Draw Of The Cards

[G-Fafif]

It was no substitute for an actual gathering of living 1973 alumni, but You Gotta Believe the Mets playing cards handed out Saturday were surprisingly inclusive. When you have 52* slots and used only 40 players who were managed by one man and coached by four others.

SPADES
K Millan Q Yearbook Cover J Stone 10 Schneck 9 Moore 8 Hodges 7 Yost 6 Garrett 5 Miller 4 Theodore 3 Harrelson 2 Mr. Met (cartoon) A McGraw

HEARTS
K Jones Q NL Champs Ring J Mays 10 Ostrosser 9 McAndrew 8 Latter-Day Shea NL Champs Wall Banner 7 Boswell 6 Capra 5 Fregosi 4 Pignatano 3 Parker 2 May A Seaver

CLUBS
K Grote Q Shea Classic Exterior J Sadecki 10 McMillan 9 Hahn 8 Berra 7 Kranepool 6 Strohmayer 5 *UNKNOWN AS I HAVE JUST NOTICED I HAVE NO FIVE OF DIAMONDS 4 Beauchamp 3 Apodaca 2 Harts A Koosman

DIAMONDS
K Staub Q 1973 Pennant As Depicted On 1974 Yearbook Cover J Swan 10 Milner 9 Dyer 8 Gosger 7 Martinez 6 Hennigan 5 Chiles 4 Barnes 3 Webb 2 Walker A Matlack

All 40 players are accounted for as are Yogi and his coaches. Don't know what 5 of Diamonds was supposed to be. If it was the announcers.

Harts shouldn't be a diamond. Dyer should've been a 10. Staub should've been a 4. Jerry May should been a jack so he could've been J May.

ETA: Shea should be a diamond. If they ever do this for Citi Field, that should be a club...one with restricted access, of course.

[G-Fafif]

Perhaps Saturday was a stealth tribute to the Statler Brothers.

Counting flowers on the wall
That don't bother me at all
Playin' solitaire 'til dawn
With a deck of fifty-one

VKZjja37_sw

[G-Fafif]

I have been informed by Twitter sources that the 5 of Diamonds is Mr. Met pitching.

[Chad ochoseis]

Tug rather than Stone as the fourth ace bugs me. An "ace" is a starting pitcher, and Stone certainly earned his ace in 1973. Lowest ERA of any pitcher not wearing uni number 41. McGraw was fair to middling most of the year and would be a perfectly fine king.

[batmagadanleadoff]

G-Fafif wrote: I have been informed by Twitter sources that the 5 of Diamonds is Mr. Met pitching.

[seawolf17]

I'ma need a set of those. I like.