Former Italian / American Met of the Day: John Cangelosi (1994)

John Anthony Cangelosi was born on March 10, 1963 in Brooklyn, New York. The small 5 foot eight switch hitting Italian American played hard to make up for his size. After attending Miami Dade Community College he was drafted by the White Sox in 1982. In 1986 he was the surprise of White Sox Spring Training taking the centerfield job from Daryl Boston & Rudy Law. He only hit .235 that season, but stole 50 bases, second most in the American League. He walked 71 times, hit 16 doubles and drove in a career high 32 runs. Cangelosi would go on to be a backup outfielder in Pittsburgh, Texas, Houston, Florida, Colorado & one season with the New York Mets.

He signed as a free agent for the 1994 season, and returned home to the New York City area. Cangelosi began the year as a pinch hitter & reserve outfielder. In his second game in a Mets uniform he got a pinch hit single, stayed in the game and drew a walk & scored two runs. In a May game in Montreal, he had a four hit day, driving in two runs. That month he had 14 hits seeing the most action, 23 games, & playing all outfield positions.

That season he played in 62 games for the Mets batting .252 with five stolen bases which were enough to lead the slow footed team. Of his 28 hits, he had four doubles & drove in four runs.

That summer in a game against the Braves, Cangelosi got plunked by John Smoltz after Ryan Thompson took his time rounding the bases after a grand slam. Cangelosi charged the mound only to get tackled from behind by former Met, catcher Charlie O’Brien. Iit was the first time Cangelosi had ever charged the mound in his career, and the second time that season Smoltz had hit him with a pitch. "Obviously, Ryan Thompson hit a grand slam and he was frustrated," Cangelosi said. "We were hitting him pretty good today. But just because someone's hitting you and you're not doing your job, that doesn't mean you should hit somebody else." All in all Cangelosi was released at the end of June as the team continued to struggle.

The next season he stole 21 bases in Houston, batting a career high .318 in 90 games. He stole 17 bases the next year, before moving on to the Florida Marlins. He was the first Marlin position player in their history to pitch a game that July. In his career he made three pitching appearances, never allowing a run in four innings pitched. He appeared in seven post season games for the 1997 Champion Marlins, going 1-3 in the World Series. He finished his 13 year career in 1999 batting .250 with 501 hits 12 HRs 73 doubles 134 RBIs & 154 stolen bases. After his playing days he started the successful Cangelosi Baseball Academy in the Chicago area.

Former Met of the Day: Ed Bouchee (1962)

Edward Francis Bouchee was born on March 7, 1933 in Livingston, Montana. The left handed first baseman was drafted out of Washington State University by the Spokane Indians. He served two years in the Korean War and made it to the majors by 1956 with the Phillies. In his first full season he hit 17 HRs with 76 RBIs and batted .293 winning the Sporting News Rookie of the Year Award. He was third in the league in doubles, on base percentage & fourth in walks, while leading the league in hit by pitches.

Troubles came to him the next year, he was charged with indecent exposure, after exposing himself to two young girls. He pleaded guilty received treatment & was put on three years probation. He returned to the Phillies later in the season. In 1959 he hit .285 with 15 HRs & 74 RBIs. In May of 1960 he was traded to the Cubs (with future 1969 Met) Don Cardwell for Tony Taylor & Cal Neeman. He hit for a .245 average the next two seasons and then got drafted by the Mets in the 1961 expansion draft.

Bouchee would play 50 games for the ’62 Mets, 19 as a backup first baseman. He was also be used as a pinch hitter, batting .161 with 3 HRs,10 RBIs & a pair of doubles. On April 18th, he hit a three run, pinch hit HR against the Cardinals, earning him a start at first the next day. He hit another HR that day, getting three hits. At the end of the month he hit another three run, pinch hit HR at the Polo Grounds, but it would be his last MLB HR. He spent the rest of the season & the next in the international league before calling it quits in baseball. In his seven year career he batted .265 with 61 HRs 290 RBIs & 114 doubles.

