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Fifty Years of Believing (1973 Mets Thread)

G-Fafif Jan 23 2023 06:41 PM

He may have given up the runs, but Jon Matlack gives no ground in his recollection of the 1973 World Series. Matlack would later put on a show in the postseason. He pitched a shutout in the National League Championship Series against the Reds and pitched three games in the World Series against the Athletics, losing two of them, but he had a strong 2.16 Fall Classic ERA. Matlack lost the seventh game, 5-2, by allowing home runs to Bert Campaneris and Reggie Jackson. “I tip my hat to Campy. He hit a very nice curveball. It might have been a little wind-aided. Credit to him because he found a pitch he wanted and he was able to drive it,” Matlack said. “I hung a ball to Reggie that anybody could have hit out. When it left my hand, it was like, 'Oh, [man].' You knew by the way it came out of my hand it wasn't going to be good.” Fifty years after losing to Oakland, Matlack believes the Mets should have won their second championship in five seasons. “It was an interesting postseason. The series against the Reds held a lot more attention for us as a team than the World Series did,” Matlack said. “In reality, I thought we outplayed the A's the first six games, but we ended up 3-3 and they came to play on the last day.” Bill Ladson doing the 50th-anniversary honors again. https://www.mlb.com/mets/news/jon-matlack-talks-mets-career

Edgy MD Jan 23 2023 09:29 PM Re: Fifty Years of Believing (1973 Mets Thread)

Your Post-Season 1973 Mets [TABLE][TR][/TR][TR][/TR][/TABLE] [TH]Starters[/TH] [TH]Relievers[/TH] [TH]Catchers[/TH] [TH]Infielders[/TH] [TH]Outfielders[/TH] [TD]Jerry Koosman Jon Matlack Tom Seaver 　　　　　　　　　　　[/TD] [TD]Buzz Capra (dnp) Jim McAndrew (dnp) Tug McGraw Harry Parker Ray Sadecki George Stone 　　　　　　　　　　　[/TD] [TD]Duffy Dyer (dnp) Jerry Grote Ron Hodges 　　　　　　　　　　　[/TD] [TD]Jim Beauchamp Ken Boswell Wayne Garrett Bud Harrelson Ed Kranepool Ted Martinez Felix Millan John Milner 　　　　　　　　　　　[/TD] [TD]Don Hahn Cleon Jones Willie Mays Rusty Staub George Theodore 　　　　　　　　　　　[/TD] Italicized guys are sadly no longer among us. Others heroes who presumably got a share: [TABLE][TR][/TR][/TABLE] [TD]Bob Apodaca, rp Lute Barnes, if Rich Chiles, of 　　　　　　　　　　　 [TD]Jim Fregosi, if Jim Gosger, of Greg Harts, of 　　　　　　　　　　　[/TD] [TD]Phil Hennigan, rp Jerry May, c Bob (L.) Miller, rp 　　　　　　　　　　　[/TD] [TD]Tommy Moore, sp Brian Ostrosser, if Dave Schneck, of 　　　　　　　　　　　[/TD] [TD]John Strohmayer, rp Craig Swan, sp Hank Webb, rp 　　　　　　　　　　　[/TD]

stevejrogers Jan 24 2023 06:25 AM Re: Fifty Years of Believing (1973 Mets Thread)

[url]https://www.tcdb.com/List.cfm/lid/7389/MLB-Postseason-Teams-1973-NL-Champions-New-York-Mets [url]https://www.tcdb.com/List.cfm/lid/10076/New-York-Mets-1973

whippoorwill Jan 24 2023 07:44 AM Re: Fifty Years of Believing (1973 Mets Thread)

This was my favorite season

kcmets Jan 24 2023 08:00 AM Re: Fifty Years of Believing (1973 Mets Thread)

1973 is/was the veritable nexus of my Mets OCD.

