Dwight Gooden, Darryl Strawberry, Davey Johnson & Frank Cashen will be inducted into the Mets Hall of Fame on Sunday August 1st. This will be a great day in Mets history! I hope to be there myself in the flesh when the time comes because they were a vital part of my youth growing up. Okay, Frank Cashen never came to mind, but I do remember seeing him in the 1986 yearbook my parents bought me when I was a newbie to the game.

1986 was the first year I remember anything about baseball.

I remember my Mom jumping up and down when Dykstra hit that home run against Dave Smith to win game 3 of the NLCS.  I’m pretty sure my Aunt Kathy was there as well in our little apartment in Jackson Heights, but I can’t be certain. I know there was a ton of happiness around the neighborhood when the Mets won it all later that month, but I can’t really recall where I was exactly, but I know it was in out little corner of 93rd street.

I remember 1987 and watching Strawberry hit home runs, Doc striking out the side and Davey sitting in the dugout. I distinctly remember those nylon jackets they used to wear and how my brother and I used to rock our own. I wish I still had it to give to my little one.

I remember going to Shea with my family and sitting in the uppers. We couldn’t go much because there were six of us in total, but when we did, I know I enjoyed every second of it. The grass was greener than any pasture I’ve ever set my eyes on and has been burned into my memory for the rest of my life. I remember the smell of hot dogs and the ugly mullets the fans used to wear back then. I even recall how they used to have a life size cutout of Dwight Gooden at the games and how for $5 you could brag to your friends the next day that you met Dr. K!

Dr. K, Straw, Davey and Frank Cashen will be inducted into Mets history and rightfully so. Frank created the team that won it all back in 1986. Davey told them they would win the series back in ’86 and Doc and Straw helped make it so with strikeouts and home runs! There is no way the Mets win without these four vital members and I hope to see even more done for the 1986 team.

Retired numbers? I guess time will tell but if it was up to me, the numbers 16, 17 and 18 would be on the wall next to 14, 37 and 41. (I didn’t forget about Shea)

You can read the official Mets press release here.