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SAY HEY, AND BRING ON THE DODGERS!
Showing posts with label Joan Payson. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Joan Payson. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 30, 2022
Saturday, October 16, 2021
Talking Gil Hodges and the Hall of Fame with Baseball & BBQ Podcast
From the desk: BASEBALL & BBQ with JEFF & LEN
Brooklyn Trolley Blogger meets Baseball & BBQ:
My humble thanks and appreciation to Len and Jeff for inviting me onto their podcast to discuss Gil Hodges, his ongoing prominence in Brooklyn, and hopeful enshrinement into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Holy Cross Cemetery, Brooklyn
Tuesday, May 11, 2021
The Metsian Podcast: Talking Baseball and America in 1962 with Author David Krell
From the desk: HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET
GUEST
Discussing His New Book:
"1962: Baseball and America
in the Time of JFK"
ninety-six minutes
1 9 6 2
The New York Mets ~ Continental League ~ Houston Colt 45's
Branch Rickey ~ Joan Payson ~ Casey Stengel ~ William Shea
1950's ~ Pop Culture ~ Politics ~ TV ~ Cinema ~ Space Race ~ Music ~ 1960's
and so much more!
Thursday, November 19, 2020
A Metsian Podcast Book Review: New York Mets in Pop Culture: Critical Essays Edited by Author David Krell
From the desk: HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET
With SAM, RICH & MIKE
GUEST
Journalist, Producer, Author
BOOK REVIEW:
NEW YORK METS IN POP CULTURE: CRITICAL ESSAYS Edited By DAVID KRELL
one-hundred twelve minutes
Capped off with a classic rant about Citi Field!!
Get your copy of @davidkrell's book, "NY #Mets in Popular Culture," now! #Mets #LGM #LFGM #MetsTwitter https://t.co/kvXSvtb7a2
— Sam Maxwell (@THE_SamMaxwell) November 20, 2020
Tuesday, September 22, 2020
N.Y. Mets: Nelson Doubleday Prophecy Fulfilled
From the desk of: HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET
I - PAYSON ERA COMES TO AN END
What begins in 1962, and culminates in 1969, slowly starts to unravel in the decade ahead. Sadly, in 1972, beloved manager Gil Hodges passes away. He is followed three years later by the Ol' Perfessor Casey Stengel and team founder Mrs. Joan Payson. Organizationally speaking, Bing Devine and Whitey Herzog are no longer procuring young talent for the club. Charge of the front office and baseball operations by the mid-1970s are essentially left in the hands of M. Donald Grant. Fan favorites Rusty Staub, Tug McGraw, and Tom Seaver are traded.
II - A CONTENTIOUS PARTNERSHIP (1980-2002)
By 1980 the Payson Estate puts the Mets up for sale. Ed Kranepool submits a bid, but Lorinda de Roulet (as Kranepool describes the process) decides to sell within her inner social circle, including none other than Fred Wilpon. Along with his brother-in-law, he, Saul Katz, each put up $650,000 as part of a record 21.1 million dollar bid for a major league team. Now all they need is someone to put up a majority share and unwittingly agree to become a non-managing partner. John Pickett, the (then) owner of the New York Islanders, brings Fred Wilpon in contact with publishing titan Nelson Doubleday who ironically agrees to put up 80% of the purchase price without first reading the fine print. He would come to learn of his misstep the hard way.
Within a few years, the team embarks on its greatest span of sustained success. From 1984 through 1990, no National League team wins more games than the Mets. They capture two division titles and win one World Series. After a ten year intermission, the Mets return to the playoffs in 1999 and in 2000 clinch the organization's fourth ever National League pennant.
Otherwise, the two continue bickering over a great many issues, some more famously than others. Whereas Nelson Doubleday thinks it is business-wise to extend Mike Piazza, Fred does not. Instead of investing in one of baseball's premier players, Fred is hell-bent on building a new ballpark. Doubleday knows they can't afford such a grand undertaking and instead proposes to renovate Shea Stadium.
Nelson's growing animosity towards Fred escalates to a point where they occupy separate boxes during games until Doubleday just stops attending. After years of infighting, they ultimately deem their differences irreconcilable, and by 2002 Nelson Doubleday declares he is done with baseball. A contentious court battle ensues over the team's fair market valuation resulting in Doubleday being forced to settle on a buyout far below his expectation.
Very similar to Whitey Herzog's assessment of M. Donald Grant, is it not?
Most, if not all, Mets fans would agree Nelson Doubleday was the more astute of the two partners and possessed the higher baseball acumen. But with his exit, so went Fred's check and balance, the front office's operational conviction, and, above all, ownership's Mets-centric sensibilities and team pride!
III - ROAD TO RUIN
With Doubleday out of the way, Fred Wilpon focuses his full attention on building Citi Field. Fred owns the blueprints to Ebbets Field. He slaps them on his architect's desk and says to him, this is what he wants.
V - THE COO
VI - THE RECORD (2003-2020)
THE FORTY YEAR DUPE
Behind the Great Wall of Flushing
I - PAYSON ERA COMES TO AN END
What begins in 1962, and culminates in 1969, slowly starts to unravel in the decade ahead. Sadly, in 1972, beloved manager Gil Hodges passes away. He is followed three years later by the Ol' Perfessor Casey Stengel and team founder Mrs. Joan Payson. Organizationally speaking, Bing Devine and Whitey Herzog are no longer procuring young talent for the club. Charge of the front office and baseball operations by the mid-1970s are essentially left in the hands of M. Donald Grant. Fan favorites Rusty Staub, Tug McGraw, and Tom Seaver are traded.
(Grant).. "doesn't know beans about baseball." - Whitey HerzogMinority owner M. Donald Grant seemingly has no compunction playing the fan perceived role of villain. The deconstruction of the "Amazin" and "Ya Gotta Believe" Mets continues under general manager Joe McDonald. Meanwhile, Joan Payson's daughter and heiress Lorinda de Roulet has her own qualms as a baseball magnate. The aptly labeled Dark Years (1977-1979) are distressing times for Mets fans, young and old. Ed Kranepool, the last vestige of the Miracle Mets, in 1979, announces his retirement, officially punctuating the end of a nineteen-year-long era.
