In the middle of the 1983 season, I got traded to the Mets. That was a tumultuous year for me, getting uprooted in the middle of the year from St. Louis, where I had spent almost 10 years and was comfortable, going from a first-place team to a last-place team, not being where I wanted to be. It was not a very good time for me. Rusty asked me where I was going to live that season, and said, "If you're unattached, you need to get an apartment in the city. I'll show you around. I know you're going to love it." That's when our relationship started to develop, and it became the great friendship that it is today. The thing that impressed me about him as a player was that he was always focused on the game and focused on the pitchers. As a teammate, I would take advantage of Rusty's experience and, because we both hit left-handed, we would often talk hitting. You can learn things from other hitters, and I always wanted to get Rusty's take. I'm deeply honored that Rusty has chosen me as the No. 1 first baseman in Mets history--especially coming from him because I have always respected his opinion. I always made a point over the years to ask Rusty who were the greatest players whom he played against, who were the greatest pitchers, the toughest left-handers he faced, the best right-handers. Those were all the guys who were on the bubble gum cards I collected when I was a kid. After all, Rusty is 10 years older than I am, so he saw players I never did.

In the middle of the 1983 season, I got traded to the Mets. That was a tumultuous year for me, getting uprooted in the middle of the year from St. Louis, where I had spent almost 10 years and was comfortable, going from a first-place team to a last-place team, not being where I wanted to be. It was not a very good time for me. Rusty asked me where I was going to live that season, and said, "If you're unattached, you need to get an apartment in the city. I'll show you around. I know you're going to love it." That's when our relationship started to develop, and it became the great friendship that it is today. The thing that impressed me about him as a player was that he was always focused on the game and focused on the pitchers. As a teammate, I would take advantage of Rusty's experience and, because we both hit left-handed, we would often talk hitting. You can learn things from other hitters, and I always wanted to get Rusty's take. I'm deeply honored that Rusty has chosen me as the No. 1 first baseman in Mets history--especially coming from him because I have always respected his opinion. I always made a point over the years to ask Rusty who were the greatest players whom he played against, who were the greatest pitchers, the toughest left-handers he faced, the best right-handers. Those were all the guys who were on the bubble gum cards I collected when I was a kid. After all, Rusty is 10 years older than I am, so he saw players I never did.