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1979 Yearbook

Edgy DC Jan 10 2006 07:42 AM

I never collected yearbooks. When I was young, I'd get one, thumb through it, and lose it. In the last few months I started building a collection at not a small cost, and I just got the 1979 book (in lovingly poor condition too), and I realized that I recognized every page, even the ads --- the ephemeral biographical data like the name of Joel Youngbood's pinscher or the Russian gymnast vistiing Joe Torre in his office. What is it about being 12? The 1979 team means as much to me as any Met team ever and they were in many ways the very worst Met team ever.

seawolf17 Jan 10 2006 07:49 AM

You know? I turned 12 in March 1988, and I remember that '88 team -- and, relatedly, the entire 1988 Topps Mets baseball card team set -- better than any other Mets team. Kevin McReynolds, Mackey Sasser, David Cone. Looking on b-r.com, the Mets really only used eight pitchers that year of any significance: Gooden, Darling, Cone, Sid, Ojeda, Myers, McDowell, and Leach. Aguilera threw less than an inning a week, and he was ninth in IP. It really was a different time. That reminds me of the old Micro League Baseball game for the C64. It came with around thirty legendary teams, and I liked playing with the '27 Yanks, because they barely had enough pitchers to fill out the roster. The game required ten pitchers on the roster, and as a result, it had to include Joe Giard, who pitched 27 innings to an 8.00 ERA, and Walter Beall, who pitched one inning and gave up one run. That was always fascinating to my little kid mind. Wow, that's a rambling post.

Benjamin Grimm Jan 10 2006 08:00 AM

My most impressionable early year as a Mets fan was 1972, when I was nine. For me, the seminal Mets are Seaver, Koosman, Matlack, McGraw, Milner, Jones, Grote, Boswell, Agee, Staub, etc. I came on board midway through the 1971 season, so I do also have memories of Gil Hodges, Donn Clendennon, Bob Aspromonte, Ken Singleton, etc. When I was 12, though, I was temporarily disconnected from the Mets. I still paid attention, went to games, watched on TV, etc, but in 1974 (when I was 11) and 1975 I devoted the bulk of my energy to Marvel Comics. By 1976 the comics frenzy had receded and my Mets rabies returned. I remember being surprised that I didn't even know where Dave Kingman had come from.

ScarletKnight41 Jan 10 2006 08:04 AM

I was caught by the Mets bug in 1969, even though I was groomed to be a Mets fan since birth (my mom and my grandfather were both Brooklyn Dodgers fans who became Mets fans upon their birth). The excitement of the pennant race is what caused baseball to "click" for me (before that, the rules just never made any sense to me. Then again, I was a little kid at the time). I knew that the Mets were good, and that Tom Seaver was great.

Vic Sage Jan 10 2006 08:14 AM

Yancy and I had the same childhood. twin sons of different mothers, as it were.

sharpie Jan 10 2006 08:17 AM

I, luckily, turned 12 in 1969. It, too, was my childhood height of Metobsessiveness. By '72 I was not terribly interested and then we moved to California. I missed much of the '70's (Metwise and even baseballwise).

Edgy DC Jan 10 2006 08:37 AM

The book has a terrible upside-down signature --- in ballpoint pen against against a blue background! --- on the cover. It's hard to make out but I'm pretty sure it's Joe Pignatano's. You can find the iimprint of the dot on Piggy's i 30 pages in. I don't recall this being advertised by the seller and it should be one of those rare cases where a signature actually reduces the value of the book (being so obscure yet doing so much damage), but I love it, because it's the same dumb thing I would've done. I wouldn't be shocked to learn that this is the actual yearbook that I had at 12 years old. I half expect to find coupons clipped from Dairylea cartons tucked inside the pages.

Benjamin Grimm Jan 10 2006 08:39 AM

Vic Sage wrote: Yancy and I had the same childhood. twin sons of different mothers, as it were. The years are probably roughly the same, too, huh? As I recall, you're about a year older than me? (I was born in 1963.) I went to my first Mets game in 1971 and bought my first Marvel Comic (FF #144) during the winter following the 1973 season.

Vic Sage Jan 10 2006 09:46 AM

born in 61. first game that i can remember going to had Matlack pitching in his rookie year, so it was what... 72? first comic purchased? i really can't remember. first ones i remember READING, though, were my brother's FFs... from #30s-#60s.

rpackrat Jan 10 2006 11:11 AM

I went to my first game in 1972 and really became a fan in 1973, the year I turned 10. For me, the Mets seared in to my brain are Seaver, Koosman, Matlack, Stone, Garrett, Millan, Staub, Cleon, Milner, and Tug.

Edgy DC Jan 10 2006 11:17 AM

"Hi, we're the Mets, we have nobody cool enough to go on the cover of our yearbook. We were thinking of just putting Mazzilli's butt on the cover, but we might have already done that last year. Nobody can remember."

