Sep
6
2011

An Original Met, Pete Flynn To Hang ‘Em Up

An article by Joe D

Here is something I think you will all enjoy. I came across the video of New York Mets head groundskeeper, Pete Flynn, courtesy of SNY and with a hat tip to MetsBlog.

Flynn comes out of County Leitrim in Ireland, from a town called Ballinamore. He came to this country in 1961 and went to work for the Mets in 1962, the team’s first year of existence. He helped build the Advance Ticket booth at the Polo Grounds. “Then I went out on the field and stayed there,” he said. He became head groundskeeper at Shea in 1974.

“You’ve got to be dedicated,” he said. “You’ve got to love what you do, and you have to spend an awful lot of time at it.”

Pete Flynn is a great guy, and he has certainly seen it all, from the formative years at the Polo Grounds in 1962-1963 to the Beatles in 1965 to the Miracle Mets of 1969 and of course the last World Series in 1986.

What I would have given to have see all that Pete has seen on the Mets baseball diamond live and not on TV.

I met Pete once during a torrential rain storm at Shea in between games of a double header, many, many years ago. He was kind enough to direct us to where we could purchase Mets ponchos and umbrellas for me and my soaking wet cousins. To meet him is to love him, the guy’s a pure gem.

Pete is also one of the original nine founding members of the Irish-American Baseball Hall of Fame sponsored by Foley’s NY Pub and Restaurant.

After 50 years of meritorious service to the New York Mets, Pete will be retiring after this season. Congratulations Pete… To me you will always be an original Met.

About the Author: Joe DeCaro

I'm a lifelong Mets fan who loves writing and talking about the Amazins' 24/7. From the Miracle in 1969 to the magic of 1986, and even the near misses in '73 and '00, I've experienced it all - the highs and the lows. I started Mets Merized Online in 2005 to feed my addiction. Follow me on Twitter @metsmerized.

5 Comments + Add Comment

Paul September 6, 2011 at 2:30 pm

Personal note: I went to Shea as an intern at WWOR with a camera crew in the 90s. We were shooting B-roll in preparation for our Mets promos for the upcoming season. We stood on the 3rd base dugout when Pete Flynn walked by. He warned us not to go on the field. The other guys, who didn’t know who he was, thought he sounded like Groundskeeper Willie. I, on the other hand, was PROUD to be admonished by the man.

Congrats on your retirement, Mr. Flynn!
sarge September 6, 2011 at 3:50 pm

Thanks for your years of service at Shea Pete Flynn.
Des September 6, 2011 at 5:41 pm

Nice video and writeup. Harrelson and Seaver obviously like Pete Flynn a lot. In this day of rapid employee turnovers, it’s somehow special when one person works at a job for fifty years. Congratulations, Pete. Thanks.
MetFan Lou September 6, 2011 at 6:00 pm

The most under appreciated sports position, The Groundskeeper. They can take a muddy field where a football game was played the day before and turn it into a “Field of Dreams.” They groom the infield to make balls stay fair or foul and how they make those perfect patterns with their lawnmowers is still a mystery to me. Nothing is greener or prettier thana perfectly groomed ball field with perfectly straight chalk lines. Congratulations Mr. Flynn and Thank You and Job Well Done!
Lisa P. September 7, 2011 at 1:53 pm

Thanks for all those years of service Pete. Enjoy your retirement!

NL East Standings

Team	W	L	Pct.	GB
Braves	42	30	.583	-
Phillies	35	37	.486	7.0
Nationals	34	36	.486	7.0
Mets	27	40	.403	12.5
Marlins	22	48	.314	19.0

Last updated: 06/19/2013

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