Tale of an Ace: 1967 Mets

[mets57]

St. Louis Cardinals at New York Mets
April 4, 1967

                     1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 +  R  H  E
     Cardinals (STL) 0 1 4 0 0 0 0 0 1    6  8  0
          Mets (NYM) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2    4 10  1

ST. LOUIS            ab  h bb  r hr bi  k sb     avg
C. Flood (CF)         4  3  1  2  0  0  0  0    .583
T. McCarver (C)       5  2  0  1  1  4  0  0    .286
L. Brock (LF)         4  1  1  1  1  1  1  0    .273
O. Cepeda (1B)        4  2  0  1  0  0  0  1    .417
M. Shannon (RF)       4  0  0  0  0  0  1  0    .083
J. Javier (2B)        2  0  1  0  0  1  1  0    .111
P. Gagliano (3B)      4  0  0  0  0  0  1  0    .083
D. Maxvill (SS)       3  0  1  1  0  0  1  0    .000
R. Washburn (P)       3  0  0  0  0  0  1  0    .000
 N. Briles (P)        0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .000
TOTALS               33  8  4  6  2  6  6  1

   2B:  T. McCarver (2), C. Flood (2)
   HR:  T. McCarver (1), L. Brock (1)

       ST. LOUIS   ip  h bb hr  r er  k pit    ERA
     R. Washburn  8.2  9  4  2  4  4  5 122   4.15
       N. Briles  0.1  1  0  0  0  0  0   6   0.00
          TOTALS  9.0 10  4  2  4  4  5 128

NEW YORK             ab  h bb  r hr bi  k sb     avg
C. Jones (CF)         5  2  0  1  1  2  0  0    .429
K. Boyer (3B)         2  0  3  1  0  0  1  0    .222
T. Davis (LF)         5  0  0  0  0  0  1  0    .077
E. Banks (1B)         5  2  0  1  1  2  0  0    .364
A. Luplow (RF)        4  1  1  0  0  0  0  0    .125
J. Buchek (2B)        4  0  0  0  0  0  1  0    .167
J. Sullivan (C)       4  2  0  0  0  0  1  0    .375
B. Harrelson (SS)     4  2  0  0  0  0  1  0    .273
R. Terry (P)          1  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .000
 R. Folkers (P)       1  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .000
 J. Lewis (P)         1  1  0  1  0  0  0  0    .500
TOTALS               36 10  4  4  2  4  5  0

   2B:  B. Harrelson (1), J. Lewis (1)
   HR:  E. Banks (1), C. Jones (2)

        NEW YORK   ip  h bb hr  r er  k pit    ERA
        R. Terry  6.2  5  3  2  5  5  4  87   6.75
      R. Folkers  2.1  3  1  0  1  1  2  42   3.86
          TOTALS  9.0  8  4  2  6  6  6 129

     WP: R. Washburn (1-0)
     LP: R. Terry (0-1)
     SV: N. Briles (1)

     Temperature: 45F
     Wind: 8 MPH (out to center)
     Attendance: 55,300
     Time: 2:51

Simply put, we lost.

It was a well fought game but Terry fell apart in inning 3, succumbing to a murderer's row of Cardinals hitters. In the end, I was proved wrong. Johnny Lewis should have started in right field.

At the end of the game, Ernie Banks and Cleon Jones came through with clutch, 2-run home runs. Ernie, as he walked back to the dugout, was all smiles. In the next inning, Lewis stepped up and smacked a ball to left-center. It was a double for Johnny.

The next batter was Cleon Jones and he smashed the ball long gone. The score was 6-4 but we still had obstacles to overcome if we wanted to win. Ken Boyer popped up and slammed his bat down, refusing to run to first base. He just walked back to the dugout, his head down, and when he got there he threw the water cooler. Gil Hodges pulled him aside. Here's the version I got from Gil:

"Well, you know, I told him 'Settle down boy! It's only a pop -up. Get your head in the game. You might be out there next half inning!' He shrugged me off and slumped back to his seat on the bench, something he'd better get used to if this attitude keeps up. And the thing that bugs me, Eli, is that he isn't that bad a ballplayer. He's just a bit jumpy, trying to get a hit. If he waited back, got on top of the ball a little more, he'd have success. That attitude though, definitely something you want to worry about. I'll take care of it though."

There was turmoil in the clubhouse. I, as GM, had to deal with it. After the game, a young news writer approached me.

"How do you respond to what Boyer did after popping the ball up today, Mr. Nachmany?" he asked in a soft, nervous tone.

"Gil will work it out in the clubhouse. That's his job, not mine."

The reporter thanked me and left as quickly as he came, trying to find a scoop. I looked at the kid and wondered what lay ahead of him. Who would he be talking to next? Would he ask Cleon about his home run? Maybe Ernie?

Ernie would be friendly to the news reporter.

I looked at the batting stats, laid out neatly for me by our head numbers guy on my desk.

1967 Batting             Team    G   AVG    AB    H  2B  3B  HR   BB    K   SB  CS    R  RBI   SLG   OBP
Jones, Cleon              NYM    3  .429    14    6   0   0   2    0    0    1   0    3    3  .857  .429
Davis, Tommy              NYM    3  .077    13    1   0   0   0    0    2    0   0    1    0  .077  .077
Buchek, Jerry             NYM    3  .167    12    2   0   0   1    0    5    0   0    1    3  .417  .167
Banks, Ernie              NYM    3  .364    11    4   1   0   1    1    0    0   0    2    2  .727  .462
Harrelson, Bud            NYM    3  .273    11    3   1   0   0    0    4    0   0    0    0  .364  .273
Boyer, Ken                NYM    3  .222     9    2   1   0   0    4    2    0   0    1    1  .333  .462
Luplow, Al                NYM    2  .125     8    1   0   0   0    1    2    0   0    0    0  .125  .222
Sullivan, John            NYM    2  .375     8    3   0   1   0    0    1    0   0    0    0  .625  .375
Grote, Jerry              NYM    1  .250     4    1   0   0   0    0    1    0   0    0    0  .250  .250
Lewis, Johnny             NYM    3  .500     4    2   1   0   0    2    1    0   0    2    1  .750  .667

What jumped out at me was the fact that Tommy Davis was batting a mere .077. I'd talk about that with him if this mediocre performance rate kept up.

