Watchdog

Actually base running themselves into a loss despite strong pitching
heroics has been what baseball at Shea has been about for 44 years? But just think: since ticket prices will be higher at CitiField, your mind will tell you the experience is better. The power of positive thinking as sports team owners see it.

"A man's outhouse is his castle if he holds his nose and pretends the
flies are pigeons". Bill James, describing Peter Bavasi's GM years in Toronto in the late 70s/early 80s.

If SNY submits a single game telecast for Emmy consideration, this one should be it.

The hot dog vendor handing the hot dogs to Gary as he was doing play-by-play was one of the funnier things I've seen at Shea this year, not counting the Mets' base running of course.

Nice touch for SNY to have the camera on Joe Beningo watching the game-ending double play and then show the footage at the start of "D*** N*** Live". They know the schadenfreude tendencies of their audience.

Did Keith Hernandez offer any opinions on whether women belong as vendors?

My young niece and I spent a lot of time in the upper deck seats during the 80's. At first, she was an attention getter as she sat with her Mets Cap and earrings, but when she pulled out her notebook and scorecard she was a hit. Those of course, were the days of Darling and Hernandez, Gooden and Strawberry, Carter, Rusty , Mookie and Davey Johnson.

Such memories you've brought back.

I'm surprised that Gary never mentioned the fact that the upper deck was closed off for much of the 1979 season. That was the year the Mets only drew 750,000 people for the entire year. I don't even think they opened the upper deck for the 10th anniversary Old Timers Day when they only drew 25,000 - the largest crowd of the year I think.

While the team stunk that year, it was the best year for sitting close to the field. On the night Thurmond Munson died, my best friend and I were on a bus trip to Shea for a twi night doubleheader between the Mets and the Phils. We were the only Met fans on the trip. The bus was filled with overweight Phillie fans wearing red Bermuda shorts, red knee socks, and replica batting helmets who chugging beer on the mistaken assumption that the toilet in the back was operational. Once we hit the Outer Bridge Crossing, the first suds swilling idiot discovered that the trip organizer did not pay for the toilet. After failing to seduce the female bus driver in hopes of getting the key, the empties began to serve a purpose that they were not intended for. These festivities were darkened by the news that Munson had died that afternoon in the plane crash.

After getting to the stadium, we sat in the field level boxes on the railing behind 1st base. Ticket price - $7.00. I yelled repeatedly at Pete Rose all night, getting him to glare at me at one point after making a comment about his estranged wife. Not exactly a classy move on my part, but I was 18. Between games, we snuck up to the closed off upper deck and unfurled a "Sal Marchianno Sucks" banner in right field. (I have no recollection of why we were mad at Sal - I can only guess that he was rightfully criticizing Met owndership. As a naive kid, I still thought the Payson family would eventually do the right thing). We then watched a TV monitor as the cameras paned our banner, which was almost immediately removed by the ushers.

What a great night, but not one likely to heard on SNY.

Ouch. AQ picture of Bob Moose, a pirates legend who once threw a no-hitter against the Mets but who's life came to a tragic end in a car accident on his 29th birthday, only months after that no-hitter.

Ouch, you could have used a different card couldn''t you have Neil?

Actually, Moose threw the no-no in September 1969 and he dies in the car accident in October 1976.

Cohen did mention the thing about the upper deck being closed off but it was either Tuesday night or Wednesday night. He spoke a lot with Hernandez about his experiences up there those 2 nights.

Neil,

July 27, 1970 was the first Mets Game My Dad ever took me to. We sat in Fair Territory in Right Field. I had just turned 9 years old. Dave Marshall hit a 3 run triple in the 8th to win it. It was Seaver vs Gaylord Perry. We were in the parking lot whem Marshall hit the triple..We had to beat the traffic.. I drive to games with my Dad now and we always stay for he whole game!

Phil: I heard from someone else who also saw his first game that night. Cool. There were 51,000-plus in the house. I guess it was a big game! I was 9 1/2 years old. My Uncle Mickey took me.