Retirement: He went on to hold a management position at the Adelco Company for many years until his retirement.

Former Met of the Day: Galen Cisco (1962-1966)

Galen Bernard Cisco was born on March 7, 1936 in Ohio. Cisco went to Ohio State and was full back for the 1957 National Champions. He was also a star baseball player for Buckeyes and is in their Hall of Fame in both sports. The five foot eleven, 200 lb right-hander chose baseball & signed with the Boston Red Sox in 1958. He made his debut in 1961 and went 6-11 with an ERA way over six in parts of two seasons before Boston released him.

In September of 1962 the Mets picked him up off waivers and he immediately went to work going 1-1 in four games. The curve ball specialist started out 1963 going 1-4 and would eventually end up in the bullpen but returned making spot starts. He went on to lose 15 games that year, 9th worst in the league, but three pitchers on the Mets staff lost more than him. His best outing was a 10 inning one run performance at Milwaukee on August 2nd. His record was 7-15 with a 4.34 ERA, pitching 155 innings allowing 165 hits, while striking out only 81 batters.



1964 started out with two losses for Cisco, but he was soon 3-4 with a 2.30 ERA in May and things were looking good. But then all of a sudden he lost seven of his next eight starts and finished the year losing six of seven decisions. He ended up with 19 losses that year (6-19) second worst in the league to only team mate Roger Craig. His 3.62 ERA went along with 78 strikeouts in 191 innings pitched, not all that bad. In 1965 he spent more time in the bullpen going 4-8 in only 35 games with a 4.49 ERA.



His best outing was a complete game four hit shut out on July 29th against the Cubs at Wrigley. At the plate he batted .259 getting 7 hits in 27 at bats that season, driving in four runs. Cisco drove in four runs the years before & three runs the year before. In June of 1966 he was released by the Mets & picked up by Boston. He finished his seven year career at Kansas City in 1969. His record was 25-56 with a 4.56 ERA in 192 appearances, throwing nine complete games, three shutouts, & earning two saves.


Retirement: Following his playing retirement, Cisco became a respected pitching coach for the Royals, Expos, Padres, Phillies & Toronto Blue Jays. In six seasons with the Blue Jays (1990-1995), his staff won three consecutive AL East titles (1991-93) and two World Series (1992-93).

Former Italian /American Brooklyn Dodger: Carl Furillo "The Reading Rifle"

Carl Anthony Furillo was born March 8th 1922 in Stony Creek Mills, Pennsylvania. He grew up four miles outside of Reading, PA and played on their baseball team. His threw so hard, he earned the nickname “The Reading Rifle”. They tried to convert him to a pitcher but he was too wild, and it was a danger to batters lives. After serving in World War II he got to the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1946 and hit .284 in 117 games. By 1947 he was batting .295 and he would hit over .290 eleven times in his fifteen year career.

He would make two All Star teams, and hit over .300 five times. In 1953 he led the league in hitting (.344) and scored 90 runs for the first of three straight seasons. He still won the batting title even though his season was cut short playing in 132 games. The famous Dodgers Giants rivalry heated up once again, as Furillo got plunked on the wrist by pitcher Giants Ruben Gomez. Furillo was infuriated and charged Giants manager Leo Durocher in the dugout for calling the pitch.

A brawl broke out & Furillos hand was stepped on causing him to miss the rest of the season. Furillo said “We hated the Giants, I just hated that uniform”.
Furillo’s hitting put him among the league’s top hitters, as he was in the top 10 in batting five times in his career. Furillo wasn’t really a power hitter but drove in over 90 runs six times and hit over 18 HRs five times on some very talented Dodger teams. He hit over 30 doubles four times and scored over 90 runs three times. The only flaw he had was his slow running, which earned him the name “skoonj” short for scungilli, A slow snail like sea creature that taste pretty good. His slow running led him to hit into many double plays as well.

