1969 World Series Amazing Mets

I have been at two great sporting events live. One was when Secretariat won the Belmont Stakes. Still waiting for those other horses to finish the race.

The other was Game 5 of the 1969 World Series. I still get goose bumps thinking about the game. I was a 6th grader living on Long Island. Just before the series started we had to go to Queens for a family event. Just as a fluke, we went to the Box Office to see if they had tickets to any of the Amazing Mets World Series games. As luck would have it, there were two tickets left for Game 5. Can you imagine today going to the box office and getting tickets to a World Series game the day before the Series started.?

My older brother and I went to the game and we probably had the worst seats in the place but who cared. All I could remember was the delirium that was bubbling up all around me as the innings went on and the Mets took the lead. After the game ended, we stormed on the field. Of course where we sat, it took us about two hours to get on the field. We grabbed some grass and my mother later framed the tickets and the grass and it still hangs in my office today.

My sixth grade teacher was a Met fanatic and after school, he set up his black and white tv in the office and we would watch the World Series games. Yes, as I tell my son, World Series games used to be played on weekdays during the day. Mr. Kirshner knew I missed class on Thursday (Game 5) but he didn't care---he just wanted me to come to school on Friday with the promise of a Met victory. I came through with that victory.

I have no idea why I am recounting this story now but it remains over forty years later my sports memory of a life-time. Please let me know if you were at the 1969 Amazing Mets World Series and what your recollections were of the series.

Shame on Oliver Perez

Everyone has beaten up Omar for signing Oliver Perez at the beginning of  last year for $36 million for three years. However, when he was signed  last year, very few Met fans were upset. Most fans wanted Perez back especially after his impressive, though inconsistent, 2008 season. I was one of them.

It is clear that it ended up being an awful signing and he has been nothing but a disappointment. Now, though he is not just a disappointment, he is even hurting the team by being on the 25 man roster. He has refused the Mets request to go to the minors.

There are many examples of greed in sports and this is a prime example. Shame on Ollie and his $12 million a year to refuse to go along with the Mets request to go to the minors. He hurt the team by pitching so badly for the last year and a half and now he hurts the team by not pitching. He is the gift that keeps giving....This is going to end very ugly and it's too bad because, at one time, I was an Ollie believer.

R.A. Dickey Wins His 21st Career Game

The Mets played a perfect game tonight against the Phillies and who thought they would be led by a 35 year old career minor leaguer, R.A. Dickey. It looks like Jerry now has a set lineup for awhile and it is a good one especially when Bay and Reyes are hitting. Granted before we go overboard, Jamie Moyer was pitching for the Phillies. I have great respect for Moyer but his pitches look like come for a slow pitch softball game. Between Dickey and Moyer, I wonder if their combined speeds even reached 150. Gotta check the Elias Sports Bureau to find out if tonight was the lowest combined starting pitching speed combo in baseball.

Now that we are .500 and winners of three straight, I am beginning to feel that optimism come back. Even Jeff Francouer got into the action. I am excited but I was also excited after they beat the Phillies in Game one of their first series.

Who will be the first Met to pitch a no hitter?

Every year I convince myself that this will be the year that a Met pitcher will pitch a no-hitter. I have felt this way since I was old enough to root for the Mets in the mid 60's. We certainly had our close Tom Seaver calls. I still remember the Jimmy Qualls one out ninth inning hit in 1969 like it was yesterday. A young Nolan Ryan has pitched a lot of no-hitters but none with the Mets. The closest I ever to perfection as a pitcher was Dwight Gooden. In 1984 and 1985, you felt that he had the potential every game to pitch a no-hittter but never did with the Mets? How about guys like Jerry Koosman, Jon Matlack, Bret Saberhagen, Frank Viola,---all great pitchers but not a Met no-hitter in the bunch.

I think that Johan is the best Met starter since Doc Gooden, maybe he will be the first to do it. Of course last year my bet was on Ollie. When he had his good stuff, he was (key word is was) unhittable. Nowadays, Paris Hilton has a good a shot as Ollie in pitching a new hitter. My new best guess is obvious but worthwhile--Mike Pelfrey. You heard it here first. With his command and his stuff, he has nights where he is virtually unhittable. I just have a feeling this year is the year.