Johnny Lunchbucket Jan 24 2023 08:30 AM Re: Fifty Years of Believing (1973 Mets Thread)

1st year I can remember what happened as it happened. 1st year I got into baseball cards in a big way

roger_that Jan 24 2023 08:45 AM Re: Fifty Years of Believing (1973 Mets Thread)

Edgy MD wrote: Your Post-Season 1973 Mets [TABLE][TR][/TR][TR][/TR][/TABLE] [TH]Starters[/TH] [TH]Relievers[/TH] [TH]Catchers[/TH] [TH]Infielders[/TH] [TH]Outfielders[/TH] [TD]Jerry Koosman Jon Matlack Tom Seaver 　　　　　　　　　　　[/TD] [TD]Buzz Capra (dnp) Jim McAndrew (dnp) Tug McGraw Harry Parker Ray Sadecki George Stone 　　　　　　　　　　　[/TD] [TD]Duffy Dyer (dnp) Jerry Grote Ron Hodges 　　　　　　　　　　　[/TD] [TD]Jim Beauchamp Ken Boswell Wayne Garrett Bud Harrelson Ed Kranepool Ted Martinez Felix Millan John Milner 　　　　　　　　　　　[/TD] [TD]Don Hahn Cleon Jones Willie Mays Rusty Staub George Theodore 　　　　　　　　　　　[/TD] Italicized guys are sadly no longer among us. Others heroes who presumably got a share: [TABLE][TR][/TR][/TABLE] [TD]Bob Apodaca, rp Lute Barnes, if Rich Chiles, of 　　　　　　　　　　　 [TD]Jim Fregosi, if Jim Gosger, of Greg Harts, of 　　　　　　　　　　　[/TD] [TD]Phil Hennigan, rp Jerry May, c Bob (L.) Miller, rp 　　　　　　　　　　　[/TD] [TD]Tommy Moore, sp Brian Ostrosser, if Dave Schneck, of 　　　　　　　　　　　[/TD] [TD]John Strohmayer, rp Craig Swan, sp Hank Webb, rp 　　　　　　　　　　　[/TD] The only italicized guy I see is Fregosi. Sadecki is polishized, and Apodaca is Spanishized, I think.

Edgy MD Jan 24 2023 08:50 AM Re: Fifty Years of Believing (1973 Mets Thread)

Lee "Buzz" Capra is totally Italical.

whippoorwill Jan 24 2023 02:18 PM Re: Fifty Years of Believing (1973 Mets Thread)

He may have given up the runs, but Jon Matlack gives no ground in his recollection of the 1973 World Series. Matlack would later put on a show in the postseason. He pitched a shutout in the National League Championship Series against the Reds and pitched three games in the World Series against the Athletics, losing two of them, but he had a strong 2.16 Fall Classic ERA. Matlack lost the seventh game, 5-2, by allowing home runs to Bert Campaneris and Reggie Jackson. “I tip my hat to Campy. He hit a very nice curveball. It might have been a little wind-aided. Credit to him because he found a pitch he wanted and he was able to drive it,” Matlack said. “I hung a ball to Reggie that anybody could have hit out. When it left my hand, it was like, 'Oh, [man].' You knew by the way it came out of my hand it wasn't going to be good.” Fifty years after losing to Oakland, Matlack believes the Mets should have won their second championship in five seasons. “It was an interesting postseason. The series against the Reds held a lot more attention for us as a team than the World Series did,” Matlack said. “In reality, I thought we outplayed the A's the first six games, but we ended up 3-3 and they came to play on the last day.” Bill Ladson doing the 50th-anniversary honors again. https://www.mlb.com/mets/news/jon-matlack-talks-mets-career This was a good read and I remember being proud that he was a PA boy Last night I read the SABR essay on John Milner

Johnny Lunchbucket Jan 24 2023 02:32 PM Re: Fifty Years of Believing (1973 Mets Thread)

A classic!

Edgy MD Jan 24 2023 02:50 PM Re: Fifty Years of Believing (1973 Mets Thread)

A couple of 1973 questions. Was switching Staub to first and Milner to the outfield an option that Berra considered? Rusty hadn't played first since 1968 at that point, but it would have been a temptation for me. How bad were things for Jim Fregosi that the team traded him mid-season for cash, despite being injury strapped on offense for the second straight season? Was he booed out of town?

roger_that Jan 24 2023 03:01 PM Re: Fifty Years of Believing (1973 Mets Thread)

heroes who presumably got a share If you like, and at the risk of instigating another thread-shitting outburst of invective, I could ask my buddy Brian Ostrosser if he and other scrubbinies and brief callups did indeed get a share. If they did, I'd be surprised if he didn't remember the exact amount 50 years later.

whippoorwill Jan 24 2023 03:02 PM Re: Fifty Years of Believing (1973 Mets Thread)

I remember Jim fregosi very barely, but I remember he wasn't very productive. Didn't the Mets trade Ryan for him?

