Ultimate Mets Scrapbook spotlight on Bud Harrelson

[Benjamin Grimm]

The sixth release of the Ultimate Mets Scrapbook was posted late yesterday, and it's entirely devoted to Bud Harrelson. The first article is from 1963, when Bud signed his first contract with the Mets, and it runs through his playing career, his coaching career, his managing career, and even his singing career.



https://leaptoad.com/mets/scrapbook.php?pageNumber=2&tabno=DSpotlight on Bud Harrelson





http://leaptoad.com/mets/clipping.php?filename=00490.jpgGator Star Signed by Mets

San Francisco Examiner June 9, 1963

Bud Harrelson, a 19-year-old third baseman from Hayward, California, has signed a contract with the New York Mets.





http://leaptoad.com/mets/clipping.php?filename=00474.jpgA 'Big' Man at Short for the Herd

Buffalo Evening News April 24, 1965

Bud Harrelson is 20 years old and playing for the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons. His height (5'8") and weight (152 pounds) are noted, as will happen many times over the course of his playing career, but he's also regarded as potentially the best shortstop in the International League.





http://leaptoad.com/mets/clipping.php?filename=00446.jpgMets' M'Millan Was Hit by Virus

New York Daily News September 8, 1965

Mets veteran shortstop Roy McMillan (whose name is oddly abbreviated as "M'Millan" in the headline) has been suffering from a respiratory virus. This has given young prospect Bud Harrelson a chance to get some playing time and, according to News columnist Dick Young, he's not quite ready yet. Apparently he gives ground balls "the old dipsy-do from the side."





http://leaptoad.com/mets/clipping.php?filename=00441.jpgCan Roy Do It Again For Mets?

New York Daily News September 13, 1966

As the 1966 season draws to a close, veteran shortstop Roy McMillan is facing shoulder surgery, and his future is in doubt. Should the Mets trade for a new shortstop? Or should they give the job to another veteran, Ed Bressoud? Or is it time to turn to young prospect Bud Harrelson?





http://leaptoad.com/mets/clipping.php?filename=00448.jpgMets Thin Man Slays Giants

Newsday September 17, 1966

A big day at the plate for Bud Harrelson. He hits two triples and steals home in a 5-4 win over the Giants at Candlestick Park.





http://leaptoad.com/mets/clipping.php?filename=00443.jpgWes Counts on Young Bud To Blossom Into Star SS

New York Daily News March 1, 1967

As 1967 spring training gets underway, there's going to be a competition for the starting shortstop job. Veteran Roy McMillan is still in the mix, but manager Wes Westrum is touting young Bud Harrelson who, he says, could be another Maury Wills.





http://leaptoad.com/mets/clipping.php?filename=00445.jpgSay Bud! Harrelson May Be Top SS in NL

New York Daily News July 6, 1967

Bud Harrelson has claimed the Mets starting shortstop job and as his confidence has grown, his performance has improved. Plus, a Bill Gallo cartoon, "Quick Change (Relief) Artist" featuring Hal Reniff.





http://leaptoad.com/mets/clipping.php?filename=00481.jpgReal Surprise: He's No Loser, This Young Met

The Tennessean August 27, 1967

Tennessee sportswriter Bud Burns expresses surprise that the "hapless expansion" Mets (in their sixth season) have a quality player in Bud Harrelson. Burns doesn't seem to appreciate defensive skills. He says that Harrelson's "lowly" batting average "overshadows anything else he had ever done."





http://leaptoad.com/mets/clipping.php?filename=00486.jpgHe Makes Light of His Weight Problem

Los Angeles Times April 8, 1968

In this UPI article from April 1968, carried in the Los Angeles Times, Bud Harrelson discusses his struggles to keep his weight on. In the previous season, his production tailed off as fatigue caught up with him during the summer months.





http://leaptoad.com/mets/clipping.php?filename=00456.jpgBud Harrelson Is No Joke To New York Mets' Foes

Zanesville Times Recorder July 21, 1968

A wire-service article from 1968 profiles Bud Harrelson. It opens with some Henny Youngman style jokes about Bud's light weight and goes on to describe some of the good-natured ribbing that Harrelson gets from his teammates. Bud also discusses his approach as a leadoff hitter.





http://leaptoad.com/mets/clipping.php?filename=00396.jpgBud Harrelson, by Bruce Stark

