SNY to Feature Best Years, Worst Years, All Years

[G-Fafif]

Fab news from Neil Best of Newsday:

Call it offseason filler if you must, but SNY's new "Mets Yearbook," debuting Thursday night after its "Hot Stove" show, is off-the-charts cool for sports and TV nostalgia buffs. The series features 27 season highlight films from 1962 through '88 that had been languishing in the Mets' archives for years. The ones from the early years were made for promotional purposes and shown mostly to community groups; they were not designed for television and in some cases never have been seen on TV before. Gary Morgenstern, SNY's VP of programming, said the hodgepodge of films followed various formats and were of varying lengths but have been turned into half-hour shows for "Mets Yearbook." The first five - 1971, '84, '75, '68 and '63 - will be shown on Thursdays in 2009, with about 10 more in '10 and the rest sometime the following year. So far I have watched '71, '68 and '63. The '71 show includes footage of an old-timers' game in which Satchel Paige is seen pitching, and in which Bobby Thomson pitched to Ralph Branca. (You read that right.) In the '68 show, Gil Hodges is seen going over scouting reports in the locker room with his young pitching staff, including Tom Seaver and Jerry Koosman. The '63 highlights were most interesting of all, because they included extensive, full color, rarely seen footage of the Mets playing at the Polo Grounds. That includes the final major league game played there, after which Casey Stengel is shown walking off through centerfield in a scene similar to the one featuring Tom Seaver and Mike Piazza at Shea 45 years later.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Wow! Sounds like something to TiVo and burn to DVD.

[Edgy MD]

And to dupe for your friends!

[Guest Kong76]

Exciting news!

[seawolf17]

Shit, these sound awesome.

[soupcan]

seawolf17 wrote: Shit, these sound awesome.

I second that emotion.

[Guest Rockin' Doc]

Sounds like must see viewing for any true Mets fan.

[ashie62]

I remember watching many of those in school when we had a substitute teacher

Much better than the mr. Science films

[Benjamin Grimm]

I'm glad they're starting with 1971. That was my first year as a fan.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

The series features 27 season highlight films from 1962 through '88 that had been languishing in the Mets' archives for years.

What, no '93?

We cut out cable for the cost last year. I'm thinking about putting months of cable on our baby registry now.

[G-Fafif]

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: The series features 27 season highlight films from 1962 through '88 that had been languishing in the Mets' archives for years. What, no '93? We cut out cable for the cost last year. I'm thinking about putting months of cable on our baby registry now.

Since 1988, the only annual highlight films of which I'm aware are 1990, 1999, 2000 and 2006. I was disappointed when it sank in that they weren't doing them as a matter of course anymore (having spent all of '98 waiting for the uplifting '97 reel that was never produced). I liked the Mets' ability to twist 95-loss seasons into bastions of progress with titles like Getting Better All The Time. Hell, the NFL mandates that its teams do it every year.

[ashie62]

I wouldn't mind seeing the old Video TV intro played to Meet the Mets played by Channel 9 when the game came on.

Remember how the used to show the lineup cards and Lindsey Nelson would read them off??

[Guest Kong76]

I have '65 Expressway to the Big Leagues, '67 Year of Change, and
'68 Year of the Mets Pitchers on VHS. They're available online if anyone
is looking for holiday presents. I can't remember the vendor (it will come
to me) but they have all kinds of baseball stuff like that -- old radio broad-
casts, etc. I know exactly the locker room meeting in '68 he speaks of.

The gave out the '70 Look Who's Number One at Shea years ago, it's probably
somewhere on ebay.

[Guest Kong76]

Here's the vendor: http://www.baseballdirect.com/

Click on Rare Films down the left ...

Crap, now I'm going to have to buy this:

Casey at the Mets
Two vintage films featuring Casey Stengel. The first is a 1963 pre-game Stengel interview with Pirate broadcaster Bob Prince and New York writer Phil Pepe. "Casey at the Mets", filmed in 1964, includes an interview with the ol' Professor, shots of Shea Stadium under construction, and Dodger players serenading Casey on his birthday.

[Met Hunter]

I have that Casey at the Mets on an old reel for 8mm. Still in the original box. I doubt we ever watched it.

[Guest Kong76]

8mm film sounds like something I'd look to unload
on another nut. (I mean nut in the kindest of ways).

I need to stop looking around that site ...

Full radio broadcasts:

1962 April 11
St. Louis 11, New York (NL) 4. The Mets' very first game. (Kiner, Murphy, Nelson)
#1198 CD ($19.95)
1962 Sept. 23
New York (NL) 2, Chicago (NL) 1. Thomas singles home Coleman in last of ninth as Mets win season finale at the Polo Grounds. Kranepool gets first major league hit. (Kiner, Murphy, Nelson)
#2008 CD ($19.95)
1964 April 17
Pittsburgh 4, New York (NL) 3. The first game played at the Mets' new home, Shea Stadium. (Kiner, Murphy, Nelson)
#1980 CD ($19.95)

[Edgy MD]

I'm surprised these made it until '88. (I guess that means some will be narrated by Fran Healy.)

The last one I remember must've been '82, featuring a walk-off extra-inning jack by Ron Gardenhire.

