Author: Rob Silverman

“Ya Gotta Believe!” Remembering Mets’ Southpaw Tug McGraw

Someone once said “A baseball team is a living breathing thing.” If that’s true, Tom Seaver is our heart, Gil Hodges our brain, Gary Carter our lungs (he breathed life into the Mets in Game 6), Bob Murphy our voice, Keith Hernandez our eyes. And Tug McGraw? Tug would be our spirit. America has changed dramatically since Tug last pitched for the Mets. In 1974, a new car cost $3,750, a gallon of...

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50 Years Ago, Ron Swoboda Makes The Catch

By Robert Silverman In 1961, President John F. Kennedy challenged America. He insisted that by the end of the decade, we put a man on the moon and return him safely to earth. Kennedy’s idea was outlandish and considered completely and utterly impossible. However, on July 21, 1969, Neil Armstrong set foot on the surface of the moon. Almost equally as impossible was the Mets winning a World...

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All-Time Mets: Cleon Jones, Our First Homegrown Star

When he removed his Mets uniform for the final time he was our all-time leader in hits, runs, RBI, doubles and 2nd in batting average. There was no fanfare, no celebration of his achievements, no day honoring his accomplishments after a decade of playing in New York.  Instead, he lumbered away, head down, disgraced, a beaten man. He’s one of very few Mets who can call himself a two-time pennant...

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Roberto Clemente: Legends Never Die

Throughout Baseball’s glorious history there have been hundreds of players idolized in their hometown. Occasionally, but seldom, does a player come along whose greatness extends beyond the city where they play. And then there’s Roberto Clemente, the first ballplayer to be revered on two continents. On the final day of the 1972 season, September 30th, Roberto Clemente doubled off Mets rookie Jon...

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Heroes of 1969: Tommie Agee Delivers An MVP Season

The date was Monday, January 22, 2001. The weather in New York was brisk. The Twin Towers stood proud and dominated the skyline. The city was just three months removed from the first Subway Series in over four decades and Baseball Fever still filled the air. In midtown Manhattan, a 58-year-old African American Mortgage Insurance salesman walked out of an office building. He clutched his chest...

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