue our cause. Optimism and confidence abound at The Wright Stache. Spring is here. Opening Day looms on the horizon. Soon, flowers (and staches) will be in full bloom.
We’ll check in a few times over the weekend as news merits and we hope that you’ll take a peek. And we have another treat for you next week that will bring a new level of interactivity to The Wright Stache experience.
Thank you for your ceaseless support. Because when there was only one set of footprints, that’s when you were carrying us.
Doc taught Gary everything he knew about scowling. Optional second caption: Just let your sooooouuuuul glooooooow.
Everyone and their mother are reporting that the Mets have signed Gary Sheffield to a pro-rated $400,000 contract. He was released earlier this week by the Tigers who will relax their gag reflex and swallow the girth of his $14 million 2009 salary. Along with the $400K, the Mets apparently have promised Sheff “significant playing time” (as reported on WFAN via Mets Merized Online).
Well, the Mets are about 10 years and five dozen temper tantrums too late on this one. Sheffield wanted to be a Met years ago when he still viewed them as the team for whom his uncle, Dwight Gooden, played. Now he’s just the guy who batted .225 with an OPS of .725 in 2008. He’s injury and sulking prone, his skills are diminishing and he doesn’t have a mustache. Frankly, we’re baffled.
This most likely signals the end of the glorious Marlon Anderson era and kills any interest that the team may have had in Frank Catalanotto, who would have been a major upgrade on the bench and a delight to have in the clubhouse. Instead, we get Surly McGeriatric.
Here’s hoping he regains his bat speed, keeps his mouth shut and teaches David how to harness his testosterone into something productive. Worst case scenario, he hits below the Mendoza line, we cut him with minimal financial loss and he teaches José how to rock a stellar jheri curl.
Today we travel a little further back in Mets history to profile one of the finest staches in the team’s illustrious history. We look at a man with a stache as thick and luxurious as any we have seen. A man with a nickname, El Gatito (the Kitten) that is just plain awesome. Today we focus on Félix Millán.
Félix joined the Mets before the 1973 season as part of a trade with the Braves. He came to the blue and orange as a three-time All Star and two-time Gold Glove winner at second base.
He’d go on to spend five seasons with the Mets. While he didn’t match the accolades that he had received in Atlanta, he proved himself as a slick fielder and solid contributor at the plate. He batted .278 as a Met with a .326 OBP. He led the league in sacrifice hits in 1974 with 24, which stands today as the Mets single-season record and led the league in hit by pitch in 1975. The man knew how to contribute. Read more »
If you're a student of the game or just interested in baseball history, you may have considered testing
your knowledge through online sports betting. Ask yourself,
what would Ty Cobb do?
Videostache | Teufel Stubble | 
April 10, 2009 | 
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Credit (or blame) Hairy Backman for this week’s closing photo. We were discussing Mets who made us sad and, well, here we are. What a waste of a solid stache. At the Wright Stache, we hate waste. We seize all opportunities and capitalize on every situation to further our cause to get David Wright to grow a mustache. To that end, let’s celebrate another fruitful week. We didn’t waste a chance to…
