Steve Keane’s comments on retiring Ed Kranepool number 7:

I’ve always been on board when it comes to retiring Kranepool 7. The man played his full 18 year carer as a Mets player and is an original Mets played on the’69 WS champs as well as the “73 NL champs. Even though he was not a great player he still holds the Mets record for games played, hits, and is top ten in every other hitting category even triples (where Ed ranks 9th all time with 25, three more than Lee Mazzilli who has 22)

More than that, Kranepool was a team player, when Donn Clendenon came to the team in ’69 it cut Eddie’s playing time but he never complained as the club got better and was winning. He even took an assignment to the minors late in his career as a plus where he worked on his hitting and came back to the big leagues as a premier pinch hitter.

I met Ed this past summer at Citi Field and he is still a Met as he’s very active in the Mets Alumni and working as a anyalst on some Brooklyn Cylcones games on SNY .

It would be great as part of the 50th Anniversary of the franchise for the Mets to retire #7 (as well as Jerry Koosman’s 36)

Thanks to Steve for the comments and please be sure to check him out over at the Kranepool Society. For more on the Mets current retired numbers go here.

Post Update: December 28, 2010 1:17pm:
A lot of discussion going on about this topic over at Mets Police. A few comments that the Mets can’t retire #7 because Jose Reyes wears that number.

My thoughts:
In my opinion the idea of not retiring #7 Kranepool because Jose Reyes wears that number is not a good enough reason. Either – 1. Grandfather Reyes in and let him continue to wear it but no one else wears it after him or 2. Make Reyes change his number. Kranepool changes his number from 21 to 7 when Warren Spahn joined the team.

Stories Mentioned In This Video:

>Metsblog: Note: Angel Pagan, 10-gm Hit Streak and Mistakes

>Mets Merized Online: Congratulations To The All-Time Hits Leader… Ed Kranepool

>FredFocker YouTube: Baseball after 9/11 at Shea