New York Daily News September 26, 1969

One in a series of portraits of the 1969 Mets by cartoonist Bruce Stark for the Daily News.





http://leaptoad.com/mets/clipping.php?filename=00484.jpgHe Met the Challenge

Oakland Tribune October 14, 1969

As Bud Harrelson is playing in the 1969 World Series, a reporter from his native Bay Area checks in on Bud's high school baseball coach Don Curley, who remembers Bud as a "4-foot-10-inch teenager."





http://leaptoad.com/mets/clipping.php?filename=00442.jpgYoung Ideas

New York Daily News February 5, 1970

It's spring training, 1970 and Bud Harrelson is a defending World Champion shortstop. In Dick Young's column, Bud reflects on his recovery from knee surgery in 1968 and how, as a minor league player attending a Mets game in San Francisco, he gained confidence when he witnessed his future mentor Roy McMillan make an error.





http://leaptoad.com/mets/clipping.php?filename=00447.jpgYoung Ideas

New York Daily News April 29, 1970

In Dick Young's column, Bud Harrelson talks about the reaction to his first out-of-the-park home run. When asked for an autograph, Bud offered to sign it "Baby Ruth".





http://leaptoad.com/mets/clipping.php?filename=00483.jpgMets' Bud Harrelson A Lover, Not a Fighter

The Times (Munster, Indiana) July 9, 1970

Three years before the now legendary fight with Pete Rose, Bud Harrelson took a few steps towards the mound and had to be restrained when he felt that Cardinals pitcher Jerry Reuss was throwing at him.





http://leaptoad.com/mets/clipping.php?filename=00451.jpgBud Harrelson: Batting Expert

Florida Today May 13, 1971

Bud Harrelson, known as a glove but not a bat, is leading the Mets with a .329 batting average and has recently had a nine-game hitting streak.





http://leaptoad.com/mets/clipping.php?filename=00449.jpgMet Star Turns Singer: Bud Harrelson Doesn't Do Anything Halfway

Kingsport Times-News (Kingsport, TN) December 26, 1971

Bud Harrelson performs at a country-western bar in Woodridge, New Jersey. The article includes a photo of Buddy strumming on a guitar. (This explains why Bruce Stark later pictured Bud playing shortstop with a guitar on his back in his full-color caricature in the Daily News Sunday comic section.)





http://leaptoad.com/mets/clipping.php?filename=00475.jpgUmpires disturb mild Bud Harrelson

New Jersey Record (Bergen, NJ) July 7, 1972

A tough loss to the Padres has Bud Harrelson fuming over some umpiring calls. He vows to no longer be a "nice guy".





http://leaptoad.com/mets/clipping.php?filename=00041.jpgBud Hit the Reds Where It Hurt

Newsday October 8, 1973

Bud Harrelson provided Pete Rose and the Reds with some bulletin board material after the second game of the 1973 NLCS. These words would soon, famously, lead to an on-field brawl between the two players at Shea. Also includes an article about Game 2, "Up Up and Away Soared Superfoul".





http://leaptoad.com/mets/clipping.php?filename=00116.jpgSlide by Rose Sparks a Free-for-All; Fans Toss Garbage, Reds Walk Off Field

New York Daily News October 9, 1973

The now legendary Mets-Reds brawl during the 1973 NLCS, with Pete Rose and Bud Harrelson squaring off.





http://leaptoad.com/mets/clipping.php?filename=00444.jpgPete Rose: A Professional Player All the Way

New York Daily News October 11, 1973

After the legendary dustup between Bud Harrelson and Pete Rose, the M. Donald Grant of the Mets and Bob Howsam of the Reds tried to arrange a home-plate handshake between the two players. Harrelson reluctantly agreed, but Rose nixed the idea.





http://leaptoad.com/mets/clipping.php?filename=00488.jpgPete, Bud "kiss, make up"

The Journal Herald (Dayton, Ohio) January 29, 1974

At an offseason baseball writers dinner, Pete Rose and Bud Harrelson show there are no hard feelings as Bud presents Pete with a "Good Guy" award. The article includes a photo of the two players flanking a smiling Yogi Berra.





http://leaptoad.com/mets/clipping.php?filename=00477.jpgBud: Someone Missed Boat

Tampa Tribune March 20, 1974

Bud Harrelson regrets that he and Pete Rose didn't do a television commercial together. Plus, a chat with Wayne Garrett, who appears to be establishing himself as the third baseman the Mets have been waiting for.





http://leaptoad.com/mets/clipping.php?filename=00479.jpgHarrelson Faces Surgery and Misty Future

New York Daily News May 21, 1975

As Roy McMillan once mentored young Bud Harrelson, Buddy is now mentoring his perceived successor, Mike Phillips. The Mets veteran shortstop, still only 30 years old, is struggling with a bad knee and is enduring a lot of pain.





http://leaptoad.com/mets/clipping.php?filename=00450.jpgBud Harrelson Worked Hard to Work Things Out

New York Daily News March 25, 1976

Bud Harrelson has endured a bad knee, a broken marriage (his wife ran off with a younger man) and a failed business, but in spring 1976 he feels things are looking up.





http://leaptoad.com/mets/clipping.php?filename=00102.jpgHarrelson Has Trouble With Some Answers

Newsday December 9, 1977

Bud Harrelson contemplates a possible end to his time with the Mets





http://leaptoad.com/mets/clipping.php?filename=00453.jpgHarrelson Wants Trade -- Won't Play for Mets

New York Daily News March 4, 1978

After the Mets reacquired Tim Foli to be their starting shortstop, Bud Harrelson has asked to be traded. He doesn't want to be a backup infielder on a team that won't be a contender.





http://leaptoad.com/mets/clipping.php?filename=00485.jpgA Phillie now

Journal News (White Plains, NY) March 25, 1978

In retrospect, it's sad to see how jubilant Bud Harrelson is in this photo as he packs his bags to leave the Mets after having been traded to Philadelphia. But the Mets were going nowhere and the Phillies, in 1978, were the powerhouse team in the division. And as we now know, Bud's association with the Mets is still far from over.





http://leaptoad.com/mets/clipping.php?filename=00491.jpgNewest Mets' player is less than thrilled

Poughkeepsie Journal March 25, 1978

Bud Harrelson has been traded to the defending NL East Champion Phillies, but the player who came back in return, Fred Andrews, is slated to be a Triple-A player for an also-ran team. Not a good turn of events for Fred, who has 16 big league games under his belt but who would finish his career in Tidewater.





http://leaptoad.com/mets/clipping.php?filename=00223.jpgWhen a Diamond Becomes a Ring

Newsday August 2, 1983

Newsday "TV Sports" columnist Stan Isaacs reviews a recent Mets broadcast on Sportschannel.





http://leaptoad.com/mets/clipping.php?filename=00467.jpgMets' farm team hires Harrelson

Citizen Register (Ossining, NY) June 7, 1984

Bud Harrelson gets his first managing gig, with Little Falls of the Single-A New York-Penn League.





http://leaptoad.com/mets/clipping.php?filename=00452.jpgBuddy System at Little Falls

Newsday July 15, 1984

Newsday's Tom Verducci checks in with Bud Harrelson as he works the minor league circuit as a manager of the Mets' Single-A affiliate in Little Falls, New York.





http://leaptoad.com/mets/clipping.php?filename=00455.jpgThis one's for you, Bud (Harrelson)

New York Daily News September 9, 1984

Bud Harrelson has concluded his first season as a minor league manager, winning a Manager of the Year award and the New York-Penn League championship at Little Falls. This article includes praise for Bud from a future Mets shortstop, Kevin Elster.





http://leaptoad.com/mets/clipping.php?filename=00493.jpgMets' Harrelson: This Bud's for you, Columbia

The State (Columbia, SC) January 19, 1985

Bud Harrelson is the new manager of the Columbia Mets of the South Atlantic League. In this article he reflects on what he learned the previous year at Little Falls in his first season as a professional manager. He's also photographed wearing what looks to be a ridiculously large button on his jacket.





http://leaptoad.com/mets/clipping.php?filename=00459.jpgMets Wonder Who'll Be At 3d

New York Daily News May 17, 1985

Bobby Valentine is leaving his position as the Mets third-base coach to manage the Texas Rangers. Among the candidates to replace him: Sam Perlozzo, Bill Robinson, and the eventual choice, Bud Harrelson.





http://leaptoad.com/mets/clipping.php?filename=00487.jpgMets, former mentor enjoy reunion

Columbia Record (Columbia, SC) July 30, 1985

Bud Harrelson left his job managing the Columbia Mets during the 1985 season in order to join Davey Johnson's big-league coaching staff. In this article, Bud is interviewed while on a return visit to Columbia, where he reflects on his time there and on some of the differences between being a minor-league manager and a major-league third-base coach.





