Innocence Lost

[Guest Edgy DC]

I figure it's an age thing. dgw and I were old enough to see through his act (I was a high school senor in 1985), but the junior high kids in my town were enraptured.

[TransMonk]

Dykstra was always dirty. To me, that meant he played hard.

Also, his '86 postseason seasled it for me. That HR in Game 3 of the NLCS was one of the first walk-off win I remember watching. It was AMAZING!

[Guest metsguyinmichigan]

The Seaver trade was out-and-out betrayal to this then-13-year-old. I took it very personally.

[ashie62]

Dykstra & Mcdowell came off as bullies to me. Where are they now? hmmm...

[ashie62]

MFS62 wrote: Broussard? Later

Oops Eddie Bressoud 1967 .

[Fman99]

Lost my innocence at 15 at the (skilled) hands of a 19 year old Puerto Rican girl, the older sister of a buddy of mine from high school. She was most instructive.

No Mets were involved.

[Guest themetfairy]

June 15, 1977.

Specifically, Seaver.

[Frayed Knot]

In today's NYTimes Sports Section was a letter-to-the-editor section with replies to Alan Schwartz's article on his kid's lost innocence after the Frankie trade.
This is obviously by no means scientific and you do get the idea that some used this as an excuse to rant about things they were simply pissed off about either at the time or in retrospect.

Anyway, a synopsis of the responses divided into categories more or less:

Trades --
Mets deal Seaver
Oilers deal Gretzky
Giants deal Cepeda
Dodgers deal Jackie (to the Giants no less!!)
Knicks deal Clyde
Met trades of Mookie / Dykstra / Mazzilli
Cubs trade Lou Brock for Ernie Broglio
Indians trade Rocky Colovito
Yanx trade Bobby Murcer
Colts trade Unitas
Rangers trading Park, & Ratelle for Esposito & Vadnais (then followign that up with Middleton for Hodge)

Releases/Firings --
Yanx let Damon & Matsui walk
Yanx fire Showalter
Yanx fire Berra
Yanx fire Dick Howser
Celtics let Paul Silas go
Czonka, Kiick & Warfield flee the Dolphins for the WFL

Business --
�94 MLB strike
McCourt buying the Dodgers
Dodgers/Giants moving to California
Robert Irsay moving the Colts away form Baltimore in the middle of the night
MLB clubs tossing aside Fay Vincent for Selig
Getting priced out of Yanqui Stadium
Al Davis taking the Raiders out of Oakland (despite a waiting list for tickets)

Scandals --
Steroids in baseball
�When it bacame obvious what Pete Rose would do for a dollar�
Player personal lives becoming public (generic)
Keckich/Peterson
Dwight Gooden in rehab
Vince Coleman with firecrackers and not knowing who Jackie Robinson was
Having to toss aside one�s framed, autographed Roger Clemens photo

Assorted --
Munich �72
Mets removing the orange & blue shingles (really dude, Really?)
The introduction and subsequent proliferation of over-the-top NBA player intros
Leaning over the Dodger bullpen wall to see a pack of Maroboros next to Don Drysdale

[Guest Edgy DC]

Frayed Knot wrote: Mets removing the orange & blue shingles (really dude, Really?)

Hey, I wrote what was in my heart, OK?