Edgy MD Jan 24 2023 04:09 PM Re: Fifty Years of Believing (1973 Mets Thread)

They did. And he certainly was a disappointment, additionally aggravated by Ryan's instant success. But the Mets needed soldiers that summer. Harrelson was hurt and unproductive when he was healthy enough to go. Boswell was forced by Millan's arrival to mostly play third, and he didn't hit either. Teddy Martinez got a lot of PT and Ostrosser and Barnes got an additional sprinkling. It might have made nickles worth of difference if some of those plate appearances went to Fregosi, as disappointing as he was, so I'm curious if things had gotten hostile for him, and the Mets had to move him just to close the book. One thing I notice from 1973 footage is that the stadium seemed to have a lot more volatile atmosphere than 1969.

whippoorwill Jan 24 2023 04:18 PM Re: Fifty Years of Believing (1973 Mets Thread)

I can remember my sister stopping in her tracks when she saw the Mets yearbook (‘72?) with Fregosi's picture on the front. No wonder you like baseball! I was 12 she was 19; I was not in it for the players' looks yet Lolol

whippoorwill Jan 24 2023 04:22 PM Re: Fifty Years of Believing (1973 Mets Thread)

Crap I can't find it Online; I'll have to dig mine out and photo it

Benjamin Grimm Jan 24 2023 07:16 PM Re: Fifty Years of Believing (1973 Mets Thread)

It was 1973. That year the cover had framed photos of Mets players who had been All-Stars. Here's a blast from the past. The Yearbook Cover Derby, from the summer of 2018. 1973 didn't get out of the first round. It's very tiny, on the lower left, fourth from the bottom. http://ultimatemets.com/covers/yearbooks/yearbook_brackets7.png>

whippoorwill Jan 24 2023 08:14 PM Re: Fifty Years of Believing (1973 Mets Thread)

THe Tom Seaver cover should have gone further

G-Fafif Jan 25 2023 01:51 PM Re: Fifty Years of Believing (1973 Mets Thread)

Mets coaches and players World Series shares, from the Sporting News, December 1, 1973. http://www.faithandfearinflushing.com/wp-content/uploads/9F854506-DCCE-4EFA-97F9-AECEBD138CE2.jpeg>

G-Fafif Jan 25 2023 01:57 PM Re: Fifty Years of Believing (1973 Mets Thread)

Non-uniformed personnel shares, per the Sporting News of 12/1/1973: Trainers Joe Deer and Tom McKenna, and equipment manager Herb Norman — $14,950.17 each. Batting practice pitchers Joey Fitzgerald, Tom Fitzgerald, Vito Valentinetti and Joey Diorio — $250 each. Batting practice pitcher N. Hugelmeyer: $150.

Edgy MD Jan 25 2023 03:21 PM Re: Fifty Years of Believing (1973 Mets Thread)

#HundredDollarHeroes baseball-reference records a Neville Hugelmeyer who pitched in 1959 and 1960 at the D and C levels, with little success. That's more than likely our N. I'm tempted to say that, yeah, but I'd bet he's the only guy on those two teams who got a post-season share. But of the grand total of four of his teammates from those two teams to make it to the bigs, but two of them were Cesar Tovar and Jim Bouton.

G-Fafif Feb 03 2023 02:35 PM Re: Fifty Years of Believing (1973 Mets Thread)

Ron Hodges and his brushes with Hall of Famers. “We won the game. That's the big thing,” Hodges said. “... I singled in front of the left fielder, who happened to be Willie Stargell. A better left fielder might have caught the ball. Stargell was a first baseman, not a left fielder, but he was out there.” Hodges didn't see much action in the postseason. In fact, he received his only postseason at-bat in Game 1 of the '73 World Series against the Athletics in the ninth inning, when he entered as a pinch-hitter for Bud Harrelson. Hodges ended up walking against closer Rollie Fingers. “I saw Fingers later on at an autograph signing and I said, ‘You don't remember me. I faced you in the first game in the World Series in '73 and I walked.' He kind of grinned and said ‘Hmm. I didn't walk too many.'” Bill Ladson on the Where Are They Now? case: https://www.mlb.com/news/ron-hodges-important-role-on-1973-mets

