DAVEY JOHNSON METS BIRTHDAY QUOTE OF THE DAY

Happy Birthday to one of the all time iconic Mets. What else can you say about the man who managed the Mets to one of their only two World Series championships.

Davey Johnson was born on January 30th, 1943. Before enjoying great success as the Mets manager, Johnson was a hell of a second baseman mostly with the Orioles, but he had some great power years with the Braves and played also for the Phillies and Cubs.

He was a four time all-star, three time Gold Glove winner and was a three time World Series champion. Also in 1973, he at the time set the record for most Home Runs by a National League second baseman with 43.

After his retirement, the brainy Johnson (one of the first managers to use a computer) became the Mets manager after a stint in the minor leagues. He was their manager from 1984--1990 and is the most successful in the Mets history with a record of 595 and 417 with a winning percentage of .588. He is the first National League Manager to win at least 90 games in his first five years.

Of course he is also the Manager who led the team to their last World Series championship in 1986. Ironically, he also played a role in the Mets other World Series championship when he was the Orioles final out in the 1969 World Series, hitting a fly out to Cleon Jones.

He is a member of both the Mets and Orioles Hall of Fame. That said, in my opinion, he never got the credit he deserved as the greatest and most winningest manager in Mets history.

Lots of great quotes about Davey Johnson. A matter of fact there are over fifty in www.baseballquotations.com

This quote is about his entrance to the Mets Baseball Hall of Fame.

"I'm honored and humbled and you guys (the media) know it's not easy to humble me."
--Davey Johnson, on being selected for the Mets Hall of Fame

Great Quotes about Mets Hall of Fame

What's it like to be in the Mets Hall of Fame? Well to many of the inductees it is a great honor. Here are some quotes from all-time great Mets on being inducted into the Mets Hall of Fame.

1) "I'm very honored and humbled and you guys know it's not easy to humble me."
--Davey Johnson, said to reporters after being inducted into the Mets Hall of Fame in 2010

2) "If you're a baseball fan, you're a history fan. This is history and the best part of being a baseball fan. It brings back memories you have when you first fall in love with the game."
--Tom Seaver, on what the Mets new Hall of Fame in Citi Field means to him

3) "We're in the Mets Hall of Fame, that's the Cooperstown Hall of Fame to me."
--Darryl Strawberry, on being inducted into the Mets HOF in 2010 along side Dwight Gooden, Frank Cashen and Davey Johnson

4) "Growing up rooting for the Mets, it's an honor and very special for a kid from Brooklyn."
--John Franco, on being elected to the 2012 Mets Hall of Fame

5) "For me, I was always a Met at heart."
--Dwight Gooden, on being elected to the Met Hall of Fame

Who currently on the team will be in the Met Hall of Fame? Wright is a lock, Santana is a probable...Anyone else?

Gary 'The Kid' Carter Quotes

As a Met fan, I have such wonderful memories of Gary Carter especially from the 1986 run. He played the game with such unbridled enthusiasm. He was not just a steady influence behind the plate every day but he was a great all-around catcher. Sure, he had all-time great offensive numbers for a catcher, but people forget what a great defensive catcher he was. Pete Rose once said of Carter, "I don't think he has any weaknesses defensively." My thoughts are with him and his family during this difficult time.

In honor of his great career, here are some all-time great quotes by and about Gary Carter.

"I've never seen Gary Carter take a bad swing."
--Whitey Herzog

"We're all wearing the hats of a Hall of Famer, It doesn't matter what logo is on it."
--Gary Carter, asked if  he wanted to be enshrined as an Expo or a Met (he ended up going in as an Expo)

"You hate him when he's on the other team and you  love when he's a teammate."
--Davey Johnson

"You can count on the fingers of your right had, the number of times I've hit a homer to the opposite field--About ten."
--Gary Carter

"Carter is a great player. I'd love to see him catch for the Phillies."
--Mike Schmidt

"With Gary, it is as genuine then (as a rookie) as it is now (end of his career)."
--Steve Rodgers, on Carter's enthusiasm for the game