Happy Mets Birthday Baseballl Quote to Craig Swan

When I think of Craig Swan, I think of two things. Number One, he led the National League in E.R.A. in 1978, no small accomplishment with that Met team. Number Two, next to Keith, Swanee (as he was affectionately known) had the best mustache in Mets history. Very impressive.

In honor of Swan's long career with the Mets (1973-1984), he gets the Mets Birthday Quote of the Day.

This quote was about his toughness as a player.

"No one ever tried harder to come back than Swanee."
--Rusty Staub, on Craig Swan

Happy Mets Birthday in Quotes to Howard Johnson

Fellow Mets fans, today is the birthday of the one and only Ho Jo, Howard Johnson. Before David Wright came along, Ho Jo was the best third baseman in Mets history. He played with the Mets from 1985--1993. He was also part of one of the best deals in Mets history as he was traded from the Tigers to the Mets for Walt Terrell.

Ho Jo was a two time all-star, the National League Home Run Leader in 1991 and in 1987, he was a members of the prestigious 30/30 club---30 home runs and 30 stolen bases.

Without a doubt, Johnson is well deserving of the Mets birthday quote of the day

"Howard Johnson could turn God's own fastball around."
--Tim McCarver

Happy Mets Birthday in Quotes to Wes Westrum

Everyone knows who the first manager of the Mets was---The Old Professor, Casey Stengel. However the trivia question of the day is who was the second manager of the Mets? The answer is the recipient of today's Mets baseball quote of the day---Wes Westrum.

Wesley Noreen Westrum took over as the Mets manger in late August of 1965. He managed the team in 1966 and then left  the team with eleven games left in the 1967 season.

He was a long time New York Giants catcher who was well regarded for his defense. One another great attribute of Westrum was his sense of humor. He has provided many a funny quote over the years baseballquotations.com

Today's Mets Birthday Quote of the day is a classic baseball quote from Westrum

"Baseball is like church. Many attend but few understand."

Happy Mets Birthday Quote of the Day to Randy Milligan

November 27th is the birthday of former Mets, Randy Milligan and Raul Valdez.

Milligan gets the Quote of the Day www.baseballquotations.com for his impressive Mets career. In 1987, he played in three games for the Mets and had one at bat. The one at bat was a strikeout.

He did however go on to have a solid career, mostly with the Orioles. This led former Mets and Orioles hitting coach, Tom McCraw to say of Milligan,

"I don't like to put tags or labels on anyone, but in my mind, here's 70 RBIs."
---Tom McCraw, talking about Milligan

He did prove prescient in 1991 when Milligan did have exactly 70 RBIs for the Orioles.

Happy Mets Birthday Quote: Richie Hebner

November 26th is the birthday of three players who have worn Mets uniforms including a current player. Former Met Catcher Brian Schneider was born today as is current Met John Smoker, which has got to be one of the all-time great names for a relief pitcher.

However, the winner of the prestigious Met Birthday Quote of the day was Richie Hebner. Hebner was a solid hitting third baseman who played most of his career with the Pirates. He did spend a brief time in Flushing, playing for the Mets. One of the most interesting facts about Hebner was that his father was a mortician and he spent the off season working in the family funeral home and being a grave digger, which led to some funny quotes over the years.

Congratulations to Richie Hebner for winning the New York Mets Birthday Quote of the Day,

"I've buried people in better shape than I am"
--Richie Hebner, after running two miles

Happy Mets Kinerism of The Day

Not a lot of famous Mets were born today---the biggest name being long time relief pitcher Octavio Dotel. Given that I don't have any quotes on Dotel, Chico Walker or Shingo Takatsu, I thought we would give the Mets Quote of the Day to the great Ralph Kiner.

Not only was Kiner a Hall of Fame Ballplayer, but he was a Hall of Fame Malaprop King as an announcer.  We honor the great Ralph Kiner.

Today's Classic Kinerism:

"The Mets are winless in the month of Atlanta."
Ralph Kiner

Love Kinerisms, check out www.baseballquotations.com

Happy Mets Birthday to Joe 'Ducky' Medwick

How the heck did Hall of Famer, Joe 'Ducky' Medwick get our Mets birthday Quote of the Day. Well there are very few Mets birthdays today---Jason Jacome and long time Pirate pitcher Bob Friend who ended his career with the Mets.

Because, Ducky Medwick, played  from 1940-1943 for the Brooklyn Dodgers, that qualifies as the closest to a Met. Medwick was a ten time all-star mostly with the Cardinals. He was the National League MVP and triple crown winner in 1937. He was a tough guy but had a good sense of humor as reflected by this quote. Happy Birthday Ducky Medwick.

"I, too, used to be a Cardinal."
--Joe Medwick, after Medwick met the Pope

Lots of great quotes at baseballquotations.com

Happy Mets Birthday to Justin Turner---We Miss You

Several Mets players had birthdays today including Tom Hall, Rick Sauveur and Ryan McGuire. However today's Mets Birthday Quote of the Day goes to the man that got away, Justin Turner.