G-Fafif Feb 10 2023 10:14 PM Re: Fifty Years of Believing (1973 Mets Thread)

The Stork will see you now. Looking back on his baseball career, Theodore wishes he picked the brains of Yogi Berra and Willie Mays, the manager and part-time center fielder for the ‘73 Mets, respectively. According to Theodore, they had built up years of valuable baseball knowledge. “I would have asked [Berra], ‘How did you approach certain pitchers?' or ‘How did you go about hitting in certain counts?'” Theodore said. “The same way with Willie Mays. … I look back and this guy was a genius. He didn't just go out there and play and was natural. He analyzed things. He knew the different hitters. He knew how to get a jump and anticipate things. I wish we could have just sat down with him. He could have talked to us. A thrill to be around both of them.” https://www.mlb.com/news/george-theodore-discusses-collision-memories-of-1973-mets

G-Fafif Feb 18 2023 06:11 AM Re: Fifty Years of Believing (1973 Mets Thread)

Willie. “I thought he had a lot left in him. He was 42 and he was still the best player on our team,” Jones said. “We know everybody has to retire at some point, but I thought he could have played forever.” https://www.mlb.com/news/willie-mays-played-final-season-with-1973-mets

G-Fafif Mar 03 2023 05:41 PM Re: Fifty Years of Believing (1973 Mets Thread)

Yogi. But in April 1972, Berra had the tough task of replacing another legend -- Mets manager Gil Hodges, who succumbed to a heart attack following a round of golf with his coaching staff. Hodges had become an icon in Queens four years earlier for guiding the Miracle Mets to an unexpected World Series title against the heavily favored Orioles. Berra was reluctant at first to take the job. But after talking to his wife, Carmen, Yogi decided to do it. “It was more than replacing a legend,” said Berra's granddaughter, Lindsay Berra, who is a board member at the Yogi Berra Museum & Learning Center. “Gil Hodges was a dear friend of my grandfather's. That was a devastating loss. “Obviously, Grandpa wanted to carry on what Gil was doing. He was probably devastated that he actually had to do that, because he had lost his friend. My family has stayed close with the Hodges over the years.” https://www.mlb.com/news/yogi-berra-managed-mets-to-1973-pennant

G-Fafif May 05 2023 12:08 PM Re: Fifty Years of Believing (1973 Mets Thread)

