MLB: Noble: Counting down to Shea finale by unis

Unis, unis, unis! Plus some Bruce Boisclair love!

The games-to-go countdown sign on the outfield wall at Shea Stadium has created a lot of attention this season, especially for fans who associate uniform numbers with club history.

Twenty-nine home games remain on the Mets’ schedule, so No. 30 will be visible before their game against the Padres tonight. Linking uniform numbers to the countdown for the seven-game homestand:

No. 27: Todd Zeile could fill a reporter’s notebook in 15 minutes for 10 straight days. He had seen so much and had wonderful insights. No Mets player appreciated the city more than Zeile. If the ball he hit in Game 1 of the 2000 World Series had cleared the wall—or if Timo Perez had run properly—who knows? ... Dennis Cook was 146 percent Texan. ... If not for Craig Swan, this No. 27 would go Young for his 27 consecutive losses (1992-93). But Swannie wore 27 for 12 seasons, led the league in ERA in 1978 (2.43), had the best laugh this side of Jose Reyes and Al Jackson, and once was lifted off the ground—by one hand—by Frank Howard. Who can top that?