This book was written in 1964 by Jerry Mitchell, and it speaks of the Mets early history, through their first two seasons of existence.

…i did a quick scan of this book early this morning and shared some quotes with Matt, and i think both of us agreed that some of the lines and use of language about the team is similar to what we hear today describing the Mets…

In the book, Mitchell writes:

“People who watched workmen putting the finishing touches on the Stadium agreed that new concepts of design make [Shea Stadium] the most convenient, comfortable and attractive stadium on the eastern seaboard.”

…imagine that…someone actually wrote at one point that they liked Shea Stadium…from what i know of those days, people considered Shea to be a state-of-the-art facility as it was one of the first facilities that could convert into a fully functional football stadium with rotating seats…

For a more in depth look at this book, check out my post here.

Update, 12:47 pm:

Lou Di Falco, from Never Forget ‘69, has posted the entire transcript from the WHN broadcast of the 10th inning of this game, which you can see here.

Original Post:

Today marks the 23rd anniversary of Game 6 of the 1986 World Series, a game the Mets won 6-5 in 10 innings thanks to an improbable rally, capped by one of the most unbelievable moments in World Series history.

…i’ll never forget that day, as my dad couldn’t go to the game because it was my mother’s birthday, leaving the ticket for me…that was a really cold night at Shea, and i remember saying “even Keith Hernandez is wearing long sleeves”…

…by the way, happy birthday, mom…

That game featured three rallies by the Mets.

In the fifth inning, Ray Knight singled in Darryl Strawberry and then Danny Heep grounded into a double play which scored Knight and tied the score at 2-2.

In the bottom of the eighth, down 3-2, Lee Mazzilli who pinch hit for Jesse Orosco, led off with a single and would later score on a Gary Carter sacrifice fly to Jim Rice in left field.

Rick Aguilera replaced Mazilli and pitched a scoreless ninth, but Red Sox center fielder Dave Henderson led off the tenth inning with a solo home run off the scoreboard in left field, which gave the Red Sox a 4-3 lead.

…i vividly remember that home run, as my seat for the game was in our box in Loge 472A, right above where that ball hit…

The Red Sox would add another run on a Marty Barrett RBI single which gave the Red Sox a 5-3 lead.

In the bottom of the tenth inning, things were not looking good for the Mets, as Wally Backman flew out to Rice in left field, and then Hernandez flew out deep to Henderson in center field, leaving two out and nobody on in and it looked like Boston was going to win it.

…i cannot confirm whether or not a congratulations to the Red Sox was displayed on Diamond Vision, and i don’t remember it being mentioned, but our seats were not in a good position to see it anyway…

But then, Carter singled to left, Kevin Mitchell then looped a single into center field, and then Knight singled in Carter.

Bob Stanley replaced former Met Calvin Schiraldi, and Mookie Wilson fouled off what seemed to be 15 pitches until Stanley lost his control and threw one under Wilson, scoring Mitchell and the tying run.

…from our angle, which you can see here, it was difficult to see the ball go all the way to the back stop, except we saw Wilson fall to the ground, and as Mitchell scored, the Shea Stadium crowd was as loud as i could ever remember it…

Then, a couple of pitches later it appeared Wilson had grounded out to Bill Buckner, and the rest is history.

…i remember not knowing what had happened, because at first it appeared to be routine, and we couldn’t see the ball that well on the ground, but then Buckner kind of stumbled, and as loud as the crowd was when Mitchell scored the tying run, it then got louder…

…it was probably my fondest memory of the Mets, because i was six, at the World Series, and even i knew things were not looking good just two minutes before they won that game, but they came back…as i got older i began to understand and appreciate the magnitude of that comeback because it was an elimination game, they were down by two runs with two outs in the tenth inning, and it would have been terrible if the 108 game winning Mets were the team that gave the Red Sox their first championship in the modern era…and comebacks like that just don’t happen, except that night…

In a post here, on Friday, MetsBlog’s Matthew Cerrone wrote, “Bring me Bobby Valentine… I want him to manage the Mets.”

Today, I am joining the campaign to bring Bobby Valentine back to Flushing.

In my mind, it is easy for management to say that injuries are the cause of the disappointment, but injuries are not the cause of the poor performances and the inexcusable mental and physical mistakes that the remaining Major League players have made over the course of the season.

I think it was easy to anticipate that wins were going to be scarcer when their key players went down early, but there is absolutely no excuse for the general lack of execution offensively and defensively, the poor base running, and the poor decision making and to me, that is a failure on management’s part to mentally and physically prepare players for the game. Even this group of Mets should have been better in the end and I feel that is a general failure at the heart of the organization from a philosophical level, and that is why I feel that a leadership change is necessary.

