THE 1969 MIRACLE METS: THE IMPROBABLE STORY OF THE WORLD’S GREATEST UNDERDOG TEAM (94 page)

“We were learning how not to beat
ourselves,” recalled second baseman Ken Boswell, who

was debunking his reputation as a defensive
liability. Shamsky, Art with Barry Zeman.
The Magnificent
Seasons
. New York: Thomas Dunne Books, 2004.

“I’m tired of the jokes about the old Mets,”
Seaver told Jack Lang and the assorted writers.

Drucker, Malka with Tom Seaver.
Tom
Seaver: Portrait of a Pitcher
. New York: Holiday House,
1978.

Meet the Mets

“If Grote ever learns to control himself, he
might become the best catcher in the game,” he

said. Bjarkman, Peter C.
The New York
Mets Encyclopedia
. Champaign, IL: Sports Publishing L.L.C.,
2003.

The leaping corpse

“Hey,” a syndicated columnist friend of his
said over the phone that December, “have you

seen
the crowds at the Jets’ games
lately? . . .” Angell, Roger.
The Summer Game
. New York: The
Viking Press, 1972.

“He quietly reminded us that were a better
ball club than this, and we needed to make sure

we were doing all the things we needed to do
to be a better club,” Swoboda recalled. Golenbock, Peter.
Amazin’: The Miraculous History of New York’s Most Beloved
Baseball Team
. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2002.

“We needed it,” said Seaver. Devaney, John.
Tom Seaver
. New York: Popular Library,

1974.

The “Mets have grown up,” said Los Angeles
manager Walter Alston. Gutman, Bill.

Miracle Year 1969: AmazingMets and Super
Jets
. Champaign, IL: Sports Publishing L.L.C., 2004.

When he saw Seaver arrive in the clubhouse
on game days he announced, “Look who’s

here. . .” Seaver, Tom with Dick Schaap.
The Perfect Game
. New York: E.P. Dutton & Co.,
Inc.,1970.

“At the beginning of the season I thought it
might be the same old stuff again,” recalled

Kranepool. Shamsky, Art with Barry Zeman.
The Magnificent Seasons
. New York: Thomas Dunne Books,
2004.

The first crucial day

“There are more writers here than at Cape
Kennedy,” one of them remarked. Zimmerman,

Paul D. and Dick Schaap.
The Year the
Mets Lost Last Place
. New York: The World Publishing Co.,
1969.

“The Dodgers never plan to fire Alston,”
said one observer. Travers, Steven.
Dodgers

Essential: Everything You Need to Know to
Be a Real Fan!
Chicago: Triumph Books, 2007.

“Look at those Mets,” he said. Zimmerman,
Paul D. and Dick Schaap.
The Year the Mets

Lost Last Place
. New York: The World
Publishing Co., 1969.Lindsay, Mayor John V.

The wrath of Gil

“Using the word ‘played’ is somewhat of
misnomer – we were massacred in both

contests,” was the way Art Shamksy described
it. Shamsky, Art with Barry Zeman.
The Magnificent Seasons
.
New York: Thomas Dunne Books, 2004.

“We were all aware of what was going on in
the country,” Jerry Koosman recalled.

Gutman, Bill.
Miracle Year 1969:
AmazingMets and Super Jets
. Champaign, IL: Sports Publishing
L.L.C., 2004.

“. . .Hodges and Jonesy had a rocky
relationhsip,” Swoboda recalled. Golenbock, Peter.

Amazin’: The Miraculous History of New
York’s Most Beloved Baseball Team
. New York: St. Martin’s
Press, 2002.

Resurrection

“Journalistically, it’s conventional to want
to look for turning points,” said Ron Swoboda.

Golenbock, Peter.
Amazin’: The Miraculous
History of New York’s Most Beloved Baseball Team
. New York: St.
Martin’s Press, 2002.

McCovey “hit nine-iron down the left field
line, and it lands fair,” recalled Rod Gaspar.

Markusen, Bruce.
Tales From the Mets
Dugout.
Champaign, IL: Sports Publishing L.L.C., 2005.

“The difference between the physical
abilities of the players in the Major Leagues is not

that great and, something going hand in hand
with that, the difference between the teams is not that great,” Tom
Seaver surmised. Devaney, John.
Tom Seaver
. New York:
Popular Library, 1974.