From the Chronicle in SF on the eve of No. 24 turning 92. SAY HEY! GIANTS' WILLIE MAYS TURNING 92: ‘I JUST ENJOY MYSELF. I ENJOY OTHERS' John Shea May 5, 2023 Updated: May 5, 2023 10 a.m. The subjects turn as rapidly as he ran the bases, and the messages resonate as powerfully as he hit the ball. Willie Mays still talks like he's in his prime and can effortlessly and energetically take you back to various points of his life and career and spin a yarn like it happened yesterday. “I didn't like to complain,” Mays said. “How many people have the things that I have from playing ball? I just enjoy myself. I enjoy others. I think I was lucky. I don't brag, but I felt comfortable doing whatever I wanted on a ballfield.” In a recent visit I was fortunate to make with the greatest ballplayer who ever lived, he chatted about everyone from Joe Louis and Casey Stengel to Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr. to Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani. From Bill Greason of the Birmingham Black Barons to Leo Durocher of the New York Giants to Willie McCovey of the San Francisco Giants to Tom Seaver of the New York Mets, touching on legendary colleagues from all four of his big-league stops. That Mays is without the mobility and eyesight from his younger days doesn't mean he's not still extremely active. He turns 92 on Saturday and remains busy orchestrating business deals, overseeing his Say Hey Foundation, honoring the Willie Mays Scholars and entertaining old friends. Since his last birthday, Mays was featured in an HBO documentary (“Say Hey, Willie Mays!”), had his number 24 retired by the Mets, had youth fields in Richmond dedicated to him, cut new deals with baseball card and video game companies, was seen in a cool commercial for a self-driving car called Cruise, paid a memorable visit to Oracle Park in September and congratulated Dusty Baker for winning his first World Series as a manager. Mays' relevance as an American icon never wavered despite a hip surgery last spring that slowed him down physically but not mentally. He relies on long-time relationships with assistant Rene Anderson and attorneys Jeff Bleich and Malcolm Heinicke, all of whom are close friends, a Stanford medical team including Dr. Carla Pugh and a slew of buddies who have his back – and whose backs he has. “Willie remains ever-present in the baseball psyche of America,” Heinicke said, “not only for his past accomplishments and records on the field but also through the release of the documentary as well as video games and baseball cards that allow modern-day fans of all ages to enjoy his greatness all over again.” Mays retired 50 years ago after playing in the World Series for the 1973 Mets – “I had a good time with those guys, a bunch of good guys.” The Mets lost in seven games to the A's, and I wondered in my visit with Willie what would have happened had Mets manager Yogi Berra used him as a pinch-hitter in the ninth inning of Game 7. The Mets trailed 5-2 with two outs and two runners aboard. When A's lefty Darold Knowles replaced Rollie Fingers, Berra stuck with a left-handed batter, Wayne Garrett, who popped out to end the Series. Imagine if Yogi had taken a chance on the 42-year-old Mays. “I was waiting for him to call my name. He never did call,” Mays said. “I never did say anything out of the way to anybody. I didn't want to show him up. That wasn't my thing. I showed respect. You never know. I had my bat. I had my helmet.” When Mays transitioned to his post-playing career, Joan Payson, then the Mets' owner, approached with a proposition. “She asked me, ‘You want to manage?' No ma'am. I want to play golf.” Around that time, Payson told Mays the Mets would retire his number at some point, but she died two years later. Fast-forward to August 2022, the Mets finally acknowledged Payson's wish and retired No. 24 in an on-field ceremony, thanks to owner Steve Cohen and Jay Horwitz, the longtime team PR man whose idol growing up was Mays. “That was special what the Mets did. I called Larry to get his approval,” said Mays, who has a lifetime contract with the Giants and was referring to Giants CEO Larry Baer, who of course gave his blessing. When the conversation turned to McCovey, Mays shared the story of why he didn't try to steal more bases. “I wanted Mac to hit,” said Mays. An open base would prompt pitchers to pitch around the cleanup hitter. “His locker was right next to mine. He listened very carefully. He was the guy.” Mays thinks a lot about Greason, who's 98 and still living in Birmingham, and his other Black Barons teammates who introduced him to the Negro Leagues and taught him valuable life lessons. Like Mays, Greason was a rookie on the 1948 team that played in the final Negro Leagues World Series. “Greason's always been good to me, man, hung around with me all the time, especially when we were on the road,” Mays said. “We traveled by bus. I was in the back seat. Lot of those guys played cards. They wouldn't let me in. ‘Put your money in your pocket, Junior.' They called me Junior. They took care of me. I had a good time when I was coming up.” Mays remains prominent in the baseball card industry with his image on new Topps and Panini cards, and he's also featured in two video games – MLB The Show 23, which launched in March, and Super Mega Baseball 4, which comes out next month. Mays continues to make contributions and accept donations through his foundation, which benefits needy youth, and his Willie Mays Scholars program is paying dividends by offering college preparation and scholarships to Black youth in San Francisco. The partnership with the Giants Community Fund was unveiled on his birthday two years ago. Three of the recipients have committed to universities next fall, including UCLA-bound Jazmine Keel, who was going to get accepted to many colleges anyway, but she said the Willie Mays Scholars program provided great support during the application process, helped her network and included valuable life lessons most recently from an Alive & Well class taught by Dr. Joseph Marshall Jr. “I learned that respect comes from within and someone can't disrespect you if you respect yourself so I basically took on a new perspective with dealing with others who impact me in a negative way,” said Keel, adding she watched a Giants game from an Oracle Park suite and got to meet players on the field. “It isn't academic, but it's still cool and something not a lot of people get to do and potential scholars could look forward to.” When Mays visited the Giants' clubhouse on Sept. 28, in his wheelchair and accompanied by Dr. Pugh and others, including longtime clubhouse manager Mike Murphy, several players paid their respects and shared stories and laughs. The Giants were riding a five-game win streak and went on to win seven of 10 to finish the season at .500. Mays hopes to return to the ballpark again. “Mr. Mays is excited to see the kids, the players. His love of the game helps to keep him motivated to get out and support the players and see the fans,” Pugh said. “He has been pushing himself and wants to be active. With the pandemic, just knowing he couldn't go to the ballpark was really difficult for him. But he's inspired to get back, and that has helped him in his continued rehab.” https://www.sfchronicle.com/sports/giants/article/willie-mays-san-francisco-18076268.php#photo-23782511 Reach John Shea: jshea@sfchronicle.com; Twitter: @JohnSheaHey

