In a moment in their history when the Mets do everything — and make no mistake, we mean bold, all-caps, italics EVERYTHING — wrong, it is actually something of a relief to recall a time when they actually used to get a lot of stuff right.
And if “Mad Men” has to drag us to those times, so be it.
The present season of the AMC show takes place in 1969, and if that was a year dominated by forever headlines — Moon, Woodstock, Manson, Chappaquiddick — it also will be forever remembered as the year of the Miracle Mets. You could argue, in fact, that if you were to play name recognition, just blurt out “1969!” and ask someone the first thing that comes to mind, it would as often as not be “Mets.”
The ’69 Mets didn’t need loyalty oaths from their fans, because they would take the town by storm and already had outdrawn the Yankees for five straight years thanks to the Bombers’ steep decline and the fact the city still was stuffed with erstwhile Dodgers and Giants fans.
The ’69 Mets happened for any number of reasons. One was that the Mets were one of just three teams smart enough and willing enough to pony up the $51,500 to take part in a lottery for Tom Seaver’s rights once the commissioner ruled he illegally had signed with the Braves. It was the equivalent of getting in contemporary battles for, to name three, Yu Darvish, Masahiro Tanaka and Jose Abreu. The Mets have no stomach for such things anymore.
They happened because at the June 15 trade deadline, they made the kind of bold move — acquiring Donn Clendennon at a time when they were only on the periphery of the race — that seems beyond the comprehension of the modern Mets, always on the other, talent-for-kids side of such deals.
And they happened in a pop culture sense, we were reminded again last week, because of “Meet the Mets.” Even Don Draper’s drunken, slurry speak-sing version last week was a reminder of just how far-thinking the Mets used to be. That song was commissioned in 1961 — the song predates the team.
And thanks to Ruth Roberts and Bill Katz — who previously had given the world “I Love Mickey” (‘Mickey who? … You know who!’) people memorized the words and the melody, literally, the first time they heard the song.
Bring the kiddies, bring the wife
Guaranteed to have the time of your life …
How popular? How smart? Michael Burke, then running the Yankees, ordered a song in response for his team. Yes: “Here Come the Yankees” may sound like it was written for Murderer’s Row, but it was only born in 1967 — six full years after “Meet the Mets.” And though it also is a catchy song … do you know those lyrics?
1, 2, 3, 4 … Hit! Run! Fight! Score!
Yes. The Yankees may have 25 more titles than the Mets — six more if you only count the years they’ve coexisted. But I definitely would put my money on the National Leaguers in a Battle of the Bands. So there’s that.
Whack Back at Vac
Bruce Welsch: What an embarrassment that the Mets make their players wear a smiling Mr. Met logo on their uniforms and practice hats. But hey, maybe they should make them wear the full costume. I hear Mr. Met was quite the slugger in his day.
Vac: Who would you rather see at the plate with men on base: Mr. Met or Ruben Tejada?
Wendell Ramey: With 11:15 left in the second quarter of Game 2, Kevin Garnett had his Willie Mays Moment. He fell down in the lane. Untouched.
Vac: Sadly, I do believe that time has come for him to reach the conclusion: “KG, say goodbye to America.”
@Friedo1043: I’m mixing sports and generations, but for those old enough to remember, has Roy Hibbert come down with “Steve Blass Disease?”
@MikeVacc: Luckily for the Pacers, Hibbert has rediscovered the strike zone, and the Wizards apparently have O MY GOD PEOPLE ARE PAYING ATTENTION TO US NOW!!! DISEASE.”
Bob Buscavage: While Mariano Rivera always will cruise down Rivera Avenue, it’s safe to say Robinson Cano never will take a taxi down Cano Concourse.
Vac: If that ever came to be, they would have to pipe in a permanent soundtrack of Bronx cheers.
Smack Back at Vac
The readers have their say on best-ever NYC Game 7s that Mike Vaccaro left out of last week’s Open Mike:
Thomas Greco: 1971, Bullets 93, Knicks 91. Last gasp of a dying rivalry.
Gary Ferrari, Mike Dooley: 1962, Yankees 1, Giants 0. How many Hall of Famers on the field?
Alan Sperber: 1926, Cardinals 3, Yankees 2. Alexander fans Lazzeri
David Schor, J.Tomasino: 1987, Islanders 3, Capitals 2, 4 OT. The Easter Epic
Eric Lieberman, Larry Graber: 1975, Islanders 1, Penguins 0. Capping comeback from 3-0 down
Gabriel Pompe: 1986, Mets 8, Red Sox 5. Overlooked because of enormity of Game 6
Bill Dickhut, Denis Fenton: 1993, Islanders 4, Penguins 3. Ends Penguins’ two-year reign
John Wagner: 1958, Yankees 6, Braves 2. Yanks finish comeback from 3-1 down.
Vac’s Whacks
- As an LSU alum-in-law, I saw an awful lot of Odell Beckham Jr. the past couple years, enough to believe the Giants got themselves a hell of a player the other night.
- It’s disgraceful behavior like the kind displayed by Laz Diaz on Tuesday night in Anaheim that will keep the public outcry to a minimum on that future day when umpires officially are replaced by robots.
- Late on this, but then again there’s never a strict deadline to enjoy a great baseball read like “Up, Up and Away,” Jonah Keri’s loving and thorough tribute to the too-short history of the Montreal Expos.
- Imagine how popular a candidate Steve Kerr might be if he actually had, you know, coached one minute of basketball to this point in his career. Or maybe coaches are like a new car: The moment you drive them off the showroom floor, they start depreciating in value.