I have also decided that, until further notice, Johnny Lewis would be our starter in right field. This time I wouldn't bring him into the office to tell him.

We stood at 1-2, our first series in the books. We haven't done THAT bad. We may be competing in a few years. We'll see.

[mets57]

It was time to begin a series against the Dodgers, a marquee matchup teams-wise, but when it all came down to it this was a game between 2 teams that weren't that good. The Dodgers were on a steady decline while my Mets were on the path upward, but everyone knew that we still had a ways to go. About 2 hours after our game, we were headed on a flight to Los Angeles to take on the team that had given us one of our colors, Dodger Blue. If everything went as planned, our ace (Seaver) would hurl game 3 of this series. It depended on if Gil was prepared to let our #5 guy (Bob Shaw) go in game 2. I'd definitely let him know that I didn't want guys starting on short rest (especially Seaver, who would need to be a horse down the road for us).

I debated whether to start John Sullivan. Here was a guy who had been a life long Dodger fan and I wasn't sure if he'd play to his full potential against these guys. It would be his first game against them, considering he had been in Detroit for his career and teams from the AL don't play teams from the NL. It's just the way it goes.

Back to Sullivan though. We weren't sure how he'd respond to the Dodgers, considering he's probably be awestruck by the fact that he was playing the team he had idolized as a kid. We were going to go with Hawk Taylor, our third catcher. Coming from Illinois it shouldn't have been much of a problem playing a team that originated in Brooklyn.

It was time to begin a series with the Dodgers. And here we go.

Game One probable starters:

Jack Fisher, NYM vs. Don Drysdale (good luck to us), LAD

[mets57]

Ken Boyer was becoming a cancer in the clubhouse. With Cleon Jones and Al Luplow on base, he flied to center field to end the ballgame. He was horribly upset about it and vented about his personal performance in a loose tirade to the media.

"I don't ****ing know what's going on with me. I should be getting the ****ing hits, keeping those types of rallies alive, but I'm just playing like ****. This was a game we could have and moreover should have won, but of course I had to **** it up. I hate to say it but I think my age is starting to catch up to me. I want opportunities to prove that I still have it but every time I get them I ****ing fail. I can't promise anything but I want the fans to know that they can **** off with the boos because I'm trying, okay? I'm really trying," he said.

I was steamed about the fans comment, but decided I couldn't accomplish much asking him about it. Under that article was the box score of last night's game. I looked upon it with a smile as there were some bright spots to it.

New York Mets at Los Angeles Dodgers
April 5, 1967

                     1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 +  R  H  E
          Mets (NYM) 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 0    3 10  0
       Dodgers (LAD) 0 3 1 0 0 2 0 0 x    6 11  2

NEW YORK             ab  h bb  r hr bi  k sb     avg
C. Jones (CF)         5  2  0  0  0  0  2  0    .421
K. Boyer (3B)         4  1  1  1  0  0  2  0    .231
T. Davis (LF)         4  2  0  1  0  0  0  0    .176
E. Banks (1B)         4  2  0  1  1  3  1  0    .400
J. Lewis (RF)         3  0  1  0  0  0  0  0    .286
J. Buchek (2B)        4  0  0  0  0  0  1  0    .125
B. Harrelson (SS)     4  1  0  0  0  0  2  0    .267
H. Taylor (C)         4  1  0  0  0  0  0  0    .250
J. Fisher (P)         2  0  0  0  0  0  1  0    .000
 D. Cardwell (P)      0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .000
 A. Luplow (P)        1  1  0  0  0  0  0  0    .222
TOTALS               35 10  2  3  1  3  9  0

   2B:  C. Jones (1)
   HR:  E. Banks (2)
   GIDP:  E. Banks, J. Buchek

        NEW YORK   ip  h bb hr  r er  k pit    ERA
       J. Fisher  5.2 10  1  1  6  6  4 101   9.53
     D. Cardwell  2.1  1  0  0  0  0  2  31   0.00
          TOTALS  8.0 11  1  1  6  6  6 132

LOS ANGELES          ab  h bb  r hr bi  k sb     avg
W. Parker (1B)        5  1  0  0  0  1  0  0    .300
J. Lefebvre (2B)      4  1  0  0  0  1  1  0    .100
W. Davis (CF)         4  1  0  0  0  0  1  0    .278
R. Fairly (RF)        4  2  0  2  1  1  1  0    .471
B. Bailey (3B)        4  0  0  0  0  0  1  0    .125
L. Johnson (LF)       3  2  0  2  0  0  0  0    .353
J. Roseboro (C)       4  1  0  1  0  1  1  0    .313
D. Schofield (SS)     3  2  1  1  0  1  1  0    .176
D. Drysdale (P)       3  1  0  0  0  1  0  0    .200
TOTALS               34 11  1  6  1  6  6  0

   HR:  R. Fairly (2)
   HBP:  L. Johnson

     LOS ANGELES   ip  h bb hr  r er  k pit    ERA
     D. Drysdale  9.0 10  2  1  3  3  9 131   2.25
          TOTALS  9.0 10  2  1  3  3  9 131

     WP: D. Drysdale (1-0)
     LP: J. Fisher (0-1)

     Temperature: 60F
     Wind: 3 MPH (out to left)
     Attendance: 56,000
     Time: 2:35

Don Cardwell was doing an OUTSTANDING job as a reliever. I wanted him to keep up what he was doing, because whatever it was he was having major success. Ernie Banks had 2 home runs in 4 games already while Cleon Jones kept up at his torrid pace, going 2-5 with a season BA of .421. I was very impressed by Cleon and what he did. At some point I'd tell him.