G-Fafif Jan 10 2006 01:14 PM

Except maybe for '95, when the Mets had the excuse of not knowing who would be playing in their uniforms and feature a bunch of equipment, '79's is the worst cover of them all. Maybe Whitney and Bebe figured showing a player's face would cost them at contract time. I just assumed, because Lindsey, Ralph and Bob were so adamant that I buy one, that everybody purchased a yearbook. It makes a great addition to your baseball library. That's been my guiding principle since 1972. I'm continually shocked that every Met fan doesn't buy a yearbook every year. I still feel guilty that I didn't go for every revised edition as soon as it rolled off the presses. The year the Mets became the Mets for me? 1970.

Edgy DC Jan 10 2006 01:21 PM

This sort of irony may make me a looser, but the fact that it may be the worst yearbook cover ever (which I disagree with) helps make it for me perhaps the best yearbook ever. For different reasons --- but both aesthetic --- I can't stand the 1983 and 1984 covers, though I loved both teams. Yuck. What kind of maniac roots for such a team?

Benjamin Grimm Jan 10 2006 01:24 PM

The cover I thought was ugliest was, I think, the 1980 one. 1980 and 1981 were both ugly, but of the two, the one that wasn't by Bill Gallo was the uglier. Actually, there was a long stretch of bad covers. The 1982 had those awful portraits of the two Georges. The illustrations on the 1983 cover were hideous. And as for 1984, I couldn't see anything but the pimple on Keith's nose.

Zvon Jan 10 2006 08:00 PM

69 got my attention(11 yrs old). I went to afew games in 70, but it wasnt until 71 i became a full blown Mets/ baseball fan. 71 was the 1st year i went out on treks to games without parents. My buddys and i would start out hours before game time and walk. We'd all have our gloves and have a catch all the way there. 71 was also the first time i ever completed a Topps baseball card set. Thats why my cards kind of simulate that yrs black border look. 1st Met autograph i ever got?.mmmm. We'd go wait for the team to leave via the Diamond Club or around the bullpen area (on get away days). In 71 the team borded a bus out back there and Buddy Harrelson threw a slew of these neat lil postcards out the window that had a shot of Shea from the air, a Met banner,(it may have been drawn because the were blue and orange) and a 'best wishes Bud Harrelson" scrawled on it. I remember jumpin for joy. I was able to catch afew and pick up a bunch and i gave em out to the people around me. I remember that 71 team, that 71 yearbook page by page. The yearbook was 75 cents. SEVENTY FIVE CENTS! 69 was something all NYers were swept up into. 70 was the year I went out of my way to see the Mets. In 71, I became the fan I am, and continue to be. These were the days when a 3rd place finish was considered respectable. You could still hold your head up in NY cause the Yanks were...... who cared what the Yanks were doin.

Johnny Dickshot Jan 10 2006 09:03 PM

The brutal one, IMO was the burgandy-colored All-Star Gallery one with the mugshots in phony frames (1973? ... checks bookshelf... yes). 1993 gets docked major points for making such a display of the "s" tail on the uniform. I thought 79 was pretty good, cover-wise. It was dignified. Within a tight shot of the the obvious symbol of worship, you notice the tight embroidery, and it coveys a sense of "we're in this thing together." The 1980 one was a little too pandering for me. I remember thinking: No kid, no matter how gay they are for the Mets, is that bad with his shoelaces.

Johnny Dickshot Jan 10 2006 09:05 PM

Note also the short-lived rejected slogan on that cover.

Zvon Jan 10 2006 09:29 PM

="Johnny Dickshot"]The brutal one, IMO was the burgandy-colored All-Star Gallery one with the mugshots in phony frames (1973? ... checks bookshelf... yes). 1993 gets docked major points for making such a display of the "s" tail on the uniform. I thought 79 was pretty good, cover-wise. It was dignified. Within a tight shot of the the obvious symbol of worship, you notice the tight embroidery, and it coveys a sense of "we're in this thing together." The 1980 one was a little too pandering for me. I remember thinking: No kid, no matter how gay they are for the Mets, is that bad with his shoelaces. The peoples team! LMAOOOOOO. I dont remember that. The burgandy one. I liked it cuz it had Willie Mays. But Fregosi almost canceled that out. The DREADED 's' tail on the Mets uni. OMG, how I HATED that. I was pissed when they added it and glad when it went away. I never bought merchandise that had that stupid tail on the Mets. But did you know that that was the original design of the Mets uniform?

Edgy DC Jan 10 2006 10:16 PM

Between the piping on one end of his career and the swoosh on the other end, did Dwight Gooden ever get to wear the true righteous classic Met pinstriper? Probably also caught some of the bluetops in 1984. Even with the Yankees, he pitched his no-hitter with a regrettable Eraserhead fade. Sartorially he couldn't win.

