It’s a strange beginning to summer, with no Mets baseball to enjoy on the warm nights. With July on the horizon, let’s relive some Mets history.

As Independence Day draws near, Mets fans often think about July 4th, 1985 in Atlanta. That night, Mets first baseman Keith Hernandez hit for the cycle. He also drove in three runs, as the Mets outlasted the Braves 19 innings. The game, that ended close to 4 a.m., had plenty of drama, including a game-tying home run by Braves’ reliever Rick Camp in the 18th inning with two outs. Danny Heep‘s reaction in this video says it all.

The Mets have had many star first basemen over the years. Donn Clendenon joined the squad in 1969, and went on to be the World Series MVP. Dave Kingman hit some monstrous home runs, and added more than his share of strikeouts (he led the league in this dubious category in 1979 as a Cub, and in 1981 and 1982 as a Met). Of course, the current inhabitant of the position, Pete Alonso, broke the rookie record for home runs in a single season, and won the Rookie of the Year award in 2019.

The late 1970s were tough years for the Mets. They had traded Tom Seaver in 1977, and were mired in the abyss of a tough rebuild. The days were generally dark at Shea from 1977 through 1983. However, there was one player who came along and added more than a touch of flare.

Willie Montanez, Man of Style

After the painful 1977 season, Mets General Manager Joe McDonald made a multi-player, multi-team deal that brought Willie Montanez to the Mets. In the deal, the Mets parted with vestiges of their 1973 National League championship season, Jon Matlack and John Milner.

Montanez performed admirably for the Mets in his nearly two seasons in Queens, slashing .247/.303/.362. Montanez had 22 home runs as a Met, along with 143 RBIs. In 1978,  his only full season as a Met, Montanez slashed .256/.320/.392 with 17 home runs and 96 RBIs. However, Willie’s value went beyond his numbers.

Montanez had a unique home run trot, that was so amusing that the famous San Diego Chicken imitated it. In this video, showing Montanez and The Chicken back-to-back, the impression is excellent. The 1978 Mets posted a 66-96 record, so entertainment in any form was most welcome.

In August of 1979, with the Mets on the way to an even worse season, Montanez was traded to the Texas Rangers. Interestingly Ed Lynch and Mike Jorgensen were sent to Flushing in that deal, which is not a bad haul for a waiver deal. The Willie Montanez era was over in New York. He was a ray of sunshine on a rebuilding team, bringing smiles to the faces of the dwindling Shea crowds.

While he was no Keith Hernandez or Pete Alonso, Willie Montanez made his mark as a Met, demonstrating that in the end, baseball is in the entertainment business.