He added: “I think with Howie and Gary, the balance of it, because they’re fans of the team and proud of that, is to be, at times, sharp — as a fan is. We get upset when we see things we don’t like, but we still love the team.”
For fans who share in that tradition, it is helpful that sons of Shea Stadium like Cohen and Rose double as Mets historians — a role officially held by Jay Horwitz, the avuncular team publicist who was also honored Saturday.
Cohen rightly noted that Johnson, a switch-hitting third baseman, had long been an underappreciated figure in Mets history. He had three seasons of 30 homers and 30 stolen bases, a feat matched by only Barry and Bobby Bonds, and Alfonso Soriano.
For Johnson, the last of those seasons came in 1991, more than half a lifetime ago.
“There’s probably not a day goes by that we don’t think about that, being able to play the game that we did when we were 25, play at that level,” said Johnson, 62. “Every time you get out of bed, there’s a reminder that was a long time ago. It’s almost like two different people. And the older we get, that person goes further and further away. And I don’t like that. I want to know that person that still played. I want to know who that person was.”
That is the point of days like Saturday: to honor the past of the people who made a difference for the Mets. Thankfully, some of those people still do.
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