Lundy Jan 11 2006 06:53 AM

The team that holds special significance to me was the 1982 team. I was eight years old and just discovered baseball, and thought the world of the Mets--Dave Kingman, George Foster, Ron Gardenhire, and even Rusty Staub off the bench. My first game was a night game against the defending World Champion Los Angeles Dodgers. I didn't understand why there were seemingly more Dodger fans in the stands than there were Mets fans. I didn't quite understand back then how good those Dodger teams were, and how bad the Mets were. BTW, say what you want about the cover, but the 1982 yearbook was great. 1982 was the 20th anniversary of the Mets, and the yearbook had a mini-retrospective of all the significant events in Mets history And they reprinted every yearbook cover in one of the spreads.

soupcan Jan 11 2006 07:30 AM

'79 was also the team I came to love the most as well. The batting order escapes me but I'm pretty sure Frank Tavarez led off. It was usually Montanez at first, Flynn at second, Tavarez at short, Hebner third, Stearns catcher, Youngblood, Mazzili and Henderson among others in the outfield. Pitchers were Swan, Kobel, Espinosa, Bruhert. Was Lockwood still there? I think Orosco even made an appearence that year. As for yearbooks - 1980 - Worstest. Bestest cover for me (for obvious reasons) is probably 1987: There was also this yearbook - that had a misprint on the cover of the initial printing. Instead of 'Official Yearbook' it read 'Offical Yearbook' omitting the second 'i' in 'official'. It was reprinted pretty quickly and the originals are hard to find. Supposedly fetching upwards of $400 or so. I saw one in a memorabilia store priced at what the reprint should have been (the owner either didn't know about it or didn't catch the typo) so I snapped it up.at a what I think was maybe $20 several years back. If I ever get that scanner I'll show youse guys.

cooby Jan 11 2006 07:32 AM

Never knew that I will have to look at mine tonight

Johnny Dickshot Jan 11 2006 07:33 AM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Jan 11 2006 07:36 AM

Me too. B y the way, the illustrations on the 60s YBs were a billion times better than those of the 70s, 80s +. Thee Willard Mullins one where Casey and the Met baby are pulling the welcome mat out from under the ballplayer looking at the stadium is prolly my favorite (1964), followed by the one where the cartoon Met guy is climbing a staircase where each step represents their record in descending order. I guess that was 68, not sure offhand.

soupcan Jan 11 2006 07:36 AM

Yup. Not many peeps do know so if you ever see a '74, look at it closely and if its got the typo and not priced accordingly - snap that baby up. Not that it'll pay for your kids college education but its still a cool piece of Mets history to have.

Edgy DC Jan 11 2006 07:36 AM Edited 2 time(s), most recently on Jan 11 2006 07:59 AM

I'm OK with the two Georges. It's not super, as one of the Georges was odd-looking and the other goofy, but it's an honest pair of portraits. The 1983 cover shows us what artistic creative license can bring to the Mets. Maybe too folkarty and the "By George" stuff is dumb, but it's a noble enough failure. In retrospect, it always stinks to see a big-name import who didn't work out on the cover of your old books, and, respecting that, they'd do well to feature guys based on their track records with the team. But I guess you don't sell your crap based on the retrospect efffect.

soupcan Jan 11 2006 07:37 AM

="Johnny Dickshot"]B y the way, the illustrations on the 60s YBs were a billion times better than those of the 70s, 80s +. Thee Willard Mullins one where Casey and the Met baby are pulling the welcome mat out from under the ballplayer looking at the stadium is prolly my favorite (1964), followed by the one where the cartoon Met guy is climbing a staircase where each step represents their record in descending order. I guess that was 68, not sure offhand. Totally, totally, totally agree! I like the steps where each step up represented the Mets W/L record getting better each year of their existence and then there's one broken step representing a year when they slid backwards. Very cool. On edit:

KC Jan 11 2006 07:42 AM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Jan 11 2006 07:43 AM

seawolf17 Jan 11 2006 07:43 AM

Wow. I love that '67. Neat.

soupcan Jan 11 2006 07:44 AM

Yeah baby! KC - is that yours?

KC Jan 11 2006 07:47 AM

I have a couple of the officals ... except my mint one I got the others exactly how you described - from unsuspecting ebay sellers.

KC Jan 11 2006 07:47 AM

The rest of the old ones, with nice scans are on this dusty old page http://www.kcmets.com/YearbookImages/Yearbooks62to86.html

Edgy DC Jan 11 2006 07:54 AM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Sep 06 2006 09:36 AM

I think we're all in agreement. That 1974 edition is often advertised on e-bay as the 1973 book by peeps confused by the flag. Caveat emptor. Montañez (still needs the tilde at IMDB) struggled through 1979 after a solid 1978 and was dumped in early August for Ed Lynch and Mike Jorgensen in a deal where I guess everybody had to clear waivers. The most typical 1979 batting order 1) Taveras, ss 2) Younglblood, rf (34) 3) Mazzilli, cf 4) Hebner, 3b 5) Montañez, 1b 6) Stearns, c (42) 7) Henderson, lf 8) Flynn, 2b By the end of the season, Jorgensen had replaced Willie and Claudell Washington was slamming the ball in right with Youngblood taking over for an injured Henderson in left.

