Questions for Frank Thomas

[Benjamin Grimm]

Spun off from the other thread, which was mostly a game of Twenty Questions:

Edgy DC wrote: Some questions for Frank Thomas: 1) You were known as a dead pull hitter. Did they ever try an infield shift against you? ________________ 2) You switched teams eight times between 1959 and 1966. What was going on there? What was it about your game that made GMs think if you as tradeable? Was it because they could try fit you in at so many different positions? ________________ 3) You were famous for claiming that you could catch anybody's hardest throw barehanded. 3a) It is said that you always lived up to this claim. Is that true? 3b) At what distance did you catch them? 3c) Who was the hardest thrower you caught barehanded? 3d) Did this have anything to do with you breaking your thumb in 1964? ________________ 4) Casey Stengel --- idiot, genius, or both? Now that you're in your seventies, do you understand him better? ________________ 5) This is a sensitive one. Playing your whole career in the National League, your era was an era of aggressive integration, can you describe what the general atmosphere was like? 5a) Even for players without a racial animus, it must have been difficult as African-American players regularly won the Rookie of the Year and MVP awards through the fifties, and got the subsequent publicity. Is this accurate? 5b) Were there racial issues between yourself and Richie Allen? Or was it, as reported, merely horseplay that got out of hand? There are certainly accounts that say Allen divided the team on racial lines. 5c) Did you and Allen ever subsequently try to square things? And do you think this was a good look for him?

[Valadius]

What was the atmosphere like on those early Mets teams?

Who, throughout your career, was your favorite teammate and why?

[G-Fafif]

When the Mets presented their Ten Greatest Moments in 2000 as voted by the fans, the founding of the Mets was voted No. 10 and you were introduced to the crowd to represent the '62 Mets. What did it mean to you that almost 40 years later the fans remembered that team and what did it mean to you to be their standard-bearer and receive their (our) applause?

[Zvon]

I really thought this was gonna be about the current Frank Thomas, or I would have left my card earlier.



I think that pic was lifted right off his Topps card cuz I couldnt find a decent color one.

[Guest FrankThomas]

http://www.charlenelockwood.com/Images/debutpost.jpgHello, I'm Frank Thomas. I was very interested to learn about the Ultimate Mets Database website, and I am very happy to participate in its online forum. I will do my best to answer any questions you may have, hopefully in a timely fashion -- I'll do my best. Since the Ultimate Mets Database website is obviously directed at the fans of the New York Mets, many of you already know who I am. But for you younger fans whose Mets recollections may not go back 40 years, I played with the Mets from their inception in 1962 until I was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies on August 7th, 1964. I had a pretty good run with the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 1950s, and I also had some success with the Cubs, Braves and Phillies, but some of my fondest memories come from my time with the Mets. New York really missed National League baseball following the departure of the Giants and Dodgers after the 1957 season, and the 1962 expansion Mets was just what the doctor ordered to fill the void. Our results on the field were historically bad and the media made fun of us, but we were good for the game of baseball. Our fans were so happy to have National League baseball back in New York that we could do no wrong in their eyes. They were truly the best fans in baseball. The 1962 season was a study in contrast for me. It was frustrating to have the team play so poorly and lose so many games, but I personally had one of the best years of my career. I hit 34 home runs in 1962, a club record that stood for years until Dave Kingman finally broke it in 1975. Considering Maris' 61 homers and Mantle's 54 in 1961, no one ever imagined that a guy named Frank Thomas would lead all of New York in home runs in 1962, but that's what happened as Maris dropped to 33 and Mantle fell to 30. I really enjoyed that. I loved playing on the big stage of New York because it's a great sports city. I also loved being in New York for other reasons. My wife Dolores and I had a large family, and there was an endless array of great things for us and our children to do in New York. The 1964 World's Fair was particularly fun for my kids. It was conducted very near the brand new Shea Stadium, and my kids seemed to go there every day. In New York I also enjoyed the benefits of celebrity that were much less prevalent in the other cities I had played -- benefits like discounts, endorsements, favors and simple on-the-street recognition. Still, the baseball was the best part, though. I loved playing at the old Polo Grounds because it was perfectly suited to my right-handed power pull hitting style. Casey Stengel was great to play for, and we had a real interesting bunch of guys play for us during my time with the Mets. Richie Ashburn, Don Zimmer, Choo Choo Coleman, Jimmy Piersall, Marv Throneberry, Sherman Jones, Gus Bell, Al Jackson, Roger Craig, Joe Christopher, and so many more. They were all guys that enriched my experience with the Mets. My years with Mets are chronicled in detail in my new book, "Kiss It Goodbye: The Frank Thomas Story". I hope you'll order it (there is an ordering link on the Ultimate Mets Database website) because there's a lot in it for Mets fans. 100 of my book's 500 pages are dedicated to my years with the Mets, and I know you'll enjoy reading about them. With that said, let me again say that it'll be a pleasure to field any questions that you have for me and I'll do my best to reply in a timely manner. And Merry Christmas from Frank "The Original One" Thomas.