I do believe Valentine brings the right mix of baseball intellect and attitude to the table to begin to right the ship.

However, the Mets cannot make that one change and expect that a World Championship is coming.

I don’t feel that the changes that the Mets need to make start and stop with a new manager and a new general manager. The difference between today’s 90+ loss team and the 90+ loss team in 2004 to me is that there was still some sort of road map to success in place with David Wright and Jose Reyes developing as their future core with one major miscalculation in the trade of Scott Kazmir.

The team was really close to winning in 2006 and that playoff series against the Cardinals was brutally disappointing, but instead of continuing on the trail that was set by Omar after the 2004 season with “the new Mets”, he deviated and started to plug holes with the wrong players rather than continue to develop and refine the core and today, the Mets lack a road map or a vision in my mind which is evident with the problems with player development, team success in the minor leagues, and the clear lack of depth at the Major League level or coming to the Major League level.

I don’t believe that changing the dimensions at Citi Field or signing Matt Holliday or bringing in Carlos Zambrano or Roy Halladay will bring this team overall success. Look back to 2002 when the Mets brought in aging superstars like Tom Glavine, Jeromy Burnitz, and Mo Vaughn. At that time, there was no plan other than to “fix what they didn’t have the year before” and the team failed. I think that the organization in general, with the players they have acquired in the last couple of winters, have become their own Monday Morning Quarterback’s again and they only seem to address needs that were weak the prior season, losing sight of everything else.

I am not saying that bringing in Johan Santana and Francisco Rodriguez were bad moves – in fact I think they were the best moves Minaya could have made to address the needs they fulfill. But he failed to recognize other problems year over year and did not look at his team as a whole and try to improve every aspect of it, all the way down to Single-A Brooklyn.

I believe that ownership needs to acknowledge the failure and remember past failures at the organizational level and begin a complete rebuild as a result. They must begin to examine their tactics in talent evaluation, and more specifically looking at talent and developing talent in a way for their players to be successful at Citi Field. From a free agent standpoint, they should bring in talent from the outside that would benefit from the dimensions at Citi Field, rather than just players with good statistics. The fix is not one year away, but a proper plan will bring success back at all levels sooner rather than later.

Madden reports that the Mets have had 22 players on the disabled list which ties them with the Texas Rangers, and have lost players for a total of 1,095 days which is second to the San Diego Padres.

According to Madden, the average amount of players to go on the disabled list has risen dramatically from 14.2 in 1996 to 17.7 per team in 2008.

…i personally think that the Mets would most certainly be in some sort of pennant race if not for the injuries, despite their starting pitching being shaky coming into the season and the various other question marks that they had back in Spring Training…

…besides the apparent mis-management of these injuries and the fact that they have managed to go through their entire depth chart at the Major League level, a key reason for their fall from the top is that they never had the depth at any level to overcome something like this, whereas a team like the Texas Rangers seem to have been able to stay in their pennant chase…after all, the injury replacement pitcher for the past two years has been Nelson Figueroa, not exactly a David Price or a Tommy Hanson waiting in the wings…Nothing against Figgy, but a mid 30’s pitcher at Triple-A does not present depth in the farm system nor does it present a savior…

…i think it’s easy to say that they traded their young talent away for guys like Carlos Delgado and Johan Santana over the past few seasons, but this team is perhaps the second richest team in baseball despite the losses with Madoff, and they should have the resources to develop from within, but based on what we have seen, especially this season, player development has been lacking overall and teams that win all have players on the field that were developed in their Minor League system…

But despite loss after loss mounting and even though time is short, I am still trying to have faith and believe that this club can work together and be productive.

It is still too early for me to say the season is over as a five-game winning streak would put the Mets right back in the races with plenty of time to at least make things interesting.

I have to believe that this club has enough guile to get on such a streak as even this current group is better than what we have seen over the past six weeks.

In addition, the later the season gets and the longer Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran, and Carlos Delgado are out, the less the healthy and active players have to lose, which one would hope is enough to relax this team and play loose and winning baseball.

In 2001, the Mets were 54-68 by the middle of August but managed to win 27 of their final 39 games and made things interesting down the stretch.

In 1973, the Mets were in last place throughout much of the summer only to rally and fall just short in the World Series.

So why can’t the Mets of 2009 make things interesting?

Miracles do happen, especially to the Mets.