Edgy DC Jan 11 2006 08:05 AM

Montañez, by the way, absolutely caught fire after going to Texas NYM: 109 Games, .234 / .277 / .317 // .594 TEX: 38 Games, .319 / .357 / .528 // .885

soupcan Jan 11 2006 01:31 PM

How many have Mets yearbook collections? Raise your hands. A complete collection? If not what do youi need? Do you display them or just keep them in a box somewhere? I collect only the first editions not the revised though I have some reviseds in my collection. I need '62-66 to complete my collection. I keep them in binders on a shelf in my office at home I saw '62 in a store once for $500.00. Went to the bank to get the money by the time I got back she was gone.

Benjamin Grimm Jan 11 2006 01:34 PM

I have 1964, and 1966 through 2005. I think I'm missing one from the mid-90's though. It's not with the others, but it's probably somewhere in this house. I don't display them but have them in a pile on a bookshelf. I used to collect the scorecards too, but haven't in a long time. I do have a scattered bunch, though. I also have an unbroken run of Sporting News Baseball Baseball Guides from 1963 to 2005.

Edgy DC Jan 11 2006 01:38 PM

When I first found the UMDB, there were very few photos of Mets before 1973, but a pretty complete set of the 1962 Mets. I fugured that pretty much summed up Yancy's yearbook collection. Kase, how much for an Offical?

ScarletKnight41 Jan 11 2006 01:54 PM

I have at least one yearbook from every year from 1967 to the present. D-Dad obtained 1967-1969 on eBay - the rest were obtained by me at Shea each year.

Benjamin Grimm Jan 11 2006 02:34 PM

Edgy DC wrote: When I first found the UMDB, there were very few photos of Mets before 1973, but a pretty complete set of the 1962 Mets. I fugured that pretty much summed up Yancy's yearbook collection. Interesting. I don't know when you first found the site, but in the early days I didn't expect that it would get nearly the number of visitors that it's been getting. I remember when Ed Kranepool was in first place in the most-popular rankings with something like 11 hits. I was impressed that someone reached double digits. My original goal was to get photos of the Mets who I thought would be most likely to be clicked. It wasn't until much later, when everyone's hit count was over four digits that I decided to try to fill in all the lesser-known guys. (Only 138 faces remain on the wish list, by the way.) I probably got the 1962 photos from my Donald Honig book that the Mets sent me for free many years ago.

sharpie Jan 11 2006 02:38 PM

I used to have and was devoted to that '67 yearbook. Sniff, sniff.

cooby Jan 11 2006 02:44 PM

Holy Crap. Mine says "Offical" I paid 75 cents for it plus the quarter postage or whatever. I'm not kidding, kids.

Benjamin Grimm Jan 11 2006 02:48 PM

I just dug mine out. Mine is merely "official." Sheesh.

Bret Sabermetric Jan 11 2006 02:58 PM

Yancy Street Gang wrote: I just dug mine out. Mine is merely "official." Sheesh. If you just open this thread to page 3, Yancy's quote has a sorta double entendre to it.

cooby Jan 11 2006 03:00 PM

I suppose once upon a time, 30 years ago, I might have noticed it, but I really am amazed.

ScarletKnight41 Jan 11 2006 03:03 PM

Mine is merely official :(

G-Fafif Jan 11 2006 03:28 PM

My proactive collecting began with '72 and continues to this day. I later got hold of '64, '67 '70 and '71. I was particularly interested in '70 because I figured it would have a great look back at '69. It was very disappointing -- much the hack job. It was like "The Mets won the World Series last year. And hosted Helmet Day." Editorially they've gotten much better about commemorating things. Dennis D'Agostino's special sections on '86 in the '87 YB and the 40th anniversary of Shea in '04 make them must-haves beyond their merely being yearbooks. (They even published an excerpt from Roger Angell in '87.) On the other hand, the body of modern volumes beg to be ignored. But nothing beats those Willard Mullin covers.

KC Jan 11 2006 03:32 PM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Jan 11 2006 03:41 PM

The officals aren't worth all that much, especially if they're not in excellent condition. If anyone wants to score one, do what soup said and monitor ebay for a 74 yearbook (make sure it has an image) and wait for an un- suspecting seller to unload one cheap. The 1974 was a very popular year- book because the Mets were super popular and that's why we all remember having one if your from that age group. I had the team picture cut out of a copy on my bedroom wall from that book until we cleaned my Mom's apart- ment out in the early 90's. Or, if you want to score one maybe I'll make that one of the Mets door prizes at the annual ST meeting.

