Happy Anniversary, Straw

[G-Fafif]

AG/DC wrote: Bollux, my favorite Mets year is and may well remain 19, 19, 1983.

There were, in practical terms, three 1983s:

� The first one, alluded to above, with the hopeless 6-15 start.

� The second one, which included the extreme makeover of Strawberry and Hernandez and (though he wasn't a long-term solution, at least he showed some life as opposed to his predecessor) Frank Howard. There were growing pains aplenty, as the 31-50 mark between May 6 and July 30 would attest, but there was the wisp of hope in the air. Every win seemed to indicate a brighter tomorrow, no matter that the losses far outnumbered the wins.

� Finally, the tangible payoff, beginning with the July 31 doubleheader to which you point, with Jesse winning both games and Mookie scampering home for the sweep. The most thrilling stretch of 31-29 baseball fathomable, last place and all, setting the table for what one could only imagine in '84.

Within the parameters of hell represented by 1977-1983, '83 was the light at the end of the terrible tunnel. I personally view 1980 and its Magic summer with the most romance from this period but '83 clearly paved the way out of hell.

[Guest AG/DC]

I think it was Cashen that reportedly left the office at the end of 1983 telling each of the employees how many days until spring training started, so confident was he that the corner had been turned.

[batmagadanleadoff]

AG/DC wrote: Came a few feet from winning the game in extra innings with a 480 footer or so. It went foul. The heroes that day were Danny Heep and Hubie Brooks, the two guys knocked out of the lineup by that day's callups, Darryl Strawberry and... name that other guy.

I was at that game. Strawberry's near-miss is the only in-game detail that I can recall. That and his strikeouts. I sat on the third base side of the field that night and so from my vantage, there was never any doubt that his blast towards the right field foul pole was foul. It was never a fair ball that suddenly hooked foul; it was a foul ball all the way. But only by a few feet. I couldn't have told you who won that game today, without having refreshed my memory. Soto was considered to be one of the NL's best pitchers in 1983.

[Theoldmole]

I did read the link, tho not to look up Ashford -- whom I had not remembered.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

IIRC, Soto was also the pitcher during Lenny Dykstra's first game, which was two Mays later and also a big Mets win on a Friday.

[Guest Triple Dee]

Thanks for posting this. Strawberry's 24 HRs at Shea in 1990 is firmly entrenched in Mets folklore.

[soupcan]

I had cut this out and saved it in a scrapbook. It was from Sports Illustrated.





As if there were any question I have always been a Mets fan...

[Guest AG/DC]

I was clipping minor league notices of Gooden for a while also.