Chapter 1: What does retiring Carlos Beltran's number mean for the Mets?
Carlos Beltran, it looks like the Mets are going to be retiring his No. 15 this year at Citi Field, and I'll take it from this angle. He really was a great player for the Mets. You look at his time here, 2005, his first year, I think it was 05, not so great, really started to play well in 06, 150 home runs, almost 600 RBIs, 550 runs scored, so great player, good for him.
I take it from this angle, as a former pro player yourself, what that would mean. to have that honor after your career is over? I mean, obviously, it's everything for a ball player to get your number retired. Am I wrong, Jerry, for thinking I just don't have any? And I'm not a Mets fan.
Chapter 2: How did Carlos Beltran's career impact the Mets?
I'm saying this. I just think about him being the face of that whole Astros cheating scandal. Yeah, I don't – yeah, see, you're talking to the wrong person because I never – I wasn't one that got all hung up in that like a lot of people did. I will always – I'll always come back to, you know, when you don't score runs, it's going to be really hard to win. Like the Astros beat the Yankees.
You know, there was one game I think they beat them 1-0 or 2-1, and if it had that much of an impact – I'm sure it had an impact. I'm not saying it didn't, but if it had that much of an impact –
uh maybe they would have won the game i don't know 17 to 1 um but he's fair and i'm sure there's a lot of people that do think of him as such the problem i have though with that is you know the manager at the time of the astros whose name is escaping me at the moment has gone on to manage elsewhere a lot of people have moved on with their lives and you know carlos beltran is the one remember he was supposed to be the manager
That was a very real thing, and that was taken away from him. So I feel like he paid the price, and I personally have moved on from that. I don't think that way, but I totally understand that you would. Do you also think about his at-bat in Game 7? Sure. And he plays it all the time. There's no question about it. I can sit there and give you all the great numbers, not to mention he was a
great player like i don't mean just a hitter like as a fielder he was a great player so there was a lot more to it but there's some people that frown it because it didn't only play five years there it was uh six i believe i gotta double check that i think he played six But you're not wrong. He wasn't here for 15 years. Right. And that's a different conversation, should they or shouldn't they.
I was taking it from, you know, what that's got to feel like to have your number be retired. I know. I'm just – like I said. I get it. I just think about some of those other – like to get – I'm trying to be fluid with my thought process here. It's interesting, too, though, Willie, because remember we had the conversation, was it you?
We had the conversation with CeCe Sabathia when he had it. Maybe it wasn't you. Maybe it was someone else. When the Yankees announced they're going to retire Sabathia's number. Yeah.
and you know i looked at sabathia's career is pretty damn good and that world series meant a lot to that team and he was such a big part of it i will tell you a lot of my friends that are yankee fans thought it was absurd that the yankees are retiring his number and part of it was that they didn't win as much as they should he really fell off at the end he wasn't there for 15 years so i think there's a lot of different ways you can look at these things um
Beltran was a great player for the Mets. That's where I would leave it. Maybe retiring the numbers a little bit much, I suppose.
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Chapter 3: What are the controversies surrounding Carlos Beltran's legacy?
But, I mean, he's going to go into their Hall of Fame, Met Hall of Fame, and rightly so. But I hear what you're saying. Okay. I think people feel the same way about Piazza because he has such a historic career with the Dodgers, then lands with the Mets. He had another great career here. I think people just kind of flip-flop back and forth, so... Sure.
We're also in the land of free agency, the era of free agency more than ever, where guys rarely stay in one spot for their whole career. You have to differentiate between the two. And it is different than, say, guys that played in the 50s, 60s and 70s and that. Another thing that was very interesting, which you sent to me, too, was the retirement of Bryce Huff.
And not for the idea that he retired at the age of 27, but more the trend we're starting to see. Yeah, I mean, him, Drew Doman, the center for the Bears, he just hung it up. You talk about Frank Ragnow, I think his was more injury prone.
And right now you think about, I think I mentioned this earlier, you know, Matt Abiqua, their star nose tackle for the Ravens, he may be forced to hang it up because of a neck injury. But nevertheless, you're starting to see guys at a young age wrap it up. And I don't know if it's... Yeah, sure. I mean, Andrew Luck is a prime example.
Andrew got the hell beat out of him, so he decided enough is enough. But nevertheless, you're starting to see guys wave the white flag, and I think partially because guys are realizing because there's so many avenues right now outside of football where they feel like their presence is needed and they can make maybe not football money, but they can have a bigger impact on society.
And it's a legit thought compared to when Guy got into the league in 06'. Guys was like, listen, I got to play 10 years, 10 years. That's the number. I got to play 10 years. I got to make it for me to feel like my career was worth something. And I start and we're starting to see younger guys get into this game like, hey, man, I'm gonna get what I can get out of it. And then I'm gone.
You know, however much money I can make is that's going to be the number. And I'm going to pivot. and do other things. So I think you're just starting to see a culture change, a mindset change with some of these young guys, especially NIL plays a factor into some of that. So it's just interesting that six guys this year, I think in their 20s, mid-20s, have decided to hang it up.
Well, but the big difference, and maybe even from 2006 to now, when you're talking about when you played, the money is absurd. I mean, it can allow you... And they're about to raise the cap, right? Am I right? Yeah. So guys are going to make even more money, and good for them, but I think it's a lot easier...
saying in 2026, a 27-year-old retiring after playing, let's say, five years in the NFL, where he made millions of dollars and says, you know what? I see the path. Maybe I get some headaches. I don't want to deal with that when I'm 50 or 60.
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