centerfield maz

Tuesday July 24th , 1984 :   In 1984 t h ere was so much excitement around the Shea Stadium it was truly magical. Davey Johnson's Mets were twenty games over .500 (57-37) riding high in first place with a 2.5 game lead over the Chicago Cubs. The previous night, the Mets won the game on a 12th inning walk off base hit from Wally Backman off reliever, former Met Neil Allen.  On this night they took on Whitey Herzog's St. Louis Cardinals (47-52) as the rivalry between the two teams was just starting to heat up.  Tonight, that Keith Hernandez one of the Mets stars & most popular players would get some revenge on his old team. In 1983,  the former NL MVP  Hernandez had come over to New York in a trade with the Cardinals.  Manager Whitey Herzog clashed with Keith's personality. He felt Keith wasn't giving it 100% on the field & suspected he was using cocaine. Keith had won five straight Gold Gloves, the 1979 batting title & co NL MVP Award, as well ...

 July 24th, 1965:  After a 5-1 loss to the Jim Bunning & the Phillies that afternoon at Shea, Mets manager Casey Stengel had a night out at the legendary Toots Shor's Restaurant. This was the second location of Toots Shor's located on 52nd St off Sixth Avenue.  Casey was joined by old time baseball players from the New York Giants & the Brooklyn Dodgers, both teams in which Casey played on in his playing career. Casey was to have a mile stone birthday the following week turning 75. After leaving the event, he did not go home to his usual apartment at the Essex House on Central Park South, where he lived during the baseball season. Mostly due to the fact that his wife Edna was in California at their Glendale home suffering with an eye infection. Casey was driven to the home of a Mets executive, Joseph Gregorio where he was to spend the night, in the Malba section of Whitestone, Queens close to Shea Stadium. The home was located at 1-12 Malba drive near the Whitesto...

Sunday July 25th, 1965: The game was originally scheduled to be a birthday celebration for Mets manager Casey Stengel who was to turn 75 the following week while the Mets were on the road. But Casey had stumbled fracturing his hip getting out of a car the night before after a night out at Toots Shor's Restaurant.  The Mets organization was to present him with a remote control stereo, the players with a silver bowl.  The broadcasters (Bob Murphy, Ralph Kiner & Lindsey Nelson) were to present a color TV set & the Baseball writers a tie clasp with a diamond stud for each of his 53 years in baseball. Even the president of the United States, Lyndon Johnson sent a message. The city of St. Petersburg where the Mets held Spring Training & the future home of Stengel Field even sent Miss St. Petersburg, dolled up in an orange dress to represent the City along with a plaque in his honor. The 39,288 fans that came to see the Mets take on the Phillies that day in an afternoon ...

Tuesday July 22nd, 1986: Davey Johnson's eventual World Champion Mets were riding high 13 games up in first place of the NL East. The team was very confident & very cocky.  Controversy was still surrounding the club after an incident in Houston where four of the Mets had been arrested at a popular night spot.  On this road trip, tonight the Mets were about to conquer Cincinnati as another on the field brawl would just add to their rowdy legacy. The Mets (62-28) were at Riverfront Stadium taking on Pete Rose's fourth place Reds (44-47) in front of 23,707 fans as  the Mets Bobby Ojeda went up against the Reds Scott Terry. The game began quietly, in the top of the 2nd although the Mets loaded the vases they were unable to score.  In the bottom of the 3rd inning, Scott Terry singled & slugger Dave Parker hit his 21st HR of the season, a two-run shot giving the Reds a 2-0 lead.  In the top of the 5th, Rafael Santana drew a walk then was forced, as Bo...

Friday July 22nd, 1966: On July 19th the Mets left for a West Coast Road trip that landed them in San Francisco for two games, then to Los Angeles for four games & then to Houston for three games. The trip would last 11 days with the travel days included. For the Mets young 22-year-old outfielder, Ron Swoboda, it was nerve racking, because his wife Cecilia was back in New York about to give berth at any moment. The Mets were on a six-game win streak, having swept the Astros in a four-game set at She Stadium & then taking two from the Giants at Candlestick Park. This was the team's longest winning streak in their five-year existence since joining the National League in 1962.  1966 was also the team's first year that they would not be in last place at any point in the season. The Mets were just in their fifth season in the National League. Tonight, the Mets were at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, playing Walt Alston's reigning World Series Champion Dodgers. That year ...