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Orlando Magic

So word on the street, as I'm rooting for the Rays and piecing together some memories of Shea Stadium, is that Orlando Hudson wants to be a Met.

Good for him. Great for us.

This is an easy call. Speaking of which, the GM should be on the horn to the instructional league folks telling them to move Daniel Murphy's lesson plan from second base back to left field.

Orlando Hudson's best attribute is not his .300 batting average, his .360+ on-base percentage, his ability to bunt the ball farther than Luis Castillo can hit it, nor his three Gold Gloves.

The best thing about Orlando Hudson is that he's a guy who can say enough's enough, and the Mets need players like that.

Why do I say that?

Because Orlando Hudson has proven, through his walk-off history, that he can put an end to lengthy games.

Remember the 14-inning Saturday Knight (Brandon's Mets debut) affair against the Cardinals, when Albert Pujols creamed a long home run off Aaron Heilman. It seemed that when Pujols stepped to the plate, he knew he was going to basically end the game. The Mets don't have players like that. But Orlando Hudson is one.

Hudson has four walk-off hits in his career. The second one came on July 28, 2005, when after four hours and 50 minutes of baseball, Hudson ended matters for the Blue Jays, with an 18th-inning walk-off single against Angels reliever Scot Shields.

Orlando Hudson's fourth, and most recent walk-off hit came against former Met Aaron Sele. This one ended a five-hour, six-minute affair in the 15th inning, a two-run home run that gave the Diamondbacks a win over the Dodgers.

Hudson is a perfect fit for the Mets. He's clutch. He's a dynamite defender, and he can make this team a little bit more likeable. I leave you with this quote, from a newspaper profile of Hudson, from former Blue Jays director of baseball operations Bob Nelson

"He has the one thing that very few people have, and that's charisma. He can take the people around him and make them better just by his personality. There hasn't been a town he has played in that he couldn't run for mayor."

True Metsons know...No player in Mets history can claim to have two walk-off hits for the team in the 15th inning or later.

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