Mets Yearbook 1963

I decided to stop being a slacker and catch up on the episodes of Mets Yearbook that piled up on my DVR   As I’ve done in the past I’ll just type whatever comes to mind as I watch.

I was enthralled by the opening to Mets Yearbook 1963.   The shots of NYC, where the Empire State Building truly dominated the skyline.  The Grand Concourse actually looked nice (as my parents often told me).  There’s a neat shot of the Verezanno being built.

The film has fake Mets fans!   Hey ma’am can you say “we talk about Mets at our dinner table every night.”  You sir, can you say “we used to be Dodger fans..but now that the Mets are here blah blah.”  So so rehearsed.    And oh the “New York” accent.  Awesome, real, and something you don’t hear these days except in poorly written sitcoms.

Casey Stengel made 80 grand in 1962 bucks.   That seems like a lot, no?

There’s an interesting Mr. Met bobblehead where Mr. Met is wearing a two-tone cap (blue and orange of course.)

The hot dogs actually look edible!

I love how the owner is “Mrs. Charles Payson.”  And of you old guys when women would be known as Mrs. Man’s First Name?

It’s fun listening to the GM (missed his name) trying to BS Lindsey Nelson about how this team is close to winning (this is in the offseason between 63 and 64).

I haven’t seen much film of the Mets at the Polo Grounds (neither has Fred) so that’s always fun.

Holy cow Bob Murphy is young in this!!! I mean it makes sense if you do the math, but it’s a young Bob with dark hair and a few extra pounds.   I didn’t catch much of Lindsey Nelson but it comes through on this film that he was good.  Ralph is at his best stiff self, without the charm that comes from being old and having been on for 50 years.

Next time we whine about advertising on the fence we should look at the walls of the Polo Grounds.  Apparently it’s a Mets tradition that skipped Shea.

Now I’m getting annoyed looking at the Polo Grounds.  The Mets played there, and use the old Giants style NY – so the Mets build a replica of the Dodgers’ stadium and shun the one thing they borrowed from Brooklyn: the blue.    They got everything backward!

Nelson just told me they had a day for Willie Mays!   The active player in San Francisco??!!! And Stan Musial – sure he’s about to retire but he’s a Cardinal.  Why not have a tickertape parade for Sammy Sosa?  Get the time machine – the Mets Police have a newsletter to type in 1963!!! (you can subscribe by sending me a self-addressed stamped envelope, and you should expect issue #1 sometime in December 1963 unless I get distracted.)

This crazy old man the Mets have as manager has 7 rings huh.   I don’t believe you.

Now they are showing me something called “Banner Day.”    It seems Mets fans used to be able to walk on the field and carry signs.  I know in the days of Al Qaeda that there’s no way to have fans on the field so we’ll never see that one again.  I figure the Mets are more likely to honor someone on the SF Giants.

The stands look pretty empty for the final game ever at the Polo Grounds.  475 to center.  Crazy.

This new place Shea Stadium looks great.  Nelson has just promised no obstructed views.   Seriously, it’s right at the 24 minute mark.  You go Lindsey!  I wonder how they figured that out.

He’s bragging about the ramps….and the bus lines to the stadium (I missed those).  Gotta admit, in “1963-brain” Shea looks pretty awesome…especially this super scoreboard!

Did the picture-screen above the scoreboard (up where the skyline logo wound up) ever actually work?   It wasn’t used in my day.

Here’s that crazy old man again.  7 rings?

Even in ’63 nobody wore blue caps to Mets games.  We’re gonna change that.

Someone just held up an anti-“Bums” sign.  I guess Fred doesn’t approve the final cut of these.

Well that’s it for 1963.  I see SNY has some sort of 2009 recap scheduled in a few weeks.  Man oh man I hope they produce it in this cheesy retro style and let Howie host it.

Tomorrow…I empty the DVR with Mets Yearbook 1966.