II - A CONTENTIOUS PARTNERSHIP (1980-2002)
By 1980 the Payson Estate puts the Mets up for sale. Ed Kranepool submits a bid, but Lorinda de Roulet (as Kranepool describes the process) decides to sell within her inner social circle, including none other than Fred Wilpon. Along with his brother-in-law, he, Saul Katz, each put up $650,000 as part of a record 21.1 million dollar bid for a major league team. Now all they need is someone to put up a majority share and unwittingly agree to become a non-managing partner. John Pickett, the (then) owner of the New York Islanders, brings Fred Wilpon in contact with publishing titan Nelson Doubleday who ironically agrees to put up 80% of the purchase price without first reading the fine print. He would come to learn of his misstep the hard way.
Within a few years, the team embarks on its greatest span of sustained success. From 1984 through 1990, no National League team wins more games than the Mets. They capture two division titles and win one World Series. After a ten year intermission, the Mets return to the playoffs in 1999 and in 2000 clinch the organization's fourth ever National League pennant.
However, the business relationship of 22-years, which begins amicably (at best), quickly deteriorates to the point Doubleday grows to loathe whom he comes to view as his duplicitous partner. In 1986, Nelson Doubleday was selling his family's publishing business to Bartelmann's. As part of Doubleday's own reorganization, Nelson, Fred Wilpon, and Saul Katz agree to become equal partners in purchasing the Mets from Doubleday and Co. for $85 million (and an agreement to assume $25 million in team liabilities). Soon after, the New York Times wrote that it was quite possible Doubleday and Fred Wilpon (and Saul Katz) would not have become 50-50 partners, had Doubleday been aware of the clause in their original agreement which provides Wilpon the right of first refusal on any sale of the team. The issue of Fred Wilpon's right of refusal resurfaces in 1992 when an irate Nelson Doubleday makes a veiled threat to sell his half of the Mets in protest after a majority of MLB owners vote in favor to oust commissioner Fay Vincent.
Otherwise, the two continue bickering over a great many issues, some more famously than others. Whereas Nelson Doubleday thinks it is business-wise to extend Mike Piazza, Fred does not. Instead of investing in one of baseball's premier players, Fred is hell-bent on building a new ballpark. Doubleday knows they can't afford such a grand undertaking and instead proposes to renovate Shea Stadium.
Nelson's growing animosity towards Fred escalates to a point where they occupy separate boxes during games until Doubleday just stops attending. After years of infighting, they ultimately deem their differences irreconcilable, and by 2002 Nelson Doubleday declares he is done with baseball. A contentious court battle ensues over the team's fair market valuation resulting in Doubleday being forced to settle on a buyout far below his expectation.
On the way out Nelson Doubleday takes some parting shots at his former partner and son, whom he likens to a "little Pharaoh" and scoffs at the notion of Jeff "learning how to become a baseball man." Doubleday implores media and fans, ".. run for the hills!" because Fred Wilpon, "is going to run the Mets into the ground."
Very similar to Whitey Herzog's assessment of M. Donald Grant, is it not?
Most, if not all, Mets fans would agree Nelson Doubleday was the more astute of the two partners and possessed the higher baseball acumen. But with his exit, so went Fred's check and balance, the front office's operational conviction, and, above all, ownership's Mets-centric sensibilities and team pride!
III - ROAD TO RUIN
With Doubleday out of the way, Fred Wilpon focuses his full attention on building Citi Field. Fred owns the blueprints to Ebbets Field. He slaps them on his architect's desk and says to him, this is what he wants.
But how is Fred Wilpon going to satisfy his payment to Nelson Doubleday and still afford to build a new ballpark when his former partner already publicly declared the plan unfeasible?
In 2015, the New York Times wrote that Fred Wilpon and Saul Katz used their accounts with Bernie Madoff to persuade lenders into refinancing certain loans. This permits them to buyout Nelson Doubleday (according to the lawsuit filed against the Mets owners by the trustee for the victims of Madoff's fraud).
In 2015, the New York Times wrote that Fred Wilpon and Saul Katz used their accounts with Bernie Madoff to persuade lenders into refinancing certain loans. This permits them to buyout Nelson Doubleday (according to the lawsuit filed against the Mets owners by the trustee for the victims of Madoff's fraud).
In a separate 2011 article, former Mets general manager Frank Cashen acknowledged to the New York Times, it was his understanding that several million of his deferred compensation had been invested with Mr. Madoff. This suggests Bernie Madoff was no stranger to those in and around the Mets front office and that Fred Wilpon and company by this time were already hedging and manipulating accounts.
Fred's next move is firing Steve Phillips and ordering interim general manager Jim Duquette to cease spending.
Lastly, Fred promises lenders that Citi Field will be packed annually with 3.5 million fans.
After two seasons, Fred replaces Duquette with Omar Minaya. Ownership is agreeable to Omar's payroll increases as long as their realigned Madoff accounts continue sustaining the load, which they do right up until Dec. 8, 2008, when the most egregious investment Ponzi scheme in American history is revealed. The Mets organization is financially devastated. Meanwhile, the grand opening of Citi Field, replete with all its inherent debt, is just four months away.
Loans, secondary loans, and refinanced loans get ownership nowhere. By 2012, the Wilpons are left with little choice but to sell limited minority shares in the team. During this time, Steve Cohen initially purchases his shares in the Mets (as do notables Anthony Scaramucci and Bill Maher). The sale staves off creditors for a fleeting moment. All these years later, the Wilpons remain hundreds of millions in debt. Never able to fully recover, on September 14, 2020, forty years after submitting their initial bid to purchase the club, Fred Wilpon, Jeff Wilpon, and Saul B. Katz finally agree to sell the New York Mets baseball club to Steve Cohen.
Fred's next move is firing Steve Phillips and ordering interim general manager Jim Duquette to cease spending.
Lastly, Fred promises lenders that Citi Field will be packed annually with 3.5 million fans.
After two seasons, Fred replaces Duquette with Omar Minaya. Ownership is agreeable to Omar's payroll increases as long as their realigned Madoff accounts continue sustaining the load, which they do right up until Dec. 8, 2008, when the most egregious investment Ponzi scheme in American history is revealed. The Mets organization is financially devastated. Meanwhile, the grand opening of Citi Field, replete with all its inherent debt, is just four months away.
Loans, secondary loans, and refinanced loans get ownership nowhere. By 2012, the Wilpons are left with little choice but to sell limited minority shares in the team. During this time, Steve Cohen initially purchases his shares in the Mets (as do notables Anthony Scaramucci and Bill Maher). The sale staves off creditors for a fleeting moment. All these years later, the Wilpons remain hundreds of millions in debt. Never able to fully recover, on September 14, 2020, forty years after submitting their initial bid to purchase the club, Fred Wilpon, Jeff Wilpon, and Saul B. Katz finally agree to sell the New York Mets baseball club to Steve Cohen.
Eighteen years after gaining full control of the Mets from Nelson Doubleday; twelve years post-Bernie Madoff implosion; Fred and Jeff Wilpon leave the Mets behind after running the club into the ground, just as Doubleday prophesied.
Doubleday's departure and Bernie Madoff's Ponzi scheme are separated by a mere six years.
Six ...
IV - FRED WILPON'S CONCATENATED GENERAL MANAGERS
Keep in mind Fred Wilpon is the managing partner. How he and Jeff run the front office proves as defective as their finances. They maintain what they call a collegial condition wherein all executives in the loop hold some sway. But we know that really means over-involvement and mass meddling. Frank Cashen would have never allowed such a thing. Thus the list of ensuing general managers hired after Cashen's retirement proves beyond a reasonable doubt how Fred refuses to operate outside his sphere of comfort and competence.
Keep in mind Fred Wilpon is the managing partner. How he and Jeff run the front office proves as defective as their finances. They maintain what they call a collegial condition wherein all executives in the loop hold some sway. But we know that really means over-involvement and mass meddling. Frank Cashen would have never allowed such a thing. Thus the list of ensuing general managers hired after Cashen's retirement proves beyond a reasonable doubt how Fred refuses to operate outside his sphere of comfort and competence.
Before stepping down after the 1991 season, Frank Cashen has already stocked the front office with Al Harazin, Gerry Hunsicker, and Joe McIlvaine. Cashen would later recruit Steve Phillips, who, in turn, recruits into the front office, Jim Duquette and Omar Minaya.
Before the 1992 season, Fred and Frank Cashen select Al Harazin as the next general manager. The decision alienates Joe McIlvaine, who takes the general manager's position in San Diego, and Gerry Hunsiker, who accepts the general manager's post in Houston. Here in Flushing, the 1992-1993 Mets go down as the worst team money can buy. As such, Al Harazin is relieved of his duties. But instead of vetting out a new general manager, Fred gets on the phone to Gerry Hunsiker, begging for his return. After being rebuffed, Fred gets on the phone to Joe McIlvaine, who acquiesces. Joe becomes notorious for going on scouting trips without informing Fred and for not returning his calls. This infuriates Fred, as it goes against his collegial office structure. McIlvaine is fired. But instead of vetting out a new general manager, the job is handed to Steve Phillips. Meanwhile, Omar Minaya accepts the general manager's position in Montreal.
Under Phillips, the Mets in 2000 return to the World Series, but the partnership between Doubleday and Wilpon is soon ending. By 2003, the Mets are a last-place club with the highest payroll in the National League. Fred freezes team spending until the deal with Nelson Doubleday is closed. In the meantime, Steve Philips, for various reasons, is fired. Fred then tasks Jim Duquette as general manager while he tries to restore financial order. Before the 2004 season is through, Fred Wilpon is again ready for a new general manager. But instead of vetting out a new executive during the off-season, Fred places a call to Omar Minaya's office requesting his return to Flushing. Minaya gladly accepts the Mets offer. He is the general manager when the Bernie Madoff news breaks. Omar's run ends after the 2009 season.
A long concatenate of organizationally familiar, if not inbred, executives is finally broken. Moving forward, Jeff Wilpon is poised to play a leading role in vetting out the next general manager. However, despite conducting an extensive (albeit feeble) search, Commissioner Bud Selig intercedes by politely imposing Sandy Alderson upon the Mets in light of their fast worsening Madoff condition. Although unsolicited, Alderson represents the first executive/general manager since Frank Cashen, who is not previously associated with the Mets. Alderson's not-so-secret mission is to keep the National League's New York City member club afloat in light of ownership's dire financial straits.
After an "old school" rebuild in 2015, the Mets clinched their fifth ever National League pennant. But their success is short-lived. During the 2018 season, Sandy Alderson steps down, citing health concerns. Rumor has it Jeff was already contemplating Alderson's dismissal. Be that as it may, Jeff Wilpon decides the team will finish out the season with himself, John Ricco, and Omar Minaya (back with the organization) serving together as general manager.
Because that makes perfect sense ...
V - THE COO
Sandy Alderson was clearly a hockey stick thrown into Jeff's bicycle spokes. But opportunity presents itself again when the Mets general manager steps down. After conducting another disingenuous vetting process, Jeff Wilpon hires Brodie Van Wagenen, an agent and a personal friend of his, to be the next general manager.
And there's the rub ...
Instead of competently hiring a well respected and proven executive (such as the available and highly touted Chaim Bloom, per se), Jeff takes the safe route in hiring someone he trusts on a personal level - general manager experience be damned. Jeff ultimately employs someone who will let him meddle till his heart's content.
Nelson Doubleday never thought much of Jeff. All these years later, we have a better understanding of why. He's straight out of a textbook: nepotism, elitism, hubris, lack of practical experience, lack of leadership and interpersonal skills, certainly no self-awareness, lack of accountability and novice superintendence, not to mention his spoiled petulance to the very last insofar as closing out negotiations and final transfer of the team ... everything you'd expect from the owner's son.
"..little Pharaoh."
VI - THE RECORD (2003-2020)
Three Playoff Appearances: 2006, 2015-2016
- Eighteen seasons under Wilpon's ownership
- One National League pennant
- Two N.L. East titles
- One Wild Card
- Seven winning seasons
- Eleven losing seasons
- Overall Record: 1,381-1,426 (.491) w/ six games left in 2020
VII - LEGACY LOST
Picture if you will ...
A Brooklyn kid and Dodgers fan grows up in the neighborhood of Bensonhurst. He pitches a no-hitter for Lafayette High School. Playing to his left is first baseman, Sandy Koufax. This kid matures into a prominent real estate developer. In 1980, he and partner Nelson Doubleday rescue Mets fans from the Dark Years. Fans are thankful. By 1986, the Mets are world champions, and for the rest of the decade, dominate the local baseball scene. After capturing another pennant, Nelson Doubleday decides to retire. Fred Wilpon assumes full ownership of the club. Mets fans are again grateful and appreciative that their favorite baseball club remains a family-run organization and not owned by some cold corporate Death Star conglomerate. Within a few years, the Mets are back in the playoffs and go on a wildly successful three-year run. They recapture the heart of New York City and closeout Shea Stadium gloriously. In 2009, the Wilpons open the doors to brand new Citi Field, a thoughtfully constructed monument to Mets baseball and its National League heritage. Joan Payson, Gil Hodges, and Tom Seaver commemorative statues mark the third base, home plate, and first base exterior. The interior rotunda is a grand museum dedicated to Mets baseball, with additional life-size commemorative statues of Casey Stengel and Willie Mays in his Mets uniform. Other tasteful hints of the Polo Grounds and Ebbets Field are easily detectable by the observant fan. Once inside, one can cross the Shea Bridge and visit the New York City Negro Leagues Museum with prominent exhibits featuring Jackie Robinson and a host of others. Fans give their new home a rave review, and the symbiotic relationship with ownership continues. Happy fans keep packing Citi Field to the tune of 3.5 million per season. None of which is lost on Fred and Jeff Wilpon, who continually reinvest into the club while driving down debt on Citi Field. The Mets return to the World Series in 2015 and have since remained a top National League contender. I was 13-years old when Fred and Nelson Doubleday originally purchased the club. Forty years later and I'm now 53-years old. I've been fortunate to be a fan of a well-run organization. Moving forward, Jeff and the family are more than welcome to occupy the next forty years of my life. After all, good owners are hard to come by. Fred Wilpon has been a local hero to us; a Brooklyn kid does good.
As if ...
They do nothing of the kind.
The Wilpons have impacted forty years of my life. At this point, it's best if they just leave.
Story over.
Tuesday, September 15, 2020
Out With the Wilpons & In With the Steve Cohen Era on Another Metsian Podcast
From the desk of: HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET
with SAM, RICH and MIKE
ninety-minutes
Sterling Partners sign agreement with Steve Cohen. #Mets pic.twitter.com/ogzUcLFkeQ— New York Mets (@Mets) September 14, 2020
Let The Celebration Begin!
Sunday, August 09, 2020
A Metsian Podcast: First Quarter Review
From the desk of: HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET
with SAM, RICH, and MIKE
We are one-quarter of the way through the New York Mets 2020 regular season. There is good news making some fans think they're taking a turn for the better, but there's also bad news making other fans think they're taking a turn for the worse. So, which is it? Join Sam, Rich, and I, as we attempt to get a fix on the Mets direction. Pitching; fielding; timely hitting; and this sudden love affair with Andres Gimenez; A Metsian Podcast will cover it all; including a look back at the Amazin' 1962 Mets.
#LGM
Tuesday, July 21, 2020
A Junction of Baseball History: The Amazin' 1962 New York Mets
From the desk of: HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET & A METSIAN PODCAST
In my mind, Frank Thomas confirms what I've long suspected: the original 1962 New York Metropolitans author, one of the single most amazing narratives ever written throughout the organization's fifty-eight-year history. How high I rank the Mets inaugural season versus other more successful campaigns is usually a product of my imagination and mood. But regardless of my frame of mind, the 1962 Mets automatically earn a seat at the round table for the simple fact it is the first season; a historic season; it's the campaign after which all others follow. There is no season nor baseball before 1962, just four years of pain, anguish, and a measure of despair. That four-year episode is what makes the Mets inaugural season so alluring and utterly fascinating as any regular season since. Therefore, what follows here is merely my celebration of the Polo Grounds Mets. From the owner on down, I believe them to be one of the most star-studded and nuanced casts of characters ever assembled together within one of baseball's all-time grandest stages.
At the behest of Mrs. Payson, the Ol Perfesser Casey Stengel agrees to become the Mets' first-ever manager. When the team hit the field in April 1962, Casey becomes the only person to date to have either played for or managed all four of New York City's major league baseball teams.
Amazin'
Baseball's greatest gift to fans could very well be its long storied past. Reading that book you can't put down, delving into recreational research, simply reminiscing about a favorite player, team, or the game itself are part and parcel to our national pastime. Particularly precious and invaluable are the times when history itself beckons and speaks with us directly. My podcast partners Sam, Rich, and I, recently had the pleasure, honor, and privilege, of speaking with the great former National League slugger and prominent member of the original Mets, Frank Thomas. The education imparted to us is one I will not soon forget, some of which I will transcribe here. Otherwise tune in, inform yourself about his charities, then sit back and absorb his anecdotes and recollections of Branch Rickey, Casey Stengel, Joan Payson, Roberto Clemente, Hank Aaron, Don Newcombe, Sandy Koufax, Gil Hodges, and so many more. Frank Thomas, now 91-years old is still a ravenous consumer of baseball. When he's not attending eleven or so games a season he keeps up with daily accounts of baseball via the old television. I promise you this is a must listen for baseball fans of all ages.
FRANK THOMAS
JOINS A METSIAN PODCAST
MEET THE METS
In my mind, Frank Thomas confirms what I've long suspected: the original 1962 New York Metropolitans author, one of the single most amazing narratives ever written throughout the organization's fifty-eight-year history. How high I rank the Mets inaugural season versus other more successful campaigns is usually a product of my imagination and mood. But regardless of my frame of mind, the 1962 Mets automatically earn a seat at the round table for the simple fact it is the first season; a historic season; it's the campaign after which all others follow. There is no season nor baseball before 1962, just four years of pain, anguish, and a measure of despair. That four-year episode is what makes the Mets inaugural season so alluring and utterly fascinating as any regular season since. Therefore, what follows here is merely my celebration of the Polo Grounds Mets. From the owner on down, I believe them to be one of the most star-studded and nuanced casts of characters ever assembled together within one of baseball's all-time grandest stages.
All these years later, there is still ongoing jest regarding the "Metsies" being labeled Gotham's love child left behind when the Dodgers and Giants together elope to California. Although we (fans) mostly agree, the family resemblance is remarkable - orange clearly comes from the Giants and blue from the Bums. However, New York City's official colors are white, orange, and blue, reinforcing the nickname Metropolitans and vice versa. I like to think both versions are conveniently accurate. But the forces behind the Mets' actual establishment and the impact they would forever have on major league baseball are indisputable.
In a manner of speaking, the Mets essentially bully their way into New York City, charging headlong into the ancient world of monopoly and closed-door major league enterprise. New York City Mayor Robert Wagner forms a committee tasked with seeking out a National League replacement in quick order. Spearheading Mayor Wagner's committee is a prestigious lawyer named William Shea. Formal inquiries are extended to the Reds, Pirates, and Phillies, but all are rebuffed. William Shea then intensifies his efforts. Allied with Branch Ricky, William Shea threatens baseball's establishment with the formation of a third major league. And let us make no mistake: if William Shea and Branch Rickey are the brains behind this proposed operation, Mrs. Joan Whitney Payson is unquestionably the so-called brawn. New York socialite, philanthropist, and rabid baseball fan, Joan's willingness to exert her personal financial clout not only helps legitimize William Shea's endeavor but also serves to embolden him.
(background voice) Bennett: "Mr. Rickey how bout that third league?"
Branch Rickey: "Inevitable as tomorrow morning."
By 1960 baseball's sixteen major league owners buckle under the pressure of a potentially viable rival. American League and National League owners begrudgingly agree to major league expansion. Having served its purpose, the Continental League agrees to terms of peace, folds operations, and New York City is once again granted membership into the National League.
New York City's True Odd Couple: Joan Payson and Casey Stengel
New York City's True Odd Couple: Joan Payson and Casey Stengel
Joan Whitney Payson, the Mets matriarch and titan of National League baseball, is without equal. Why then is she so overlooked - think about it. Preposterous to me is that she is not enshrined in baseball's Hall of Fame. A native New Yorker, she is born the same year John McGraw first takes over as the New York Giants manager. Within a half-century, she owns a near ten percent stake in the said club and adamantly opposes its relocation to San Francisco. After formally voting NO to the move, her subsequent bid to purchase the Giants outright is summarily dismissed by Horace Stoneham. In turn, Mrs. Payson sells her club shares back to the organization then focuses her resources and influence against the baseball establishment itself. When the dust settles, she is the first woman to personally finance (85%) the founding of a major league baseball club. Her Metropolitans defeat the mighty Baltimore Orioles in only their eighth year of existence to become baseball's World Champions. Her exclusion from the Hall of Fame is inexcusably ponderous. As the grande dame of Mets baseball, a commemorative statue at Citi Field is likewise embarrassingly long overdue.
St. Petersburg, Florida - Spring Training
Joan Payson invites the entire team out for dinner. A waiter asks Mrs. Payson how she prefers her steak. She responds .. (paraphrasing)
"Cut out its ass and horns, wake her up, and bring the rest to me!" - as told by Frank Thomas
At the behest of Mrs. Payson, the Ol Perfesser Casey Stengel agrees to become the Mets' first-ever manager. When the team hit the field in April 1962, Casey becomes the only person to date to have either played for or managed all four of New York City's major league baseball teams.
A 22-year old Casey Stengel makes his playing debut in September of 1912 as a member of the Brooklyn Robins, winding down their final season at Washington Park. Casey, in 1913 seizes the distinction of becoming the first player to hit a home run at sparkling new Ebbets Field. Upon reporting for spring training in 1915, typhoid fever nearly kills him.
In those days Stengel was known as a party boy - it is said there was nothing keeping a then 25-year old Stengel from cheap drink and cheap women.
"Uncle Robbie doesn't like me..." - Casey Stengel
After six seasons with Brooklyn, the mischievous Casey Stengel is traded to the Pirates, then to the Phillies, before finding a landing spot at the Polo Grounds in 1921 with the Giants. Stengel enjoys two of his best seasons playing under manager John McGraw. He returns to Brooklyn in 1934, this time as manager of the Dodgers. But after three sub-par seasons, Casey is fired. In 1938 he began a six-year stint as manager of the Boston Braves. However, it is the years spanning 1949-1960 for which the Ol Perfesser is most famously heralded as skipper of the New York Yankees dynasty. During a twelve-year run under Stengel, the Yankees won ten American League pennants and seven World Series championships, including five in a row. After losing to the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 1960 World Series, Casey is curiously fired by the Yankees. Several players, mostly from the platoon squads, say they didn't necessarily like Casey or his maneuverings yet always maintained a high level of respect for him. Two years later, at 71-years of age, Casey Stengel, out of his great respect for Joan Payson, can not refuse her request. I wholly disagree with the argument that running the Mets tarnishes Casey Stengel's managerial legacy. Instead, I can not imagine a more appropriate ending to such a legendary baseball career and one of New York City's greatest stories ever told. For he is additionally thrust into the role of chief propagandist. His mere presence endears the Mets to fans both old and young. Casey is first to coin the team sobriquet AMAZIN' METS.
(Fans) .. "they're sticking with us. We got em from the babies up. As soon as the kid can talk it says Metsie .. Metsie. Not papa, not momma, Metsie .. Metsie .. Metsie." (paraphrasing) -Casey Stengel
If you're born of my generation - Generation X - that makes you a Mets Tweener.