On the field Furillo was outstanding. He played the tricky right field wall at Ebbets Field in front of the famous Abe Stark sign, hit this sign and win a suit. Not many balls got passed Furillo near the sign. He would have 10 or more outfield assists for nine straight seasons, and once threw out Pittsburgh’s Mel Queen running to first base on a would be single. He would end his career with 151 outfield assists, and a .979 fielding percentage. He turned 34 double plays, and only made 74 errors in 1739 games played.

Post Season: He would go on to play in seven World Series during the Brooklyn Boys of Summer hey days. In his first World Series (1947) he hit .353 going 6-21 with two doubles & three RBIs. In the 1952 Series, he made a spectacular catch over the fence on a near HR by Johnny Mize in the 11th inning of a 6-5 game. In the 1953 Series he hit a two run HR in the top of the 9th inning to tie up Game #6. Overall he hit .333 with four RBIs in that Series. Furillo was a member Brooklyn’s 1955 Championship team, starting out going 3-4 in Game #1 with a HR and two runs scored. Overall he hit .296 (8-27) in the Series. He played in the last Brooklyn World Series in 1956 and the first Los Angeles Dodger Series as well in 1959. In Game #3 of the ’59 Fall Classic, Furillo drove in the winning run on a bases loaded pinch hit single in the bottom of the 9th inning.

In 1960 he tore his calf muscle and the Dodgers released him. He then sued the team saying they released him to avoid the 15 year higher pension payout & were avoiding his medical costs. He won $21,000 in the settlement, but would be black balled from any jobs in baseball after that. The commissioner’s office denied these charges. Lifetime Furillo hit .299 with 1910 hits 192 HRs 1058 RBIs 324 doubles & 56 triples in 1806 games played.

Retirement: Furillo ran a butcher shop in Flushing, Queens during the sixties. He then worked for the Otis Elevator Co. and installed elevator shafts for the World Trade Center in the early seventies. He moved back to the Reading, PA area and developed leukemia. He passed away in 1989 of an apparent heart attack in Stony Mills at age 66.

Former Italian / American Player: Al Gionfriddo (Brooklyn 1947)

Albert Francis Gionfriddo was born on March 8th, 1922 in Dysart, Pennsylvania. The Italian American debuted with the Pirates in 1944 and the next season played his only full season. He hit .284 as a regular outfielder, striking out only 22 times in 406 at bats, hitting 2 HRs with 42 RBIs 18 doubles 9 triples (6th in the league) & 74 runs scored. He also stole 12 bases which were 10th in the league. In 1947 he was traded to the Brooklyn Dodgers along with $100,000 for five players including Gene Mauch. In 37 games he hit only .177. But it was one World Series in Brooklyn that Gionfriddo would become famous for.

In Game #4 of the 1947 World Series, A.L. New York pitcher Bill Bevan had a no hitter going into the 9th inning. Carl Furillo walked and Gionfriddo came in to pinch run for him. After another walk, Cookie Lavagetto got the first & only Dodger hit of the game scoring the two runs for the dramatic victory.



In Game #6 the Dodgers led 8-5 in the 6th inning when Gionfriddo was brought in to play leftfield. With two men on, Joe DiMaggio blasted a shot to the 415 foot mark in left field. Gionfriddo raced across the field and reached over the fence to make the catch. His hat fell off, and DiMaggio in a rare show of emotion kicked the dirt while approaching second base. In the Series Al went hitless in three at bats, but stole a base & scored two important runs, plus made one of the best catches in World Series history.


The next season he was back in the minors & spent three years there as a player before becoming a minor league manager. In his brief four season career he played in 228 games batting .266 with 2 HRs 58 RBIs 22 doubles & 12 triples.


Retirement: He retired from pro ball by 1960 and scouted for the Reds. He was an athletic director in Santa Barbra & opened a restaurant as well. He suffered a heart attack & passed away while playing golf in Solvang California in 2003, at age 81.

Former Met of the Day: Jeff Kent (1992-1996)

Jeffrey Franklin Kent was born on March 7, 1968 in Bellflower, California. He was drafted by the Blue Jays in the 20th round of the 1988 draft. He got into 65 games for the 1992 Blue Jays hitting 8 HRs with 35 RBIs and batting .240. On August 27, 1992 the Mets received Kent & Ryan Thompson in the trade for David Cone. He would be the Mets primary second baseman until midway through the 1996 season.

In his first full season with the Mets he hit 21 HRs with 24 doubles driving in 80 RBIs. In 1994 he was the team’s offensive leader, leading the team with 121 hits, 24 doubles, 5 triples. 68 RBIs, and a .292 batting average. His HR numbers fell off to only 14 which would be his lowest until 2006, albeit his 1996 season. He returned in 1995 with 20 HRs 22 doubles 65 RBIs and a .278 batting average. Although his numbers were good, Kent was not a good fit in New York. He earned the reputation as being difficult in the club house, and with the media. He was very isolated and kept to himself. One of his only good gestures was allowing Willie Randolph to play second base in his last career game, Kent moved over to short. The Mets had enough of his poor attitude by 1996 and although he was hitting .290 in July, he was traded along with Jose Vizcaino to Cleveland for Carlos Baerga. This was not a good deal for New York.

Kent was out of Cleveland after the season, getting traded for Matt Williams. He then went on to San Francisco, Houston & Los Angeles becoming one of the games best run producers & hitters of his era. In the next decade he would hit over .290 & drive in over 100 runs eight times, hit over 30 HRs three times & hit over 40 doubles four times. He would get elected to five All Star teams and win the 2000 NL MVP Award (33 HRs,125 RBIs, 41 doubles & bat .334).

He had the most success in his Giants years batting behind Barry Bonds, and playing for Jeff Kent, although he was still controversial. He told the Giants he had broken his wrist while washing his truck, but reports said he was popping wheelies & doing stunts on his motorcycle, which violated his contract. Kent & Bonds relationship was filled with tension as well, coming to a head during a dugout shoving match in 2002. He left the team for Houston once Dusty Baker was gone.

Post Season: He played in seven post season Series batting .276 with 9 HRs, 23 RBIs & 11 doubles in 49 games. In the 2002 World Series he had 3 HRs with 7 RBIs batting .276 (8-29).

Kent retired after the 2008 season & is the all time HR leader among second baseman. He remains high up on the all time list in many categories, 377 HRs (63rd) 1518 RBIs (48th) 2461 hits (99th) 560 doubles (21st) & 2298 games played (100th).

Former Italian / American Met of the Day: Mauro Gozzo (1993-1994)

Mauro Paul Gozzo was born on March 7, 1966 in New Britain, Connecticut. The Italian American was nicknamed “Goose”. He was drafted by the Mets in the 13th round of the 1984 draft and went 11-4 at Memphis, A ball the next season. On March 27, 1987 he was traded with Ed Hearn & Rick Anderson to the Kansas City Royals for David Cone and Chris Jelic. He went to Toronto, Cleveland & Minnesota before returning to the Mets in 1993.

The right handed reliever went 0-1 in 10 games with a save in 1993 as a reliever. He got a chance as a starter in 1994 and in early May earned two straight victories, against The Cards & Braves. He ended up back in the pen, and his next four decisions were all losses. He finished the season up 3-5 with a 4.83 ERA in 23 games. His playing career ended after six brief seasons going 8-8 with a save & 5.30 ERA. He went on to be a director in the amateur athletic union.

Former Met of the Day: Larry Elliot (1964-1967)

Lawrence Lee Elliot was born on March 5, 1938 in San Diego, California. He was signed by the Pirates in 1968 and made only a handful of appearances in 1962 & 1963. He was purchased by the Mets in December 1963.

