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

Sports talk radio host Sid Rosenberg is out at 790 The Ticket in Miami and it hasn’t taken the rumor mill long to point Sidney back up north to NYC. You can take Sid out of NY but you can’t take the NY out of Sid. I hope he lands back here in NYC either at WFAN or 1050 ESPN. By the way great job by Neil Best for breaking this story and to Mike Silva at NYBD for the link

I guess it’s tough for Mike Francesa to come to the realization that he is no longer relevant in this town when it comes to sports talk radio. Sure his ratings are as solid as they were when he was teamed with Chris Russo (it’s hard to fault a guy for taking more cash and the freedom to do his own show but Chris Russo right now is a non-entity in the sports talkie world) as that is more out of habit than getting anything newsworthy from the show as the man is so out of touch with the modern media world and what we have seen since the Mike and the Mad Dog breakup is Russo while off the mark many times, is 1,000 times for entertaining than Mike. Francesa’ ego will not allow him to have another co-host and the ones who were brought in all had to bow to the altar of the Sports Pope. Worship is not what’s needed from 1-6 Monday to Friday they need someone to tweak the Tank and have some real sports talk debate.

The problem is, Francesa is so set in his way he would never allow that. Mike can not comprehend that his listeners are as informed of not more informed than he is and his slip is showing. Last week he had some political hack on discussing President Obama’ address to Congress. Are you kidding me? Where was Mark Chernoff with the white towel?  I know what you’re saying “why listen to the show then”? And you’re right. I was a die hard Mike and the Mad Dog fan as my desk radio would be on the whole 5 hours but now I usually tune in and out while listening to music most of the day. I bring all this up because Francesa has been very underhanded in his treatment of David Wright and Ryan Church. By not concededing that Wright is one of the top 10 players in the game today, just showed Francesa’ ignorance and his nastiness. Make no mistake Mike Francesa is one nasty fuck and both Wright and Church gave him their ass to kiss and rightly so. Francesa can not get the big name NY athlete to do his show because of his piss poor personality, I mean for David Wright not to agree to come on his show, that’s all you need to know that Francesa either needs to get a personality transplant –a la Tom Coughlin-or he needs to pack it in as no one is tuning in to here his political views or reviews of movies made 60 years ago.  Check out Mike Silva’s NYBD as he posts about Francesa talking about he and Wright meeting in St Lonesome.

I tuned in more than usual to the show this week because Mike was in St Lonesome. It would have helped if Francesa did a little homework before he did his interviews. His one on one with Fernando Martinez was embarrassing as he really had no clue on the kids accomplishments, his age or what he has accomplished as a 20 year old playing in the Double A while most kids his age are Juniors in college and eligible to be drafted to a big league team come June. No all Francesa could talk about was the injury factor, not taking into account that maybe the young man was still transforming from a kid to a man. The best interview was with Oliver Perez who blew Francesa off after two questions. Of course there is the Wright/ Church matter that both players who made it known to Jay Horowitz that no way in hell were they going on with Francesa. So WFAN wasted all that money to send Mike down there just to wear those hideous sunglasses andto model his collection of black shirts.

Hey Mark Chernoff it’s TIME FOR A CHANGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!