Mets Card of the Week: Tom Glavine/Mike Piazza

2004 LEAF CORNERSTONES TOM GLAVINE/MIKE PIAZZA

This card is a tale of one city, and two players. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, you see…

Mike Piazza’s appearance in a Mets’ uniform seemed initially like a strange apparition. Offensive players of his caliber did not just show up at Shea gift-wrapped in blue and orange. And all for the low, low price of Geoff Goetz, Preston Wilson, and Ed Yarnall? Please.

And then before I was even convinced that he was really and truly part of the team, we started booing him.

Let’s face it, fellow Mets’ fans– this was us at our worst.

Our own age of foolishness.

I was sure that this disapprobation was going to chase Mike from Flushing forever, and that he would return only in someone’s visiting grays to periodically deposit perfectly decent pitches over the 410 sign.

But bless his heart, somehow he played through the temporary insanity and became not just accepted but adored.

On the other hand, it always seemed fitting that Tom Glavine’s surname is an anagram of “leaving.” Because it never really felt like he arrived…

Glavine somehow pitched 5 essentially mediocre years with his toe on the rubber at Shea and his heart 900 miles to the south at Turner Field.

Piazza and Glavine are joined together here on this Leaf Cornerstones card, with Chicklet-sized pieces of their respective game-used equipment peeking out through little die-cut windows.

It’s a relatively rare card, numbered 41/50 on the reverse. If you believed in price guides, you’d be content in the knowledge that it’s worth $25 or so.

But I can’t help feeling it would be a far, far better card if I sliced it in half and kept only the right side..