http://leaptoad.com/mets/clipping.php?filename=00489.jpgHarrelson saw all the action

Poughkeepsie Journal October 27, 1986

The bottom of the tenth inning of Game Six of the 1986 World Series is surely the most legendary half inning in Mets history. Bud Harrelson was the third base coach as the monumental events unfolded, and in this article he shares his perspective.





http://leaptoad.com/mets/clipping.php?filename=00476.jpgMets' Harrelson displayed a touch of class and heart

New York Daily News February 18, 1987

The term "class act" gets used a lot, and in this Daily News column by Howard Cosell, we see how aptly it applies to Bud Harrelson.





http://leaptoad.com/mets/clipping.php?filename=00454.jpgSuddenly, Bud's Stock Is Blue Chip

Newsday October 23, 1988

In October of 1988, Marty Noble of Newsday speculates that Bud Harrelson's chances of becoming a big league manager are looking good. He's being considered for a position with the White Sox, but he may eventually succeed Davey Johnson, if Mike Cubbage doesn't.





http://leaptoad.com/mets/clipping.php?filename=00471.jpgNew faces, old result: Buddy's Mets lose

New York Daily News May 30, 1990

Davey Johnson has been fired and Bud Harrelson is the new manager of the Mets. He doesn't get off to a good start, however. The Mets lose his debut game 2-1 in Cincinnati.





http://leaptoad.com/mets/clipping.php?filename=00472.jpg'A good choice'

New York Daily News May 30, 1990

When Davey Johnson was fired, the Mets considered Bud Harrelson and Mike Cubbage to succeed him. Harrelson got the job, and an endorsement from his rival. Cubbage would eventually get the job, but only for seven games as an interim manager in 1991 after Bud's firing.





http://leaptoad.com/mets/clipping.php?filename=00473.jpgBud, this one's for you; Davey gets thumb

New York Daily News May 30, 1990

The Mets fire manager Davey Johnson, and his third base coach, Bud Harrelson, is his replacement.





http://leaptoad.com/mets/clipping.php?filename=00460.jpgLittle Buddy Could Make Big Difference

Newsday May 31, 1990

As Bud Harrelson takes the helm as Mets manager, Newsday columnist Joe Gergen looks back at how Buddy got to where he is, and also at what may lie ahead. Gergen points out that Bud is the only one of Gil Hodges' Mets players to become a manager.





http://leaptoad.com/mets/clipping.php?filename=00469.jpgOn The Path Of Hodges

Newsday June 1, 1990

New Mets manager Bud Harrelson sees Gil Hodges as the role model for the kind of manager he'd like to be. Newsday's Steve Jacobsen looks back at Hodges, and speculates how Harrelson might handle a player like Darryl Strawberry differently than Davey Johnson did.





http://leaptoad.com/mets/clipping.php?filename=00470.jpgNew Name Is on Door, But Mets Need More

Newsday June 1, 1990

As Bud Harrelson takes over the Mets, he's faced with a flailing team and a number of discontented players. This article includes grumbling from Dwight Gooden and Darryl Strawberry





http://leaptoad.com/mets/clipping.php?filename=00482.jpgMets leave the worrying to Harrelson

Democrat and Chronicle (Rochester, NY) July 14, 1990

The Mets are thriving under their new manager. They've won 28 of their first 38 games under Bud Harrelson's leadership.





http://leaptoad.com/mets/clipping.php?filename=00480.jpgBud: Elster Situation Difficult

Newsday February 22, 1991

Mets manager Bud Harrelson, in his first (and ultimately only) spring training as skipper, discusses some of his options regarding several players on his roster, including Kevin Elster, Keith Miller, and Mark Carreon.





http://leaptoad.com/mets/clipping.php?filename=00492.jpgMets' Harrelson can't stand radio static, too bad

Press and Sun-Bulletin (Binghamton, NY) May 5, 1991

Tony Kornheiser, of the Washington Post, blasts Mets manager Bud Harrelson for ducking not-so-tough questions from Howie Rose on WFAN.





http://leaptoad.com/mets/clipping.php?filename=00478.jpgYes, It's Been One Year With Bud at the Helm