KC Jan 11 2006 03:40 PM

I have pretty much all the yearbooks, programs, revisions, cards, and a semi-large collection of Mets on magazine covers too. I got frustrated with them because they so unorganized and in piles and boxes and strewn about so I started a project a couple of months ago which I've fallen behind on. I got two boxes of nice red-rope folders and I'm making one per year with everything and making a filing system. I hate when something comes up here and I know I have the answer or something to add at my finger tips and I have to dig through the stuff. Anticipated date of finishing? After I rebuild kcmets, rank the top rock songs of '80's, finish the 2005 Mets (and who the funk am I kidding prolly '06 and '07) and first there's The Cranepool Companion looming large on the horizon.

cooby Jan 11 2006 03:41 PM Edited 2 time(s), most recently on Jan 11 2006 04:02 PM

KC wrote: The officals aren't worth all that much, especially if they're not in excellent condition. . That's not what he said

KC Jan 11 2006 03:42 PM

My coobylator didn't get delivered yet. Who's he?

cooby Jan 11 2006 04:00 PM

I'm sorry KC, I meant soupcan. I edited his name out when I quoted your post. I thought when skimming through this that he said something about being worth a couple of hundred dollars. Mine smells like a basement, btw. I really need to find a better place for my collection. Although it is in a big rubbermaid tub.

cooby Jan 11 2006 04:02 PM

Yep, this is what I thought he said: ="soupcan"] . There was also this yearbook - that had a misprint on the cover of the initial printing. Instead of 'Official Yearbook' it read 'Offical Yearbook' omitting the second 'i' in 'official'. It was reprinted pretty quickly and the originals are hard to find. Supposedly fetching upwards of $400 or so. .

cooby Jan 11 2006 04:05 PM

So anyway, if you are giving out $400 prizes, maybe I will come to this ST meeting after all

KC Jan 11 2006 04:13 PM

Sorry, I don't know where soup got his info but they're not that uncommon nowadays with ebay trading and stuff. It's quite possible they were fetching that kind of money years ago in a dealers store. I think I paid $40-50 for my really nice one, and I bought it from an expert on Mets memorabilia. If I can figure out how many I have, maybe that'll be a cpf st meeting door prize. One never knows.

Johnny Dickshot Jan 11 2006 05:14 PM

Well, I got an OFFICIAL anyway. I like how you open it right up to the Wifey Watch spread. Dee... Lavonne... MWILFs

cooby Jan 11 2006 06:05 PM

I guess I'm the only one to hit the jackpot when I got home. But whether it's worth $400 or not, it's pretty cool...

KC Jan 11 2006 06:42 PM

It is pretty cool. And the whole fact that it happened is freakin' hilarious, and here (albeit, somewhat compulsive) Mets' fans are still discussing it to- day. I wish there was a way to know how many of these were printed and how many of the whole year were printed.

Edgy DC Jan 11 2006 07:48 PM

No luck for me.

Edgy DC Jan 11 2006 08:01 PM

OK, I'll say what we're all thinking. The 1969 "Our pitchers and catcher are so damn good that their detached heads float above the upper deck" concept is a jaw dropper, to say the least.

Willets Point Jan 11 2006 08:03 PM

I like how the boy's trying to catch them in his hat.

soupcan Jan 11 2006 08:09 PM

I'll defer to KC on the worth of the 'Offical' book. Don't remember where I got the info. Mebbe I read it somewhere years back. In any case it is a cool piece of Metsdom. Cooby did you feel like Charlie Bucket opening up a Wonka Bar with a golden ticket in it when you saw that yours was 'Offical'?

cooby Jan 11 2006 08:15 PM

Oh yeah. The best thing that ever happened to me in my laundry room. All kidding aside, I walked in the house, went right downstairs (after petting the cat and saying hi to the boy) and opened the box thinking "nah, not me", and there it was. Holy cow.

Edgy DC Jan 11 2006 09:46 PM

I just received a batch of cellophane bags to put them in this evening. My books: 1968R 1969 1970 (x2) 1971 1971R 1972 1973 1974 1975 (Thanks, Coo) 1976 (x2) 1977 (Missing) 1977R (Missing) 1978 1979 1984 (x2) 1985 1986 1987 1987R 1988 1989 1990 (x2) 1991 (x2) 1992 2002 2003 2004

Zvon Jan 11 2006 10:35 PM

wow! I did not know that about the 74 yearbook.:) That is amazing I had 62 to 7?...,...at least up until I moved out of NY in the late 70s. After that my collecting yearbooks became sporatic. When I 1st got into the Mets...there was this kid from school who had em all. Im tryin to make sure I remember this right......I dont think I traded anything for them. Baseball cards? No..... If I remember right he gave em to me. The kid was younger than me and I guess his dad started the collection or something. And the kid was onea those only children who got alot from his folks and didnt have many friends. He wanted a friend and didnt seem to interested in em. I was like "these are awsum"and he was like "you can have em." I remember actually feeling guilty carryin em home....for a few seconds, anyway. The kid and I did end up being good friends and played CYO baseball together for years. I really loved looking thru those from time to time. Lost em somewhere along the way, cant specifically remember how or when. By the 80s I think they were Zhistory.

Zvon Jan 11 2006 10:39 PM

Favorite cover and favorite yearbook are two different things, imo. I loved this cover cuz I loved the special 25th anniversary logo. I thought that was just the koolest(still have a hat with it on it from 86.) I loved the Mets regular logo as it was (BEST LOGO IN SPORTS HISTORY!) but I really dug this special one. This cover had that, and it was a kool shiney silver.

