Questions for Steve Zabriskie

[Frayed Knot]

In fairness to Mushnick (at least in Friday's column - the original might have been more strident) he says that Zabriskie's resume was embellished in the Met media guide - which it certainly was - although does not directly accuse SZ himself as the one concocting the lies and exaggerations. It could be read more as an indictment of corporate B.S.

I generally like Mushnick's column although it seems like I'm increasingly hearing tales of general sloppiness due to not getting the side from those he's zeroed in on. I guess how you view that depends on your opinion of who he's throwing his bombs at that week.

[Guest Steve Z]

Many thanks to all of you for your kind comments and especially to 'Johnny' for posting the Mushnick article. I don't know what his problem is with me because he hasn't had the guts to come to me directly but I have drafted a letter to him which I am posting below for all of you to read. I'm not even sure what paper he writes for but if any of you can provide me with either a mailing address or an e-mail address, I will send it to him ASAP. Thanks again and here is my reply.

Mr. Mushnick:

A friend has informed me that you have taken yet another opportunity to unfairly attack my character by trashing me in a recent article regarding a new Mets radio announcer. You are apparently still subscribing to the old saying, “Never let the facts get in the way of a good story”, or in this case, the story you want to tell.

Since you never demonstrated the decency to speak with me regarding your story, especially before putting it out there without any regard for the facts, I can only assume that you have your own agenda. Please tell me what I have done that causes you to hate me enough to still be beating this dead horse after more than 20 years.

Since you demonstrate a blatant disregard for the facts, it may be a waste of time, but here they are. I never claimed to have been a ‘star’ anything. When the media guide came out I complained to both Jay and Dennis regarding my bio and they passed off the embellishment as being “good PR”.

I never claimed that I had been ‘drafted’ by the As. If that appeared in my bio (and I don’t know because I don’t have a copy), it was again an assumption or embellishment by the PR guys. I was a free agent who initially, and quietly, went to the fall instructional league in Mesa, Arizona so that everyone could be certain that I had fully recovered from my football injuries and subsequent operations.

If you only had the guts to ask me about it first, I could have given you some names with whom you could have checked and gotten the real facts. People such as Phil Garner, a teammate, and Doc Edwards who was one of our coaches back then. But that would have ruined your story…..the story that suited whatever this agenda is that you seem to have.

I should have sued you back then when your vile and unwarranted attack was first unleashed but both the ball club and my agent talked me out of it. I would hope that you would have enough integrity to make things right but, based on your history, I doubt that you’re a big enough person.

Steve Zabriskie

[Frayed Knot]

]I'm not even sure what paper he writes for but if any of you can provide me with either a mailing address or an e-mail address, I will send it to him ASAP

New York Post
I'm sure they provide e-mails on their website NYPost.com


Here it is: phil.mushnick@nypost.com

[Guest Steve Z]

Thanks, Frayed!

[Guest Edgy DC]

How embarrassing. Getting caught between two pros.

For what it's worth Mr. Z., while I appreciate your desire to clear your good name, for the vast majority of us, it doesn't really need clearing. Your broadcast record speaks for itself.

[Guest KC]

Ok, so is Mush a registered poster or a lurkey turkey? I'm guessing the latter.

[Zvon]

way to tell him Mr Z!

[Theoldmole]

What Edgy said. Thanks for memorable Met broadcasts, Steve, and thanks for being generous with your time to a ragtag assortment of Mets fans. You're aces in our book.

[metirish]

Mr. Zabriskie I truely believe your side of this story, I am a bit disapointed with Mushnick as I look forward to his columns, I would have thought he would have contacted you but as you say he has not, this is the kind of stuff that he some times vents about, so I'm surprised, still I'm sure you know that you are among friends here and again thanks for your time.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Well, it's been a week and I'm not finding any Mushnick retraction.

Though I think Mushnick Retraction is opening for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs this weekend at the Roseland Ballroom.

Meantime, here's an early seventies print ad for KTUL-Tulsa, featuring Steve Zabriskie, FCP



Are you a Met literary completionist like me? Perhaps you were looking for a fine holiday gift idea for a Met completionist --- like me. Well, if you are either of these things, or both, Steve Zabrisikie has a book out, which he was too kewl to plug on his own (or even alert his friendly administrator to), but I found it and I'm plugging it myself.

[Guest mlbaseballtalk]

If Mushmouth doesn't retract, then he is just as bad as those he slams.

Personally I would find fault more with the Mets PR team at the time than Zabriske of course as the old media guides were written just for guys in the media where embellishments might get a good laugh and a "wink, wink, nudge nudge"

If this happened today where media guides are available for public consupmtion, Mushmouth would have a stronger case that Steve was behind the inaccuracies

By the way, the excerpts are in the 83-85 guides