The Mets Police

Next up for the Five Questions....Stuart.  By the way, I am not commenting on purpose.  I'd like this to be about other fans...I get to share my thoughts plenty.



When did you start following the Mets?



My first game was in 1966 at the age of 8.  The Mets won 3-2 vs. Cincinnati in 11 innings.  That same summer I went to my first night game.  Trailing 7-1 in the 4^th inning the Mets rallied lead by Hawk
Taylor’s pinch hit grand slam home run (the first in team history).  They went on to win the game 8-7.  After that I was hooked.


2.      What is your favorite Mets memory?


Without a doubt, Game 6 of the 1986 World Series.  I was away on a business trip and travelled with a few business associates from Valley Forge, PA to Atlantic City where we watched the game.  Oh did I mention that the other three guys were from BOSTON!!!  Two nights later I fulfilled every baseball fan’s dream and went to the game to see my team win Game 7 of the World Series at home.   


3.      What is your worst Mets memory or experience?


I gotta give you two here:

As a fan the worst memory was June 15, 1977 when they traded Tom Seaver.  My friend and I used to go to nearly every home game he pitched for several years.  My friend moved to Chicago after high school and we met up in California to travel the state.   We were together when we got the terrible news.  It was as if a close friend just died.  In those days there was no free agency, etc. so players usually stuck around with a team for a long time.  For a couple of naïve teenagers it was devastating news.  Baseball has never been the same for us since.

As far as an experience goes it would have to be the game I went to on September 11, 1987.  The Terry Pendleton home run.  If you’re not familiar with it I found this link to another blogger’s memory of the game.  I didn’t just watch it on TV, I was there.  Like getting your heart ripped out.

http://faithandfear.blogharbor.com/blog/_archives/2007/9/14/3228263.html

I wasn’t too crazy about Sciosia’s home run vs. Doc in 1988, Beltran’s called third strike, the recent collapses, etc. but at least I didn’t witness those in person.


4.      If you could change one off-field thing about the franchise what would it be?


The way they accept being a second class citizen to the Yankees.  From what I’ve read and what I’ve heard from my father and others the Brooklyn Dodgers, while not having the success of the Yankees, never acted as if they were inferior.  We hear only about the great fans of Brooklyn and the great memories of Ebbets Field.  Building a stadium to look like Ebbets Field is not the same thing as building a franchise that is true to that tradition.


5.      If you owned the team starting tomorrow, what is the first thing you would change?


I would change the attitude of the franchise and make myself much more visible and accountable to the fans then current ownership is.  I have no doubt that the Wilpons badly want to win but something about them (and previous owners for that matter) give me the impression that there is a connection missing between the fans and ownership. 


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