Zvon Jan 11 2006 10:42 PM

Yancy, do you have a list of the 138 players pictures you need?

mlbaseballtalk Jan 12 2006 06:11 AM

I forget what year it was, after I get back from my trip this weekend I'll scan it (unless someone gets it up first) but there is a shot of Wayne Garrett with some kids enjoying Batting Glove Day. Not sure if the photo is on the Promotions Day page or what, but one of the kids (gotta be 6-8 years old) is clearing giving Wayne the finger! My guess the kid was an MFY fan incognito!

mlbaseballtalk Jan 12 2006 06:21 AM

Got a pretty decent collection, every edition since '69 and scattered among the others. At some point I'll go back to looking for all the 60's variations. Also have a run of Media Guides going back to 70, it would be to 68 but the 69 is a bit elusive and expensive (Gee I wonder why?) Interestingly enough my 68 MG copy belonged to a public library at one point! I wonder how many guides and yearbooks found there way into public library collections? Hmmm

Edgy DC Jan 12 2006 06:44 AM

One of my MGs has a library sticker also. Some crafty guy picked it up for a dime before flipping it to me, I guess.

Benjamin Grimm Jan 12 2006 07:44 AM

My 1969 yearbook is autographed by both Bob Murphy and Nolan Ryan. (Or by somebody pretending to be them.) I got it cheap on eBay last year. I think buyers probably didn't believe that the autographs were authentic and didn't want to pay for a marred yearbook. Me, I didn't care about it being slightly scribbled on, and was able to get it much cheaper than I would an unautographed copy. So I may have gotten a real bargain. The seller told me so after the auction ended. I think he was hoping to get many times more than what I spent. (I think it was something like $25.) (Zvon, I'll post a list of my missing faces maybe later today.)

cooby Jan 12 2006 07:47 AM

Ha! That reminds me of my 1991 yearbook. I was flipping through it one day and noticed that suddenly, the Mackey Sasser page was autographed! I questioned my little daughter, who was pretty proud of herself...

Benjamin Grimm Jan 12 2006 08:19 AM

You should contact Mackey and share that heart-warming story.

cooby Jan 12 2006 08:25 AM

If only somebody would invite me here

soupcan Jan 12 2006 09:09 AM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Jan 12 2006 11:15 AM

I have a crapload of autographs on the team picture fold-out from the '78 book. I must've gotten half of that god-awful team that year. This is definitely a top ten yearbook cover by the way...

Edgy DC Jan 12 2006 09:16 AM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Jan 12 2006 09:24 AM

Agreed. Although the runner may be safe, no?

cooby Jan 12 2006 09:20 AM

Stoins?

Benjamin Grimm Jan 12 2006 09:49 AM

="cooby"] If only somebody would invite me here Speaking of Mackey Sasser, he's being mentioned on a gay pornography web site. (And in case you're wondering, I found it because of the link to the UMDB, not due to any browsing of my own! Not that... oh, never mind.)

ScarletKnight41 Jan 12 2006 09:51 AM

What are they saying about him?

Benjamin Grimm Jan 12 2006 09:54 AM

I didn't linger long enough. The thread there is a reply to a blog or something. The poster said something like, "Don't forget Mackey Sasser!" I didn't want to keep poking around to see what she was replying to. Anyone else who's more adventurous than I am, or not currently at work, please go ahead. I am curious.

cooby Jan 12 2006 09:57 AM

If he was here, we could ask him! We're getting lots of stuff to say to him!

Benjamin Grimm Jan 12 2006 10:10 AM

Hey Mackey! Come visit us! We'd love to ask you questions about gay pornography!

seawolf17 Jan 12 2006 10:13 AM

And SNAP! Just like that, we're eliminated from the [u:55d6b04c6a]Parents[/u:55d6b04c6a] magazine "Family Web Site Of The Year" award for 2006 already.

cooby Jan 12 2006 10:23 AM

Eh, baloney, I opened it at work and the roof didn't even cave in.

Zvon Jan 16 2006 09:55 PM

lol. Macky Sasser gay. yea, right. Wasnt he the guy who recieved balls but couldnt give em back to the pitcher? Not that theres...DOH....(been dun)

Edgy DC Jan 16 2006 10:08 PM

I'm going after the 1981 yearbook. That one came with a fold-out poster that the one I'm bidding on is missing. Are they just referring to a two-page spread team shot, or was it a full wall-size poster? By the way, in that Gallo illustration on the cover, Lee Mazzilli, Doug Flynn, and Neil Allen are pretty indistinguishable.

Zvon Jan 16 2006 11:21 PM

Edgy DC wrote: By the way, in that Gallo illustration on the cover, Lee Mazzilli, Doug Flynn, and Neil Allen are pretty indistinguishable. and Joe Torre looks more like my Uncle Jerry.

