Kids, I used to love the Mayor’s Trophy Game. That was an anuual game where the Mets and Yankees played each other in the middle of the season. I thought it was awesomely cool, and when the Mets won it meant a lot to me.
Being a kid, I didn’t realize the players just wanted to go the heck home.
In his now-famous 1979 memoir, “The Bronx Zoo,” Yankees reliever Sparky Lyle wrote that Nettles had said before the inning began: “If I get a ball hit to me…I’m going to throw it into the stands.”
I know with 2011 eyes, the Subway Series that doesn’t even sell out, and every game on TV a mid-season exhibition game seems silly…but back in the day it was awesome. I think they often didn’t bother to televise it – I’ll have to check in with Greg Prince’s memory bank on that one. Well, it was fun to find out the next day who won (by reading the newspaper!). A different time kids, a different time.