First Met I have ever met.

[Guest holychicken]

Pointless story, but I had to share it and this strikes me as the place I should do it.

My brother moved down to Florida last week and I drove down with him. Right when we got there, this SUV pulls up and the guy asks us how to get out of the housing complex. I was wearing a Mets shirt and when I got out of the car the a big smile grew on his face and waved to me.

He said "I use to play for the NY Mets! I played along side Buddy Harrelson"

I was like "oh, what is your name? That was probably before I was alive."

"Felix Millan."

So I said it was an honor and that I am a huge mets fan, told him how to get out of the housing complex and then said I hoped to see him at some games.

I had just been in the car for 20 hours so I was a little frazzled, so I didn't think to ask for an autograph, which was pretty stupid. It made the trip totally worthwhile.

[Vic Sage]

Jon Matlack was a guest at my little league awards breakfast in 1973. I remember thinking, "wow... this guy looks like Lurch!"

[Willets Point]

Tim Teufel was an alumnus of my high school and did a couple of signings as fund raisers for the school. The first time he brought Lee Mazzilli and Mookie Wilson with him. The next year Howard Johnson and (then still a Twin) Frank Viola. Teufel also helped out our basketball coach at practices.

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

My whole life, all I ever wanted, was for Felix Millan to ask me for directions.

[Guest holychicken]

Johnny Dickshot wrote: My whole life, all I ever wanted, was for Felix Millan to ask me for directions.

It's true, I really am living a dream.

[seawolf17]

Either Terry Leach, when he came to my baseball camp, or Eddie Kranepool, who I met walking around a baseball card show at Nassau Coliseum.

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

holychicken wrote: ="Johnny Dickshot"]My whole life, all I ever wanted, was for Felix Millan to ask me for directions. It's true, I really am living a dream.

Yeah but it's my dream!

[Guest Kid Carsey]

Bud Harrelson at the Danbury Mall was my first I think. Since have met
Mr. Met, Kranepool, Valentine, Darling, El Sid, and Aguilera. Rode tongue-
tied in the Diamondclub elevator with Seaver but I guess that doesn't count.

[seawolf17]

Apparently, Ed Kranepool just runs around the New York metro area looking for people to meet. What a nice guy.

Actually, I met El Sid in 1986, shortly after this game -- still one of my top five games I've ever been to; that might have been before either of those two other guys, I don't remember.

[Guest Iubitul]

Ralph Kiner and Jim McAndrew at my church's winter sports banquet when I was a kid.

[Guest sharpie]

Ken Boyer and Jerry Grote at a Met Fan Club events as a kid.

[Benjamin Grimm]

In 1972, the Smith Haven Mall (Lake Grove, NY) had "Meet the Mets." A bunch of Mets players and personnel were stationed around the mall at little tables handing out autographed photos. I visited every table and when I got home hung the pictures up on my bedroom wall.

I haven't seen those photos in years, but, since I never throw anything out, I suspect I still have them somewhere. When my parents moved back in 1994 I collected a lot of stuff in boxes and have them in my current basement. Some day I'm going to look through all that stuff and find a bunch of forgotten treasures.

The photos were black and white, and, as I recall, the autographs were preprinted on them. The players weren't signing, they were just smiling and handing them out.

Who was there? I remember Bob Murphy and Joe Pignatano were there. I'm not sure which players, though. I think Harrelson and McGraw were there. And Jim Fregosi. I'm also thinking Buzz Capra and George Stone, but I'm really not all that sure.

[Guest Edgy DC]

http://www.leaptoad.com/mets/jpeg/FelixMillan1976.jpgThe craziest thing is that the most definitive thing Millan can say about his tenure is that he played alongside Buddy Harrelson.

No offense to Buddy, but he couldn't say, "I once went 4-4 but Joe Torre erased me each time with four double plays"?

He couldn't say, "I choked up so much that people stopped chocking up after that because they had to pay me money"?

He couldn't say, "My moustache did some coaching in the Carribbean, and taught Jose Valentin's moustache everything it knows"?

He couldn't say, "You see Ed Ott, tell him I'm looking for him"?

Felix the Cat. Wow.

[Benjamin Grimm]

I'd say, "I'm Felix Millan! I played for the Mets in the 1973 World Series!"

[soupcan]

Yancy Street Gang wrote: I'd say, "I'm Felix Millan! I played for the Mets in the 1973 World Series!"

Exactly.

[Valadius]

I think the first Met I ever met was George Foster, back in 2002 at summer camp (see here), but I can't say for certain. I might be missing somebody. Since then I've met Aaron Heilman, Al Leiter, and then a whole cadre of Mets at Willie's charity auction. Oh, and with regards to the first pitch, I decided to do it next season, likely in late spring, after finals are over.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Some recent updates on what Felix Millan has been up to:

http://leaptoad.com/mets/profile.php?PlayerCode=0215&tabno=7

[HahnSolo]

Felix Millan was my first Met autograph, back in '73. That yearbook is long gone and forgotten, though.

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

We shoulkd do a band ladder challenge between Felix Millan's 13-year-old grandaughter and Zebra.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Why does ANTHONY MARTI VENDING get to put HTML in his posts when I can't?

[Guest Edgy DC]

She can go up against Tim McGraw in the Country Singers Descended from Mets Ladder Challenge.



http://cdbaby.com/cd/tallesjernie

[Guest Edgy DC]

Jernie:

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/accent/content/accent/epaper/2007/09/13/a1e_acc_jernie_0913.html

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

I hear she chokes up on the mic stand. She also plays pop-up slide guitar.

So Felix's son is a deadbeat.

[Guest cooby]

Rusty, and I used to have a picture to prove it. But alas, it fried with my PC.

Also Tom O'Malley, though we didnt actually meet.

[Willets Point]

="cooby"]Rusty, and I used to have a picture to prove it. But alas, it fried with my PC.

This one?

[Guest cooby]

Willets to the rescue!

That's KC in the background, for those of you who don't know

[Guest Edgy DC]

But can they count on him if there's any trouble?

[Guest Kid Carsey]

That's my friend Tony behind me, I forgot him and another friend Antknee
were in the booth for a couple of innings. Chuckleheads, both of them.

[Guest cooby]

I remember them because I thought it was funny that there were two people there with the same name as my husband and two people with the same name as my son.

Easily amused, I know.

[Willets Point]

I was going to comment that Antknee is an unusual name until I realized that it's a nickname for Anthony.