G-Fafif Jul 09 2023 08:11 AM Re: Fifty Years of Believing (1973 Mets Thread)

Anthony McCarron with a 50th anniversary article in the News, with a few nuggets you might not know, including the Oakland view of the Mets. Though the Mets were underdogs again, the A's scouting staff offered Oakland a warning in their pre-Series scouting report, a copy of which is on display at the Mets Hall of Fame & Museum at Citi Field. In it, scouts wrote, in part, “Individually, this team does not impress you, but collectively — together — they have come on and developed…It would be foolish, should you defeat them in (an) early contest, to get a false sense of security.” https://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/mets/ny-world-series-tug-mcgraw-ya-gotta-believe-nl-pennant-20230708-tp2lijpibrdu7edoqvkcfigj6m-story.html

G-Fafif Sep 12 2023 04:00 PM Re: Fifty Years of Believing (1973 Mets Thread)

Mets very quietly commemorating Ball Off the Top of the Wall play with a mostly unpublicized visit tonight from Cleon, Felix and Ron. "In my mind," says Hodges, a rookie on that team, "it's probably the single most important defensive play in the history of the Mets. … Some people might say (Ron) Swoboda's catch (in the 1969 World Series). And people will argue, one way or the other. "But this was a fantastic play. That play just re-energized the Mets and led us to the pennant, I think. We had that 'Ya Gotta Believe' atmosphere and to have a play like this happen, that's the only response you can have, that we're going to win. "There were a lot of writers who jumped on the idea that God had taken an apartment out in left field and wouldn't let anything out there that would hurt the Mets." To commemorate the play, the Mets are slated to host Hodges, Jones and second baseman Félix Millan Tuesday at Citi Field. (The Mets are in Miami on the actual anniversary). "It'll be good to be here now to talk about it and be able to see my teammates and reminisce about the good things that happened that year," Jones says. "I still say that play was a turnaround in the ‘73 season." It certainly set Shea – and beyond – abuzz. "Everybody all over the city was saying, 'Did you see that play? What a great play,'" Jones recalls. https://sny.tv/articles/mets-ball-wall-1973

batmagadanleadoff Sep 12 2023 04:07 PM Re: Fifty Years of Believing (1973 Mets Thread)

I don't know who else everybody was that saw the play. That game wasn't televised.

batmagadanleadoff Sep 12 2023 04:22 PM Re: Fifty Years of Believing (1973 Mets Thread)

=batmagadanleadoff post_id=137306 time=1694556436 user_id=68] I don't know who else everybody was that saw the play. That game wasn't televised.

And the play happened after midnight.





A nice touch on Cohen's part. He's obviously a real Mets fan. The Wilpons wouldn't have pulled this off if they owned the team for a thousand years. Why no Wayne Garrett, the relay man?

whippoorwill Sep 12 2023 04:33 PM Re: Fifty Years of Believing (1973 Mets Thread)

=batmagadanleadoff post_id=137306 time=1694556436 user_id=68] I don't know who else everybody was that saw the play. That game wasn't televised.