“We went into a composite slump,” Leo the
Lion was quoted by Edgar Munzel in
The

Sporting News
.
Official 1970
Baseball Guide
. St. Louis:
The Sporting News
, 1971.

“They threw at Tommie, and I had to do it to
end it right there,” said Koosman. Gutman,

Bill.
Miracle Year 1969: AmazingMets and
Super Jets
. Champaign, IL: Sports

Publishing L.L.C., 2004.

“For me, personally, I thought it might be
my last chance to get into the play-offs or World

Series,” Ernie Banks recalled. Shamsky, Art
with Barry Zeman.
The Magnificent Seasons
. New York: Thomas
Dunne Books, 2004.

“I think Tom and I won something like 18 of
our last 19 starts that year,” recalled

Koosman. Gutman, Bill.
Miracle Year 1969:
AmazingMets and Super Jets
. Champaign, IL: Sports Publishing
L.L.C., 2004.

“Maybe we did run out of gas,” growled Leo.
Official 1970 Baseball Guide
. St. Louis:

The Sporting News
, 1971.

“Beautiful, baby,” said Ed Charles. Angell,
Roger.
The Summer Game
. New York: The

Viking Press, 1972.

“I poured the champagne on him and Grote was
scrubbing his head,” recalled Rod Gaspar.

Shamsky, Art with Barry Zeman.
The
Magnificent Seasons
. New York: Thomas Dunne Books, 2004.

“When Nolan pitched those great seven
innings of relief, it was huge,” said Koosman.

Gutman, Bill.
Miracle Year 1969:
AmazingMets and Super Jets
. Champaign, IL: Sports Publishing
L.L.C., 2004.

“Our attitude going in the series was that
we just didn’t want to get embarrassed,” said

Swoboda. Golenbock, Peter.
Amazin’: The
Miraculous History of New York’s Most Beloved Baseball Team
.
New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2002.

“So David prevailed over the Philistine with
a sling and with a stone, and smote the

Philistine, and slew him; but there was no
sword in the hand of David.” I Samuel 17: 50.
Holy Bible
.
The National Publishing Co., 1970.

“When Tom is pitching and giving up hits
like this, I feel like a voodoo doll,” Nancy

Seaver explained. Devaney, John.
Tom
Seaver
. New York: Popular Library, 1974.

Plus Weaver “was one of those guys like Leo
and Gene Mauch, who took so much

obvious glee in beating you and worked so
hard at it,” recalled Swoboda. Golenbock, Peter.
Amazin’: The
Miraculous History of New York’s Most Beloved Baseball Team
.
New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2002.

“I sensed the Orioles were overconfident,”
said Swoboda, adding that his main motivation

was to “not embarrass ourselves if we don’t
win it.” Gutman, Bill.
Miracle Year 1969: AmazingMets and Super
Jets
. Champaign, IL: Sports Publishing L.L.C., 2004.

“Two things came to my mind after the first
game,” said Seaver. Shamsky, Art with Barry

Zeman.
The Magnificent Seasons: How the
Jets, Mets, and Knicks Made Sports History and Uplifted a City and
the Country
. New York: Thomas Dunne Books, 2004.

“When the ball was hit I looked over at
Tommie,” recalled Jones. Shamsky, Art with Barry

Zeman.
The Magnificent Seasons: How the
Jets, Mets, and Knicks Made Sports History and Uplifted a City and
the Country
. New York: Thomas Dunne Books, 2004.

“I’ve never seen two such catches by the
same player in the same game,” said Weaver

afterward. Lichtenstein, Michael.
Ya
Gotta Believe!
New York: St. Martin’s Griffin, 2002.

“I knew Tommie from the American League,” Ed
Charles said. Gutman, Bill.
Miracle Year

1969: AmazingMets and Super Jets
.
Champaign, IL: Sports Publishing L.L.C. 2004.

“After batting practice that first day in
New York as were going to the outfield to shag for

our hitters, I met Jim Hardin, who used to
be in the Mets’ organization,” recalled Jerry Koosman, “and as I
was going out, he was coming in, and he said, ‘What are you doing
here?’ . . .” Golenbock, Peter.
Amazin’: The Miraculous History
of New York’s Most Beloved Baseball Team
. New York: St.
Martin’s Press, 2002.Richards, Paul.