Jason Bay for President Even Though He Is Canadian

I heard a rumor that Jason Bay read my blog on Friday and was so upset that he went five for five yesterday and hit two home runs today... True I made up the rumor but as a Met fanatic, I will take any karma I can get.

Feel pretty good tonight and so much of it has to do with K-Rod. Without him, the Mets would be no where near .500, Though they are in last, they are two and a half out of second. Very concerned about the Phillies series without starts from Pelfrey and Johan but maybe the momentum from the series will carry over.

I blame John Miller for the Mets near loss. He announced that Santana was the star of the game before the ninth inning started. I like Miller a lot but you should never jink a team by announcing the award winner before the game was over. Also, in my mind, I thought that Brett Gardner was safe at first base in the ninth, but I was pleased that Joe Morgan fought hard to show he was out. We'll talk it.

Bay Bloopers

There have been a lot of disappointments in the month of May for us Met fans. After the winning streak, we were ready to declare ourselves contenders. I even said as much on my Facebook page----reinforcing my early season predictions of a Met pennant.

I am hardly ready to give up on the season (thank you Ike, Johan, Pelf, Frankie, and Rod for giving us hope) but I have seen enough to have serious concerns. I am not the blame the manager kind of guy and I actually applaud Jerry for taking out Maine after five pitches the other night. Gutsy and smart move on his part.

The biggest surprise for me is not Ollie, Maine or even Wright, Reyes or Francouer but it is Jason Bay. My early season optimism was predicated on Bay having a big year. Sure his average is up but he was supposed to be an RBI/Power stick in the middle of the lineup. Do you know how many homeruns he has? 1....Projects to a solid four for the year...This from a guy who has been a consistent power guy. It can't just be Citi Field but there is clearly something going on with him. We didn't bring him here so that he could be Jesus Alou---we need him to have some pop.

We remain cautiously optimistic and we know our pitching staff is in good stead because we now have a starting pitching staff with R.A. Dickey and Elmer Dessens.

Worst Baseball Card Trade in History

Tonight's series with the Yankees still stirs up some emotions though I am no fan of interleague play. I still wish they only played the Mayor's Trophy game( for those of you old enough to remember).

Being a Met lifer, I used to collect only Met player baseball cards. Sure, I had some other cards I kept around the house but I focused on the Mets. I'd have taken a Ed Kranepool card over a Bob Gibson card in a nano second.

I could not get rid of my Yankee cards fast enough (I respect the Yankees a lot more now than I did as a kid)... trade them, put them on the spokes of my bicycle tire, flip them...anything to get rid of them.

This led to the single worst baseball card trade in history. In 1967 at the age of nine, I had a lot of Met cards but did not have any Ron Swoboda cards. In a desperate attempt to get this coveted card, I traded my Mickey Mantle card straight up for a Swoboda card....I love Swoboda but it was destined to be the worst trade in baseball card history.

Please share any of your bad card trade stories espeically if they involve Met cards.

Can We Go Home Now

In the old days, each team would produce a highlight reel of their year. When the Mets were really bad, like say 1967, they would show obligatory Joan Payson pictures and then they would highlight an occasional good catch, throw or slide into home plate. Becuase they couldn't be honest and show any real highlights, from a crappy season, instead they would focus on the young and coming Mets of that year.

2010 is beginning to rapidly look like one of those 1967 type video reels. I can already here the voice of the late great Bob Murphy saying, "The Young Met Players showed that they belonged with the big club led by first base sensation Ike Davis". They would then show his towering homerun and his three catches falling over the dugout. This season is deteriotraiting into one of those bad hightlight reel years.

P.S.---I heard a rumor that Jeff Francouer got a hit this month but I may need some verification.

Perez and Maine, Lets Pray for Rain

I can't stand it. Even I, as the most glass half full as a Met fan, is sickened by tonight's game. I blame my son. I was supposed to pick him up at a friend's house at 9 but instead he moved it back to ten. If I had picked him up at nine, than I would not have watched the Fifth inning Mets debacle

What is wrong with John Maine. After three decent starts in a row, I really thought he was coming around plus as Keith Hernandez inferred, his body language is regressing again. Not a good sign for his pitching or his mental wellness.

The hitting is atrocious. Has Jeff Francouer gotten a hit in May....I think he may be the first major leaguer to play every day and go zero for an entire month ( I know I am being facetious but it really seems that way).

