Mets history might be so different if only…

While watching SNY’s first installment of Yearbook, Whitey Herzog was seen in full Mets regalia working with young players within the system. If only the Mets had realized what a great mind Herzog had.

Last night’s installment of Yearbook focused on the 1971 season. These films were produced after the season as propaganda for prospective advertisers. Much of the film was seen by the general public for the very first time last evening. Next week’s edition focuses on 1984. The Mets produced these films between 1962 and 1988. SNY will air five films within the coming weeks.

It was really interesting to see some of the footage from so long ago. Broadcaster and Hall of Fame player Ralph Kiner is seen wearing a Mets uniform helping out a young Ken Singleton with his batting stance. It was Herzog who recognized the talent in Singleton and did not want to trade him.  The film also touted young first baseman Mike Jorgenson. Singleton, Jorgenson, and Tim Foli, also mentioned in the film, were traded to Montreal for Rusty Staub on April 6th, 1972.

At the time it was hard to argue the trade considering all three Met prospects were an unknown and Staub was an established hitter with power, something the Mets lacked at the time. Of course Singleton went on to have an outstanding career elsewhere.

Staub started out hot in 1972. At the end of May the Mets were 29-11 in first place by four games over Pittsburgh. But Staub got injured shortly after and because of it the Mets were not able to continue the torrid pace they enjoyed the first two months of the season. They finished the strike shortened ’72 season 83-73 in third place, 13.5 games behind Pittsburgh.

Staub paid dividends in 1973 when the Mets went to the seventh game of the World Series losing to Oakland. Staub was eventually traded to Detroit for Mickey Lolich after the ’75 season. Later, Staub came back to the Mets as pinch hitter extraordinaire ending his playing career after the 1985 season when the Mets lost the division by three games to the Cardinals.

Meanwhile Ken Singleton went to Montreal and eventually to Baltimore where he spent the majority of his fine career. Singleton was not a Hall of Famer but he was an outstanding ballplayer who from 1972 through 1983 never batted less than 500 times in a season with over 2000 hits, 1000 RBI, 246 homers, and a lifetime batting average of .282. Singleton was also an outstanding fielder, a three time All Star, and made the playoffs and World Series twice in 1979 and 1983 with the Orioles. How would the Mets have fared if they had listened to Herzog and kept Singleton, the home grown product.

Last night’s film also exposed one of the worst trades in Mets history. It was almost comical in hindsight to listen to the great Bob Murphy wax poetic about Jim Fregosi coming to the Mets for the ’72 season as Nolan Ryan went to California. Another Mets home grown product, Ryan, sent away against the opinion of Whitey Herzog.

After the tragic death of Gil Hodges in the spring of 1972, Yogi Berra was made manager. Many in the organization felt Herzog should have gotten the nod. Herzog himself felt he should have been given the chance to manage the Mets. Not trying to disparage Yogi, (God forbid), I can only wonder what the Mets fortunes would have been had Herzog been given the reigns. His eye for talent and his apparent leadership may have served the Mets well for many years. We will never know.

Of course Herzog got his vengeance in the 1980s as skipper of the Cardinals. Twice, his St. Louis club beat out the Mets for the division, thwarting the possibility of a Mets dynasty.

Regardless of what could have been, the film was very interesting and enjoyable to watch. I applaud SNY for finding these rare treasures and airing them.  But I wonder… If Whitey Herzog had become the Mets manager back then, would he have let George Stone pitch game six and save Seaver for game seven?

I was impressed with a fan’s remarks in Marty Noble’s latest Mailbag feature at Mets.com. The fan was defending the idea of not forgetting the 2008 season because to him, there were many memorable moments. This fan has a good outlook and is getting more out of the baseball season than many of us.

 

I share this fan’s attitude and am often puzzled by so many fans anger and frustration with the Mets. Something has changed drastically since the 1960’s in terms of rooting for a baseball team. It used to be that if your team was playing above .500 and in the mix, fans were happy. Perhaps it has a lot to do with the never ending banter on sports talk radio and the myriad of baseball blogs on the internet. But one thing is certain, unless the Mets (or the team you root for) win the World Series, the season is now thought of as a complete failure.

 

This attitude is complicated by the fact that players often say the same thing. I have heard Derek Jeter claim many times that the season was a failure because the Yankees did not win the Series. This was during seasons when the Yankees were in the playoffs. If the Yankees were a failure for getting to the playoffs, what does that make all the other teams that did not?

 

What gets lost in all this is that it is very hard to get to the playoffs. It is even more difficult to get to the World Series much less win it. If a fan can only obtain satisfaction from their team winning the World Series, why even bother rooting? The odds are always against. Even the favored team is given good odds at the season’s outset to win the Series but no team ever gets one to one odds.

 

A friend of mine who is a numbers wizard ran some stats. He compiled a list of every team to play in the Major Leagues since 1903, the year the World Series began (except 1904 and 1994). He discovered that the average number of times a team wins a World Series is once every 20 years. The results compare the anticipated number of Series wins to the actual. For example, if a team has been in existence for 100 years, they should have won the World Series five times, once every 20 years. Obviously some teams, like the Yankees, are ahead of that curve while some are behind. But most fall smack in the middle or are off by one actual win either way.

 

Based on this formula, the Mets have won the number of World Series that is expected. In 47 seasons, they have won the Series twice. Because 1986 is now twenty-two years ago, the Mets are starting to fall below the curve. However, at least by average, they have won their fare share of World Series. In comparison, the recently crowned Philadelphia Phillies lag behind the curve because they have only won two World Series since 1903. The expectation is they should have won five championships by now. The point being, it is very difficult to win a championship. Again, if winning it all is the only thing a fan can find gratification in, why not find another pastime?

 

I often wonder if Cubs fans have as bad an attitude as many Mets fans. After all, the Cubs have not won a World Series in 101 years. Up until recently, a Red Sox fan was in the same boat. But now that Boston has won a couple of World Series in the last few years, do their fans start expecting a championship every season too?

 

The goal of any organization should be to put the best team on the field with the goal of winning the World Series. That is all we, as fans, can really ask for. However, that effort is no guarantee it will happen. Realistically, the Mets have fielded a winning team for the past four years. Yet because of disappointments by not getting to the Series in ’06, the collapse in ’07, and falling short in ’08, based on fan reaction, you would think these Mets are the same team led by Art Howe. I have been tough on Omar Minaya the last year and a half but in fairness, he turned the team around and made it competitive immediately after taking over the club. The best laid plans are often thwarted by injury, unanticipated poor performance from key players, and even bad luck. 

 

The complaining in regards to 2009 has already started. At the GM meetings in southern California, not much has happened and we are starting to hear criticism from the media that the Mets will not do enough to change their fortunes for next season. It’s as if we need a guarantee in writing today that the Mets will win it all in ‘09. I would hope that someone who could give that guarantee could write down some lottery numbers for me too.

 

The fan in Marty Nobel’s article was simply pointing out that the journey was exciting. And indeed it was. In 2008, the Mets floundered in the beginning, changed managers and found themselves becoming competitive again reaching and occupying first place for quite some time. Injuries and poor relief pitching took their toll and the dream of winning a World Series was not fulfilled. Shall we return to the days or the Roman Empire and feed the team to the lions or should we be more civilized and relish the fact that our team was competitive and came close. Or would we prefer that the Mets become a basement dweller as they were for so many years of their existence when they were out of the race by Memorial Day?

 

The ending of the last two seasons were disappointing, make no mistake about it. But when the Mets finally get back to the playoffs and win it all, and I believe they will soon, the gratification will be that much more enjoyable. Wild ideas of breaking up the core by sports talk loud mouths is reactionary and would only serve to take steps backward. Fixing the obvious is what is needed and that is what Omar and company seem prepared to do as they look for pitching.

 

As the Mets get ready to move into beautiful Citi Field, they will do so with a chance to win the World Series. Whether the Mets do or not is why we follow them. The journey is long and many things can happen along the way. If we continue to spew our disapproval of a team that spends more money than most, tries hard to win at all costs, and keep their product competitive, then our griping says more about us, the fans, than it does about the Mets.

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