Tales from the 1962 New York Mets

Download or read book Tales from the 1962 New York Mets written by Janet Paskin and published by Sports Publishing LLC. This book was released on 2004 with total page 230 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: History set its sights on the 1962 Mets years before the original team ever donned its orange and blue flannels or swung for the Rheingold sign. That first season was destined for the record books as soon as the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants packed up and went west in 1957. Suddenly, the National League town had no National League team, and the city mourned. It took a passionate millionaire five years to bring National League baseball back to New York for a season that will be remembered forever. The team's 120 losses set a new major league record, but that was only half the charm of the Originals. Jilted fans had a team again, and what a team it was: All-Star Richie Ashburn, who quit baseball altogether after that sorry season rather than return to the Mets' losing ways; the quintessential "M.E.T.," Marvin Eugene Throneberry, who came to symbolize the sheer ineptness of the team; Jay Hook, as smart a pitcher as ever lost 19 games; fan favorite "Hot" Rod Kanehl, loved at least as much for his role in a spring training win over the traitorous Dodgers as for his hustle; ex-Dodgers Don Zimmer, Charlie Neal and Gil Hodges; and the Mets' $85,000 bonus baby, Ed Kranepool.