So What?

Darryl Strawberry was one of my first sports heroes. As a from-birth Mets fan, my first favorite player was Dave Kingman, a surly slugger who struck out more than he did anything else. So when Straw joined the Mets in 1983, it was easy to switch allegiances to the sweet-swinging rookie (Kong had 49 hits in 100 games that season — and struck out 57 times). Strawberry was the Rookie of the Year that season, and played in the next eight All-Star games. He never won an MVP, but was second in the voting in 1988, and third in 1990. Then, after his first season with the Dodgers in 1991, his career fell off a cliff. Strawberry never lived up to his boundless potential, derailed before 30 by problems with drugs and alcohol. But he lived, and in the end, that’s what counts most. And he’s still one of my heroes. Happy birthday, Straw.

Happy 40th birthday to my man Benny Agbayani, the best — and, well, only — Filipino Met ever. He’s only the third-best Hawaiian, though. Still, we’ll always have this.

Growing up, my first favorite baseball player was Dave Kingman. I was a Mets fan by birth, and Kong was the sole star on some unspeakably awful teams. Kingman hit home runs and didn’t do much else. He struck out a lot, was beyond surly with the media, and must not have been much of a hit with teammates either, as he once played for four teams in the same season. All that said, I still want a No. 26 Mitchell & Ness Mets jersey. Happy birthday, Kong.

Dwight Gooden was born the day before Tom Seaver’s birthday? I never knew that. Happy birthday to Tom Terrific. He’s 67 today, and could still help the Mets rotation.

In 1984, Dwight Gooden was named Rookie of the Year. In 1985, he won the National League Cy Young award. In 1986, he was a World Series champion. Today, in 2011, Dwight Gooden turns 47 years old — which may be his most incredible accomplishment to date. Stay clean, Doc. And happy birthday.

Oddly, today is the birthday of both John Cleese (1939) and Mets pitcher Jon Niese (1986). I assume this is a coincidence.

Pedro Martinez turned 40 today, which probably means the Mets are about to sign him to a new long-term deal. Sigh.