I guess he wasn't lying when he told me, "Anytime, Mr. Nachmany," a few days ago.

I was also very happy because Jerry Grote was coming back in one day! Little did I know...

The pitching behind Seaver and Law needed to earn their keep (Cardwell excepted, of course), but I was confident in them. It's a long season and people can get off to bad starts. We're only human.

For the first time in my GMing career I would go through a 5-man staff, one full rotation. And that would take place tomorrow at Dodger Stadium.

"Get ready for Game 2 against the Dodgers tomorrow, guys, it's crucial we take at least one from them," I informed the players over the loudspeaker.

Just have to keep chipping away. Game by game, series by series.

[mets57]

"Hey, John, sit down. I've been meaning to talk to you," I said.

He walked over slowly and sat down in one of the black reclining chairs I had in my office. He gave me his signature "Huh?" stare and I said, "There was a reason you didn't start yesterday."

"Huh? I did something?" He asked.

"Actually, John, we were afraid you wouldn't play to your fullest potential because it's the Dodgers and we know that, coming from Somerset, you must have been a Dodgers fan," I answered.

"No sir. I wouldn't do that," he said politely.

"Great to hear! This meeting is officially over. Expect to start today," I informed him.

"Okay," he said as he made his way out of the office. I told my secretary to bring in Gil.

He arrived, limping slightly, and I offered the chair that John had just sat in. Gratefully he sat down and gave me a "What's the meaning of this?" face.

"I just talked to Sullivan. He has no problem playing the Dodgers. Start him today," I said.

"Alright, Eli. I was going to start him anyway. Hawk isn't good for anything but a backup job as I'm figuring out," he responded.

"I may make a move soon, about that. For now just make the best with the guys you have. You're free to go whenever you want, I know you have to go look at the stats for today," I concluded.

He looked me in the face and opened his mouth, to say something, but then shut it.

"Say it," I demanded.

"Boyer. What the hell are we going to do?" he asked.

"Well, what do you mean? I know about the fans comment and the tantrums already, but is it THAT bad?" I asked him.

Gil said, "Eli, I can fix a lot of problems in the dugout. A rookie is having trouble fitting in, I can help him. Some guys quarrel about something stupid, I can quell it. Really, I'm a soothing presence in there. But we're talking about a guy who is realizing he doesn't have it anymore and taking it out in the clubhouse. This is not the image we're trying to portray. We're the New York Mets, we're representing this great city and Boyer is only hurting our image. You've seen what he's done, both on the field and in the dugout. It's time to end it."

I waited a second, processing what he said. I replied, "Who's going to want him? Older ballplayer with a bad attitude who just doesn't have it anymore."

He hadn't thought of that.

"No one, I guess," a look of resignation to the argument in his face.

"I'll fix it. I know I can," he said.

"Alright, Gil. But your job isn't on the line. I'm happy with the job you've been doing," I told him.

He lightened up. "Thanks Eli," he finished, and left.

And so it was settled. Time for Game 2.

[mets57]

New York Mets at Los Angeles Dodgers
April 6, 1967

                     1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 +  R  H  E
          Mets (NYM) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0    0  3  0
       Dodgers (LAD) 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 x    3  5  0

NEW YORK             ab  h bb  r hr bi  k sb     avg
C. Jones (CF)         4  0  0  0  0  0  1  0    .348
K. Boyer (3B)         4  0  0  0  0  0  2  0    .176
T. Davis (LF)         3  0  1  0  0  0  1  0    .150
E. Banks (1B)         2  1  2  0  0  0  0  0    .412
J. Lewis (RF)         3  2  0  0  0  0  0  0    .400
J. Buchek (2B)        3  0  0  0  0  0  1  0    .105
 L. Stahl (P)         1  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .000
J. Sullivan (C)       3  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .273
B. Harrelson (SS)     2  0  1  0  0  0  1  0    .235
B. Shaw (P)           2  0  0  0  0  0  1  0    .000
 A. Luplow (P)        1  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .200
 T. McGraw (P)        0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .000
TOTALS               28  3  4  0  0  0  7  0

   CS:  E. Banks

        NEW YORK   ip  h bb hr  r er  k pit    ERA
         B. Shaw  7.0  4  3  0  1  1  5  88   1.29
       T. McGraw  1.0  1  3  0  2  2  0  25  18.00
          TOTALS  8.0  5  6  0  3  3  5 113

LOS ANGELES          ab  h bb  r hr bi  k sb     avg
W. Parker (1B)        3  0  1  0  0  0  0  0    .261
J. Lefebvre (2B)      2  0  2  0  0  0  1  0    .091
W. Davis (CF)         3  1  1  1  0  0  0  1    .286
R. Fairly (RF)        3  0  1  1  0  0  2  0    .400
B. Bailey (3B)        4  0  0  0  0  0  1  0    .100
L. Johnson (LF)       4  1  0  0  0  2  1  0    .333
J. Roseboro (C)       3  1  0  1  0  0  0  1    .316
D. Schofield (SS)     2  2  1  0  0  1  0  0    .263
D. Sutton (P)         2  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .000
TOTALS               26  5  6  3  0  3  5  2

   2B:  L. Johnson (2)
   GIDP:  B. Bailey

     LOS ANGELES   ip  h bb hr  r er  k pit    ERA
       D. Sutton  9.0  3  4  0  0  0  7 102   0.50
          TOTALS  9.0  3  4  0  0  0  7 102

     WP: D. Sutton (2-0)
     LP: B. Shaw (0-1)

     Temperature: 50F
     Wind: 3 MPH (in from right)
     Attendance: 56,000
     Time: 2:12

Pitcher's duels had always fascinated me as a child. Watching one man single-handedly keep a 9-man team in check. It was something amazing, to me.