In 1964 he was primarily Jim Hickman’s backup centerfielder, seeing action in 63 games , and making another 17 appearances as a pinch hitter. Overall he only hit .228 with 9 HRs, 8 doubles & 22 RBIs. His best day was getting 3 hits, including a HR and four RBIs on July 18th at Shea, vs. Houston in the Mets 6-3 win. Elliot missed the entire 1965 season, then resurfaced in 1966, hitting .246 with 5 HRs & a career high 32 RBIs & 14 doubles. That season he played all three outfield positions and appeared 11 times as a pinch hitter. During an August ’66 road trip, he had three straight two RBI games, and had 18 RBIs from the end of July through the end of August.


On May 10th 1967, the Mets traded him to the Kansas City A’s along with $50,000 cash for "The Glider" Ed Charles. In four short seasons, Elliot batted .236 with 15 HRs & 56 RBIs playing in 157 games.

Former Mets Coach: Cookie Rojas (1997-2000)

Octavio Victor Rojas Rivas was born on March 6, 1939 in Havana Cuba. His father wanted him to be a doctor, but Cookie wanted to play baseball for the Havana Sugar Kings instead. He was then signed as a second baseman by the Reds and after one season (1962) was traded to the Phillies.

There he hit over .290 twice, including .303 (8th in the league) in 1965 when he made his first All Star team. He spent seven seasons in Philadelphia, where he played second base, as well as outfield and a handful of games at short, first, two games at catcher & even pitched once. He was amongst the league’s top 10 in singles twice & sacrifice hits twice, leading the league with 16 in 1967. In

October 1969 he was part of the famous Curt Flood trade, going with Dick Allen and Jerry Johnson to the St. Louis Cardinals for Tim McCarver, Curt Flood, Byron Browne, & Joe Hoerner. He struggled mightily & by June he was sent to Kansas City for Fred Rico.

He became one of the AL’s best second baseman into the mid seventies, making four straight All Star teams (1971-1974). In 1971 he batted .300 & posted a .991 fielding percentage becoming a Royal's fan favorite. In the 1972 All Star Game at Atlanta he became the first AL player born outside of the United States to hit a HR in an All Star Game.

He would have fielding percentages over .980 through the 1975 season, never making more than 13 errors in a season. He was primarily a singles hitter, making good contact and not striking out to often. He was among the leaders in at bats per strike outs six different times, leading the league once. He didn’t hit for power, (as most second baseman didn’t in those days) never hitting more than 9 HRs & drove in a career high 69 RBIs in 1974. He played in two ALCS batting .333 with an RBI in 1976. He was eventually released by the Royals after the 1977 season, with the arrival of Frank White. Rojas would play 1833 MLB games and bat .263 lifetime.

After his playing days he became a coach, scout & had two brief stints as manager with the Angeles in 1988 & the Marlins in 1996. He was only the third Cuban born manager to ever manage in the major leagues.

Rojas was the Mets third base coach under Bobby Valentine from 1997-2000.

During the 1999 post season Rojas came down the coaching line and argued a foul ball call with umpire Charlie Williams. Next he got into a shoving match and was suspended for five games. Rojas returned as the third base coach during the 2000 Mets pennant season, before leaving the organization.

He currently does Spanish broadcast for the Florida Marlins. He is the father of former MLB player Victor Rojas who currently works on the MLB Network.

Former Italian /American Mets Coach: Sam Perlozzo (1987-1989)

Samuel Benedict Perlozzo was born on March 4, 1951 in Cumberland, Maryland. He attended George Washington University, and was signed by the Twins in 1972. He was one of the top shortstops in the Florida State league, spending seven seasons in the minors, with the exception of a 10 game cup of coffee in 1977.

He tripled in the last game of the season, and scored a run on Rod Carew’s 100 RBI. He saw action at second & third base at the major league level. Perlozzo was released by the Twins at the end of Spring Training 1979, and got signed by the Padres in 1980. He saw action in only two more MLB games before getting signed by the Mets in 1981. He spent the year at Tidewater as a player/coach, before hanging them up to concentrate on managing.