What does that mean..?
Odds are many of you are too young as fans to fully grasp and appreciate the magnitude of Joan Payson's and Casey Stengel's accomplishments and the role each plays in shaping past and modern baseball history. If you're of my age, you remember them as the beloved grandparents of our extended Metsian family.
My recollections of them, like many of you, span 1972-1975 mostly through Old-Timer's Day appearances at Shea Stadium and the nightly education provided us via radio and television since 1962 by Ralph Kiner, Bob Murphy, and Lindsey Nelson. Sadly on Sept. 29, 1975, Casey Stengel passes away. Shortly after that comes the news of Joan Payson's passing. Greater Flushing is devastated. I'm just a few months shy of my ninth birthday at the time. I become a teenager in 1980, the same year Nelson Doubleday and Fred Wilpon finalize their purchase of the New York Mets from the Payson estate. Which is to say I spend all my childhood years watching the curtain fall on the Payson Era and the ushering in of the Dark Years at lonely Shea Stadium. Be that as it may, I have always felt a sense of connectedness with the team's genesis for having known of Joan and Casey, having seen them, and having memories of them while still alive. I remain greatly appreciative and feel fortunate to have experienced those closing moments of Flushing's golden era.
THE AMAZIN' METS
40-120 (.250)
10th Place; 60.5 GB
On Wednesday, April 11, 1962, the New York Metropolitans first-ever scheduled game is played against the St. Louis Cardinals at Sportsman Park. The Mets incur a seven-run deficit en route to an 11-4 loss. Notable players Curt Flood; Bill White; Stan Musial; Ken Boyer; and Minnie Minoso; all drive in runs for St. Louis. In the third inning, Charlie Neal goes down in Mets history as driving in the team's first-ever run, while on the lead end of the play, Richie Ashburn is the first to touch home plate and score. Frank Thomas follows with his first run batted in as a member of the Mets, and facing Cardinals starter Larry Jackson in the top of the fourth, Gil Hodges becomes the first-ever Mets player to hit a home run. Unfortunately, starting pitcher Roger Craig incurs the Mets first-ever loss.
FIRST LINEUP
- Richie Ashburn - CF
- Felix Mantilla - SS
- Charlie Neil - 2B
- Frank Thomas - LF
- Gus Bell - RF
- Gil Hodges - 1B
- Don Zimmer - 3B
- Hobie Landrith - C
- Roger Craig - P
Unbeknownst to the Mets and their fans, this is only the first of 119 more defeats to come. New York set the major league record for most losses in a single (162 game) season. It is indeed a remarkable record, but it's our record; we fans own it and wear it like a red badge of courage. Besides, the Miracle Mets of 1969 do much to cancel out much of that minutia.
"New York is a National League town. Once the Dodgers left and the Giants left the people were sad. I loved New York for the simple reason because they were great fans. Whether we won or whether we lost they cheered us on. They stayed with us." - Frank Thomas
If you look up and down the Mets roster, one can only imagine the high level of professionalism permeating through that locker room. Moreover, after conversing with Frank Thomas, he leaves me with little doubt about his superior leadership qualities and skills. On the field, he plays 156 games for the 1962 Mets, slashes .266/.329/.496, with a team-leading 34 home runs and 94 runs batted in. No Mets player would hit more home runs in a single season until Dave Kingman arrives in Flushing.
"We were a great hitting ball club. We scored an awful lot of runs. We lost games every which way you can imagine losing a ballgame. That's the way the game is. The only thing was we didn't have the pitching ... '62 we lost 51 games in the seventh, eighth, and ninth innings, by one run. If you put those together with the games we won, we'd be playing for the pennant." - Frank Thomas
Frank Thomas makes a good point, as the Mets posted a 19-39 record in one-run games and a 4-13 record in extra-inning games. They average 3.8 runs per game and allowed 5.9 runs. To put that in context, the 1962 Giants and Dodgers finish the regular season tied atop the circuit, thus requiring a National League playoff. The San Francisco Giants prevail (again), ending the regular season with a 103-62 record while averaging 5.3 runs per game.
"You gotta have a catcher or you're gonna have a lot of passed balls" reasons Stengel.
With the Mets' first overall pick in the 1961 expansion draft, Casey Stengel famously selects backup catcher Hobie Landrith. Classic Casey, perhaps, but Landrith winds up slashing a very respectable .289/.389/.422, with four extra-base hits, seven RBI, and eight walks, through 23 games and 54 official at-bats before being sold to the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for future folklore hero Marv Throneberry. After this, Casey spreads catching duties amongst Choo Choo Coleman, Chris Cannizzaro, and Sammy Taylor. They join together for a combined .237 average, with 27 extra-base hits, nine home runs, and 46 runs batted through 443 at-bats. There's nothing funny about that. To the home crowd's delight, former Brooklyn Dodgers catcher Joe Pignatano also appears in 58 games for the Mets. Back on Tuesday, Sept. 24, 1957, the Dodgers play the Pirates in Brooklyn. Pignatano relieves Roy Campanella behind the plate. With two outs in the top of the ninth and Pittsburgh first baseman Dee Fondy at-bat, Pignatano is crouched behind the plate for the last ever major league pitch thrown at Ebbets Field. Many Mets fans might better remember Joe as a Mets coach spanning the 1968-1981 seasons, or better yet, for planting the bullpen tomato garden.
Positioned at first base is a man held throughout baseball in high esteem, one they call the Quiet Man, former Brooklyn/LA Dodgers great Gil Hodges. He bats .252 through 52 games and 127 at-bats, with nine home runs and 17 runs batted in. Three of his home runs come in one day. On 5/30/1962, the Los Angeles Dodgers return to New York City for the first time since leaving Brooklyn. Click HERE/YouTube for game two of the Dodgers and Mets doubleheader at the Polo Grounds in which Gil Hodges hits the third of his three home runs. The Polo Grounds crowd goes bonkers! What an exciting listen.
ICYMI: Gil Hodges: Remembering The Quiet Man wherein I make my best argument for his inclusion into baseball's Hall of Fame.