Now that I was a GM, pitcher's duels where I lost weren't all that fun. They were a reflection of a miserable offense.

It was a pitcher's duel, 1-0, until Tug McGraw (a feel good story who ate, slept, and breathed relief pitching) had a mini-meltdown coming on for Bob Shaw. He couldn't find the plate and finally threw one right down the middle and it got hammered down the 3B line for 2 runs. We escaped that inning with minimal damage, those being the only runs scored, but the score was not in our favor at 3-0 at that point.

We ended up losing by that same score. Can't say we didn't come close. Larry Stahl flied out to center with 2 guys on base in the top of the ninth.

Ken Boyer went 0-4. Taking his bat back to the dugout he swore and broke his bat by hitting it against the top dugout step repeatedly. If only he could punish the ball that way, we'd be in business. There would be a long article in the paper the next morning in the sports section, officially giving part 2 to the 'Boyer saga'. Oh joy, another problem. Little did I know that news about Boyer tomorrow morning would have just a little square at the bottom of the front page.

Little did I know anything about the shocking news I'd be delivered in hours.

What little I knew...

Stay tuned for when I hear huge news from a member of the team staff.

[mets57]

"Eli, hey, this is the team doctor. I have some...bad news. We checked out Grote today. He isn't affected by the injury anymore, but it impaired everything he could do. His arm is shot, and he can't hit any better than a high-schooler at this point. To keep him on the roster would be cruel," said our team physician on the answering machine.

I put down the phone. I could feel my blood get heavy running through my veins. I felt horrible. Grote was the heart and soul of this team. He'd do anything to just "suck it up and play", but he wasn't a competent Major Leaguer anymore. There was nothing I could do.

I dialed up my secretary and told her to send down Grote if she could.

Within 5-10 minutes, Jerry was walking through my office door with a down-and-out look. He didn't bother to look at me, just eyed the floor until he sat down in his seat.

"Jerry, I spoke with the team physici-"

He cut me off, "I know. They told me what happened and I'm really upset I can't help the team anymore. The Mets meant, and still mean, a lot to me. Is there anything I could do, any openings?"

I thought for a second.

"Jerry," I began, "I want you to be our hitting coach. I've been thoroughly disappointed with our lack of hitting and I want you to be our new guy to teach the players how to hit better than they have been. You know all of them well and they love you. Do you accept?"

Jerry Grote considered what I was offering.

"And how much would I be paid?" he asked.

We will keep you at your Major League contract with a raise to $20,000.

Without hesitation, he said, "Done deal. Thank you so much Mr. Nachmany."

Little did he know that he'd be our next manager.

[mets57]

New York Mets at Los Angeles Dodgers
April 7, 1967

                     1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 +  R  H  E
          Mets (NYM) 0 0 0 0 3 0 4 0 1    8 12  0
       Dodgers (LAD) 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 0    3 10  1

NEW YORK             ab  h bb  r hr bi  k sb     avg
C. Jones (CF)         5  3  0  1  0  0  1  2    .393
K. Boyer (3B)         4  2  1  2  1  3  2  0    .238
T. Davis (LF)         5  2  0  2  0  1  0  0    .200
E. Banks (1B)         4  1  1  1  1  3  0  0    .381
J. Lewis (RF)         5  1  0  0  0  1  2  0    .333
J. Buchek (2B)        5  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .083
J. Sullivan (C)       4  2  0  1  0  0  1  0    .333
B. Harrelson (SS)     3  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .200
T. Seaver (P)         4  1  0  1  0  0  2  0    .167
TOTALS               39 12  2  8  2  8  8  2

   2B:  T. Davis (1)
   HR:  E. Banks (3), K. Boyer (1)

        NEW YORK   ip  h bb hr  r er  k pit    ERA
       T. Seaver  9.0 10  0  1  3  3  9 129   3.18
          TOTALS  9.0 10  0  1  3  3  9 129

LOS ANGELES          ab  h bb  r hr bi  k sb     avg
W. Parker (1B)        3  1  0  0  0  1  1  0    .269
J. Lefebvre (2B)      4  2  0  0  0  0  0  0    .154
W. Davis (CF)         4  0  0  0  0  0  2  0    .240
R. Fairly (RF)        4  2  0  1  1  1  0  0    .417
B. Bailey (3B)        4  2  0  1  0  0  1  0    .167
L. Johnson (LF)       4  1  0  0  0  0  2  0    .320
J. Roseboro (C)       4  2  0  1  0  1  0  0    .348
D. Schofield (SS)     3  0  0  0  0  0  2  0    .227
C. Osteen (P)         2  0  0  0  0  0  1  0    .000
 B. Miller (P)        1  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .000
TOTALS               33 10  0  3  1  3  9  0

   2B:  B. Bailey (1)
   HR:  R. Fairly (3)
   HBP:  W. Parker
   CS:  J. Roseboro, J. Lefebvre 2

     LOS ANGELES   ip  h bb hr  r er  k pit    ERA
       C. Osteen  6.1 10  1  2  7  7  6  89   5.65
       B. Miller  2.2  2  1  0  1  1  2  36   3.38
          TOTALS  9.0 12  2  2  8  8  8 125

     WP: T. Seaver (1-1)
     LP: C. Osteen (0-2)

     Temperature: 61F
     Wind: 8 MPH (out to right)
     Attendance: 56,000
     Time: 2:28

With his recent struggles, I wondered what Ken Boyer would do when he finally had a good game. After he launched a clutch, three-run home run over the deep center field fence at Shea, I saw. A tear streamed down his cheek as he pointed one finger in the air signifying that he was number one. I couldn't have agreed more.