Benjamin Grimm Jan 17 2006 06:04 AM

Edgy DC wrote: I'm going after the 1981 yearbook. That one came with a fold-out poster that the one I'm bidding on is missing. Are they just referring to a two-page spread team shot, or was it a full wall-size poster? By the way, in that Gallo illustration on the cover, Lee Mazzilli, Doug Flynn, and Neil Allen are pretty indistinguishable. It was a wall poster. If I remember right it was four times the size of the yearbook; if you folded it in half twice it would fit inside. I removed my poster from the yearbook and haven't seen it in years.

cooby Jan 17 2006 06:21 AM

By 1981 I was already married, so I doubt I hung mine up on the wall. I'll bet I still have mine; I will look tonight!

cooby Jan 17 2006 06:25 AM

Eh, what the heck, I went and looked before I left for work. It's there. That thing is super! It is actually six yearbook-sized sections with a bright orange border. Married or not, I remember poring over it. I also ran across an old postcard that Mackey Sasser sent to my daughter. Now THERE"S a guy it'd be fun to invite here....

ScarletKnight41 Jan 17 2006 06:33 AM

So invite him cooby. You know that Mackey wouldn't be able to resist your charms!

Edgy DC Jan 17 2006 06:45 AM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Jan 17 2006 07:30 PM

So, sans poster, the yabbuk is worth like, what? Half of what I'd otherwise pay? You think?

Zvon Jan 17 2006 07:25 PM

Edgy DC wrote: So, sans poster, the yabbuk is worth like, what? Half of what I'd otherwise pay? You think? Id think it depreciates the YB in a major way, and worth while waiting for one with the poster in it.

cooby Jan 17 2006 08:16 PM

He's right, buy one on the cheap just to have one, but keep looking for one with the poster. It's really nice.

cooby Jan 17 2006 08:17 PM

BTW, it was every Met that ever played up through 1980, in case you didn't know that. Edit: Same picture of Salty Parker

Edgy DC Jan 17 2006 08:24 PM

So, shouldn't the IMDB then have ever player that ever wore the uniform through 1980?

cooby Jan 17 2006 08:27 PM

Whoa! Excellent point! Though they are all in B/W

Zvon Jan 17 2006 08:50 PM

cooby wrote: Edit: Same picture of Salty Parker lmao. Who was that guy? I mean, i know he managed the Mets for 7 games, thanks to UMDB, but who the 'ell was he?

cooby Jan 18 2006 11:23 AM

I wonder though, if Mr. UMDB would consider B/W, it may be all there is of those first players

Edgy DC Jan 18 2006 11:29 AM

There are plenty of b/w pictures in the UMDB. Mr. Kiss It Goodbye, for instance.

Edgy DC Jan 23 2006 09:07 AM

I just gobbled up one of those 1967 yearbooks. While the first editions of these thingies are obviously the more valuable, whicht do you think is a more useful iterm for research --- the first edition or the revised?

Benjamin Grimm Jan 23 2006 09:12 AM

First editions tend to include more players, all of the guys who went to spring training hoping to make the team. The revised editions tend to zero in on the players who are still with the club in June, or July, or whenever. I like having both. Do the Mets still revise their yearbooks? Is there a 1998 yearbook with Piazza in it? If not, when did they stop the practice. I think (though I'm not sure) that in the 1960's they would sometimes revise the yearbook more than once during the season. (First revised edition, Second revised edition, etc.)

Edgy DC Jan 23 2006 09:16 AM

I think it's a season-by-season call. They probably do if there's a mid-season managerial change, or a marquee trade. But I'm speculating.

seawolf17 Jan 23 2006 09:27 AM

If anyone wants one of the "OFFICAL" 1974s, there's one in an eBay store right now for [url=http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=8732406567]$40[/url].

mlbaseballtalk Jan 23 2006 06:10 PM

Yancy Street Gang wrote: First editions tend to include more players, all of the guys who went to spring training hoping to make the team. The revised editions tend to zero in on the players who are still with the club in June, or July, or whenever. I like having both. Do the Mets still revise their yearbooks? Is there a 1998 yearbook with Piazza in it? If not, when did they stop the practice. I think (though I'm not sure) that in the 1960's they would sometimes revise the yearbook more than once during the season. (First revised edition, Second revised edition, etc.) That practice ceased after the 1991 season. Well except for special Bi-ligual (Spanish) edition in 1992, which continued a run that started in 1988 of 4 Spanish editions of the yearbook My guess is that they signed on with a new publisher who felt that it was not cost prohibitve to continue the practice of churning out new editions during the summer, so the programs have since been the place for updates on changes in personel The lone exception to this through all the years, 1998. After Hideo Nomo joined Piazza on the club in May, all subsequent yearbooks would include a single, two-sided sheet featuring the newly accquired former Dodger ROYs in the same style of the player profile pages in the book. I wonder what that insert (it wasn't attached in any way) fetches on eBay Anyway, after the 60's the Mets settled on just two English editions per year with 69, 70, 74 (not counting the official/offical debacle) 80 and 81 with the lone exceptions Well, TECHNICALLY 78 and 79 were different only in the price on the cover. A 1978 edition of John Stearns making (or missing) a tag could cost you a buck 25 at newstands, but at the ballpark just a buck! However a year later it rose to 1.50 at Shea and a whopping 2 bucks at newstands! Whats funny is that the 77 and from 87 to 91 the 2nd edition was a brand spanking new cover. Yet in the two places where Met cover history is officially retropected (the 35 years of covers in 96 and the reception area for the Mets offices on the Field Level at Shea (accessible via the Diamond Club elevator) ) its only the first edition that gets the love. Ah well... By the way, the 1960's were such a turbulent time that this is the number of editions per year: 1962 5 (to be fair one is just a change in advertizing color and the last version is one day after the 4th edition) 1963 4 1964 6 (Shea's memorabilia vendors must have nearly rioted that first year) 1965 4 1966 4 1967 3 (now we start getting to a manageable (in terms of collecting) amount 1968 2 and the aforementioned 1969 Although, 1969 has the distinction of being reprinted twice through the years and 1973's also has been reprinted as well. 69 got the treatment both in 1989 and 1994 with different sponsers being the key difference and 1973 got reprinted in 2003 Quite a history...

