Good Sunday morning to you all . I’ll tell you yesterday was a really boring day. I went with Mrs. Rustyjr to the Wood bridge Mall so that she could take advantage of her Macy’s Star Rewards coupons that she received in the mail ( hey the sales tax is also lower in N.J.!!) Then we had some good eats at the Popeye’s Chicken ( best fried chicken franchise ! - SCREW KFC !!) But if you know the layout of this Mall you will know it has at the very least three sporting goods stores!!! ( Dicks, Foot Locker, Champs etc !!) Well after eating our sumptuous lunch, we passed buy a couple of these stores because :
A I was looking to see if they had any Mets gear at half price
and B. - I’m obviously a sadist because I had to see all the Yankees World Series paraphernalia that they had for sale. Well to make a long story short - there are lots - from t-shirts to leather jackets, caps to condoms ( kidding !), and and I said to myself “Wow I wish my team could finally get it together because I wasn’t a Mets World Series leather jacket instead of an inaugural Citi Field lunchbox !” Hopefully it will be our year in 2010 but we know better! Right Jeff and Fred ?!?

                                                          HARD HEADED?

And now ON WITH THE INFAMY !!!
Happy Birthday to the man who has the distinction as being the longest tenured mets player ever Ed ” Steady Eddie” Kranepool (1944) . I remember as a kid watching him pinch hit and playing a decent first base - I also remember his commercials for Gillette Foamy shaving cream.

utility player for the ‘99 team - Shane Halter is 40 (1969).
Slick fielding second baseman and one quarter of the best infield we have ever had - Edgardo Alfonzo is 36 (1973). I was really disgusted when the Mets let him go in ‘03 to free agency. I remember after he had signed with the San Francisco Giants , he took out ads on taxis to thank us Mets fans for all of our love and support we gave him during his tenure with our team. With the Giants , he  had put up good numbers with them until his back gave out, requiring surgery. He is still playing today weather it’s in any of the South American  Leagues or in independent ball here in the states. I wish we would give him a minor league contract like we did with Jose Valentin just to see if he has anything left in the tank. 
New York Mets traded infielder Bob Johnson to the Cincinnati Reds for Art Shamsky on November 8, 1967.This was a very good trade for the Mets because they imported Shamsky who was a young , excellent hitting outfielder, who later became a important cog in that ‘69 World Series team.

Catcher and fan Favorite -John Stearns granted free agency on November 8, 1984. I was very sad this day  because I always loved his smash mouth way of playing the game, and i felt he deserved to get a World Series ring as a member of the Mets - but it wasn’t meant to be.

Los Angeles Dodgers signed Darryl “Strawman” Strawberry of the New York Mets as a free agent on November 8, 1990. This had crushed me because I never thought it would happen - I never thought Frank Cashen , Nelson Doubleday or Fred Wilpon would ever let it happen !! But they did  and it signaled the coming of our franchises worst downturns in our history.

Anaheim Angels signed infielder David Lamb of the New York Mets as a free agent on November 8, 2000.

New York Mets released reliever José Parra on November 8, 2004.

St. Louis Cardinals signed speedy outfielder Prentice Redman of the New York Mets as a free agent on November 8, 2005.

And remember my friends, there are only long and arduous more 148 days until the Mets open the 2010 season against the Florida  Marlins at Citi Field.

                                                                   ”  Mr. Met feels our pain“