Tom Seaver had a good game, holding LA to just 3 runs on 10 hits and going the full nine, leaving with the win. He struck out 9 guys, just one K shy of the magical double digit K total. I talked to him about it after.

"I felt empowered out there. This was the team that broke the hearts of all of our fans. It was time for payback," he told me.

We finished the series at 2-4 on the season, not horrible for a team that had yet to escape the cellar. We had a chance to go up against the Phillies, and we'd see how we could do there.

Let's go Mets.

[mets57]

Philadelphia Phillies at New York Mets
April 8, 1967

                     1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 +  R  H  E
      Phillies (PHI) 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 0 1    4  9  1
          Mets (NYM) 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0    3 12  1

PHILADELPHIA         ab  h bb  r hr bi  k sb     avg
J. Briggs (CF)        5  2  0  0  0  0  1  0    .250
T. Gonzalez (LF)      4  0  1  0  0  0  1  0    .313
B. White (1B)         4  1  1  1  0  0  2  0    .280
D. Allen (3B)         3  2  1  1  1  2  0  0    .407
J. Callison (RF)      4  2  0  1  0  0  0  0    .241
D. Groat (SS)         3  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .259
T. Taylor (2B)        4  1  0  1  0  0  1  0    .303
C. Dalrymple (C)      4  1  0  0  0  1  0  0    .458
C. Short (P)          2  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .000
 T. Francona (P)      1  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .500
 B. Wilson (P)        0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .000
 G. Jackson (P)       0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .000
 J. Brandt (P)        0  0  0  0  0  1  0  0    .000
 P. Ramos (P)         0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0   1.000
TOTALS               34  9  3  4  1  4  5  0

   2B:  J. Briggs (1), J. Callison (3)
   HR:  D. Allen (3)

    PHILADELPHIA   ip  h bb hr  r er  k pit    ERA
        C. Short  6.0  9  4  0  2  2  6 106   3.75
       B. Wilson  1.0  2  0  0  0  0  2  18   5.79
      G. Jackson  1.0  1  1  0  1  0  1  24   0.00
        P. Ramos  1.0  0  0  0  0  0  0  11   6.00
          TOTALS  9.0 12  5  0  3  2  9 159

NEW YORK             ab  h bb  r hr bi  k sb     avg
C. Jones (CF)         4  2  1  0  0  0  0  0    .406
K. Boyer (3B)         4  1  1  1  0  0  1  0    .240
T. Davis (LF)         5  2  0  1  0  0  1  0    .233
E. Banks (1B)         5  3  0  0  0  2  1  0    .423
J. Lewis (RF)         5  1  0  0  0  0  2  0    .300
J. Buchek (2B)        4  0  1  0  0  0  2  0    .071
J. Sullivan (C)       3  0  1  1  0  0  1  0    .278
B. Harrelson (SS)     3  2  1  0  0  0  1  0    .261
V. Law (P)            2  1  0  0  0  0  0  0    .167
 T. McGraw (P)        0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .000
 L. Stahl (P)         1  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .000
 J. Hamilton (P)      0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .000
TOTALS               36 12  5  3  0  2  9  0

   2B:  E. Banks 2 (3), K. Boyer (2), T. Davis (2)
   GIDP:  K. Boyer
   CS:  C. Jones, B. Harrelson

        NEW YORK   ip  h bb hr  r er  k pit    ERA
          V. Law  7.0  5  1  1  3  3  3  87   2.25
       T. McGraw  1.0  2  1  0  0  0  1  24   9.00
     J. Hamilton  1.0  2  1  0  1  1  1  19   9.00
          TOTALS  9.0  9  3  1  4  4  5 130

     WP: G. Jackson (1-0)
     LP: J. Hamilton (0-1)
     SV: P. Ramos (2)

     Temperature: 58F
     Wind: Calm
     Attendance: 41,363
     Time: 2:54

Sometimes you can't blame one individual for a loss, or even two. That's why baseball is a team sport. The Mets lost today, not Jack Hamilton, or Jerry Buchek, or dare I say Ken Boyer. Boyer was back to his old ways after a big double in his first at-bat. The next time he came up he would ground into a rally-killing double play. Boyer didn't seem too upset, because he had been happy about his earlier double. Then things took a bad turn. He'd finish 1-4 and end up punching the dugout wall, thankfully only resulting in a sore hand and nothing more serious. I watched the dugout after his last at-bat, and the players cleared the steps as he went straight for the dugout wall. I caught a glimpse of sympathy on Vern Law's wrinkled face as he saw a man unable to do what he once could. Gil Hodges kept glancing up at my suite, then back at Boyer, a bit of an awe struck look across his face. Maybe it WAS time for him to go.

Ernie Banks had a respectable game, going 3-5 with 2 RBI.

"Kenny, what's going on buddy?" I asked as he waddled into my office.

"It's not going well, Eli, as you can see. I'm having bad game after bad game and I have no solution," he said. He then winced as he bent his knees to sit down.

"I have a solution-it's okay," I started. "Everyone has bad games, and it's not that you can't hit the ball anymore, you're just in a slump. You're still our Number 2 hitter.

"Just end the tantrums. It's creating a negative effect and some people have called for you to be traded. At times I agreed with them, but you're still here aren't you? I trust you, and the Mets trust you. Don't worry about it Kenny, it's all good."

His eyes sparkled with determination as he prepared to kill the ball the next time a pitcher threw to him. We had a Number 2 hitter. Just what we needed.

Let's Go Mets

[OldYankFan]

With nearly 2 months since the last post, I thought this one was gone.
Welcome Back.

