Keith Hernandez is one of, if not the best part of Mets TV broadcasts. He’s also one of the most popular players to ever wear a Mets uniform – so popular that fans have created Twitter accounts highlighting his colorful commentary and legendary quotes:

There is never a dull moment when Keith is in the booth, and his love for the game has never been questioned. He was respected (and still is) by many of his peers and a few even said they wore the number 17 as a homage to his style of play and grittiness as a ballplayer.

Hernandez never shied away from giving his opinion on how the game should have been played, and still hates bad baseball as you’ll come to find by listening to just one of his broadcasts. He always believed that you should always know what’s going on when you’re on the field and how to handle every situation possible – especially when the ball is hit to you. Being caught by surprise in any situation is a big no-no:

You gotta win. You can lose a game easily in the first evening as in the 9th inning. It’s a 9-8 game and you make one fundamental error that costs you two runs in the first inning, and you lose 9-8 in the 9th you should have won 8-7 and it’s overshadowed because it happened in the first inning.

I tend to relate to Keith Hernandez’ way of thinking. Sure he can be rough around the edges, but how can you honestly disagree with him? He thinks mediocrity has no place on the diamond, always remember your fundies, and you should strive the be the most difficult out in the lineup.

His interview with Ed Randall on Talking Baseball back in the 90’s was one of my favorites because it was unfiltered. Hernandez kept it real, never gave the “correct” answer as many publicists would want him to do, and just told it how it is.

Hernandez also gave a little tidbit into his superstitious chair during Game 6 of the 1986 World Series, as well as his father’s influence from such an early age, molding him into a true student of the game.