Growing up in Bronx in the 1940s and ’50s, Ed Kranepool spent much of his time playing stickball in local parks. In fact, stickball brought refuge to a young Kranepool. As his stickball reputation grew, local gangs treated Kranepool well and insisted he not hang around with them after dark as they didn’t want him to get into trouble and not be able to play on their teams. Growing up...
When Cleon Jones squeezed his glove around the ball that Baltimore Orioles second baseman Davey Johnson hit to left field in the top of the ninth in Game Five of the 1969 World Series to give the Mets their first championship in their eight-year history, it was something he never dreamed of doing. For Jones, making it as a major league ballplayer from his hometown of Africatown, a historic...
Please note, this article was originally written, produced, and posted on December 2nd, 2021 after it was announced he was being inducted. You can sum up a large part of Gil Hodges’ Hall of Fame case with an argument that didn’t happen. It was the bottom of the sixth inning of game five of the 1969 World Series. Hodges’ Mets, improbably leading the series 3-1, were losing the game 3-0; Jerry...
On April 2, 1972 Mets skipper and Gil Hodges passed away from a heart attack during spring training after playing a round of golf. He was two days shy of his 48th birthday. Rob Silverman of MMO accurately wrote that Donn Clendenon was the final piece to the championship puzzle in 1969. Hodges was the first piece. Hodges, who played 18 seasons (16 with the Dodgers, two with the Mets) and slugged...
If the Mets hadn’t converted all their disbelievers by now– those who were still convinced the Orioles superiority would overcome New York’s combination of pitching, timely hitting, and spectacular plays in the field — would be given even more of a reason to believe in miracles after game 4. Of no miracle was the performance by Tom Seaver on this afternoon. Following a...
Good morning Mets fans! The New York Mets (35-40) dropped their series opener against the Chicago Cubs (41-33) by a score of 7-4 on Thursday night at Wrigley Field. They will continue their four-game series with the Cubs with an afternoon game in the Windy City. Latest Mets News Jason Vargas (3-3, 3.74 ERA) is set to start against the Cubs after cramping up in his last start against the St....
Even though Ron Swoboda wasn’t the best player or one that possessed a ton of tools, his name is forever revered by Mets’ fans for his contributions in bringing the first championship to Queens in 1969, after seven-straight losing seasons since the club came into existence in 1962. What Swoboda was to many was ‘the affable everyman,’ a grinder on the field with a...
No other position has seen more turnover at the starting spot for the Mets than Right Field. In 52 seasons, they have seen 33 different players who would be classified as the “primary” player at the position. Darryl Strawberry was the man for eight of those seasons. The other 44 seasons saw 32 different players. The last 16 seasons have seen 15 different regular right fielders for...
Today, when teams discuss trades, prospects have inflated value based on what they MIGHT achieve according to scouts and also because they will be relatively cheap and under team control for several years to come. But prospects often don’t turn out to be big stars; some don’t make the major leagues at all. Even the greatest prospects fail more often than they succeed. When a player already makes...
Almost 52 years since he made his debut with the 1962 Mets, Ed Kranepool still loves the team and follows them daily. Tim Rohan of the New York Times, spoke to Krane yesterday and the two of them discussed the current climate of the team and expectations. Out on Long Island, Ed Kranepool, a Met for 18 seasons (1962-79), including the championship year of 1969, said he would not consider a late...
There might be some question if Zack Wheeler is ready to assume the role of savior for the New York Mets, despite his and manager Terry Collins’ proclamations to the contrary of those lofty expectations. With the statistical and financial numbers having been crunched, the decision is it is time to start the clock on Wheeler. The Mets don’t know who’ll be dropped from the rotation. Because of...
Winning was Jerry Grote’s bliss. In fact, his most joyous moment on the diamond was captured on film when teammate Jerry Koosman leapt into his arms after the final out of the 1969 World Series. In 1976, Bob Myrick found out the hard way how Grote felt about losing when the Mets rookie pitcher beat his catcher in a game of Backgammon, causing Grote to explode, sending the board and its pieces...