[mets57]

OYF: Yes, the Tale of an Ace is back and shouldn't be down again

Philadelphia Phillies at New York Mets
April 9, 1967

                     1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 +  R  H  E
      Phillies (PHI) 0 0 0 2 0 2 0 0 0    4  6  0
          Mets (NYM) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0    0  6  1

PHILADELPHIA         ab  h bb  r hr bi  k sb     avg
J. Briggs (CF)        4  0  0  0  0  0  1  0    .188
T. Gonzalez (LF)      4  0  0  0  0  0  2  0    .278
B. White (1B)         4  1  0  1  0  0  0  0    .276
D. Allen (3B)         4  1  0  1  0  0  1  0    .387
J. Callison (RF)      3  2  1  2  2  4  0  0    .281
D. Groat (SS)         4  1  0  0  0  0  0  0    .258
T. Taylor (2B)        4  1  0  0  0  0  1  0    .297
C. Dalrymple (C)      3  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .407
R. Wise (P)           3  0  0  0  0  0  2  0    .000
TOTALS               33  6  1  4  2  4  7  0

   2B:  B. White (1)
   HR:  J. Callison 2 (4)
   GIDP:  T. Taylor

    PHILADELPHIA   ip  h bb hr  r er  k pit    ERA
         R. Wise  9.0  6  1  0  0  0  8 106   1.06
          TOTALS  9.0  6  1  0  0  0  8 106

NEW YORK             ab  h bb  r hr bi  k sb     avg
C. Jones (CF)         4  0  0  0  0  0  1  0    .361
K. Boyer (3B)         4  2  0  0  0  0  1  0    .276
T. Davis (LF)         4  1  0  0  0  0  1  0    .235
E. Banks (1B)         3  0  1  0  0  0  0  0    .379
J. Lewis (RF)         4  0  0  0  0  0  3  0    .250
J. Buchek (2B)        4  2  0  0  0  0  0  0    .125
J. Sullivan (C)       3  1  0  0  0  0  1  0    .286
B. Harrelson (SS)     3  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .231
R. Terry (P)          2  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .000
 T. McGraw (P)        1  0  0  0  0  0  1  0    .000
TOTALS               32  6  1  0  0  0  8  0

   3B:  J. Buchek (1)
   GIDP:  B. Harrelson

        NEW YORK   ip  h bb hr  r er  k pit    ERA
        R. Terry  7.0  6  0  2  4  4  5  90   5.93
       T. McGraw  2.0  0  1  0  0  0  2  29   4.50
          TOTALS  9.0  6  1  2  4  4  7 119

     WP: R. Wise (1-0)
     LP: R. Terry (0-2)

     Temperature: 55F
     Wind: Calm
     Attendance: 40,458
     Time: 2:32

Muddling through mediocrity has started to take on a bitter taste, as at 2-6 we stand. Callison killed us today, homering twice to put all of the 4 Phillies runs on the board. A bright spot in the loss was Ken Boyer, who went 2-4. He's on the path back, and I could see the childish happiness flashing across his face as he got to first on his second hit. Hodges and Law, the same two who were both bewildered and yet sympathetic by/for him yesterday were the two who clapped the loudest as his resurgence began. And today, Ken Boyer began.

Jerry Buchek had 2 hits, making up for his terrible performance the day before. Buchek was definitely maturing into the type of second baseman we wanted to lead us, along with those great prospects we had biding their time in AAA.

Tug McGraw pitched 2 scoreless, something to be proud of. I figure we'll stretch him out and make him pitch 2-inning saves. That may make it easier for us even without the strongest bullpen, as with McGraw pitching 2 it wouldn't matter as much if the other guys weren't as good-their roles would be minimized.

Let's avoid getting swept. Let's go Ken Boyer. But most importantly, let's go Mets.

PS: I love comments on this. One of the reasons I stopped writing was the lack of comments made me not feel it was worth it. Keep commenting guys, I really enjoy reading them.

[mets57]

Philadelphia Phillies at New York Mets
April 10, 1967

                     1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 +  R  H  E
      Phillies (PHI) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1    1  4  0
          Mets (NYM) 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 x    3  9  2

PHILADELPHIA         ab  h bb  r hr bi  k sb     avg
J. Briggs (CF)        3  0  1  0  0  0  0  0    .158
T. Gonzalez (LF)      2  1  1  0  0  0  0  0    .289
B. White (1B)         3  0  1  0  0  0  0  0    .250
D. Allen (3B)         3  0  0  0  0  0  1  0    .353
J. Callison (RF)      4  1  0  0  0  0  0  0    .278
D. Groat (SS)         4  1  0  1  0  0  0  0    .257
T. Taylor (2B)        4  1  0  0  0  0  1  0    .293
C. Dalrymple (C)      3  0  1  0  0  0  0  0    .367
J. Bunning (P)        1  0  0  0  0  0  1  0    .000
 T. Francona (P)      1  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .400
 B. Wilson (P)        0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .000
 J. Brandt (P)        1  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .000
TOTALS               29  4  4  1  0  0  3  0

   2B:  D. Groat (1), T. Gonzalez (3)
   HBP:  D. Allen, T. Gonzalez
   GIDP:  C. Dalrymple
   CS:  T. Gonzalez 2

    PHILADELPHIA   ip  h bb hr  r er  k pit    ERA
      J. Bunning  6.0  8  3  1  3  3  8  91   2.35
       B. Wilson  2.0  1  1  0  0  0  2  26   4.05
          TOTALS  8.0  9  4  1  3  3 10 117

NEW YORK             ab  h bb  r hr bi  k sb     avg
C. Jones (CF)         3  0  1  0  0  0  1  0    .333
K. Boyer (3B)         3  1  1  1  1  1  2  0    .281
T. Davis (LF)         4  1  0  0  0  0  0  0    .237
E. Banks (1B)         3  0  1  0  0  0  2  0    .344
J. Lewis (RF)         4  1  0  1  0  0  2  0    .250
J. Buchek (2B)        4  2  0  1  0  0  1  0    .167
J. Sullivan (C)       4  2  0  0  0  1  1  0    .320
B. Harrelson (SS)     3  1  0  0  0  1  0  1    .241
J. Fisher (P)         2  1  1  0  0  0  1  0    .250
TOTALS               30  9  4  3  1  3 10  1