[Guest KC]

Wow! Welcome and thanks for joining us.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Wow! That was unexpected.

Thanks, Mr. Thomas. For anyone interested, I highly recommend Kiss It Goodbye, which can be ordered here. I've only been reading it the last few nights as I nod off to sleep, but it's incredibly comprehensive and minutely indexed for researchers of this great era of baseball history. (You may need a magnifying glass for that index.) Great cover also.

Mr. Thomas, several questions exist already for you in this thread. While I'm sure many answers can be found in your book, we'd apprecate any answers you can post here.

[MFS62]

Welcome, Frank.
My screen name stands for Mets Fan Since 1962, so I saw you play.

I'm sure my fellow Mets fans join me in saying that we are very glad to see you here.

I usually ask new members to get up on that virtual table in the middle of the room and sing their school fight song. But in your esteemed case, I gladly make an exception.

Later

[Guest Edgy DC]

Having read the book's first few chapters, Frank Thomas's school, such as it was, was a seminary in Ontario, so his fight song was probably in Latin.

[Centerfield]

Wow! Frank Thomas! Awesome!

(I hope to be able to add something a little more eloquent when I calm down)

[Guest ScarletKnight41]

Thank you for joining us Mr. Thomas - it's truly an honor!

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

Hi and thanks for coming by!

What kind of player was Elio Chacon? In retrospect, the numbers suggest he was probably a better player than his successor and/or his opportunities with the Mets showed.

The Mets are famous for their third-base experiments. Who was the better third baseman -- you or Jim Hickman?

As a hitter, who among the Mets' starting pitchers of 1962 and 1963 would you consider the most difficult to face? Why?

The Mets brought along a number of promising but very young pitchers in the early years, especially by 64 -- Bearnarth, Locke, Kroll, Hinsley, etc. Whom do you recall as the most impressive young pitchers on these teams?

[metirish]

Hi Frank, welcome to the board, great first post, I'm going to order the book through the link above.Happy Christmas to you and your family Mr Thomas.

[Guest Bret Sabermetric]

Hello, Mr. Thomas. I'm another fan who saw you play. I'm curious about your memories of one of your teammates in 1963 and 1964, Ron Hunt--according to some veteran players of the time, Hunt seemed to rub the veterans the wrong way, especially those on other teams. Do you remember Hunt's aggressive play (or anything else in his style) being unnecessarily abrasive, either to his opponents or to his teammates? It has been suggested that his penchant for getting hit by pitches is only partly due to his crowding the plate.

[Zvon]

wowzers.
Frank Thomas!
This is the koolest.
Thank you very much Mr Thomas for coming here and sharing your words with us.
That book goes on my Xmas list.

Your Met days just a tad before I started following the game, but I was very well aware of your being the Mets single season home run king when I became a Met fan.
I never realized you led NY in homers that year though.

I also loved when Flushing Meadows was the home of the 64/65 Worlds Fair. Still have the old home movies. Good times.





my question would be what size bat did you use?
and who manufactured it?

[Guest Edgy DC]

Did the Mets assign you number 25 on their own, or did you request it? Did you wear 25 before or after your Mets tenure?

[Valadius]

Thanks for coming, Frank! Welcome!

[MFS62]

Frank, a few questions, with the understanding that I haven't read your book yet:
You started out with the Pirates:
Was Branch Rickey the General Manager? What was he like?
Did you get any advice from Ralph Kiner? What was it?
Kiner left the Bucs in 1953. Did they leave up Kiner's Corner in left field, or did they revert to the old dimensions - 365 feet down the left field line?
If they did, your homer totals playing half your games in Forbes Field were very impressive.

Later

[Frayed Knot]

Hi Frank T.,
Thanks for taking the time to "talk" to us.

There's been an increased interest in recent years in a more in-depth anaysis of baseball statistics. While you were playing, which of your own stats were you consistantly aware of and paying attention to, and do you know if there were any particular ones that the club was tracking in order to measure your worth?

[Guest Edgy DC]

Having read some of your book, Mr. Thomas, a few more questions regarding race in baseball occur.

You describe going to Forbes Field in your childhood, not just to see the Pirates, but also to see the almost legendary Homestead Grays teams. Understanding that a child may not notice what an adult notices, can you tell us what was the atmosphere like at the Grays games, and how it differed from that at the Pirates games? Did the black and white patrons sit in the same sections? Approximately what percentage of the crowd was black and what percentage white?

Also, having seen Josh Gibson as a child, can you compare him as a hitter and a catcher to the stars you would go on to play with and against as a big league player?

Lastly, your legacy is mostly linked to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Have you continued to follow the team? What is your opinion on the current state of the team --- how they've been disadvantaged in part by the latter-day state of baseball economics; and how they've attempted to revitalize their presence with the new stadium?

Have you been back much to see the team at Three Rivers Stadium or PNC Park?

Thanks again.

[Guest Rockin' Doc]

A belated wlcome to our guest, Mr. Frank Thomas. Thank you for taking the time to stop by and "chat" with our community of Mets fans. I look forward to reading your responses to many of the questions posed by our members.

[Theoldmole]

I was -- like MFS and other old-timers -- a huge Frank Thomas fan. He lent a touch of class to our early lovable Metsies.

[Theoldmole]

Another fraud?

[Benjamin Grimm]

Yes. I'm tempted to post his real e-mail address, but that would be an abuse of my admin rights.

[nymr83]

please do it.

[Guest OlerudOwned]

Yancy Street Gang wrote: Yes. I'm tempted to post his real e-mail address, but that would be an abuse of my admin rights.

Big deal. So you'll upset some idiot who tried poorly to scam us.

[Zvon]

Yancy Street Gang wrote: Yes. I'm tempted to post his real e-mail address, but that would be an abuse of my admin rights.

Would PM'ing it to everyone?
lol.

Could it really be him?
And he really wants money?

Cause it was kind of obvious he was plugging his book (which I didnt mind).

If it wasnt actually him, Id like to thank whoever it was for making me aware of the book.

[Benjamin Grimm]

The first guy was him. The second one wasn't.

[Guest Rockin' Doc]

I'm not sure which of the admins did it, but I like the strike through the imposter's post. I think it is a nice compromise between leaving the post intact and deleting it.

We don't need idiot imposters potentially offending our guests.

[Zvon]

="Rockin' Doc"]I'm not sure which of the admins did it, but I like the strike through the imposter's post. I think it is a nice compromise between leaving the post intact and deleting it.

It is a nice touch.

I wouldnt mind seeing a red stamp over it as well. Like: