When I started this post, I set out to do something entirely different than what you are about to read. I saw that 1986 New York Mets outfielder Lenny Dykstra
had been indicted for bankruptcy fraud — not the first controversy he has been a part of. It was just another in a long line of charges and controversies involving a member of the 1986 World Champion New York Mets.
Most recently was Roger McDowell, winner of the series-clinching game #7 in 1986, and now the Atlanta Braves pitching coach. He was put on administrative leave recently after allegedly using gay slurs while talking to a group of fans in San Francisco.
Other members of the ’86 Mets that have had issues include Kevin Mitchell, Lee Mazzilli, Tim Teufel (connected with the Bernie Madoff scandal), and I think mostly everyone knows of Dwight Gooden and Darryl Strawberry
‘s numerous troubles through the years.
The thing is, as I was doing my research into the entire ’86 Mets roster to find all their flaws and issues, I came across a different side of the story. I found some good stories attached to some of the former World Champs. That is when I decided to go a different direction with this post. Instead, it is now all about the positive things some of the other Mets have done since 1986.
Oddly, the first good thing I found was also the biggest, so I will save it for last.
Let’s start with Keith Hernandez and Ron Darling. They have worked together along with fellow Mets broadcaster Gary Cohen to create the web site www.pitchinforagoodcause.org . The site sells merchandise and the net profit goes to a group of charities. Those charities are The Cobble Hill Health Center, Juvenile Diabetes Research Center, and the Danbury Women’s Center. That’s a pretty good way to use your celebrity, if you ask me.
Next up is the great Gary Carter. Carter is the president of The Gary Carter Foundation. He and his staff support 8 (his uniform number) Title I schools in Palm Beach County, all of which have students that live deep in poverty. The foundation seeks to “better the physical, mental, and spiritual well-being of children.” Since he started it, The Gary Carter Foundation has given over $600,000 to charitable purposes, including more than $350,000 to those local elementary schools for their reading programs. Again, it’s a great way to spend your retirement from baseball. My only comment is, I wish Carter’s uniform number was maybe 54 or 38 rather than just 8.
The final three stories involve quite a bit of tragedy along with the touching sides of the stories.
Backup catcher Barry Lyons returned to Mississippi after retiring. He has dedicated a large portion of his retired life to building up the southern Mississippi area, including his hometown of Biloxi. He has tried to bring a pro baseball team to the area, an effort hampered by Hurricane Katrina, which devastated the area and destroyed his family’s home, all of their memoribilia, and even ripped his 1986 World Series ring away from him. He has not tired in his effort, though, and as he helps to rebuild the area, he is trying to get a minor league ballpark included in the rebuilding.
Ray Knight (left) and Ed Hearn
The Mets other backup catcher was Ed Hearn. Hearn’s story is a long and inspirational one. After just three seasons in the Majors and a few more in the minors, Hearn retired. Not long after, he was diagnosed with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis. This is the same disease NBA players Sean Elliot and Alonzo Mourning also have. Hearn imediately had a kidney transplant. This led to him having to take many medications every day. The disease was debilitating and the medicines caused mood swings. Hearn nearly committed suicide in 1993. He credits his faith and a request to give a motivational seminar as helping him through his thoughts of suicide. Since then, Hearn has been diagnosed with skin cancer on two occasions and has also had two additional kidney transplants.
Through all of that, Hearn continued on as a motivational speaker and in 2001 was awarded the Certified Speaking Profession designation from the National Speakers Association, an honor that just 8% of the speakers in the world have received.
He also runs two charities. The first is the NephCure Foundation, which raises money for kidney disease research. The other is the Bottom of the Ninth Foundation, a mentorship program for children. He has also written an autobiography chronicling his story titled, “Conquering Life’s Curves – Baseball, Battles & Beyond“.
The final story I would like to share with you is one of Major League Baseball journeyman outfielder Stan Jefferson. He grew up in The Bronx, where he still lives today. He spent time with six Major League teams over the course of his five-year career. His debut came with the ’86 Mets after three years in the minors. Jefferson would play just 14 games for the Mets before being part of the blockbuster Mets-San Diego Padres nine player Kevin McReynolds-Kevin Mitchell trade.
Jefferson was released in 1991 by the Cincinnati Red and entered retirement. He made a brief comeback in 1995 when he became a replacement player for the Mets during the player’s strike.
Once his baseball career was over, he needed a new profession. The boy from Co-Op City in the Bronx, now 35 years old, joined the New York City Police Department. He was on duty during the September 11th, 2001 terrorist attack that brought down the World Trade Center. He would then work at Ground Zero. This led to health problems for him and many others. In 2004, he had to retire from the NYPD due to his health issues.
So as you can see, even though all anyone ever hears about is the bad side of the 1986 New York Mets, there is also a good side. It just doesn’t get as much press!
Signed: A Life-Long Yankees Fan