   2B:  J. Lewis (2), J. Sullivan (1)
   HR:  K. Boyer (2)
   CS:  J. Buchek, C. Jones

        NEW YORK   ip  h bb hr  r er  k pit    ERA
       J. Fisher  9.0  4  4  0  1  0  3 117   3.68
          TOTALS  9.0  4  4  0  1  0  3 117

     WP: J. Fisher (1-1)
     LP: J. Bunning (1-1)

     Temperature: 52F
     Wind: 7 MPH (out to right)
     Attendance: 39,048
     Time: 2:21

This game would be huge for me. Remember my motivation for GMing the team? If you are too lazy to look back, I was upset that Met fans cared so little about their team that they cheered for Jim Bunning as he hurled a no-hitter at Shea. Bunning was good today, but the Mets were better. Him not throwing another no-hitter definitely helped. Jerry Buchek got us started with a nice little base knock. I guess not knowing what happened in '64 was the best for him - ignorance is bliss as some would say.

Ken Boyer hit another home run, and the fans now love him. He pumped his fist as he rounded first and I clapped as loud as I could from my suite as he conquered his demons, one at-bat at a time. Boyer's home run proved to give us a necessary insurance run in the ninth, helping Met fans keep faith until the final out. Boyer was all smiles again, and he even came out for a curtain call. The fans chanted "BOY-ER" as he tipped his hat, the swagger of a superstar as he once again realized the baseball talent that brought him here to the Major Leagues. He was a kid again, reborn through the magic of the long ball.

Thankfully we managed to keep Johnny Callison in check. He had hurt us the day before, but this time we had the upper hand. Callison was 1-4 with no extra base hits, a far cry from his 2 home run performance the previous day.

And then there's Jack Fisher. Attempting to prevent a sweep, this hurler would not be stopped as he went above and beyond the call of duty (haha, CoD would be released in 40 or so years), hurling 9 innings and giving up just a run in the 9th inning on a double play ball. Fisher flashed a malicious grin as he went after hitters following the first run, and I was certain he was going to finish what he started. I guess our pitching isn't that bad, and he gave McGraw and the rest of the 'pen the day off. I'm contemplating McGraw as my closer. We'll see how things work. If he keeps pitching well, I may have to call in Gil and discuss a reworking of the bullpen.

With our third baseman back, let's sweep the Reds. Let's go Mets.

[mets57]

New York Mets at Cincinnati Reds
April 12, 1967

                     1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 +  R  H  E
          Mets (NYM) 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0    4 13  0
          Reds (CIN) 0 3 0 0 3 0 1 0 x    7 11  0

NEW YORK             ab  h bb  r hr bi  k sb     avg
C. Jones (CF)         4  3  1  2  0  0  0  1    .372
K. Boyer (3B)         4  0  0  0  0  1  2  0    .250
T. Davis (LF)         5  1  0  0  0  0  1  0    .233
E. Banks (1B)         5  2  0  0  0  1  1  0    .351
J. Lewis (RF)         5  4  0  1  0  0  0  0    .333
J. Buchek (2B)        4  0  0  0  0  0  4  0    .150
 L. Stahl (P)         1  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .000
J. Sullivan (C)       3  2  1  1  0  0  1  0    .357
B. Harrelson (SS)     4  1  0  0  0  0  0  0    .242
B. Shaw (P)           2  0  0  0  0  0  1  0    .000
 J. Hamilton (P)      0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .000
 A. Luplow (P)        1  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .182
 T. McGraw (P)        0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .000
 S. Alomar (P)        0  0  0  0  0  1  0  0    .000
 R. Taylor (P)        0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .000
TOTALS               38 13  2  4  0  3 10  1


        NEW YORK   ip  h bb hr  r er  k pit    ERA
         B. Shaw  4.2  9  2  1  6  6  1  80   5.40
     J. Hamilton  0.1  0  0  0  0  0  0   1   6.75
       T. McGraw  2.0  2  1  0  1  1  1  40   4.50
       R. Taylor  1.0  0  1  0  0  0  0  19   0.00
          TOTALS  8.0 11  4  1  7  7  2 140

CINCINNATI           ab  h bb  r hr bi  k sb     avg
P. Rose (2B)          5  1  0  0  0  0  0  0    .326
F. Robinson (RF)      4  1  1  1  0  0  0  0    .286
V. Pinson (CF)        5  2  0  1  0  0  1  0    .295
T. Perez (1B)         3  1  1  2  0  1  0  0    .250
D. Johnson (LF)       4  2  0  1  0  1  1  0    .233
D. Pavletich (C)      2  1  1  1  0  0  0  0    .429
L. Cardenas (SS)      4  3  0  1  1  5  0  0    .250
T. Helms (3B)         4  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .333
J. Maloney (P)        2  0  1  0  0  0  0  0    .222
 A. Shamsky (P)       1  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .143
 J. Baldschun (P)     0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .000
TOTALS               34 11  4  7  1  7  2  0

   2B:  F. Robinson (2), D. Johnson (3)
   HR:  L. Cardenas (2)
   HBP:  D. Pavletich
   GIDP:  D. Pavletich

      CINCINNATI   ip  h bb hr  r er  k pit    ERA
      J. Maloney  8.0 11  2  0  4  4  9 143   3.47
    J. Baldschun  1.0  2  0  0  0  0  1  23   0.00
          TOTALS  9.0 13  2  0  4  4 10 166

     WP: J. Maloney (2-0)
     LP: B. Shaw (0-2)
     SV: J. Baldschun (1)

     Temperature: 52F
     Wind: 4 MPH (in from center)
     Attendance: 16,237

We lost Game 1 to Cincinnati. They had this kid Rose playing second for them. In his eyes was this strange thing. Almost made me feel like he was bound to do something wrong. Like, he was going to cheat or something. I can't quite put my finger on it.