As all of us Mets fans know, Turner has turned into an offensive juggernaut on the Dodgers. Getting hit after hit while looking just like Steve the Pirate from Dodgeball

Can you imagine if we had him the last few years, he would have been indispensable, which he has become for the Dodgers.

So Happy Birthday and congratulations to Justin Turner for the Mets Birthday Quote of the Day.

"He's as good hitter. You put those guys in a position to drive in runs."--Don Mattingly, why he moved Turner up in the order to bat cleanup

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Happy Mets Birthday to Gene Walter

Not a lot of big names in the Mets birthday parade for November 22nd. Jay Payton, Ricky Ledee, Rich Chiles, Big Lee Gutterman and the recipient of the Mets birthday quote of the day, Gene Walter are the names on the list.

Walter pitched for the Mets in 1987 and 1988, appearing in forty games during those two years and had a record of 1-3. During his American League days, he had the distinction of tying the American League record for balks in a game with four. He also is known by Mets fans as being part of the blockbuster trade that sent Kevin Mitchell to San Diego and brought Walter and Kevin McReynolds (KMac) to New York.

Happy Birthday to Gene Walter and Congratulations on being the recipient of the Mets Birthday Quote of the Day

"He must be hell on left handed hitters."
--Pete Rose, talking about Gene Walter

If you love baseball quotes than visit our website, www.baseballquotations.com  Thousand of quotes about players, teams and all kinds of subjects.

Happy Mets Birthday Quote for Dick Schofield Jr

Not a big birthday day in Mets history for November 21st. Pitcher Dan Murray who played briefly for the Mets in 1999 and infielder Bill Almon, who I remember mostly as a Padre player who went to an Ivy League School (don't remember which one but it was a good one), and one other player.

The other player was Dick Schofield Jr. He was mostly thought of as an Angel but he did play the 1992 season for the Mets, hitting a solid .205, but he did have 36 rbi's in 420 at bats.

He was a terrific fielder but was known for his baseball lineage. His father Dick "Ducky Schofield, was a long time major leaguer and his nephew is the Met killer (or at least one of them) Jayson Werth.

He was a very highly rated prospect which led his manager with the Angels Gene Mauch to say,

"He separates offense from defense better than any young player I've ever seen."

Happy 54th birthday Dick Schofield Jr. and happy birthday to my dad Bernie Liebman who would have been 96 today.

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Happy 65th Birthday November 20th to Jackson Todd

Former Mets Pitcher, Jackson Todd turned 65 today. Todd compiled a three and six record with the Mets in 1977 with a 4.77 ERA.

There was not a big day for birthdays in Mets history. Two other players in Mets history had birthdays today. One was Kevin Lomon who pitched for the Mets in 1995 and in six appearances was 0-1 with a 6.75 E.R.A.

The other was Lino Urdaneta who only pitched one inning for the Mets in 2007 and gave up a run.

Sorry, no quotes today. As much as www.baseballquotations is a great source for quotes with over 11,000 of them, we have none right now for Jackson Todd, Kevin Lomon and Lino Urdaneta, but we will continue to pursue our goal of quotes for everyone who has ever played in the majors. In the meantime, listed below is a picture of Jackson Todd

Happy 95th Birthday to Roy Campanella in Quotes on November 19th

Yes, this is a blog dedicated to quotes for Mets players birthdays. But look it up, there were nobody who ever played for the Mets born on November 19th but there is someone who is a great representative of the Mets roots born on this day in 1921--Hall of Famer Roy 'Campy' Campanella.

We know that after the Brooklyn Dodgers left town for Los Angeles, a team was created in their wake a few years later, known as the New York Metropolitans, shortened to the New York Mets. That is why he is getting this honored spot on the Mets birthday parade.

A year after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier, Roy Campanella joined the Brooklyn Dodgers and became one of baseball's all-time great catchers. He was a three time MVP who was enshrined in the Hall of Fame in 1989.

He was always a great team leader, but after the car accident that left him paralyzed from the legs down, he became an even greater role model for society. His courage and resiliency made him not only a great player but a great person.

In honor of his birthday, here is a quote about him from some guy from the Yankees named Mantle.

"One of the best hitters and best fellas I ever met"
--Mickey Mantle, on Campy

Happy 80th Birthday Jay Hook featuring hilarious Casey Stengel Quote

November 18th is the birthday of several Mets including 1969 Met relief pitcher, Cal Koonce, Steve 'Hendu' Henderson and briefly Gary Sheffield.

But the birthday quote of the day is in celebration of the 80th birthday of Jay Hook. The one time Met had a career record of 29 and 62, but that is not what made him famous.

The first thing that made him famous was he is the answer to the ultimate trivia question---he was the first Met pitcher to ever win a game. On April 23, 1962, he won the first game in Mets history.

The second reason for his fame was that he was a very well educated and intelligent guy. This was a source of great humor to Casey Stengel.

