Okay the holidays have finally come and gone and I hope everybody received everything that they asked for. But I am sure that many of you just like me got gift cards and are wondering what to buy with them. May I suggest instead of buying Jar Jar Binks flannel pajamas get yourself some Mets related books to make this Winter pass a lot more quickly.
First off may I suggest “Faith In Fear In Flushing ( An Intense Personal History Of The New York Mets) by all around Mets Know-it-all, Greg Prince. You want to know how Greg found out about and why he became a Mets fan read this book ! Besides the Lee Mazzilli story is worth the price of the book alone !
Next up is the go to book about the ’86 World Series winners “The Bad Guys Won” by Jeff Pearlman. The book shines a light on the exploits of one of the most dominating teams in Mets history.
If you are a fan of the Mets former home, Shea Stadium you might be interested in “Shea Stadium – Images of Baseball” by Jason D. Antos. This book is a treasure trove of pictures of our beloved Shea from it’s construction to it’s demolition.
Another suggestion is “Amazin'” (The Miraculous History of New York’s Most Beloved Baseball Team)by Peter Goldenbock. It is a history of the Mets as told by the coaches, players as well as the journalists, and they don’t mince words.
Lastly I recommend “Send In The Beer Guy” by our own Shannon Shark. This book chronicles his many years as a Mets fan as well as his time working as a (you guessed it) beer guy at Shea Stadium !!
There are many other great Mets related books out there but I found the ones I mentioned above as very engrossing reads that will last you until Spring Training !!
And with that said… HERE COMES THE INFAMY !!!!
Mets alumni celebrating birthdays today include:
Utility infielder from ’64-’65, Bobby Klaus is 78 (1937).
Current assistant hitting coach, Pat Roessler is 56 (1959).
Reserve outfielder from ’02-’03, Raul Gonzalez turns 42 (1973)
Starting pitcher from the ’02 rotation, Jeff D’Amico is 40 (1975)
Middle reliever from the ’13 season, David Aardsma is 34 (1981).
Current Mets setup man, Addison Reed is 28 (1988).
Other transactions of note include:
The New York Mets traded starting Pitcher, Kevin Appier to the Anaheim Angels for perpetually injured first baseman. Mo Vaughn on December 27, 2001. All you need to know is that the Mets consummated the deal after watching Vaughn ( who was sidelined with various injuries in the previous two seasons) take batting practice at a New England batting cage.
The New York Mets signed free agent reserve infielder, Rey Sanchez of the Boston Red Sox on December 27, 2002. Sanchez could barely hit or field, but damn he was able to give haircuts in the dugout during games !!!
The New York Mets signed free agent middle reliever, Aaron Laffey of the Toronto Blue Jays on December 27, 2012.
For Christmas this year Mo Vaughn received his weight in Toblerone chocolates !!!