Newsday May 29, 1991

Bud Harrelson has now managed 162 Mets games, over parts of two seasons, and Mets VP Al Harazin is expressing patience. Bud has a 24-19 record so far in 1991 and he's 94-68 overall. It's strange to see that there are questions about Harrelson's job security at this point. As we now know, things would take a turn for the worse. An 8-21 record in August would doom the club, and Bud would be gone before the season's end.





http://leaptoad.com/mets/clipping.php?filename=00289.jpgCone Does It His Way

Newsday June 5, 1991

A disagreement among pitcher David Cone, manager Bud Harrelson, and pitching coach Doc Edwards led to an in-game finger-poking confrontation in the Mets dugout.





http://leaptoad.com/mets/clipping.php?filename=00458.jpgIt Must Look Familiar to The Boss

Newsday August 8, 1991

Things are going poorly for the Mets, and Marty Noble speculates on Bud Harrelson's future. He determines (incorrectly, as time will prove) that Bud won't be fired but that his contract simply won't be renewed. This article includes a sidebar that speculates on who will follow Harrelson. Among those listed is future interim manager Mike Cubbage and future permanent manager Dallas Green, but no mention of the actual eventual selection, Jeff Torborg.





http://leaptoad.com/mets/clipping.php?filename=00457.jpgBud's gotta go!

New York Daily News August 9, 1991

Daily News columnist Mike Lupica calls for the immediate firing of manager Bud Harrelson -- before it's too late to save the season.





http://leaptoad.com/mets/clipping.php?filename=00462.jpgIt Hurts: Out of spotlight, Harrelson begins healing process

Newsday October 1, 1991

Bud Harrelson, back at home in Hauppauge, Long Island, reflects on his recent firing as Mets manager.





http://leaptoad.com/mets/clipping.php?filename=00463.jpgBud Didn't Understand

Newsday October 1, 1991

Marty Noble takes a sympathetic, but unvarnished, look at Bud Harrelson's recently concluded tenure as Mets manager, and outlines his failings.





http://leaptoad.com/mets/clipping.php?filename=00464.jpgThe New Pastime: Dancing on Graves

Newsday October 1, 1991

Newsday columnist Joe Gergen laments the tone of the media's coverage of the firing of Bud Harrelson as Mets manager.





http://leaptoad.com/mets/clipping.php?filename=00468.jpgBuddy I Knew Was on the Ball

Newsday October 2, 1991

Newsday columnist Carole Agus shares a personal remembrance of Bud Harrelson and a game of ping pong. She says that Bud was one of the most stylish and sexiest men she's ever met.





http://leaptoad.com/mets/clipping.php?filename=00465.jpgThis, Bud, is for you

New York Daily News October 17, 1991

U.S. Congressman Bob Mrazek writes a letter to the Daily News' Voice of the People defends Bud Harrelson after the abuse he feels the Mets manager received after his firing. He says that Bud "is a good and decent man who acted honorably and well in a tough profession."





http://leaptoad.com/mets/clipping.php?filename=00461.jpgSomething to quack about

New York Daily News June 25, 2000

Bud Harrelson is the co-owner, and manager, of the unaffiliated Atlantic League team, the Long Island Ducks.





http://leaptoad.com/mets/clipping.php?filename=00466.jpgHey Bud, This Night's For You

Newsday August 4, 2018

Mets legend Bud Harrelson, suffering from Alzheimer's disease, has his uniform number 3 retired by the Long Island Ducks.





http://leaptoad.com/mets/clipping.php?filename=00494.jpgEveryone's Buddy: Beloved '69 champion Harrelson dies at 79

New York Daily News January 12, 2024

Obituary for Bud Harrelson, Mets All-Star shortstop, coach, manager, broadcaster, World Champion, and a member of the club's Hall of Fame.

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

Just reading the recaps is enlightening

[kcmets]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: http://leaptoad.com/mets/clipping.php?filename=00481.jpgReal Surprise: He's No Loser, This Young Met The Tennessean August 27, 1967 Tennessee sportswriter Bud Burns expresses surprise that the "hapless expansion" Mets (in their sixth season) have a quality player in Bud Harrelson. Burns doesn't seem to appreciate defensive skills. He says that Harrelson's "lowly" batting average "overshadows anything else he had ever done."

My fifth birthday, this is fun!

[metirish]

Great work , thank you, some amazing insights





CONE DOES IT HIS WAY is some good reading

[whippoorwill]

This is terrific

!