He went through the Mets organization, managing the NY Penn. League Little Falls Mets in 1982. He then managed the 1983 single A Lynchburg Mets to 96 wins. He was the Carolina league Manager of the Year, getting promoted to the AA Jackson Mets, then getting named Baseball America’s manager of the year. He won two straight championships & three first place finishes, getting promoted to AAA Tidewater in 1986.

In 1987 Davey Johnson brought Perlozzo in to coach third base for the big league team at Shea. He remained with the Mets through 1989, eventually moving to the Reds, with Lou Pinella then going with him to Seattle.

In 1996 he rejoined Davey Johnson, this time in his home state of Maryland, in Baltimore, as the Orioles third base coach. He eventually moved over as the O’s bench coach under Mike Hargrove then former Mets crony Lee Mazzilli. When Mazzilli was fired, Perlozzo got the job as manager in August of 2005. He somehow managed to convince his childhood friend, and former Italian American, Leo Mazzone to leave Atlanta and join him as the Orioles pitching coach. He was fired in 2007 and went on to coach for the Mariners again, and then the Phillies. Perlozzo spent their championship season in the third base coaching box.

Former Met of the Day: Tom Grieve (1978)

Thomas Allen Grieve was born on March 4, 1948 in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. He is nicknamed TAG because of his initials. Grieve was the 1966 first round draft pick (6th pick overall) for the Washington Senators. He hit only .198 in 47 games in his rookie season, the Senators last year in Washington D.C. He move to Arlington, Texas as the Senators became the Rangers in 1972. He played an average of 70 games in each of the next three seasons, batting .309 in 1974.

In 1975 he became a regular outfielder appearing in 118 games, batting .276, with 14 HRs & 61 RBIs. The next season was his best, 20 HRs, 81 RBIs & 23 doubles, while batting .255. Injuries set him back in 1977 as his average fell to .225 with 7 HRs in just 79 games. The late seventies Mets management saw something they liked in Grieve, and in December 1977 he was involved in a four team, 11 player trade that sent Jon Matlack to Texas. The Mets received Grieve and a player to be named later (Ken Henderson) from the Rangers.

In his third game as a Met, he hit a HR in the 9th inning off Rudy May of Montreal, tying a game the Mets would eventually win in extra innings. Grieve would only play 54 games and get 101 at bats with the Mets before being traded to the Cardinals for pitcher Pete Falcone. He primarily played right field, hitting .208 (21-108) with 2 HRs & 8 RBIs. He had seven hits in June with two multiple hit games, it was his best month. He finished out his playing career in 1979 at age 30 batting .200 in nine games with St. Louis. After nine seasons he is a lifetime .249 hitter, with 65 HRs & 254 RBIs.

Retirement: After his playing days he went to the Rangers front office as a GM from 1984-1994. His claim to fame was acquiring Rafael Palmeiro, and trading away Sammy Sosa. Grieve has since been longtime broadcaster in Texas. His son is former Oakland A’s 1998 Rookie of the Year Ben Grieve, who also fizzled out at a young age. The Grieve’s were the first father & son to both be #1 draft picks.

Former Italian / American Met of the Day: Danny Frisella (1967-1972)

Daniel Vincent Frisella was born March 4, 1946 in San Francisco, California. He attended the College of San Mateo, Washington State University and was drafted by the Mets in the 3rd round of the 1966 draft. The popular forkball pitcher, nicknamed Bear was a member of the Air National Guard.

He made his MLB debut on July 27, 1967 pitching two scoreless innings against the Dodgers at Shea Stadium. He got his first win on August 11, 1967 against the Pirates but then lost his next five decisions, ending the year at 1-6 with a 3.41 ERA. In 1968 he earned his only two saves in the first three weeks of the season, overall going 2-4 with a 3.93 ERA in 19 games. He was on the 1969 Mets staff but only appeared in three games and didn’t make any post season appearances.

