I think I posted this once before, but it’s very cool and  a reader named Green Destiny mentioned it in the comments yesterday.  Keep your eyes peeled on 2:55, 3:00 and 3:06 and you’ll see the video screen in action!  (Make it full screen using standard youtube technology).
Kingman & Foster Today
Earlier this month I was in Arizona for my annual Spring Training get-away (I prefer AZ as all the teams are close together. Five games in 3 days is not something you can really do in Florida.)
One of the things I really love about Spring Training is how so many former ballplayers come out. This trip was no exception as I met Bob Feller, Rollie Fingers, Fergie Jenkins, Gaylord Perry and Willie Wilson. The 2 guys I was most happy to meet though were Dave Kingman (at a Giants game) and George Foster (at a Reds game).
Both men were very friendly and I spoke to each briefly about their times with the Mets. Kingman (who was sitting next to Perry at a signing) chuckled when I spoke about THE trade, turned to Gaylord and said “You know they still refer to that as Black Tuesday.” Foster, who was by himself, laughed when I reminded him of his statement upon signing with the Mets, that the planes at LaGuardia would have to adjust their flight pattern because of his homeruns.
What struck me about both players though were their respective sizes. First, Kingman is a BIG man. Standing next to him I felt like I was a child again. He’s not just tall though – his hands are big as well.
Foster on the other hand is not nearly as tall (Kong is listed at 6’6″, Foster at 6’1”), but George’s forearms (and he is 61) were still mighty impressive. I can only imagine what they were like 25 years ago in his prime.
Combined the 2 men hit almost 800 homeruns – all of them without a hint of anything unnatural.
If the incorrect Citi Field fanbrick hasn’t been destroyed…put it in the museum!
There has been a lot of talk about the now-removed incorrect 1986 Game 7 fanbrick and I am hoping that it hasn’t been destroyed.
Part of being a Mets fan is enjoying the history. Â We’re a blue (and orange) collar mentality even if we’ve put on a tie and make the big bucks. Â Not everything breaks our way, but sometimes it does (a little roller up along first).
If the incorrect brick still exists I say KEEP IT.
Let it become a quirky piece of Mets history. Â Here’s what I would do:
Friday July 9th, Atlanta is in town and there are presently no giveaways scheduled.
The pitching coach of the Braves is a fellow named Roger McDowell, the winning pitcher of Game 7 of the 1986 World Series.
Invite Sid Fernandez to the game.
Bring a mule to the game.
Have a fun ceremony before the game. Â Have Howie Rose emcee. Â Talk about Mets history and show some fun clips. Â There’s a way to do it without piling on or being negative. Â Silly stuff happens to all of us. Â You can “make fun of” the grand slam single for example. Â Bring out a new version of Mettle the Mule (is original Mettle still alive?).
Bring the fanbrick out, introduce McDowell and Fernandez, talk about the mistake and let us cheer for Sid and Roger! Â It’s not like we’re going to boo the guy who kept us in the game or the winning pitcher.
Then put the brick in the museum in an “oops” section along with photos of Mettle and the grand slam single and whatever else we all come up with.
As the years go by the incorrect fanbrick will become a curiosity and something to go see, and something to show your kids….and that will start a conversation about the 1986 Mets, team history, who really won the game…and suddenly a mistake (again quickly corrected) becomes COOL.
Another picture of the Shea Stadium scoreboard in 1965
Yesterday in the comments we were discussing the Shea Stadium scoreboard in 1965, and those of us who weren’t around yet are fascinated by the “video screen” that was atop the scoreboard.
Jesse sent this picture over, that’s a band called The Beatles who were quite popular in the 1960s. Â You may have heard of their bass player Paul McCartney, who played a concert at Citi Field in 2009. Â Anyways, check out the scoreboard – the screen is where the Mets logo is.
Things I think of at 3am
I woke up in the middle of the night and started thinking about the blog and how I’m so appreciative of  how popular the blog has become, and how I didn’t set out to do this.  Before I get to some jersey related thoughts, let me tell you how you and I come to meet today.
I had been thinking about trying out this blogging thing I had heard of, and a friend had recently started using the Blogger template, which is a Google product, so I logged in using my Shannon Shark account (Shark is the dog, and it was one of my “register for ticket lottery accounts”. Â “I named the dog Indiana.” Â I quickly realized using the alias had and has convenience of me not having to explain to the boss why I’m blogging all day, even if I pre-write most of what you read..and here two years later it’s become my pen name.)
Next I had to pick a name and a topic. Â Well, I like the Mets and I like Sting’s band….Mets Police. Â There was no plan to hunt out misinformation on fan bricks – just a guy who liked Sting and Lee Mazzilli. Â The first post complained about the Mets not wearing names on the back of their uniforms on Robinson Night. Â If there ever is a reason to have names, it is when all players are wearing the same number.
Then the wheels starting coming off Willie, the team collapsed again, Shea closed down, a new stadium was built, some plexiglass blocked my view, everyone got injured, people started sending in items, I got a little better at writing and choosing topics, some online friendships have been made, I learned there are others who like to wax philosophically about the 1970’s – and here we are, having an ever-evolving conversation about our favorite baseball team and being quoted in the New York Times. I spent most of the winter in negative mode, lately I’ve been more positive. Â Some day I may even change my tune on black uniforms, though I doubt it. Â which brings us to….
My mom bought Junior this sweatshirt. Â I like it. Â Yes the letters are in black, but it is nice looking. Â Since I have been campaigning for blue jerseys to replace the hideous black jerseys, perhaps a design based upon this color scheme could please both me and the Mets marketing department. Â This year’s batting practice jerseys are a step in the right direction – they would just need to eliminate all that underarm nonsense (which is MLB-wide and looks terrible on Yankees jerseys). Â Similarly, the 2010 batting practice cap could be salvaged with less flourishes. Â Perhaps at the Treaty of Flushing this can be discussed.
I contacted Mitchell & Ness about buying a 1978 road Lee Mazzilli jersey or even a blank one. Â No dice.
I feeling Metsy today, I may buy a Saturday plan.