I know they will turn things around but this is a painful period in 2010. I just hope they turn it around soon because even my optimism has its time limits.

All We Are Saying Is Give Ollie A Chance

To the extent possible, I have tried being a fan of Oliver Perez. I was one of the many fans who was glad to see that the Mets signed him last year (to be honest, I think most Mets fans at the time were happy with the signing though you wouldn't know that now). I was even willing to write off last year and start a new year fresh.

I have even felt a little optimism on two of his starts. I even felt a legitimate excuse for his awful outing against the Giants last Sunday because of the weather, but after last night, I have run out of excuses. He made the Marlins look like the '27 Yankees.

I am not usually a conventional wisdom guy but, like everyone else, I have just about given up on Perez. It is time for the Mets to take him out of the rotation.

Also, while we're at it, why is Gary Matthew Jr. still in the major leagues. He has put on about a bad a six weeks of hitting as I have ever witnessed especially for a once relatively decent major league player.

Ike Davis, 713 from the Babe

Ike Davis has had a great first week as a Met. As I was watching last night's homerun, I said to my wife who was in the other room (she and I are in a mixed marriage---she is a Yankee fan), "In fifteen years, will I tell my future grandchildren that I saw the first homerun of that Met legend Ike Davis?" Could be or could I be watching a future decent player who had a great first five games.

There are lots of guys who had great first weeks whose rookie baseball card sells for a penny (Kevin Maas, Jeff Stone, Eric Anthony and hundreds more and I ought to know because I own most of those cards), but I am not putting a damper on the Ike parade.

They've won five of six and he has been a spark and to top it off, he's got a great baseball name. The Post and News will have fun for years with their Ike tabloid headlines.

P.S.---If anyone is looking for a 1985 Jeff Stone rookie card, please contact me. I was the only one with the foresight to buy hudnreds of Jeff Stone's rookie card at 25 cents each and now they are worth less than a penny each.

Lesson learned---no Met fan should ever invest in a Phillie player's rookie card---it is bad karma.

Rod Barajas: Early Season Mets MVP

Ike Davis has sparked the team and Mike Pelfrey has been unhittable but my seventeen game Met MVP is Rod Barajas.

I don't care if that guy hits below the Mendoza line. He has been a master of working the pitching staff. It is more than coincidence that the Met starting pitching staff looks better than they did at any point last year. Did you see at the crucial point of tonight's game how he talked K-Rod and how K-Rod responded by striking out the last two hitters to save the game? He seems to have a great rapport with his pitching staff.

He has even shown some pop with the bat. I love the guy and hope he can last the entire season as the starting catcher.

Kiners Korner--Great Quotes of Ralph Kiner

The best announcing team in baseball is being joined by Hall of Famer Ralph Kiner tomorrow. In honor of Ralph, here are five of his all-time great quotes.

Five Great Quotes from Ralph

1) "The Mets have gotten their leadoff hitter on base only once this inning."

2) "Rookie Wilson was candidate for Mookie of the year."

3) "They will pass the father-son tandem of Buddy Bell and Yogi Berra."
--on Bobby and Barry Bonds becoming the all-time father-son home run leaders

4) "If Casey Stengel were alive today, he'd be spinning in his grave."

5) "On Father's Day, we again wish you all Happy Birthday."

Gary Matthews Jr AKA Private

I am having a hard time watching Gary Matthews Jr. play. I remember is dad very fondly as a terrific hitter who nickname was Sarge...Well the way Gary Matthews Jr. is playing, his nickname should be Private.

Things are going so badly for him that yesterday's seven pitch strikeout was one of his best at bats of the year. The Mets have just got to run Pagan out there everyday. He seems to have a new found maturity and a little more common sense on the base paths.

Twenty Fun Innings---Jerry outmanages LaRussa

Can you imagine the outrage in New York if the Mets had pitched Fernando Tatis and Gary Matthews Jr. in the 18th-20th inning? Chances are every major paper and media outlet in New York would be calling for his ouster....Instead he give us K-Rod and Pelfrey. It turned out to be a great strategic decision on his part.

It was a completely bizarre managing game by LaRussa---he seemed to make awful moves everywhere including the Ludwig steal attempt. Way too risky and bad consequences for his actions...If he was successful than you take the bat away from the best hitter in baseball. Makes no sense.