Sandy Koufax: “Tom, is God a Met?”
DeVaney, John.
Tom Seaver
. New York: Popular

Library, 1974.

Donn Clendenon “warned” coach Joe Pignatano
that “our boys,” i.e., angry black

militants, were coming to his house to
“carve you up.” Seaver, Tom with Dick Schaap.
The Perfect
Game
. New York: E.P. Dutton & Co., Inc.,1970.

He assumed, “The game is tied,” or worse –
“another misplayed ball” – but when

Swoboda made the incredible grab he thought,
“God! . . .” Golenbock, Peter.
Amazin’: The Miraculous History
of New York’s Most Beloved Baseball Team
. New York: St.
Martin’s Press, 2002.

Maury Allen said Swoboda’s catch was “one of
those destiny, miracle things . . .”

Shamsky, Art with Barry Zeman.
The
Magnificent Seasons: How the Jets, Mets, and Knicks Made Sports
History and Uplifted a City and the Country
. New York: Thomas
Dunne Books, 2004.Seaver, Tom,

The Promised Land

“And He said, Behold, I make a covenant:
before all thy people I will do marvels, such as

have not been done in all the Earth, nor
in any nation: and all the people among which thou
art
shall
see the work of the Lord . . .”Exodus 34: 10, Holy Bible
. The
National Publishing Co., 1970.

“With McNally up, we were expecting a bunt,”
Koosman said. Gutman, Bill.
Miracle Year

1969: AmazingMets and Super Jets
.
Champaign, IL: Sports Publishing L.L.C., 2004.

“This is the first time,” said Swoboda (amid
Moet et Chandon). Angell, Roger
The Summer

Game
. New York: The Viking Press,
1972.

“How did that happen?” asked Weaver.
Shamsky, Art with Barry Zeman.
The Magnificent

Seasons: How the Jets, Mets, and Knicks
Made Sports History and Uplifted a City and the Country
. New
York: Thomas Dunne Books, 2004.

“We’ll never forget this day,” said Charles
Seaver. Devaney, John.
Tom Seaver
. New

York: Popular Library, 1974.

“It went to our heads,” said Swoboda.
Devaney, John.
Tom Seaver
. New York: Popular

Library, 1974.

“As always, John was fighting for survival,”
recalled David Garth. Shamsky, Art with

Barry Zeman.
The Magnificent Seasons: How
the Jets, Mets, and Knicks Made Sports History and Uplifted a City
and the Country
. New York: Thomas Dunne Books, 2004.

The empire strikes back

Whatever happened to . . .?

“You flew to bases,” he said. Golenbock,
Peter.
Amazin’: The Miraculous History of New

York’s Most Beloved Baseball Team
.
New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2002.

Those Amazin’ Mets

A shining city on a hill

“Tom Seaver is the greatest pitcher I have
ever seen,” said the man who beat him, Jack

Billingham of the Reds. Devaney, John.
Tom Seaver
. New York: Popular Library, 1974.

"Nancy would ask me if I
was sure I would like it," Seaver told longtime
Los Angeles

Times
baseball writer Ross Newhan, "and I would tell her, 'No, but
I know there's an itch.' . . .” Newhan, Ross. “Vintage
Seaver.”
Los Angeles Times
(
http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-
sp-seaver5jul05,1,3895492,full.story)
, July 5, 2007.

1963 Official Baseball Almanac
,
edited by Bill Wise. Greenwich, CT: Fawcett Publications,

Inc.

2001 New York Mets Information Guide
.
New York: Mets Media Relations Dept., 2001.

Adell, Ross and Ken Samelson.
Amazing
Mets Trivia
. Lanham, MD: Taylor Trade

Publishing, 2004.

Angell, Roger.
Five Seasons.
New
York: Simon & Schuster, 1977.

___________.
Game Time: A Baseball
Companion.
Orlando, FL: Harcourt, Inc., 2003.

___________.
Late Innings: A Baseball
Companion
. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1972.

___________.
The Summer Game
. New
York: The Viking Press, 1972.