In 1970 Frisella joined the Mets pitching staff as a reliever in July and went 4-0 with a save in his first month. Overall he appeared in 30 games, finishing with a fine record of 8-3, a 3.02 ERA, striking out 54 batters in 65 innings. By 1971 he was emerging as the one of the best relievers on the team along with Tug McGraw. After going 1-1 in early April, he went 3-0 with 8 saves through the end of June. He would go on to lead the club in saves with 12 (7th best in the NL) and appearances with 53. He went 8-5 posting a fantastic 1.99 ERA, striking out 93 batters in 90 innings. The '71 Mets combo of McGraw & Frisella were arguably baseballs best. He came back to go 5-8 with 9 saves in 1972, but his strikeouts dropped off to only 46 in 67 innings pitched.

Frisella was a god hitting pitcher as well. In 1970 he hit .308 (4-13) with an RBI, then hit .286 (2-7) in 1972 with an RBI. Frisella had three straight seasons where he drove in a run, and drove in a run in four of six seasons with the Mets. He finished up with a lifetime .179 batting average. He is also one of only three Met pitchers to steal two bases in a single season. As Tug McGraw emerged as the dominant reliever the Mets decided to trade Frisella. On November 1st 1972, he & Gary Gentry went to Atlanta for George Stone and Felix Millan. In his Mets career he was 24-26 with 22 saves, & a 3.08 ERA in 158 games pitched.

With Atlanta in 1973 & 1974 he pitched in 78 games with 14 saves and a 4-6 record, posting ERAs over four. In November 1974 he was traded to the Padres for Cito Gaston, and went 1-6, with 9 saves in his only season there. In 1976 he began the year in St. Louis then got traded to Milwaukee. In his last season, he was the closer for the 1976 Brewers going 5-2 with 9 saves and a 2.74 ERA. In his career he pitched in 351 games, going 34-40 with 57 saves and a 3.32 lifetime ERA.

Passing: On New Year’s Eve 1977, Frisella was riding a dune buggy outside of Phoenix Arizona. He lost control of the vehicle and it over turned as Frisella’s head crashed into the ground. His next was broken & he was tragically killed, at the age of 30.

Honors: & Pam Frisella: After living in New York City, Pam & Danny Frisella got married & moved to Phoenix. After being widowed in 1977 she moved to Foster City, California with her newborn son Daniel and her three year old son Jason. Danny Jr. was born on what would have been his father’s 31st birthday. As of 2009 Pam was serving as Vice Mayor of Foster City, California in San Mateo County between San Francisco & San Jose. As the Chairperson of the Committee for Development of Sea Cloud Park, she had reconstructed a High School Baseball Field and named it Danny Frisella Memorial Field.

Former Met of the Day: Les Rohr (1967-1969)

Leslie Norvin Rohr was Born on March 5, 1946 in Lowestoft, England. He went to high school in Billings Montana and became a star pitcher. Rohr was the Mets #1 draft pick (2nd overall) in 1965. The six foot five lefty made his debut at Shea Stadium on September 19, 1967 against the Dodgers. He went six innings earning the victory allowing three runs on six hits while striking out six.

In his next start he only lasted three innings taking a loss to Houston. He was fantastic in his next outing at Dodger Stadium, pitching 8 innings of shutout ball, striking out seven and beating Don Drysdale. Rohr returned in April 1968 but took a loss and then pulled a tendon in his pitching arm. He missed the whole year and returned for one game in September. But this time the Dodgers finally beat him.

The former number one draft pick only made one more MLB appearance, and that was in 1969. He pitched one game in September, as the Pirates hammered him for four runs in just over an inning of work. Rohr never recovered from his injury and then he suffered a ruptured disc in his lower back. Sadly his career was ruined at age 23. He was around for the 1969 Mets festivities as an observer, and even celebrated with the team in the clubhouse.

Retirement: After baseball he went into the concrete business and was a high school pitching coach. He operates the Big Rohr Pitching School in Billings, Montana and for years was seen driving around town in a ’72 pickup truck with the license plate that read “69 Mets”. He was invited to the 40th anniversary ceromonies but declined because he felt he did not contribute to the team.