Posted on by Shannon Shark @metspolice

They traded Tom Seaver

I took Saturday afternoon and night “off” from blogging – figured Media Goon’s tour would be enough to keep ‘all company…..so how did I relax?

Well how I escaped from obsessing about the Mets was by reading a book.

Which book?

Faith and Fear In Flushing.

Wow.   This is the book I wish I had the ability to write.  It’s just a wonderful mix of a Mets fan walking you through the history of the Mets from a personal standpoint.  (I loved the mention of the Nathan’s in Oceanside.  Is that still there?)

I know I’m like 18 months late on reading it but this is a fantastic book.  I knocked out half of it yesterday – I’m up to the 1986 season, I wonder what happens…but the walk through the late 1970’s really got to me and even thought I know it happened and I was old enough to feel the pain at the time…

THE METS TRADED TOM SEAVER

It blows my bleeping mind.  Tom Seaver.   They traded Tom Seaver.

If you’re too young to have lived it I can’t explain it to you.   Maybe if you woke up today and found out the Mets had moved to Mercury and you’d never see them again….maybe.

If you wake up tomorrow and they’ve traded Wright AND Reyes to the Reds it won’t even come close.

A home grown pitcher with multiple Cy Youngs on his way to getting more Hall of Fame votes than anyone (that stat may or may not be correct)…a man whose nickname is THE FRANCHISE and they traded him.

I don’t care about Dick Young or M. Donald Grant or the rest

THEY TRADED TOM SEAVER????!!!!

When they invent time machines I’m going to start my blog in December 1976.

Anyway, that’s how I relaxed….while wearing a 1983 Tom Seaver.   Kids, Tom eventually came back for one season…then in a stupid roster move….

Great book Greg.  Megaprops.   I’m going back under my rock to link to weird caps.   You shame me in your greatness.

Everyone else go relive the horror…

The Mets’ big gun Tom Seaver could not make peace with – 06.27.77 – SI Vault.

I struck out against Tom Seaver once.  Really.  I swear on a stack of bibles.  Yes THAT Tom Seaver, at Shea Stadium…that story will be my father’s day post…along with me re-living the story with Mr. Terrific years later.

5 Replies to “They traded Tom Seaver”

  1. Seaver still has the highest percentage of votes — 98.84; he was named on 425 of 430 ballots returned that year. Cal Ripken has received the most votes — 537 (of 545, for a 98.53 percentage).

  2. shannon..just a few thoughts..because the mets are a relatively young team do you realize that seaver will always be the greatest player the mets ever had? no one single player will ever mean as much to the mets as seaver has. in this new era where good players don’t stick around long on a team, no one will ever have his longevity with the mets. forget about 20 games winners, there are no more in baseball. seaver pitched 10 innings (thats right) ten innings for the win in the ’69 world series. today Manuel would have 7 pitchers in that game. now you can say Hernandez or gooden or even piazza (way over rated in my book, give me grote any day) were pivital to the mets (and they were) but they cant hold a candle to seaver. as the Yankees can point to at least 10 players the mets can only really point to one. and thats the way it will always be. he is that important to this teams history. and i was there in ’77 when he was traded. i worked for the parks dept. fixing the old wood seats at shea. i was at every single game in ’77 and ’78. the feeling everyone had was like you dad just died. people were crying and visibly upset. thats the impact of what he meant. he was and always will be the greatest met ever.

    1. Amen mike. There really is nothing to compare it to. They’d have to disappear in the Bermuda triangle on the way home from winning the world series for it to compare.

    2. Only one other player has even had that kind of impact on the franchise, and that would be Mike Piazza. I know, as Mike says that most players do not stay in one place long enough to get that kind of status, but like Seaver, Piazza took a franchise and made it relevant for a long period of time. Strawberry and Gooden could have been those types of players had they not shoved their careers up their noses, but they did. Wright has a chance to own almost all of the team offensive records (save for steals & triples) but he will not be at the level of Seaver & Piazza.

  3. I was 16 but the drama that unfolded that last week is unforgetable.On Tues.nite.June7,TomTerrific shutout the BigRedMachine,unbeknownst to anyone the team he was destined to join 8days later.When emptying his locker on June16,he tearfully referred to the standing ovation he received when he moved-up on the all-time strikeout list.It was a small crowd but insistent on giving him a long&loud ovation,knowing he was unhappy and sensing something tragic.On Sun.he pitched a complete game in Houston,ending with a very long flyout to Seaver’s June15 co-tragedian DaveKingman.I remember Seaver’s reaction after the pitch:he believed he had surrendered a fatal HR.Instead,he was greeted by hugs from teammates -all knowing more than the public that it might’ve been his last Mets game.On Mon&Tues the NYC media was preparing us for the possibility,so when it was official,I was shocked but not surprised.Looking back,I accept it,insofar that the man who brought the winning example to the Mets could no longer stomach working for a hierarchy of losers.

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