Here’s today’s must-read (this is from a few days ago but it has been a busy week)…
Cosell was not amused by the antics of Stengel, Marv Thronberry or the 120 losses the team piled up in its first season. Cosell knew he was under contract by WABC, not the New York Mets. The agreement allowed Cosell to rage against the machine. According to Ribowsky, Cosell’s rants aimed at Stengel and the Mets were the “first real mark” he made as a broadcaster.
Cosell blasted Stengel early and often, claiming the bane of the Mets failure was rooted in “the pitiful example the old man (Stengel) was setting for a new generation of New York baseball fans.
via A gong show disguised as a baseball team | John Strubel Blog.
The Cosell part is awesome but here’s a real nugget: “Some people, who watched the Mets stumble through their first five seasons cracked jokes,” said Seaver. “I didn’t laugh. I wasn’t brought up on the Met legend; I wasn’t part of that losing history. I never did find defeat particularly amusing.”
And that’s reason 8 million why Tom is the man.