In another case,couldn't you have Ryan Franklin come out for the 18th and have Kyle Lohse fill in the gaps after Franklin was past his pitch count.

All I know is that Jerry Manual played this game very well in my mind and he deserves some credit.

I am trying not to overeact as a Met fan, but despite the fact that we have had great pitching lately, we have had no sticks at all. Mike Jacobs and Gary Matthews Jr. have got to go if they don't start producing in the next few weeks....but tonight nothing negative. Just our congratulations to the Mets and Jerry for schooling one of the baseball's greatest strategist in Tony LaRussa.

Five Casey Stengel Quotes About Amazin Mets

Was there ever a better marriage between a manager and a team than Casey and the 1962Met? Here are five of Casey's funniest quotes about that team.

Five Casey Quotes about Amazin Mets

1) "Trade him while he's hot."
---after Don Zimmer broke out of a 0-32 slump with two hits in a game

2) "The Mets have shown me more ways to lose then I knew existed."

3) "The only thing worse than a Met game is a Met doubleheader."

4) "He's the only defensive catcher who can't catch."
--on Chris Canizzaro

5) "Lyndon Johnson wanted to see poverty so he came to see my team."

Looking for Bright Spots in 2010:
It is early but Met fans are in full panic mode and how can we not be based on the last several years. However, I am still remaining someone optimistic. I can not remember two games in a row all of last year where they put together two great starts and Johan Santana was not involved in at least one of those games. Pelfrey and Ollie pitched better games in their second starts of the season then they did all of last year.

Five Great Tom Seaver Quotes

Much of my blog will be dedicated to the great quotes of the Mets. Who better to start with than the greatest Met of all...Tom Terrific. The man who turned a team from a national joke into a national treasure.

Five Great Tom Seaver Quotes

1) "Blind people came to the park just to listen to him pitch."
---Reggie Jackson, on Seaver

2) "If the Mets can win the World Series, the United States can get out of Vietnam."
--Tom Seaver, getting political, after the 1969 World Series

3) "My idea of managing is giving the ball to Tom Seaver and sitting down and watching him work."
---Sparky Anderson, Reds Manager, on having Seaver pitch for them (I am still angry at the Mets for ever trading Seaver)

4) "There are only two places in the league---first place and no place."
--Tom Seaver

5) "God is living in New York, and he's a Met fan."
--Tom Seaver, during the legendary 1969 Championship run

Random Thoughts:
Only saw a little of today's game. Still remain optimistic, but come on, the Mets were baffled by Livian Hernandez. That guy has been around since the Truman Administration. Should have taken two of three. At least, Jacobs got off the snide.

Quote of the Day for Mets/National Game

Another Mets heartbreaker yesterday but despite the loss cause for optimism. Jose was back and clutch in the 9th. Perez did not pitch that badly and Barajas is our best offensive catcher since Piazza.

Best quote of the day unfortunately was not from our side. It was from the National's Willie Harris who made the diving catch to win the game against the Mets. Not the first time he has done that. His quote after the catch, "Wow, I do it all the time against these guys. I don't know what it is."

High Five to Met Fans Across the World

This is a blog for those who define the greatest days of their lives (outside of the marriage, baby thing) as Game 6 of the 1986 World Series or (for those of us over a certain age), Game 5 of the 1969 World Series.

I have been a Met fan since I was old enough to know baseball. I went to my first baseball game in 1967 when I was nine and almost caught a foul ball from the bat of Richie (later Dick) Allen. By a fluke, as a sixth grader, my brother and I were at Game 5 of the 1969 World Series. I still have the ticket and grass to prove it. Yes, we ran on the field after the game. We did have the worst seats in the place so it took us two hours to get to the field but we got there and even waited around as the players got into their cars (likely incredibly drunk in the pre DWI law days) and drove off into the sunset.

For some reason, I come to 2010 with more optimism and enthuisism than I have had in some time. I guess it is because I am tired of them being slapped around by virtually everyone involved with baseball. In the offseason, while eighty percent of clubs did nothing, they acquired the best offensive free agent in the market in Jason Bay. Instead of being celebrated, they were bashed for not getting any pitching.

The blog will track this season (as much as possible), reminisce about the past, provide some great baseball quotes (my hallmark if you check my profile)and interact with other fans. Hopefully, to paraphrse Bob Murphy, "I hope this was a happy Met blog recacp."

Lets Go Mets.