ST. LOUIS — It's not often that you'll hear me compliment the New York Mets. But I'm going to make an exception just this once.
The Mets' recent "old-timers day" at Citi Field is one of the best baseball things I've seen all year.
To see the sheer amount of guys they got to come back and put on a show for the fans was incredible. Mets fans got to see Mookie Wilson fly down the line, they got to see Doc Gooden back on the mound and got to watch Mike Piazza dig in at home plate one more time. It was a treat.
The Cardinals would be wise to join in on the "old-timers day" revival.
Perhaps not every franchise could pull off an old-timers day on a yearly basis. The Cardinals certainly could.
There's no shortage of legends and fan favorites the team could call back for a game.
How cool would it be to see a left side of the infield anchored by Scott Rolen and Ozzie Smith attempting to field a sizzling grounder hit by Mark McGwire off Chris Carpenter on the mound?
Think of how packed Busch Stadium would be for an old-timers day. It'd be sold out.
You could have Whitey managing against Tony. Izzy trying to strike out Willie. Ankiel trying to throw Edmonds from center field.
Why not line it up somehow with Hall of Fame Weekend as well? Play the game in the midday before a night game.
One thing St. Louis fans are on record for loving is giving standing ovations when their heroes come back to town. If the Cardinals revived old-timers day at the ballpark, the fans may not sit down the entire game.
And now that you've read through my brief little commentary, I get to share with you one of my favorite sports highlights of all time. 75-year-old Luke Appling hitting a home run in an old-timers game: