Reversal of Misfortune...A Mets Dynasty

[gern11]

Still a teenager just a year removed from graduating nearby James Monroe High School in the Bronx, Ed Kranepool is endearing himself quickly to fans in NYC.

A blistering week at the dish landed the 18-year-old the distinct honor of National League Player of the Week. Congrats, Eddie!!


From the desk of internal news, CF Joe Christopher voiced his displeasure with a lack of playing time...and the front office kind of agreed. We will be increasing his playing time to see what he can offer but also in preparation for the imminient retirement of Richie Ashburn.

C Hobie Landrith cleared waivers and has been released.

[gern11]

OF Reggie Smith and SS Buddy Harrelson were promoted from Single A Salinas to Double A Quincy. They will be joined in Quincy by SP Dick Selma, who gets upgraded from Single A Raleigh.

[gern11]

The Mets can see the All-Star break on the horizon and appear desperate for a little R&R.

After closing their deficit to 10 games below .500, the Mets finished June with a swoon.


Amid the demise rises a few glimmers of pride...


Fellix Mantilla is among the top hitters in the league, Richie Ashburn continues to find way to get on base, rookie Paul Blair has proven to be a handful for catchers to throw out and Frank Thomas still packs power and timeliness with runners in scoring position.

As for the pitching...
At 1-11, Dave Stenhouse - one of our off-season acquistions - tops the NL in losses.And, he also leads the list for disappointments. He and Al Jackson have spent the first half of the season looking for directions to home plate; they are tied for 2nd in the NL in walks with 50 each.

Closer Ken Mackenzie is 5th in saves with 10.

[gern11]

SS Felix Mantilla became the first player in New York Mets' history to be voted to the All-Star game by the fans. The honor is well deserved.



Mantilla leads the major leagues with a .345 batting average. He's second in hits and third in WPA.

Congrats Felix!!

[gern11]

Our guy, Felix Mantilla, went 1 for 2 with a double but the Nationals bow, 3-1.

Minnesota Twins' Earl Battey provided the difference maker in the sixth, unloading a two-run homer off Bob Gibson to snap a 1-1 tie. The blast earned Battey game MVP.

[gern11]

The Mets have a lot holes that need to be addressed and are looking to be as active as they can be with limited resources to barter with.

Our first move was shipping CF Joe Christopher and minor leaguers SP Jim Hardin, SS Kenneth Free and 3B Grimm Mason to the Kansas City Athletics in exchange for SP Lew Krausse.

However, the bigger move may come soon. Although he has been everything we could ask for, SS Felix Mantilla is being dangled around. A quick look through the Trading Block finds that promising young players like 3B Brooks Robinson and C Tim McCarver are available.

Weighing our options.

[gern11]

Mets had a tentative deal in place with the Pittsburgh Pirates that would have sent All-Star SS Felix Mantilla to the Steel City in exchange for minor leaguers C Tim McCarver and 1B Donn Clendenon but the deadline expired before the deal was completed.

Putting blame on the Bucs...they wanted the pot sweetened with an additional minor leaguer as time expired. Damn!!

[gern11]

Not gonna lie, very disappointed we couldn't finalize deal with Pittsburgh in time. They agree to deal in when submitted and then wanted more. Would have added Larson in a heartbeat to make that trade.

But, that was par for the course for the Mets, who crawl into August with the worst record in the league.



Morale is about as low as it can get in the clubhouse. Was hoping some blockbusters would lift spirits. We will revisit that trade offer in the post season. McCarver would be a fixture behind the plate and Clendenon a solid partner to couple with Kranepool at first.

[gern11]

Front office received this from 1B Gil Hodges...


This guy has been all class throughout his career, an icon in Brooklyn and a touchstone of wisdom for the Mets. Our crystal ball says this guy has managerial qualities that could be a huge asset for us. Gil, we will certainly keep in touch.

[gern11]

1B Ed Kranepool. Named a Player of the Week earlier in the season, Eddie gets another nod for his play.

[gern11]

Putting our eyes on a certain "Lefty"

[gern11]

At least the Amazins did one better than IRL, finishing 52-110. A woeful campaign but a lot to look forward to as well.



Our move to Flushing and Shea Stadium arrives just in time as we start doing some flushing of our own. Time to bid farewell to some veterans whose best seasons reside in the rearview mirror.

[gern11]

The Philadelphia Phillies rallied from a 2-0 series deficit to top the Minnesota Twins, culminating a dramatic 1963 World Series with a 2-1 triumph in Game 7 that was decided in the 10th inning.

[gern11]

Sorry, but things had to be done.

1. Fresh off his impressive offensive showing in 1963, Felix Mantilla became prime trade bait and the San Francisco Giants bit, exchanging 25-year-old pitching prospect Gaylord Perry. Pitching has been woeful for us and this is a huge step in the right direction, a pattern we hope to build on in the upcoming draft.

2. DFAd SP Roger Craig, 3B Charlie Neal and CF Richie Ashburn. All three - at their age - are not in our long-term plans. Plus, no one was interested in trading for any of them.

3. Pitcher Herb Moford joined 1B Gil Hodges in annoucing his retirement.

With that, prep for the draft and move some pieces around in the minor leagues. Called up SS Buddy Harrelson, CF Reggie Smith and SP Dick Selma for last month of regular season just to let them know we see them in our near future. All three will start in Single A Salinas.

[gern11]

[gern11]

With the first pick in the MLB First Year Draft, the Mets think big picture...and select a big pitcher.

We land LHP Steve Carlton, who we envision to be the foundation of our rotation in a few years. Right behind Lefty, the Mets choose RHP Larry Dierker in Round 2. He's listed as a reliever but we are marking him as a future starter as well. Middle of the rotation guy.

We need a backstop bad, but in third round there's only so much to choose from and we grab Duane Josephson. Hoping he can be a guy behind the dish to rely on.

We went middle infield in Round 4 with SS Dave Campbell.

[gern11]

Running a dynasty for the first time leaves me vulnerable to major lapses and I just suffered my first consequence.

After acquiring Gaylord Perry, I forgot to adjust accordingly to protect him in the Rule 5 draft. Easy come, easy go. Gaylord is now a Chicago Cub prospect and I'm out Felix Mantilla.

Well done!!

As little compensation, Mets grab OF Jesus Alou and SP Jim Rooker in the Rule 5 draft.

I'm pissed.

[gern11]

[gern11]

Here are your 1964 New York Mets, set to open their brand new ballpark, Shea Stadium

[gern11]

For the third consecutive season, the Mets begin a campaign with a win.
What makes this one so special? It came on the road against the reigning World Series champ.

The Mets served Philly an enticing plate of Bob Veale, who simply shoved, earning the complete-game victory. He worked around eight hits and four walks but managed to accomplish the job. And, his bat proved just as significant as his arm, generating two hits and three RBIs.