"Why Gil Hodges is not in the Hall of Fame boggles my mind." - Frank Thomas
In the early 1970s, I am transplanted into East Flatbush, Brooklyn. My family moves onto a quiet dead-end block abutting Holy Cross Cemetery. One day in 1972, my mom, along with other grown-ups and neighbors, some crying, escorted a bunch of us kids down Snyder Avenue to catch a view of Gil Hodges' funeral procession. I receive a full briefing as to what I had just witnessed once we get back home. I am five years old at that time, and so begins the education of yours truly, as I remember it.
Then there's Marvelous Marv Throneberry, who in 1962 would become the Mets primary first baseman, who both amazingly and atrociously goes on to have the best season of his career. A former American Leaguer, he sets career highs with 16 home runs and 49 runs batted in. But to watch him in action is to know Marvelous Marv giveth, and Marvelous Marv taketh away. Despite being best known for his litany of fielding gaffes, he is a crowd favorite as twelve of his sixteen home runs are hit at the Polo Grounds.
Charlie Neal is another former member of the Brooklyn/LA Dodgers and solid infielder, who takes his place at second base for the Mets. At 31-years of age, Neal registers quite the representative campaign in 1962, batting .260 with eleven home runs and 58 runs batted in through 508 at-bats. The two-time All-Star's best season is 1959 when Charlie bats .287 with 19 home runs and 83 runs batted in, and a league-leading eleven triples.
Elio Chacon and Felix Mantilla are responsible for both shortstop and third base. Mantilla comes to the Mets via the Milwaukee Braves with whom he wins back to back pennants and the 1957 World Series. As experience goes, he played alongside Hank Aaron, Eddie Mathews, Warren Spahn, Red Schoendienst, Lew Burdette, Mr. Frank Thomas, and 1951 New York Giants hero Bobby Thompson. Don Zimmer, also a veteran of four seasons at Brooklyn, plays just fourteen games at third base, only because he is traded to the Cincinnati Reds in May.
"The Polo Grounds was a great hitter's field for me because I was strictly a pull hitter ... and the porch was very very close but every home run that I hit at the Polo Grounds wasn't a cheap home run. I mean, it was over the top of the roof most of the time." - Frank Thomas
By the way, Frank Thomas, in 1962, hits 18 home runs at home, and 17 home runs on the road. He debuts in 1951 as a 22-year old Pittsburgh Pirate, signed by, but self-admittedly not very fond of, general manager Branch Rickey. He is teammates with a young Vern Law, Pete Reiser, Ralph Kiner, Gus Bell, and 20-game winner Murry Dickson. Joe Garagiola is coming into his own, and in 1952 Dick Groat joins the team. Frank Thomas experiences a breakout season in 1953, batting .255 with 30 home runs and 102 RBI. In 1955 he became teammates with rookie Roberto Clemente, and in 1956 is joined by Bill Mazeroski. Thomas enjoys his best season in 1958 with a .281 average, 35 home runs, and 109 RBI. His 1962 season with the Mets is arguably the third-best in his career, challenged perhaps only by his 1954 season.
Former Philadelphia Phillies great, lead-off hitter extraordinaire, and member of the Hall of Fame, Richie Ashburn spends the last season of his 15-year career with the Mets, and what a season it is. At 35-years of age, he puts forth a strong performance, appearing in 135 games, batting over .300 for the ninth time in his career, and not since 1958. His .424 OBP ranks among his career-best and is the sixth time he breaks the .400 mark. Ashburn also hits a career-high seven home runs. He retires with over 2,500 hits, two batting titles, and a career .308 batting average.
Right fielder Gus Bell is an absolute stud during his years with the Cincinnati Reds. Between 1953 and 1959, four times, he drives in over one hundred runs. He plays 30 games and manages 101 at-bats with the Mets before being shipped to Milwaukee to complete the deal for Frank Thomas. Joe Christopher, rookie Jim Hickman, and Gene Woodling (to a lesser extent) are charged with handling right field. And herein lies a glimpse into the genius that is Casey Stengel as the three aforementioned right fielders join forces on a combined 102 runs batted in.
Generally speaking, the Brooklyn Dodgers contingent is well received. Gil Hodges, Don Zimmer, Joe Pignatano, Roger Craig, Clem Labine, and Charlie Neal are all on hand at various points during the season, giving back to former and still heartbroken Brooklyn fans albeit donning a Mets uniform. Ironically no former New York Giants players make the 1962 Mets roster.
But the story doesn't stop here ...
Casey Stengel recruits two coaches worthy of honor. Casey brings in old friend Red Ruffing as pitching coach. The two know each other from their days together with the Yankees. Ruffing is a four-time 20-game winner for the Bombers and winner of 273 games overall. In 1932 he posted an 18-7 record and a 3.09 ERA, with a league-leading 190 strikeouts. Later in 1938, he leads the league with 21 wins against seven losses with a 3.31 ERA. In 1967 Red Ruffing was inducted into baseball's Hall of Fame. Casey also enlists as a scout and third base coach the great Rogers Hornsby, in his mid 60's. As a player, the back of his baseball card is so italicized that it resembles chickenpox. Hornsby hits .300 or better 19 times in 23 major league seasons and hits over .400 three times. He retires with a lifetime .358 batting average, .434 OBP, and .577 slugging average, with 541 doubles, 301 home runs, and 1,584 career RBI. He wins seven batting titles, twice leads the league in home runs, and four times leads in runs batted in. In 1942 Rogers Hornsby was enshrined into baseball's Hall of Fame.
THE POLO GROUNDS
Imagine all this taking place at one of the most hallowed ballparks of all time. John McGraw's lair, where the New York Giants capture sixteen National League pennants and seven World Series titles. Where Willie Mays makes perhaps the greatest catch in World Series history. Where Bobby Thompson hits, the shot heard round the world. The site of Merkle's boner, and where Christy Mathewson demonstrates his master craftsmanship and mound brilliance. Mel Ott, Monte Irvin, Bill Terry, Frankie Frisch, High Pockets Kelly, Rube Marquard, and Carl Hubbell establish Hall of Fame careers. And wherein the New York Yankees take up residence in 1912 alongside the Giants until their eviction by John McGraw after the 1922 season. But not before Babe Ruth begins taking the world by storm, and from whence emerge Bob Meusel, Carl Mays, Wally Pip, Waite Hoyt, and the oncoming dynastic New York Yankees. Leading up to 1962, the Polo Grounds undergoes some minor alterations and gets a new paint job, and just like that, the Mets take up residence in one of New York City's most fabled structures. I am born five years after the Mets inaugural season, three years after the demolition of the Polo Grounds. Back then, my family lives within nine blocks from Coogan's Bluff.
There's another game for your listening enjoyment: the Giants return to the Polo Grounds on June 1, 1962, for the first time since leaving Manhattan after the 1957 season. Easily discernible are the numerous fans in attendance cheering their old heroes, namely Willie Mays, who receives a rousing ovation. But the boisterous crowd is overwhelmingly supportive of their New York Mets. It's a great game, with great action and a great atmosphere, with a grand narrative again provided by Lindsey Nelson, Ralph Kiner, and Bob Murphy.
In closing, I'm thankful for my friends and fellow Mets fans Sam and Rich, who, in part, inspires this post.
My final words: Life works in cycles.
My final words: Life works in cycles.
In 1880, John B. Day and Jim Mutrie found the independent New York Metropolitans baseball club, who played at the 110th Street Polo Grounds. After declining an invitation in 1882, the Metropolitans, in 1883, become affiliated with the American Association. Meanwhile, that same season Day and Mutrie establish a second ball club slated for play in the National League. With several players imported from the defunct Troy Haymakers, the New York Gothams in 1883 officially launches their inaugural season. And so begins John Day's and Jim Mutrie's slow but sure defunding of the Metropolitans and increased investment into the Gothams. The Mets are inevitably sold after the 1885 season, and the Gothams would shortly adopt the name, Giants. Over seven decades later, Joan Payson sells her shares in those very New York Giants then turns her attention towards financing the establishment of the New York Metropolitans baseball club with home games to be played at the 155th Street Polo Grounds.
Amazin'
Saturday, July 11, 2020
Baseball Great and Original New York Met Frank Thomas on an Amazin' Metsian Podcast
From the desk of: HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET
A METSIAN PODCAST
with SAM, RICH, and MIKE
GUEST
National League Slugging Great and
Original Member of 1962 New York Mets
ninety-minutes
7/9/2020
FRANK THOMAS CHARITIES
CAMP HAPPY DAYS: KIDS WITH CANCER
&
COURAGEOUS KIDS:
A SAFE HAVEN FOR KIDS WITH CANCER
SIGNED PICTURES ~ LISTEN FOR DETAILS
Frank Thomas last month turned 91-years old and remains sharp as a tac. Listen as Frank takes us through his major league career, with life anecdotes involving Casey Stengel, Joan Payson, Gil Hodges, Branch Rickey, Roberto Clemente, Hank Aaron,
playing at the Polo Grounds and so much more!
This is must listen stuff. Enjoy!
Monday, June 29, 2020
Spring Training Redux and the Precarious Season Ahead with Journalist David Krell on Another Metsian Podcast
From the desk of: HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET
WITH
SAM, RICH, and MIKE
GUEST
JOURNALIST, AUTHOR, EDITOR, PRODUCER
David Krell is the editor of the upcoming anthology The New York Mets in Popular Culture, expected to be published by McFarland and Company in September. He is also the editor of The New York Yankees in Popular Culture and the author of Our Bums: The Brooklyn Dodgers in History, Memory and Popular Culture.
David is the chair of the Society for American Baseball Research Northern New Jersey Chapter, also known as the Elysian Fields Chapter. He has spoken for several years at SABR conferences and the Cooperstown Symposium on Baseball and American Culture.
SEVENTY-ONE MINUTES
This game is your game, this game is my game, from California, to the New York Island, from our Canadian neighbors, to the Gulf Stream waters, this game is back for all to see. Okay, please forgive our giddiness, it's just that A Metsian Podcast is thrilled about finally airing a show bereft of labour strife, contentious negotiations, and bargaining for dollars and nonsense. This evening Sam, Rich, and me, with guest and baseball author David Krell, bring the focus squarely back on the New York Metropolitans baseball club and all matters orange and blue. #LFGM
Monday, June 15, 2020
The Great Baseball Impasse of 2020 on Another Metsian Podcast
From the desk of: HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET
Precious time continues wasting away. It's already mid-June and MLB and the MLBPA are far from striking a deal on a tentative 2020 season. Negotiations between parties remain stalemated and rife with animosity. The Union believes talks have reached the point of futility, with players essentially throwing their hands in the air asking MLB to impose a modified schedule and a report to work date. Should that be the case baseball now gets to unilaterally impose a shortened season and pay players at a prorated basis. Who wins? Who loses? And who still cares? Sam, Rich, and Mike, return this evening attempting to tackle these very issues. Also on tap, Mets money matters and a trip down Metsian lane.
with
SAM, RICH, and MIKE
fifty-five minutes
Precious time continues wasting away. It's already mid-June and MLB and the MLBPA are far from striking a deal on a tentative 2020 season. Negotiations between parties remain stalemated and rife with animosity. The Union believes talks have reached the point of futility, with players essentially throwing their hands in the air asking MLB to impose a modified schedule and a report to work date. Should that be the case baseball now gets to unilaterally impose a shortened season and pay players at a prorated basis. Who wins? Who loses? And who still cares? Sam, Rich, and Mike, return this evening attempting to tackle these very issues. Also on tap, Mets money matters and a trip down Metsian lane.
Sunday, March 15, 2020
A Metsian Podcast Quarantine Book Review Party: The New York Mets All-Time All-Stars by Brian Wright
From the desk of: HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET
A METSIAN PODCAST
with SAM, RICH, and MIKE
GUEST
author
THE NEW YORK METS ALL-TIME ALL STARS
The Best Players At Each Position For The Amazin's
100 minutes
Thirty Players
58 Years of Memories
A Romp Through Mets History
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