To view my entire collection, click here.

Update, 10:17 am, by Matthew Cerrone:

…i like the shot of David Wright, pledging the flag during the National Anthem, and i can’t help but wonder what he’s thinking about…

…i also think it’s funny that Bobby Parnell is still be hazed with the rookie back-pack, despite this being his second year on the roster… i guess, technically, he is still a rookie…

…also, great shots of these guys working in the dugout, as well as Sandy Alomar checking his cell phone in the tunnel… classic…

…great work, as usual, michael…

The latest bottoming out to me was yesterday’s comedy of errors in the sixth inning, when the Mets dropped two fairly routine pop ups on the infield, in foul territory, endured an errant throw from their latest center fielder, and that errant throw was not able to be cut off by their latest first baseman.

Like I said last night, losing is one thing. It is fine to lose games playing the best they can possibly play or when the pitching gets hit really hard.

But from what took place last night, and a series of games dating back to the Luis Castillo dropped popup at Yankee Stadium, I am forced to believe that the club has not emphasised and exercised fundamental play dating back to February and play like that disappoints me and pains me.

The old adage in baseball is that a team will win 33 percent and lose 33 percent of their games. The fate of the team lies in what they do with the other 33 percent. The teams that can get the bunts down, catch and throw the ball consistently, and are good situational hitters win that 33 percent in my opinion.

Over the past week, we have seen what the Mets are doing with that other 33 percent. The inning in Milwaukee last Tuesday and of course last night are indicators.

It doesn’t take a superstar or even a regular player to avoid problems like this, and that is what gives me such heartache. The plays that the Mets have failed to execute, such as not being able to consistently lay down sacrifice bunts and the defensive lapses, specifically Nick Evans failing to cut the ball off yesterday in the sixth inning, are things that our coaches made us run miles for.

It is really hard to feel confident right now, and as the disappointment mounts, even I feel pessimistic even with the return of their regulars getting closer.

That said, I am very hopeful that the issue today is that the youth and professional inexperience is the cause, and that this group is learning as they go, and therefore the Mets can begin to win that “other” 33 percent of their games.

I am going to be patient with this current group and not ask Omar Minaya to do something hasty, despite the need for more offense and the need for more consistent starting pitching…I know I am in the minority but too many times have I seen this organization make bad moves in what seems to be a desperate situation, only to fall flat in the end.

The reason for that is I too watch these games and say “Jose Reyes would have beaten that out” or “Carlos Beltran would have caught that ball” but if I have to say things like that twice in one game I know that bringing in one guy like Adam Dunn, Alex Rios, or Matt Holliday will not solve their problems today and while I believe the Mets are able to make a move, they can only bring in one player of that caliber.

That said if a player is available that fits the teams mold for Citi Field and their long term goals, I am all for it, even if it means that the team won’t win in 2009.

Meanwhile, Metstradamus tried to let out a ray of sunshine, but last night’s loss makes him believe that the Mets won’t win another game until the All-Star Break.

Gene Anthony at Kiner’s Korner thinks the red hats that teams are wearing this weekend are “stupid”.

…agreed Gene – i am all for patriotism, but frankly it looks like every Met was traded to the Phillies…

Finally, for more on last night’s game, check out Flushing Faithful, Mets Today, and Mets Merized Online.

Martinez ended the game last night with a pinch hit groundout.

…is anyone surprised…

Meanwhile, John Maine has been cleared to lightly throw a baseball every other day, but he has not been able to even exercise his sore shoulder since being shutdown last week.

Finally, Angel Pagan, who has been sidelined by a strained groin, should be ready to begin rehab games on Monday.

“Some of our DL guys are probably going to be the reinforcements. But it’s also fair to say that we’re going to try to go out there and look around and see if we can do something that can fit. If we can get all our guys back healthy, our healthy guys, it’s going to be hard to make trades that are going to be better than Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran and Carlos Delgado.”

…i definitely agree that on paper, it is tough to top the production of these three players, but considering that Reyes’ biggest asset are his legs and there is a significant injury there, i wonder if the Mets are putting too much faith in what he will bring upon his return…the same can be said about Delgado; assuming he does return, can he be expected to perform at a high level…

…on the other hand, while the need is there right now for more offense and it is clear that this current group cannot depend on a consistent attack, even if they could bring in a big bat i still think that trading their top prospects for one will not take them to the playoffs, even though it might help the team score more runs…i believe that if any deal is to be made it should be for a starting pitcher because in the end, a team’s fate is always determined by their ability to hold down the opposing offense…