Edgy DC Jan 23 2006 06:18 PM

That's a fantastique summary. Thanks. Is it safe to assume the later-day reprints are noted as such on the cover, or can an unscrupulous dealer pass them off as originals without photoshop subterfuge?

Zvon Jan 23 2006 06:31 PM

mlbaseballtalk wrote: By the way, the 1960's were such a turbulent time that this is the number of editions per year: 1962 5 (to be fair one is just a change in advertizing color and the last version is one day after the 4th edition) 1963 4 1964 6 (Shea's memorabilia vendors must have nearly rioted that first year) 1965 4 1966 4 1967 3 (now we start getting to a manageable (in terms of collecting) amount 1968 2 and the aforementioned 1969 I did not know this. Amazin. Amazin, amazin, amazin.

mlbaseballtalk Jan 23 2006 06:35 PM

Edgy DC wrote: That's a fantastique summary. Thanks. Is it safe to assume the later-day reprints are noted as such on the cover, or can an unscrupulous dealer pass them off as originals without photoshop subterfuge? Sadly only from the back cover, or if the stock looks very, very clean (I think the 2003 73 may have been glossy stock)

mlbaseballtalk Jan 23 2006 06:47 PM

By the way, here is that insert featuring the two former ROYs accquired in May of 1998:

mlbaseballtalk Jan 28 2006 10:20 PM

By the way, here is the "bird" shot from the 76 Yearbook's promotion dates page: What a brat that kid must have been. Player is being nice putting a glove on a kid with a broken arm, and he flips the player a bird? How did THAT get past the editiors I'll never know Steve

Edgy DC Jan 28 2006 10:37 PM

Looks like an index finger to me. Three inches up from that is Mrs. Kranepool and Mrs. Stone (who looks like a teenager) defying convention taking the field on a hot day in halter tops. Was 1976 the coolest year ever?

Edgy DC Feb 10 2006 09:07 AM

I just won the 1981 book with the poster. I was feeling kewl to win it for $5.00, but the guy is charging $10.00 shipping.

cooby Feb 10 2006 09:15 AM

Edgy, I'm too lazy to go look, but if Mrs. Stone is who I'm thinking of, you're right, she was a doll

soupcan Apr 05 2006 02:20 PM

I think this is a good cover...

cooby Apr 05 2006 08:18 PM

I should have gotten one of those the other day

soupcan Apr 08 2006 05:39 PM

!!!! Why the hell didn't you? If I didn't go to multiple Mets games during the season I would've been snapping up every souvenir in sight!

cooby Apr 08 2006 08:26 PM

I guess I didn't think of it

soupcan Apr 08 2006 09:18 PM

Damn it. This means I have to get one for you doesn't it?

DocTee Apr 08 2006 09:37 PM

Too much black-- bring on the blue and orange.

cooby Apr 08 2006 09:45 PM

soupcan wrote: Damn it. This means I have to get one for you doesn't it? That would be really nice :)

soupcan Sep 06 2006 07:53 AM

Speaking of yearbooks in the 'Post season schedule - Willie Montanez' thread by the way - I have recently completed my collection to the extent that I have at least one yearbook from every single year. Still working on the revised and Spanish language editions though. The goal is to have at least one copy of each version printed. I'm close but the '62s aren't cheap (there's 5 or 6 different versions of them) and the Spanish ones are harder to come by than you might think. On Edit: Did this thread automatically move itself once I posted in it?

metsguyinmichigan Sep 06 2006 09:32 AM

Yikes! I thought my collection would be complete once I snagged a '62. I had no idea there were so many versions in the mid-60s. Now I see I have a lot of catching up to do! And by the way, that 1980 cover with the kid and shoelaces is brutal. The recent string of covers seem pretty bland. And as much of a Seaver fan I am, the cover of him with the baseballs for the consecutive strikeout years is so boring it hurts! I always kind of liked the 1976 cover.