Note: I have enjoyed making small tributes/eulogies for various Mets when they leave - Marlon Anderson, Ramon Castro and Billy Wagner are some examples. Carlos Delgado filed for free agency and it seems unlikely, but not totally out of the question, that he will return to the Mets for a variety of reasons. What better way to "eulogize" Delgado than by channeling Sergeant Jay Landsman from "The Wire" and his patented Irish wake tributes? If you aren't familiar with the show or the scene, check out the video at the bottom of this post for some context (NSFW - language) and then add Seasons 1-5 of The Wire to your Netflix queue.
Carlos Del-ga-do. Power hittin' first baseman, borderline Hall of Famer and all it cost was Mike Jacobs. Delgado wasn't the greatest defensive first baseman and he wasn't the worst. He had some memorable hits and he let us down in some big spots. But the son-of-a-gun had his moments, yes he did. You remember that walk-off homer against Benitez in early '07? 416 feet, he crushed it. How about the 2 bombs off Hollywood Hamels that Sunday night in '08? That was Carlos Delgado at his best. And in the playoffs in 2006? He caught fire when a lot of his mates were cooling down. Yes indeed. He won as much as he lost, much as any of them.
Did he piss off a manager and maybe some fans in the process? No freaking doubt! I think the last manager actually got kinda used to him thank God. Did he say the wrong thing every so often? Did he bust balls and swing for the fences and boot the occasional grounder every now and then? Who doesn't!? Was he as upset about 2007 and 2008 as every other Mets player wearin' the blue and orange in that Flushing clubhouse? Ab-so-lutely. Let us not forget his off the field contributions - we're looking at the 2006 Roberto Clemente Award winner. Carlos Delgado stood with his teammates, doing his best to crush the ball as he entered his late 30's. His body let him down in 2009 but he hardly ever took a day off until then. He was called; he played; he is counted. Farewell.