Recap of 69′ Celebration
By Mike Silva ~ August 23rd, 2009. Filed under: Mets History.
I had the opportunity to attend the Mets 1969 celebration on Saturday night. My seats are in section 425, row two, and right above one of the small scoreboards. This type of celebration isn’t new since four years ago I went to 86′ night. Overall, I thought the Mets did a decent job bringing the “spirit” of 69′ back for one night.
WFAN’s Howie Rose, as usual, was the emcee for the evening. You could hear the excitement in Howie’s voice as he introduced the event. His quote about how the “rain held up” thanks to Gil Hodges watching from above was a great way to start the night. Some of the biggest reactions were to Tom Seaver, Yogi Berra, Nolan Ryan, Jerry Koosman, the Hodges family, and a video of Tug McGraw on the scoreboard. I thought it was nice that they introduced the widows of those members of the team that have passed on. Ironically, Linda de Roulet, daughter of former owner Joan Payson, was the first to be introduced. Knowing how Mets fans from that era came to symbolize the teams collapse with de Roulet, I was surprised they decided to make her kick off the festivities. Was M. Donald Grant’s family not available? Nonetheless the fans were respectful, although I do think there were some boos.
The biggest difference between the 69′ and 86′ events were the fan connection with the team. I am not sure if it’s the age mix in the crowd, but I sensed more intensity back in August of 2006 for Straw, Mex, and Kid. Maybe it was because the players came down through the stands at Shea and connected with the crowed. More likely, it’s because 69′ is no different to some than the 27′ Yankees- you read about it, but since you didn’t experience it, the passion just isn’t there. Unless you are a member of the Baby Boomer generation you couldn’t experience the feeling of that team. The 86′ guys are who I learned baseball from, which makes a big difference. Of course, the Mets were running away with the NL East in 2006, this year they are a second division ballclub. These types of celebrations always seem to do better when the current team is in the midst of a pennant race.
Personally, I enjoy learning about the history of both New York organizations, and wish many contemporary fans would do so as well. The Mets have added some cosmetic artwork around the stadium to honor the history of the team. One of the writers (can’t remember which one right now), called it the “Marriott” of baseball ballparks. Close your eyes, wake up, and you wouldn’t know if you landed in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, or New York. That will change as time goes on, and hopefully, the organization does a better job of bringing back more than just their championship teams.
Missing Members: Art Shamsky, JC Martin, and Jack DiLauro were all unable to attend last night’s event. Each was given a mention despite their absence. Ironically, and this didn’t dawn on me while I was at the ballpark, Ken Boswell was absent and not mentioned. Why you ask? Well, Mark Healey of Baseball Digest Magazine says it’s because of a rift with the team. I will let you read the details, but apparently Boswell is unhappy about how he was treated by the team during a trip to Houston in 2005. This doesn’t surprise me. I have had two former Mets alumni tell me that, they too, were given a rude reception when calling the ballclub last year. I don’t want to put these guys on the spot, but each are well known enough by fans that it would annoy you. The nature of any business is that, once you retire, you are out of site and out of mind. That doesn’t excuse players, like Boswell, to not be treated with respect when they reach out and say hi. Whether your Ken Boswell, Kelvin Torve, or Darryl Strawberry you are part of Mets history. If I owned the team anyone who donned the uniform would forever be a part of the family. Perhaps there is a good reason for all this, but quite frankly, I suspect it’s another example of the dysfunctional nature of the Mets organization.
Watching at Home: Anyone has good stories who watched the game at home? Was wondering how some of the interviews on the FAN and SNY went.
Audio: A few members of the 69′ team joined me last season. Buddy Harrelson, Ed Kranepool, Rod Gasper, and Ron Swoboda each gave me their memories of their playing days. We are about a week away from re-launching our Mets Archive, but click below for audio of each of those interviews.