That is astounding

G-Fafif Sep 12 2023 04:50 PM Re: Fifty Years of Believing (1973 Mets Thread)

Wasn't scheduled to be televised, but it was. This is from the next day's Daily News: Mets on TV In Quick Deal Bowing to public pressure, the Mets televised last night's game with the Pirates and hope to do likewise tonight against the Bucs. The games were not previously scheduled under their contract with Rheingold. The Mets and Rheingold didn't receive a dime, the beer company being one of 11 special sponsors in a quick deal arranged by WOR. https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news/131696926/" style="text-decoration: none;display:block;" target="_parent">https://img.newspapers.com/img/img?clippingId=131696926&width=700&height=722&ts=1607535806" alt="" style="max-width:100%;"> 21 Sep 1973, Fri Daily News (New York, New York) Newspapers.com https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news/131696926/" style="text-decoration: none;display:block;" target="_parent">https://img.newspapers.com/img/img?clippingId=131696926&width=700&height=722&ts=1607535806" alt="" style="max-width:100%;"> 21 Sep 1973, Fri Daily News (New York, New York) Newspapers.com This was from the day of the game: Met Fans Ask Why No TV? Protest calls are pouring in on Rheingold like draft beer. Indignant Mets fans want to know how come no television these important pennant games. "We have received about 3.000 phone calls," disclosed a member of the public relations staff of Rheingold, the primary sponsor of Mets games. "They say. no Pirates games, and no Willie Mays Night on TV? How come! We tell them that Pepsi-Cola has turned down our request to add these games to the TV schedule. Pepsi is our parent company now. They told us they don't believe there i sufficient public interest. Can you imagine that?" https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news/131697238/" style="text-decoration: none;display:block;" target="_parent">https://img.newspapers.com/img/img?clippingId=131697238&width=700&height=849&ts=1607535806" alt="" style="max-width:100%;"> 20 Sep 1973, Thu Daily News (New York, New York) Newspapers.com Hopefully the links embedded in the code will lead to the original copy.

G-Fafif Sep 12 2023 04:58 PM Re: Fifty Years of Believing (1973 Mets Thread)

https://img.newspapers.com/img/img?clippingId=131696926&width=700&height=722&ts=1607535806> https://img.newspapers.com/img/img?clippingId=131697238&width=700&height=849&ts=1607535806>

batmagadanleadoff Sep 12 2023 05:14 PM Re: Fifty Years of Believing (1973 Mets Thread)

https://img.newspapers.com/img/img?clippingId=131696926&width=700&height=722&ts=1607535806> https://img.newspapers.com/img/img?clippingId=131697238&width=700&height=849&ts=1607535806> Wow. We discussed this the last time and I became sort of obsessed with this topic. So I sought out the NYC edition of that week's TV Guide and eventually found a copy for sale on ebay. I won the auction and when I received the TV Guide, I went straight to when the game would be played, and it wasn't televised -- according to that TV Guide. So I'm assuming that the decision to televise the game came too late to update or revise the TV Guide. Also, what added to my obsession was coming across a poster for the famous Billie Jean-King/Bobby Riggs tennis match. It was played on the same date and at the same time as the ball off the wall game. This triggered a grade school memory where the day after the game, when we took our seats in the classroom that morning, in the few minutes before our teacher commanded our attention, an argument/discussion begin raging across the class about what everybody watched on TV last night. I didn't participate but I remember a good friend of mine back then who sat one seat away from me diagonally was touting the tennis match and I was thinking to myself, "Who'd wanna watch girls' tennis?" I would've surely watched the Mets game if it was televised but I have no memory of seeing the ball off the wall play in real time. Plus, the surviving footage of the play isn't WOR-TV footage. WOR never shot from that angle back then. That's surely a hand held camera shot by the producers of those annual 35-45 minute Mets highlights films produced every year back then. That crew was likely at Shea for that game because the Mets were in the thick of the pennant race, playing meaningful September games. Oh, and the other bit of great TV programming in prime time that evening was the TV premiere of Bonnie and Clyde.

batmagadanleadoff Sep 12 2023 05:24 PM Re: Fifty Years of Believing (1973 Mets Thread)

https://img.newspapers.com/img/img?clippingId=131696926&width=700&height=722&ts=1607535806> https://img.newspapers.com/img/img?clippingId=131697238&width=700&height=849&ts=1607535806> Wow. We discussed this the last time and I became sort of obsessed with this topic. So I sought out the NYC edition of that week's TV Guide and eventually found a copy for sale on ebay. I won the auction and when I received the TV Guide, I went straight to when the game would be played, and it wasn't televised -- according to that TV Guide. So I'm assuming that the decision to televise the game came too late to update or revise the TV Guide. Also, what added to my obsession was coming across a poster for the famous Billie Jean-King/Bobby Riggs tennis match. It was played on the same date and at the same time as the ball off the wall game. This triggered a grade school memory where the day after the game, when we took our seats in the classroom that morning, in the few minutes before our teacher commanded our attention, an argument/discussion begin raging across the class about what everybody watched on TV last night. I didn't participate but I remember a good friend of mine back then who sat one seat away from me diagonally was touting the tennis match and I was thinking to myself, "Who'd wanna watch girls' tennis?" I would've surely watched the Mets game if it was televised but I have no memory of seeing the ball off the wall play in real time. Plus, the surviving footage of the play isn't WOR-TV footage. WOR never shot from that angle back then. That's surely a hand held camera shot by the producers of those annual 35-45 minute Mets highlights films produced every year back then. That crew was likely at Shea for that game because the Mets were in the thick of the pennant race, playing meaningful September games. Oh, and the other bit of great TV programming in prime time that evening was the TV premiere of Bonnie and Clyde. On further thought, I just came up with a horrifying possibility. Because I have a strong memory of being sprawled out on our living room floor very late at night, fighting off sleep when everybody else was asleep and listening to one of those Mets/Pirates games on the radio. I think it was the ball off the wall game because I remember the extra inning rally. I think I listened to the game on the radio because I never found out in time about WOR's late changing decision to televise that game. Oh, the horror!

ashie62 Sep 12 2023 05:33 PM Re: Fifty Years of Believing (1973 Mets Thread)

I was 14 that September and I do believe at least one Mets home game was not on tv

G-Fafif Sep 12 2023 05:38 PM Re: Fifty Years of Believing (1973 Mets Thread)

I very definitely watched that play in real time and discussed it at the bus stop the next morning with the father of one of the other kids who was impressed/disturbed I'd stayed up to see the game to its stunning conclusion.

ashie62 Sep 12 2023 05:44 PM Re: Fifty Years of Believing (1973 Mets Thread)

I must have missed Was any one game that month not televised? It's a long time ago

batmagadanleadoff Sep 12 2023 05:48 PM Re: Fifty Years of Believing (1973 Mets Thread)

=ashie62 post_id=137322 time=1694562261 user_id=90] I must have missed Was any one game that month not televised?

If it turns out that the entire Pirates series was televised, then that means that I listened to at least one of those games on the radio because I didn't find out in time about WOR's last minute change in plans to televise the games. And if that's what happened, it had to be the ball off the wall game.

G-Fafif Sep 12 2023 05:52 PM Re: Fifty Years of Believing (1973 Mets Thread)

The decision to televise didn't occur until after the game of Sept. 19, the third of the five games vs PIT.

batmagadanleadoff Sep 12 2023 05:54 PM Re: Fifty Years of Believing (1973 Mets Thread)

So were any of those Pirates games not televised?

G-Fafif Sep 12 2023 05:58 PM Re: Fifty Years of Believing (1973 Mets Thread)

=batmagadanleadoff post_id=137326 time=1694562840 user_id=68] So were any of those Pirates games not televised?

As Aaron Rodgers might say, I'd have to do my own research.

ashie62 Sep 13 2023 04:13 AM Re: Fifty Years of Believing (1973 Mets Thread)

=batmagadanleadoff post_id=137324 time=1694562491 user_id=68] =ashie62 post_id=137322 time=1694562261 user_id=90] I must have missed Was any one game that month not televised?

If it turns out that the entire Pirates series was televised, then that means that I listened to at least one of those games on the radio because I didn't find out in time about WOR's last minute change in plans to televise the games. And if that's what happened, it had to be the ball off the wall game.


Very possibly the same here

Frayed Knot Sep 13 2023 06:07 AM Re: Fifty Years of Believing (1973 Mets Thread)

I was listening on the radio, although that might have been cuz it was too late at night.

G-Fafif Sep 20 2023 11:15 AM Re: Fifty Years of Believing (1973 Mets Thread)

Remembering that play from 50 years ago today (and that it wound up televised).

G-Fafif Sep 27 2023 06:38 AM Re: Fifty Years of Believing (1973 Mets Thread)

Cleon, Felix and Ron join Jay for some good 1973 chat.