Bringing Back HoJo

(Note: A piece from Sip follows this one from A.F.O.M.G. Also, be sure to check in with Y2K over the next 24 hours for full reaction to the Andy Pettitte deal.)

One of the first seasons I can actually recollect is 1991. My life as a Mets fan is basically a blur up until that point, fragmented memories that appear as screenshots in my mind with no captions there to provide context.

But by 1991 I had arrived, and for that reason I remember to this day that Howard Johnson led the league in home runs that year with 38 dingers.

I remember going to games with the Hound and how the stadium would come alive every time the announcer read "Now batting, number 20, Howard Johnson," the way it used to come alive for Mike Piazza a few years back, and the way it comes alive now whenever Jose Reyes or David Wright's name is called.

I mention this not because HoJo was recently named the new first base coach for the Mets. I'm excited about it, don't get me wrong. Everything I've ever heard about HoJo-as-coach indicates that he communicates well with players and is well-liked and respected.

The reason I mention HoJo's league-leading 38 dongs is more to reflect on just how much baseball has changed. In case you'd forgotten, there was Barry Bonds signing a $16 million deal for another (final?) season with San Francisco. Bonds, you know, 21 home runs shy of 755? Set the record with 73 home runs a few years and several federal inquiries ago?

To be honest, I find bitching about the steroid era a bit tiresome. Don't get me wrong, it's a necessary topic for reporting and discussion. But there's no changing what's in the past, you know? It's the future that's malleable and as far as we can tell, baseball is moving in a steroid-free direction (although not necessarily at the pace we'd like it to).

So my point isn't to whine about Bonds. The point is that, for me, HoJo's return to the Mets throws into pretty sharp relief just how different the game we watch today is compared with the one I and most of the rest of you grew up watching.

The year before HoJo led all comers with 38, Ryne Sandberg led the league with 40. The year after, 1992, it was Fred McGriff's turn when he hit 35. Different time.

The consequences of the long ball explosion of the past decade aren't limited to home run totals, though. Take David Wright. Wright hit 26 homeruns in his age 23 season, a total I think we were all mildly disappointed with after he hit 27 in his age 22 season.

But then look at Darryl Strawberry's home run totals for his age 22, 23, and 24 seasons: 26, 29, and 27. The guy was considered one of the premier sluggers in the league, and with good reason, he finished 4th, 6th and 5th in the league in the years between 1984 and 1986, respectively.

Today it's different. Hitting 26 home runs is mildly disappointing, and god knows it's not enough to get you in to the top 10 (that would take 35 home runs). Hitting 30 home runs is a nice season, but it's not the kind of year a 9-year-old kid is going to remember when he's 23, at least I wouldn't think.

That's not sad or tragic necessarily, but for me, the day after we brought back HoJo and Bonds signed the contract that should see him vault to No. 1 on the all-time homeruns list, I find there's a little part of me that wishes we could all still be floored by a guy who hits a measly 38 homers.

Even if that guy needed a corked bat to do it.

* * * * *

Speaking of steroids, the Mets resigned Guillermo Mota yesterday to a 2-year deal that will pay him $5 million. Did I say 2 years? I meant 1.69.

A lot of people are excited to have Mota back. Generally speaking I think it's a fine move, but I'm surprised we had to go to 2 years. I mean, can any of us say for certain that Mota's late-seaosn turnaround wasn't directly attributable to steroids? What's our guarantee that he won't go back to being the shitty pitcher he was for Cleveland once he's off the juice?

There is none, but nevertheless we're committed to paying him $3.2 million in 2008. What leverage did he have exactly that made a 2-year deal necessary?

Between the steroid stigma, the obvious concern that his performance without the juice is better reflected in his time as an Indian than as a Met, and the alleged good will between Mota and the Mets, I'd have thought that a 1-year pact would do the trick.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining about this deal, I'm just a little surprised by it.

- A.F.O.M.G.