Gary Giordano - I Remember... 1970-1973

I Remember...... 1970-1973

The summers of '69, '70 I played in a baseball league in the NYC metro area with 5 games a week scheduled (weather permitting). One of the highlights was playing a game against the inmates at Sing Sing.  It was a bit surreal playing on the field that the Babe Ruth Yankees had played the inmates back in the '20's and '30's.  The stands where the inmates sat were entirely enclosed by chicken wire like one huge cage.  I joked that their mean looking pitcher was in for murder.  I think he must have heard me because he promptly hit me with a pitch in my first at bat.  We also got to play the inmates at Rikers Island.  We didn't do too well.  It must have been the liver they served us for lunch.

 Although I got to catch a lot of games at Shea in the miracle season of 1969 my baseball schedule and full time summer job kept me from attending as many in 1970 and even less in '71 since I was upstate at college through the summer.

Before I could take myself I had to twist my dad's arm to take me to a Mets game.  Right after I moved to Arizona in 1972 I hear he went in with a friend on a part of a season ticket and took my 11 year old sister to the games!  What means this??

The improbable run in 1973 I saw from afar including beating the highly favored Reds in the playoffs.  That was the year Tug McGraw said "Ya Gotta Believe".

I was only a little envious as dad and sister enjoyed one of the World Series games at Shea.  The Mets should have won the Series after being up 3 games to 2.  Manager Yogi Berra pitched Seaver on short rest instead of saving him for a possible game seven.  That was the end for Willie Mays who retired after the Series.