Stengel's classic quote about Jay Hook and his genius IQ was,

"You should forget about these big words. You can't get them out in the library."

Happy 80th Jay Hook

Love baseball quotes and love the Mets, check out thousands of quotes at www.baseballquotations.com

Happy Birthday Tom Seaver Featuring a Great Quote

To Met fans, today should be a national holiday---the birthday of the greatest Met of them all---Tom Seaver.  Hard to believe the greatest player in Mets history turns 72 today. Seems like just yesterday he and his wife Nancy were doing commercials for Royal Crown Cola (boy I am dating myself).

311 Wins, Three Cy Young Awards and the leader of the most improbable World Series team in baseball history---what a legacy for Tom Terrific.

Who better to provide the Tom Seaver Birthday Quote of the Day than from the greatest catcher of all-time, Johnny Bench.

Bench said of Tom Seaver, "The best pitcher I ever caught---smarter than all of them."

For thousands of baseball quotes including lots about Tom Seaver and the Mets, go to www.baseballquotations.com

Happy 52nd Birthday in Quotes to Dwight Gooden

52 years ago today, Dwight Gooden was born. I am a little older than Doc and I have seen a lot of pitchers in my lifetime who are incredible---(missed Sandy Koufax)--Bob Gibson, Pedro Martinez, Randy Johnson, Greg Maddux, Juan Marachial, Tom Seaver, Nolan Ryan, Clayton Kershaw, etc. but in 1984 and 1985, Dwight Gooden was the best pitcher I ever saw in my life.

His rookie season in 1984 was the most incredible rookie year of all-time---276 K's and virtually unhittable at age 19. At age 20, in 1985, he won the Cy Young Award with 24 wins. You felt that every game he was not only capable of a no-hitter, but also capable of a perfect game.

Even while struggling with his inner demons, he also has some solid years post 1985, but there has been nothing like those two years. He was an incredible talent and we hope that his greatness is remembered for many years to come.

Who better than Sandy Koufax to have the greatest quote about Dwight Gooden's potential as a young man,

Koufax said, "I would trade anybody's past for Dwight Gooden's future."

 

 

Happy 88th Birthday in Quotes to Gus Bell

Gus Bell had the distinction of being on the 1962 Amazing Mets. Bell hit a solid .149 for the Mets in thirty games that year. Bell was a terrific player and a four time all-star with the Reds.

He is also known for strong family baseball lineage as the father of long time ball player and manager Buddy Bell and the grandfather of former major leaguer David Bell.

Gus Bell and David Bell have the distinction of being the only Grandfather-Grandson combo that has ever hit for the cycle.

Bell died at age 66, leaving a great baseball legacy behind him (except for his brief time with the 1962 Mets which was no different than anyone else who played for that team).

"That boy will make it some day, but I am afraid it will be to late."
--Billy Meyer, with a very bad prediction of four time All-Star, Gus Bell

For over eleven thousand baseball quotes arranged by player, team and subject, go to www.baseballquotations.com

Happy 87th Birthday in Quotes to Jimmy Piersall

Today former Met, Jimmy Piersall turned 87 years old. Piersall had a long and colorful career and only ended up playing forty games for the Mets in 1963, hitting a solid .194.

He was really remembered for his antics off the field and his struggles with mental health issues. Piersall fought these issues with courage and resilience and proved to be a great role model, showing that you can recover from a mental illness and move forward in your life. They even made a movie about him. Fear Strikes Out.

 

 

"Jimmy was a smart cookie who took advantage of every opportunity to project himself into the public eye."--Jimmy Dykes

Among some other Mets, happy birthday to Darrel Sutherland (brother of Gary Sutherland) and Tim Hamulack, who pitched six games for the Mets in 2005 and ended up with a 23.14 E.R.A.

Visit www.baseballquotations.com for over eleven thousand baseball quotes including hundreds of Mets players, though I have no Tim Hamulack quotes.

Happy 31st Birthday in Quotes to Asdrubal Cabrera

Happy 31st Birthday to my favorite Met of 2016, Asdrubal Cabrera. He proved to be a clutch hitter and steady presence on the field and in the clubhouse.

Some other Mets had their birthdays today notably George 'The Stork" Theodore and Bobby Pfeil, but we celebrate Asdurbal Cabrera in quotes

"The guy's a pro. It really goes underrated what a great teammate he is. What a good guy he is. How much of a pro he is."   Derek Shelton, on Asdrubal Cabrera

Happy Birthday to the Mets Al Schmelz

Today is the birthday of former Mets pitcher, Al Schmelz. He made only two appearances in 1967 with the Mets. Otherwise he was a solid minor league pitcher.

Though we don't have any quotes about Al. It is interesting to note that he had only two major league strikeouts and one was against a Hall of Famer---Orlando 'Cha Cha' Cepeda.

For lots of Mets quotes and thousands of other baseball quotes, go to www.baseballquotations.com