Brogna Boys 2021

[G-Fafif]

Barry Lyons remembers October 25, 1986…

I was in street clothes because I was injured and had several vantage points that game. I was down on the field for some of the pregame stuff, but Major League Baseball was trying to remove me because I didn't have my credentials. Ultimately, Joe McIlvaine gave me his badge. He wanted me to experience the game from ground level because I was one of their guys that he hoped would be in that position many times going forward. For pregame, I was on the field, in the clubhouse and dugout and it was just so exciting and exhilarating even though I wasn't in uniform. When the game started though, I was up in the broadcast booth with Bob Murphy. I was sitting a row behind them and Shea Stadium had that overhang. I saw them all looking up in the sky and was wondering what they were all doing. Then I saw that paratrooper come down with his “Go Mets” sign and land near the mound. That was some kind of moment!

A swell two-parter with the backup catcher.



https://ballnine.com/2021/10/14/barry-lyons/https://ballnine.com/2021/10/14/barry-lyons/



https://ballnine.com/2021/10/21/barry-lyons-ii/https://ballnine.com/2021/10/21/barry-lyons-ii/

[G-Fafif]

Jim Gosger: still alive.

You had a lot of great moments on the Red Sox and played on some other teams too, including the 1969 and 1973 Mets. Can you talk about that experience? Well, I was disappointed that I didn't get a World Series ring in '69. I was only there for about five weeks, but damn, I played good defensively for them. I remember going back for a reunion maybe about five years ago and Cleon Jones came up to me and said, “Goose, can you still run?” I said, “Get out of here, you're crazy.” We were laughing. He said he used to love it because after the seventh inning ended, I would be out there defensively. He said that I could really go get them. But it hurt me that I didn't get an invitation to the [50th Anniversary] reunion. I wanted to ask about that. I have read some articles saying not only that you never got a World Series ring for 1969, and not only did they not invite you to the reunion, but they put you in the video tribute for the players who passed away. I don't mean to bring up negative memories, but can you talk about that? Well at the end of the season, Gil [Hodges] came up to me and said they were going to take me off the roster because they needed an extra pitcher. I said, “Whatever you want to do is fine with me.” It was a big thrill for me to be there when we clinched, the whole thing was just a thrill for a kid to be a part of. But you know, the thing that really hurt was that when the Series was over, I got a check in the mail for $100. That's it. I thought I'd get a ring. I was there for five weeks ad I helped them out a lot defensively. I'll be truthful, when I got that $100 check, I was hot. To this day, I have people coming to me saying, “Jim, we got to get a hold of someone to get you that ring.” I don't know, I think it's a done deal. You know, I was heartbroken. I got the National League Championship ring in 1973, because I was there for six months. But that '69 ring would be unbelievable. That's really sad. You weren't a rookie callup in '69. You were a veteran by then and helped them out. It's nice to see people taking up your cause though. I think it would be great if the Mets new ownership would do something to help. You know, the Mets did a thing where they gave season ticket holders a replica ring and I have these good friends from New York. I had just come back from a trip to Lansing and my wife told me I had a package and didn't know what it was. Well my friends from New York had sent me their duplicate ring. When I opened it up, I saw the ring and started crying. I thought, “My God, I got my ring!” But then I made a call and learned it was just a glass replica. It was disappointing, but it made me feel really good that somebody would think that much of me to take the time to send that to me. The real one, that had one big diamond right in the middle and was beautiful. It fit the whole knuckle. The ring I got in '73 is nice. It has diamond chips in it and it has never left my finger. But the '69 ring is a treasure. The thing that hurt the most was that they gave rings to all the coaches and managers in the minor leagues. They gave rings to office personnel. But there were about two or three players who were on the team and never got the ring. That hurt me more than anything. https://ballnine.com/2020/12/03/the-hustler-jim-gosger/https://ballnine.com/2020/12/03/the-hustler-jim-gosger/

G-Fafif Oct 30 2021 07:16 PM Re: Brogna Boys 2021

Ross Jones, present at the creation of the best of Mets eras. “The Mets were in an exciting place when I got traded to the team before the '84 season. Davey Johnson was just named manager and a new era was taking off. It was great to be there when the turnaround of the franchise was happening. So many great young players coming along blended with some special veterans. The team was becoming good after many years of not being relevant. It was a great time to be a Met.” https://risingapple.com/2021/10/30/ny-mets-ross-jones-exciting-time/https://risingapple.com/2021/10/30/ny-mets-ross-jones-exciting-time/

G-Fafif Nov 06 2021 08:47 AM Re: Brogna Boys 2021

The family of first Met-cultivated All-Star Ron Hunt seeks help for their dad. “I'll ask for forgiveness later. This is coming from me,” the Wentzville, Mo., resident said this week. “This is just me wanting my dad to have a quality of life for what he has left.” Hunt's dad is someone well-known to older Mets fans: fan favorite Ron Hunt, the first Met to start an All-Star Game, the 1964 Midsummer Classic, held at Shea Stadium of all places. As the Hunt family shared with The Post back in 2018, Ron is battling Parkinson's disease, an incurable neurodegenerative disorder that has taken its toll on him. Now 80, “Ron has good days and bad days, but every three days, he takes a good, nice fall,” his daughter said. “His kneecaps are destroyed. His body is destroyed.” There is a way to help him, though, Tracy Hunt believes, which is why she finds herself asking her dad's many admirers for help. The Hunt family, with the help of family friend Frank Santarpia, has set up a GoFundMe page in the hopes of completing an experimental protocol for Parkinson's that Ron began earlier this year. Such publicity won't play well with the stoic Ron Hunt, who takes great pride in the 243 times he got hit by a pitch, fourth all-time in modern baseball, including the single-season record of 50 in 1971 with the Expos. “This is me. This is my last resort,” Tracy Hunt said. “I don't have another bag of money.” Ken Davidoff, who's been chronicling Hunt's travails, picks up the story. https://nypost.com/2021/11/05/ron-hunts-daughter-raising-money-for-ex-mets-treatment/https://nypost.com/2021/11/05/ron-hunts-daughter-raising-money-for-ex-mets-treatment/

TransMonk Nov 08 2021 08:52 AM Re: Brogna Boys 2021

https://twitter.com/PerezEd/status/1457734130788192256

G-Fafif Nov 10 2021 07:14 PM Re: Brogna Boys 2021

https://twitter.com/craigminervini/status/1458616407478910981

G-Fafif Dec 22 2021 06:29 AM Re: Brogna Boys 2021

https://twitter.com/ft_athletics/status/1471923439502073857

Edgy MD Dec 22 2021 08:55 AM Re: Brogna Boys 2021

That's … some kind of promo shot they're using for Jeff.

[G-Fafif]

Ross Jones, present at the creation of the best of Mets eras.

“The Mets were in an exciting place when I got traded to the team before the '84 season. Davey Johnson was just named manager and a new era was taking off. It was great to be there when the turnaround of the franchise was happening. So many great young players coming along blended with some special veterans. The team was becoming good after many years of not being relevant. It was a great time to be a Met.”

https://risingapple.com/2021/10/30/ny-mets-ross-jones-exciting-time/https://risingapple.com/2021/10/30/ny-mets-ross-jones-exciting-time/

[G-Fafif]

The family of first Met-cultivated All-Star Ron Hunt seeks help for their dad.

“I'll ask for forgiveness later. This is coming from me,” the Wentzville, Mo., resident said this week. “This is just me wanting my dad to have a quality of life for what he has left.” Hunt's dad is someone well-known to older Mets fans: fan favorite Ron Hunt, the first Met to start an All-Star Game, the 1964 Midsummer Classic, held at Shea Stadium of all places. As the Hunt family shared with The Post back in 2018, Ron is battling Parkinson's disease, an incurable neurodegenerative disorder that has taken its toll on him. Now 80, “Ron has good days and bad days, but every three days, he takes a good, nice fall,” his daughter said. “His kneecaps are destroyed. His body is destroyed.” There is a way to help him, though, Tracy Hunt believes, which is why she finds herself asking her dad's many admirers for help. The Hunt family, with the help of family friend Frank Santarpia, has set up a GoFundMe page in the hopes of completing an experimental protocol for Parkinson's that Ron began earlier this year. Such publicity won't play well with the stoic Ron Hunt, who takes great pride in the 243 times he got hit by a pitch, fourth all-time in modern baseball, including the single-season record of 50 in 1971 with the Expos. “This is me. This is my last resort,” Tracy Hunt said. “I don't have another bag of money.”

Ken Davidoff, who's been chronicling Hunt's travails, picks up the story.



https://nypost.com/2021/11/05/ron-hunts-daughter-raising-money-for-ex-mets-treatment/https://nypost.com/2021/11/05/ron-hunts-daughter-raising-money-for-ex-mets-treatment/

[TransMonk]

[G-Fafif]

[G-Fafif]

[Edgy MD]

That's … some kind of promo shot they're using for Jeff.