[G-Fafif]

1971's highlight film, "The Winning Way," debuted as the first installment of Mets Yearbook last night. Every bit as good as anticipated. It's like they took a can opener to my subconscious and emptied the contents into the TV.

Great things about it in no particular order:

--Bud Harrelson, wearing civilian clothes, speaks in a relaxed and candid fashion about being an All-Star and why the Instructional League, which he's never played in, is a good thing (which is to say it looks like a hostage tape)
--The Mets are counting on young Ken Singleton, Mike Jorgensen and, if he ever stops being fooled on pop flies, Tim Foli
--Jim Fregosi is coming! Jim Fregosi is coming!
--Wayne Garrett missed most of the year in the armed forces
--Ralph Kiner is showing the kids in the aforementioned Instructional League how to hit
--Mets don't hit home runs in 1971 like they didn't hit them in 2009
--Gary Gentry's kid is awesome on Family Day
--Banner Day and "Emblem Day" are big winners
--Groovy production music (and I don't use the term with irony)
--Lindsey Nelson twice uses the phrase "Where it's at"
--Seaver wins his 20th on the final day
--Minutes of glorious context-free great plays and bad plays, proving that you get it all at beautiful Shea Stadium
--Beautiful Shea Stadium
--Don Hahn is not known for home runs, according to Bob Murphy (which was somehow supposed to be flattering)
--Ed Kranepool had his best year ever
--Long man Charlie Williams gets advice from Joe Pignatano
--People come to Shea for all kinds of reasons, including one guy who goes to "get away from my mother"

The film has been restored so it looks ready to be presented to the Kiwanis of Lindenhurst. The audio is crisp. Our three announcers are in great voice. Dick Young takes a credit as consulting director or whatever conflict-of-interest sinecure he had going. Repeat airings are scheduled for Sunday at 6 PM and Wednesday at 9:30 PM (though live sporting programming may fiddle with those plans). Thursday at 7:30 next (11/19) is the 1984 film.

[Benjamin Grimm]

BLACKED OUT!

DirecTV blocked it! The show is "unavailable in my area."

WTF?

[G-Fafif]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: BLACKED OUT! DirecTV blocked it! The show is "unavailable in my area." WTF?

Was there a conflict with Comcast's presentation of "The 1971 Phillies: Historically Sucking For A Little While Longer"?

[MFS62]

G - there is one name in your post about 1971 that I had tried to push back into the inner recesses of my mind so that I would never remember it. You undid over 30 years of my efforts. During that time, I have not even uttered the person's name. I did not want to quote or copy your post. lest I inadvertently see it again.

Well, at least I still have not thought of Mel Rooooooooooooooooooooooo - oooh shit.
I just did it to myself.

Later

[seawolf17]

I'm finally watching 1971, and it's kicking my ass all over the place.

[G-Fafif]

Reminder -- Mets Yearbook: 1984 debuts tonight on SNY at 7:30. Rebroadcasts scheduled for 7:30 Saturday night, 6:00 Sunday night.

No new ep next Thursday but SNY provides a T'Giving Day marathon of all five games of the '69 WS plus its Miracle documentary.

[seawolf17]

Aaaaaaaaaaaand the DVR is now set, from my computer. That's awesome.

[metirish]

seawolf17 wrote: Aaaaaaaaaaaand the DVR is now set, from my computer. That's awesome.

Where on cablevision.com are you doing that?

[seawolf17]

If you search "DVR" in the help box, you can find the screen where you log in and access your DVR that way.

[G-Fafif]

The 1975 highlight film, "Meet The Mets," aired last night on SNY. Will rebroadcast Sunday night at 7. A masterpiece of the genre. The Mets we meet are primarily if not exclusively the many new Mets who made Shea such an exciting place in the past season, particularly an incredibly chatty and amiable Dave Kingman (teaching kids in the community how to hit) and the endlessly promising Mike Vail. Joe Frazier's introductory press conference (at which he's asked if he's got any more Vails at Tidewater), Dairylea Day, Jerry Koosman's brief stint as closer and a visit by Pele are all covered. Plus more. Much more.

Terrific excerpt here.

[ashie62]

G-Fafif wrote: The 1975 highlight film, "Meet The Mets," aired last night on SNY. Will rebroadcast Sunday night at 7. A masterpiece of the genre. The Mets we meet are primarily if not exclusively the many new Mets who made Shea such an exciting place in the past season, particularly an incredibly chatty and amiable Dave Kingman (teaching kids in the community how to hit) and the endlessly promising Mike Vail. Joe Frazier's introductory press conference (at which he's asked if he's got any more Vails at Tidewater), Dairylea Day, Jerry Koosman's brief stint as closer and a visit by Pele are all covered. Plus more. Much more. Terrific excerpt here.

The 1975 film was a hoot. I loved where Lindsey was so proud to mention the Mets would break 1.75 million in attendance.

That appearance by Pele was worth more than a quick bite.

Done in an era where home team kool-aid tasted so good

[G-Fafif]

Thursday night (12/10), 7:30, SNY: The 1968 highlight film, oh boy.

[Guest Kong76]

Not entirely off topic, do I need to see a 2009 World Series
advertisement on SNY while watching Game Four from forty
years ago?