So, who should throw out the ceremonial first pitch at the new ballpark? Candidates who come to mind…
Ralph Kiner? Original Met and beloved icon.
Tom Seaver? Last pitch at Shea, first pitch at its successor. Also, you might have heard, The Franchise.
Roger Craig and Al Jackson together? Craig won the first game the Mets ever won in the Polo Grounds; Jackson did the same at Shea.
Dwight Gooden? Twenty-fifth anniversary of his electrifying rookie season and the next step in bringing the Doctor back into the fold.
One or more Bill Shea descendant? That and continuing the presentation of the floral horseshoe would be a nice reminder of why there's a National League franchise in New York.
Fred Wilpon? It's his dream, give him his moment.
Don Newcombe? I might save him for the second game, which will be Jackie Robinson Day, but maybe they really want to hit us over the head with the Dodger thing out of the gate.
Michael Bloomberg? Probably not, but he is the mayor who saw that this thing got done.
David Paterson? An actual Mets fan and the governor.
Barack Obama? Nothing at all to do with the Mets, but inaugurating a new ballpark with the new president…ah, let him concentrate on his job.
Some Citi executive? I'm sure that person would be heartily received.
Random fan? Maybe somebody who attended the first home game in '62 and the first home game in '64. Gotta be somebody who paid his way into both.
Hobie Landrith? First player Mets picked in the '61 expansion draft. If you don't have a catcher throw out the first pitch, you're gonna have a lot of passed balls.
Any other ideas?
And while you ponder that, can you help a sister [1] — one of our own [2] — out with some votes so she can be kicking Suzy Kolber and some other stiff competition? Let's keep these things in the Mets family.