It was the worst of times. The year was 1958 and the Dodgers decided to abandon Brooklyn and take a collection of Stoneham Giants with them to the West Coast. That same year the Everly Brothers released “All I do is Dream” and Bobby Clanton sang “Just a Dream”. I was able to catch the Everly Brothers at one of Alan Freed’s Rock and Roll shows and Bobby Clanton at a disco joint in Staten Island.
My dreams finally came true when the Mets were formed in
1962. During the gap years between 1958
and 1962 I forced myself to root for the Pittsburgh Pirates. As I said it was
the worst of times.
With the Mets about to enter their 60th
season, my recollections are of a team rarely dedicated to putting the best
team on the field. There were a few
bright periods. Shea Stadium was a special place to be when Gil Hodges was
leading the club. Recognition to Bing
Devine and Johnny Murphy for finding the talent that made us a competitive team.
No GM distinguished himself during the 70’s. It wasn’t until Frank Cashen was brought on
board that we got a taste of what could be accomplished under competent
management. It took a few years for
Cashen to build the team through the draft and shrewd trades. When Davey Johnson was hired we had the sense
that the club would be good for the foreseeable future. Unfortunately, the Wilpons happened. Davey got released and Cashen moved on.
Over the past 30 years there have been few reasons to
celebrate. It has been always hard to
fathom why the Wilpons refused to make the Mets franchise competitive with the
Yankees. It never really made any sense
to me to accept being treated as a second class citizen in NY.
Now for the first time in my 59 plus years following the
Mets, there is reason for optimism. Steve Cohen brings a pedigree that suggests
the best of times may be ahead. It’s
pre-mature to speculate as to what the team will look like come April 2021.
However, it would not surprise anyone if at least two or
three of the top free agents are signed.
Whether it’s Springer or Realmuto (maybe both) or even a LeMahieu and a
Bauer or Stroman, the 2021 team will be built to win. Fans expect Cohen to make a splash and what
better way to fuel optimism than by bringing on board some of the top FAs. Mets fans will need to exhibit a degree of
patience since there’s unlikely to be much activity before the end of January
or February.
This off-season provides an excellent opportunity to take
advantage of a unique selection of free agents who might be available at a
discount. Feeling like a kid in a candy
store. So many choices with lots of
money to spend.
Maybe now I can stop dreaming and tell Bobby Clanton that
it’s not just a dream but reality stepping in.
The future looks bright.
Next week I’ll be off the Jamaica with my son for some
sun, sand and water. Catch up when I return.
5 comments:
Enjoy Jamaica. Stay safe.
The Mets under Cohen will want to navigate to a Dodgers model as quickly as possible, without huge mistakes.
Poop happens in baseball. Corey Kluber threw one inning for Texas last year, and it cost them big bucks. Hopefully, we'll make strong decisions and the guys we bring in stay healthy.
No Victor Zambranos need apply.
I tend to like Roy Orbison's "Dream Baby" but we all get the idea. Hope is the key word here and its something that's been missing for quite some time. The 70's Mets were sabotaged by the egomaniacal and inept M.Donald and more recently by Jeffy and both wasted years of what could have been great Met teams when you think of what could have happened if both in the 70's and since 2015 they properly built those teams around those pitching staff's. Anyway I'm with you as I'm almost giddy with the possibilities of what's to come and the timing of Cohen's arrival seems to be perfect.
Ah! Life is good and getting better.
I would advocate for Roy Orbison's theme song for Mets fans since 1986 -- "Running Scared". Hopefully that changes now.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbyP5J0ViGU
Like that one.
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