Bud Harrelson had a bad day. He was 1-4 and when he got back to the clubhouse, he just showered and went home, not bothering to talk to anyone on the way. I got a call from his girlfriend later on. She was an slightly above-average looking lady who really cared about Buddy, and I picked up the phone on the second ring.

"Hey El, Barb here," she said in a Bronx accent.

"Oh, hey Barbara, how is everything going?"

"Okay on my front, but Buddy here isn't so well."

"Well, what's wrong with him?"

"He's complaining about his right calf. I've been trying to get him to go down to the trainer but he just won't. Would you knock some sense into him?"

"Sure thing Barb, let me talk to him," I said.

I heard the shifting of the phone, and Buddy picked up. I could sense he was a little down from his bad performance but he cut straight to business when I asked him about the injury.

"What is this I hear about your calf?" I asked.

"Sir, it's my right calf. It feels like I pulled it or something like that. I don't feel like going to the trainer tonight though. Can you send a guy down here?"

"Sure thing Bud, a guy will be on his way soon."

Bud Harrelson would be out for 2 days with a strained right calf. I figured I'd keep him active and just make sure Gil didn't use him. Bart Shirley would replace him, batting 8th. Bart was a 27-year old kid who never got any playing time anywhere. He always did what he was told but I could see hunger for playing time under his "yes sir" facade. Maybe he'd make something out of this chance.

Until tomorrow, we are 3-7 on the year. Not terrible for this joke of a team, but I'd like to get a little better. We'll see what we can do tomorrow. With Tom Seaver, our ace, going to the mound, I think we have a shot.

[mets57]

Sorry I haven't updated in a while, I've been swamped. For those who still care

New York Mets at Cincinnati Reds
April 13, 1967

                     1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 +  R  H  E
          Mets (NYM) 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 2 2    7  9  0
          Reds (CIN) 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 4 0    5  9  1

NEW YORK             ab  h bb  r hr bi  k sb     avg
C. Jones (CF)         5  2  0  0  0  2  1  0    .375
K. Boyer (3B)         5  1  0  1  1  1  0  0    .244
T. Davis (LF)         5  1  0  1  1  1  1  0    .229
E. Banks (1B)         4  3  0  2  1  1  0  0    .390
J. Lewis (RF)         3  0  0  0  0  0  2  0    .306
J. Buchek (2B)        4  1  0  1  0  0  1  0    .159
J. Sullivan (C)       3  1  1  1  0  1  0  0    .355
B. Shirley (SS)       4  0  0  0  0  1  1  0    .000
T. Seaver (P)         3  0  0  0  0  0  1  0    .111
 A. Luplow (P)        0  0  1  1  0  0  0  0    .182
 T. McGraw (P)        0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .000
TOTALS               36  9  2  7  3  7  7  0

   2B:  C. Jones (2)
   HR:  E. Banks (4), K. Boyer (3), T. Davis (1)
   HBP:  J. Lewis
   GIDP:  T. Davis

        NEW YORK   ip  h bb hr  r er  k pit    ERA
       T. Seaver  8.0  7  2  1  5  5 11 127   3.96
       T. McGraw  1.0  2  0  0  0  0  1  13   3.86
          TOTALS  9.0  9  2  1  5  5 12 140

CINCINNATI           ab  h bb  r hr bi  k sb     avg
P. Rose (2B)          5  1  0  1  0  1  0  0    .314
F. Robinson (RF)      4  1  0  1  1  1  0  0    .282
V. Pinson (CF)        3  0  1  0  0  1  1  0    .277
T. Perez (1B)         3  0  0  0  0  1  0  0    .233
D. Johnson (LF)       4  2  0  0  0  1  2  0    .265
D. Pavletich (C)      4  0  0  0  0  0  4  0    .375
L. Cardenas (SS)      4  2  0  1  0  0  2  1    .273
T. Helms (3B)         3  1  1  1  0  0  1  0    .333
G. Nolan (P)          2  0  0  0  0  0  2  0    .000
 J. Baldschun (P)     0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .000
 L. May (P)           1  1  0  1  0  0  0  0    .200
 B. McCool (P)        0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .000
 T. Harper (P)        1  1  0  0  0  0  0  0    .375
TOTALS               34  9  2  5  1  5 12  1

   HR:  F. Robinson (2)
   GIDP:  P. Rose

      CINCINNATI   ip  h bb hr  r er  k pit    ERA
        G. Nolan  7.1  8  1  3  5  5  5  99   4.43
    J. Baldschun  0.2  0  0  0  0  0  1   8   0.00
       B. McCool  1.0  1  1  0  2  1  1  27   1.59
          TOTALS  9.0  9  2  3  7  6  7 134

     WP: T. Seaver (2-1)
     LP: B. McCool (0-1)
     SV: T. McGraw (1)

     Temperature: 49F
     Wind: Calm
     Attendance: 16,966
     Time: 2:59

A win. A save. Back-to-back home runs. All in a days work for the new look, New York Mets. The first save in my GMing tenure goes to, who other than, Tug McGraw.

Ken Boyer hit a home run. His face lit up as he made the best of a previously 0-3 day. He rounded the bases with his fist up in the air and it was then, I knew, this guy still had it.

After that Tommy Davis hit a home run out of the stadium. No one has found the ball yet, but the tape-measure blast served it's purpose, giving us a 2-0 early lead.

Gil Hodges refused to hook Seaver when he was out gas in the 8th, and he gave up 5 runs to tie the game. In the bottom of the inning, Jones hit a ball cleanly down the 3B line to give our club the lead, and McGraw let 2 runners get on but nailed it down.

Something REALLY intrigues me about this Rose kid. He could set hitting records, the kid is definitely something special.