centerfield maz

Jerry Koosman enjoys the fruits of Japan In the off season of 1974, the Mets took a three-week good will tour of Japan. They had originally been asked to do the trip while still being the defending NL Champs a year earlier.  The New York Mets were a known team in Japan, with American baseball stars like Tom Seaver, Willie Mays, Yogi Berra, Jerry Koosman & Tug McGraw on the roster, the Japanese baseball fans were aware of them. But not all the Mets were into going on the long trip. Bud Harrelson, Cleon Jones, Jerry Grote & Tug McGraw declined to participate in the journey. People in the organization felt that Tug McGraw being traded in the 1974-1975 off season may have had something to do with his not going to Japan.  The Mets arrived at Tokyo International Airport on Saturday October 25th, 1974, to plenty of fanfare & flashing lights. Quotes- Manager Yogi Berra: "We plan on giving the fans some good hard baseball action. I ...

The 1964 All Star Game was held at Shea Stadium in Queens, New York. At the time the area was jumping with a new mid-sixties excitement. Shea Stadium was a brand new $29 million dollar ballpark & one of the most glamourous in all of baseball. It was designed by the standards of that day, to be the greatest stadium ever built for baseball. It was huge with its 56,000-seating capacity compared to most of the older, smaller parks still in use at the time. It was also billed as having great views of the play from every seat, as there were no concrete columns or pillars in the sightlines, like the older parks. The walkway rafts & escaladers were considered modern for the time, so fans could exit more quickly.  Then there was Shea's most famous feature, the tremendous state of the art 175-foot scoreboard standing eight stories high. At the time it also had a large screen in the top center top, that projected photos of the players coming to bat. In 1964 this was way ahead...

Mark David Canha was born on February 15th, 1989, in San Jose, California. He is of Portuguese heritage.  He grew up in the Bay Area as a Giants fan, with Barry Bonds being one of his favorite players. After attending Bellarmine Prep School in San Jose, he went to the University of California at Berkley. There he majored in economics & played for the Golden Bears baseball team. He would also play summer ball in the Cape Cod League with the Brewster White Caps. The six-foot two outfielder/first baseman was originally drafted by the Florida Marlins in the 7th round of the 2010 June draft. In 2014 he was drafted by the Rockies from the Marlins & got traded to the Oakland A's in December 2014. Canha made the A's roster in 2015, with the team needing offense after had lost power hitter Josh Donaldson & Brandon Moss.  MLB Debut: On April 8th, in his MLB debut he collected three hits with four runs driven in, including a bases clearing three run triple...

David Louis Marshall was born on January 14, 1943, in Artesia, California. The left-handed hitting outfielder got signed by his home state Los Angeles Angels as an amateur free agent in 1963. In the minors he kept hitting better each year, batting .294 at AAA Phoenix by 1967. Earlier that year he was traded to the San Francisco Giants for prospect Hector Torres. MLB debut:  On September 7th he debuted as a defensive replacement in a 3-2 win over the Astros. It was the only game he played in that month. He would spend two more years in San Francisco, making the 1968 Topps All Star Rookie team batting .264 with 1 HR 5 doubles 16 RBIs & 40 walks in 76 games.  In 1969 he played 110 games in an outfield with Willie Mays, Bobby Bonds & Ken Henderson. He got 267 at bats, batting .232 with 2 HRs 7 doubles & 33 RBIs.  As an outfielder, the scouting reports said he had a strong throwing arm with decent range. Mets Career: In December of 1969 he w...