tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12468344.post113203890822384607..comments2023-10-29T08:25:50.241-04:00Comments on The Musings and Prophecies of Metstradamus: Metsography: The EncountersMetstradamushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18023215480704948183noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12468344.post-1134682359446661042005-12-15T16:32:00.000-05:002005-12-15T16:32:00.000-05:00I too have met Mike Torrez, a few times. He frequ...I too have met Mike Torrez, a few times. He frequents a sports bar up by me in Westchester. One night, the first night we met, a buddy and I drank a ton of beer and had several shots with the man. He is a class act all the way. Unfortunately, he made a bet with my friend on a KC Chiefs playoff game (a bet he lost) the next day, but he and my friend never met again. Jimmy Key was there that night too, it was an awesome night- an almost empty bar and lots of baseball memories.TheJackSackhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16846734759298261359noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12468344.post-1134499133628195622005-12-13T13:38:00.000-05:002005-12-13T13:38:00.000-05:00Outstanding as always Metmaster!All are encouraged...Outstanding as always Metmaster!<BR/><BR/>All are encouraged to share their stories here.Metstradamushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18023215480704948183noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12468344.post-1134490545424842122005-12-13T11:15:00.000-05:002005-12-13T11:15:00.000-05:00Metstro:I too would like to share my brushes with ...Metstro:<BR/><BR/>I too would like to share my brushes with Mets greatness. My brother and I grew up in front of the TV watching the Mets on WOR during the 60's. His favorite player was Ron Swoboda, mine was Tug McGraw. Younger Met fans and non-Met fans can not nearly begin to understand the monumentality of 1969. It was truly amazing.<BR/>My brother and I both grew up and found jobs in the media. In 1986 he and I were sitting in the auxillary press box at Shea for Game 6 of the World Series. My brother's eyes nearly popped out when just before the first pitch Ron Swoboda, hired as a guest commentator by WCBS, sat next to us. For the next three hours we talked about the Mets of the 60's. When Hernandez flied to center for the second out in the 10th, Swoboda looked at my brother and I, displayed his 1969 World Series ring and proclaimed "well boys, looks like we're still the only team to wear one of these". We all know what happened next. When Ray Knight scampered home after the Billy Buckner play, there was my brother, high-fiving, hugging, and shaking hands with his boyhood idol.<BR/>A few years later I had my turn. It was the Phillies/Blue Jays World Series. The big media party was in Philly in some huge barn of a place with free booze and lousy food. There sitting alone eating dinner was my man, Tug McGraw, who at the time was a sports anchor in Philadelphia. I asked if I could join him and Tug enthusiastically said to please sit with him. I told him that he was the hero of my youth, and regurgitated everything else that I remembered from endless nights memorizing his baseball card. His real name was Frank Edwin McGraw. He was an ex-Marine. His first wife's name was Phyllis. His 1969 World Series share was 16K. He was astonished that I remembered all this. He told me the 16K paid for his first house! It was great. I had a drink with him, he talked about his son, who was still relatively unknown, and he told me to watch out for him someday. When Tug died I mourned his passing. He was such a part of my youth, and he was a great guy.<BR/><BR/>My brother and I are very lucky to have experienced something that very few people have the opportunity to do. I miss that time from back then. Shea Stadium was new and considered a baseball palace. (no lie!)<BR/>Growing up a Met fan back then was special. Players would stop outside the stadium and give kids autographs. The Mets had a thing called The Met Fan Club. You wrote a letter and asked for tickets. You still needed a game ticket, but the Fan Club tickets got you into a pen under the stands before the game. For about 15-minutes your hero would appear, tell the kids how great it was to be there, and then handed out autographs to each kid. I'm sure the players hated it, but the team needed to market itself and it was a great idea. Oh how I wish my mother had not tossed my Tom Seaver, Tug McGraw, Ed Kranepool, Ron Swoboda, Bud Harrelson fan club autographs!<BR/>The paper is gone, but the memories remain. Let's Go Mets! Here's to you Jane Jarvis, wherever you are. (I met her on the #7 train in 1973!)The Metmasterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18327128126246321561noreply@blogger.com