There are some seasons in baseball where you look at the standings and wonder if the world has been flipped upside down. Here’s the Tigers with the best record in baseball. Here’s all but 1.5 games separating first from last in the NL West. And, here’s the Atlanta Braves in last place behind the Florida Marlins, a club that can best be described as a step above a roster full of replacement level players.

And, here’s the NY Mets. Yes, the Mets, not the Yankees, are New York’s best club. Heck, the Mets are probably the best team in the league at the moment.

Is it any wonder that Mets fans are looking for anything – any shred of baseball mojo to hang onto?

Here’s a bit of symmetry for you: it’s the 20th anniversary of that magical ’86 season.

Yes, my Red Sox brothers and sisters will wince in pain. It’s not Buckner that I always seem to see, it’s Knight crossing home. It’s Clemens sitting stunned in the dugout. It’s Mrs. Yawkey being whisked away from the Red Sox clubhouse. The plastic being torn down. The champagne being repacked. It’s that vision that still makes Red Sox fans curse.

It’s that season that Mets fans adore.

With the 20th anniversary of the Mets last win of the World Series, Dunkin Donuts and the Mets have teamed together to offer a commemorative quarter series celebrating the 20th anniversary of the 1986 World Championship team.

As the press release reads:

The quarters are available for a suggested retail price of $2.99 each with any Dunkin’ Donuts purchase at participating stores throughout the area from June 19 — July 9. Each week, two different players will be featured including Mookie Wilson and Lenny Dykstra (June 19), Keith Hernandez and Sid Fernandez (June 26), and Gary Carter and Darryl Strawberry (July 3). The first 25,000 Mets fans attending tonight’s game against the Baltimore Orioles at Shea Stadium receive a free team quarter not available in stores, along with a cardboard coin carrier to collect the remaining quarters.

“Dunkin’ Donuts is honored to partner with the New York Mets to help New Yorkers relive the glory and excitement of one of the sport’s most beloved teams,” said Al Hodges, Regional Vice President, Dunkin’ Donuts. “We are pleased to bring this unique, commemorative collector’s item to Mets fans everywhere and to celebrate the players that brought energy and excitement 20 years ago.”

“The 1986 Mets made an indelible mark on the baseball and New York sports scene, capturing the hearts of fans like few other teams in the history of sports,” said Dave Howard, Executive Vice President, Business Operations, New York Mets. “This special partnership with Dunkin’ Donuts launches an exciting summerlong series of events and promotions tied to the 20th anniversary of the World Championship, providing fans another way to connect their excitement for the current season to the historic achievements of 1986.”

So, grab a powder donut and some joe, you Mets fanatics. And, say to yourself… the 20th anniversary? It’s a sign.

For those that wish to relive that ‘86 season, check out TomSeaverFan.com that is doing a day by day look at the team as it happened.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 20th, 2006 at 7:14 am and is filed under Baseball Insight. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.