Even me, the Mets fan Prince of Darkness, has to take a step back sometimes to remember when the Mets ruled the baseball roost in these parts and one way to put a smile on a Mets fan’ face is to say “1969”

Ahhhhhhh yes, The Amazin’ Mets of 1969. Last summer the lone bright spot at $iti Field was the celebration of the World Champion Mets of that year and just to see all those players back together again was thrilling and exhilarating, but as I looked around at the faces of some of the fans in attendance that night, I saw a lot Mets fans who really have no connection to this team because (gasp!!!) they were to young to witness this great accomplishment.

There were 30 year old Mets fans with their children there who like their kids,  had no real attachment to this team. They never saw the black cat run by the Cubs dugout and look right at Leo Durcocher as if to say, “it’s all over Leo, surrender is near”, or cried themselves to sleep after watching Tom Seaver lose his Perfect game to a Jimmy Qualis single in the 9^th inning. No cable TV, no 24-HR sports talk radio just the Daily News, NY Post (the essential newspaper for the West Cost scores as the Post was an afternoon paper in those days) and of course WOR  to find all our Mets information.

When I’m asked about that ’69 season I remember those events I’ve mentioned plus things like Opening Day, a game that featured the Mets against the brand spanking new Montreal Expos team staring Mack Jones, Adolfo Philips and a young Le Grande Orange and the Mets losing 11-10, a  9^th inning rally falling short.

Now I know there are some of you who also remember that year as vividly as I do and would love to relive that season and then there are a good number of you who wish you could find out more of what it was like that season. That’s why the book The Miracle Has Landed is an essential book to add to your Mets and baseball book collection.

Matthew Silverman and Ken Samelson have done a fabulous job of getting a collection of writers together to compile essay’s on the players of the ’69 Mets, the front office, the broadcasters, the owner (bow your heads)  Mrs. Joan Payson and Manager Gil Hodges and his coaching staff (Where have you gone Rube Walker ? Mets pitchers turn their lonely pitching arms to you) and my favorite chapter on Mets scout Red Murff, who should be in the Mets Hall of Fame (if they ever build one)  Murff was the scout who signed Jerry Koosman, Jerry Grote, Ken Boswell and a kid out of Alvin Texas named Nolan Ryan (to name a few)

Do yourself a favor, don’t wait for someone to get you this book for Hanukah, Christmas, Festivus or whatever holiday you celebrate buy this for yourself as a Mets fan you will cherish this book and read it from cover to cover and in these dire uninspiring times as a Mets fans, The Miracle Has Landed will make you proud to be a Mets fan again.

The Miracle Has Landed is published by Maple Street Press in conjunction with The Society of American Baseball Research

The only drawback last night for the debut of MLBN was the mug of the Nutty Professor on the screen at 6PM. The 30 second countdown, a montage of players with the numbers 30 (Nolan Ryan) to 1 (Ozzie Smith) was great with the exception of number 3 (Evan Longoria) how could it not be the Bambino? The Hot Stove Show was terrific (even with Rosalita Leiter on the dais and a cameo by Jimmy Rollins) Harold Reynolds was close to Dickie V like in his enthusiasm and Victor Rojas (Cookie’s kid) looked very comfortable as a host. You can see that MLBN come spring training will be destination TV and every night during the season as the network has cameras at all 30 ball parks so post game interviews with players and a mangers will be plentiful. 

Watching the Larsen Perfect Game was a late Christmas/New Year’s treat but it took a bit to get used to. No centerfield camera in those days and no replays were the biggies for me. One part of the telecast that should still be implemented in today’s game telecast was the lack of crowd shots. The camera was focused on the field the whole game making for a more enjoyable watch.  Big contrast in pitching styles by Sal Maglie and Don Larsen. Maglie had that windmill windup that was popular back then but Larsen had more of a step and throw approach and no real wind up. Both teams seemed to have issues with home plate ump Babe Parrelli’s strike zone.  When 28 year old Vin Scully was on the screen the first thing I thought of was how he looked just like Conan O’Brien. No chatter between pitches by either Scully or Mel Allen. Talk about a game of inches, Sandy Amoros and Duke Snyder just missing home runs to right field could have altered history.  Also Mickey Mantle with a running catch in left center and notice the 457 sign in that gap at Old Highlander Stadium. Also the monuments in centerfield and the scoreboard on the left field wall.  For the most part, the batters stayed in the batter’s box between pitches but I thought Larsen was like the Steve Trachsel of his day in his very deliberate way he worked.

The interviews with Yogi and Larsen by Bob Costas were good although I think I’m Yogi-ed out by now with all his Yogi-isims and the fact that Berra has slowed down a lot and maybe it’s time he stopped giving interviews. Larsen seemed a little embarrassed when Costas went over the litany of Hall of Famers that were on hand that day as if to say if it weren’t for this perfecto Larsen would have drifted in to obscurity. It was surprising that Larsen admitted he didn’t realize he pitched a perfect game but then it was brought out that the last perfect game in baseball was over 30 years before this one.

I loved the ads and I nearly fell off the sofa when I saw that pocket size Baseball Encyclopedia that came with the Gillette razor because I have a copy of it. When my mother was moving and I was cleaning out her apartment I found it in a draw and I never knew whose it was or where it came from. After seeing the ad I have to figure it was my father’s as he always used a Gillette razor and blades. That makes the book even more special now.

MLBN is running the Larsen Perfect Game all day today but I guess starting next week there will be more diverse programming but either way MLBN is on my favorites list.

     

 

{Got to wonder what the suits running the show there were thinking. The meeting probably went something like this: “Gee, let’s launch our network, with some old rerun of a baseball game, in the middle of the college bowl season and NFL playoffs. What a spectacular idea.” That’s MLB for you - brains in their bottom.

Still, you can’t argue with some of the quality voices “TBN” has hired. And “TBN” suits are talking to another insightful analyst, Lee Mazzilli, about a spot.}

First off who gives a shit about college football bowl games? Second, last time I looked the NFL plays their playoff games on SATURDAY and SUNDAY third of all you what the first program will be on the MLB Network? Don Larsen’s perfect game of 1956 World Series. The play by play was handled by Mel Allen and Vin Scully. If you think that watching some bullshit bowl game is better TV than the Larsen perfecto then maybe newspapers do need to go out of business.

By the way why in the world would MLB Network want with Boardwalk Lee? To mop floors?

Tip of the Mets cap to Craig Calcaterra at Shysterball for the link

 

Does Nate Vineyard have an injured shoulder or Alhaji Turay disease?

Mike Sliva @ NY Baseball Digest has a post on maybe Omar could grab Brian Fuentes as another back of the bullpen arm and not break the bank.

I know we live in a free society with free enterprise and thank God for that. I also know that it’s an agent’s job to get the best deal for his client but at some point doesn’t Mark Texiera look in the mirror and say “Who is that douchbag looking at me”. All things being equal how does Texiera not tell Scott Boras “look I can get by on $170 mil tell Theo yes I’m ready to sign” Even in good times this way of negotiating is scummy now that most Americans are tighting their belt can’t the Texiera/Boras tag team show just a little class?

Sorry but Tim Redding does nothing for me.