Benjamin Grimm

Over the past few weeks I've been mining old newspaper clippings in order to present them as a new feature on the UMDB. (This is an outgrowth of the http://phpbb3.leaptoad.com/mets/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=29760Blasts from the Past thread that's been popping up every once in a while in this forum.) It's called http://leaptoad.com/mets/scrapbook.phpThe Ultimate Mets Scrapbook. I did a "soft launch" last week, but haven't done anything to publicize it. There's not yet a link on the UMDB menu, but it can be discovered by clicking around. http://leaptoad.com/mets/scrapbook.php The clippings include obituaries of Mets players and personnel, and articles about significant (and insignificant) events in Mets history. I'm including an index of all of the obits and articles that are currently available. The collection will grow over time. I'm presenting it here for feedback about any events I may have missed that would be worth including. Most of the headlines make it clear what the article is about, but if any are not, you can go ahead and find the actual articles on the page linked above. It's been fun collecting these articles. I hope visitors find it fun to browse them and read them. Let me know what you think! [th]OBITUARIES[/th][th]ARTICLES[/th] Agee, Tommie Ashburn, Richie Bamberger, George Berra, Yogi Brown, Lorn Cannizzaro, Chris Cardwell, Don Carter, Gary Cashen, Frank Charles, Ed Chiti, Harry Clendenon, Donn Coleman, Choo Choo Devine, Bing Doubleday, Nelson Ellis, Dock Espinosa, Nino Frazier, Joe Fregosi, Jim Frisella, Danny Gibson, Bob Grant, M. Donald Green, Dallas Green, Pumpsie Hamilton, Darryl Hickman, Jim Hodges, Gil Hornsby, Rogers Jarvis, Jane Kanehl, Rod Kiner, Ralph Kress, Red McGraw, Tug McMillan, Roy Milner, John Mizell, Vinegar Bend Murphy, Bob Murphy, Johnny Nelson, Lindsey Niss, Lou Parker, Salty Payson, Joan Piersall, Jim Robinson, Bill Seaver, Tom Shea, Bill Snider, Duke Spahn, Warren Staub, Rusty Stengel, Casey Stottlemyre, Mel Throneberry, Marv Walker, Rube Westrum, Wes Yost, Eddie Young, Anthony [TABLE] 10/6/1941An Indoor-Outdoor Stadium Could Seat 160,000 -- And Pay 4/19/1957Moses Offers the Dodgers Site in Queens for Stadium 6/22/1959This Rich Ball Fan Can Afford a Diamond 7/28/1959Shea's New 3d Loop Is 'The Continental' 10/18/1960NL Votes Return to Gotham in '62: Houston Also Included in Expansion 10/18/1960Wagner, Shea Jubilant Over NL's Decision 9/30/1961Casey to Pilot Mets; OKs 1 Year at 80G 10/6/1961Mets' Stadium Lease Okayed; Work to Start 3/18/1962Mets Broadcasting Team Promises to Be Just That 3/18/1962The Powerhouse by Jimmy Powers 4/11/1962Rain Postpones Met Debut; Try Again Tonight at St. Lou 5/2/1962Puzzled Casey's Problem: How to Heat Cold Pitching 6/18/1962Cubs Top Mets in 2 Games; Brock HR Hits Bleachers 8/5/1962Portrait of a Ballclub 9/25/1962The Kranepool Story: Wealthy, 17 and a Met 4/2/1963Snider Begins With Half a Job 6/27/1963Harkness Blasts a Hearty Hello 6/22/1964Fair? Bunning Was Perfect: Jim-Dandy Day: 27 Mets, 27 Outs 11/24/1964Who Will Mets Get Next? Khrushchev? 11/24/1964Spahn, 43, Is a Met, Maps Comeback 3/31/1965Casey Facing Decision: Can Yogi Cut Mustard? 8/15/1965The Remarkable Career of Ron Swoboda 9/4/1965Jim Hickman Takes the Bat Off His Shoulder 3 Times 10/20/1965Metland is Utopia for Jerry Grote 5/16/1966Tom Seaver Has Good Pro Start After Controversy and Confusion 6/8/1966Drafty Start: 'Chil', Frost 6/25/1966Casey's 'Baby' Catcher Becomes Met for 70G 11/21/1967Tom Seaver Is the Miracle Met: Pick Pitcher NL 'Rookie' 12/14/1967Mets Ready to Swing Davis-for-Agee Deal 5/14/1968Mets 'Usher' in Jerry Koosman 6/16/1968Mets Get 16 Hits Off Marichal but Giants Win, 9-5 11/22/1968Koosman Misses Award by a Vote 7/10/1969Seaver, Perfect 8⅓, One-Hits Cubs, 4-0 10/4/1969Hodges discounts odds; Stengel sez Mets best 10/15/1969Agee Calls 1st Catch Harder; Hodges Chooses 2d 11/4/1969New York: Furs For Men Bags Another Sports Star 12/4/1969Mets Land Foy to Play 3d, Send Otis, Johnson to KC 4/14/1970After Slight Delay, Chilcott on Way 11/4/1971Fergy Curves to Cy Award 12/11/1971Big Deal! Mets Trade 4 for Fregosi; Angels Get Ryan, 3 Prospects 4/3/1972Mets' Hodges Dies of Heart Attack 4/7/1972Berra Signs 2-Year Pact as Mets' Manager; Staub Traded to Mets for Jorgy, Foli, & Singleton 5/12/1972Mets' Deal Brings Willie 'Back to Paradise' 5/12/1972Young Idea: Some Present for New York Fans 5/15/1972Willie Boy's HR Tells 'Em He's Here: Mays, Staub Belt Giants, 5-4 5/15/1972His Swing Wasn't Rusty 11/22/1972Matlack's Task: Find an Encore 11/29/1972What's Going On Here; News Item: Mets trade Agee for Rich Chiles 4/27/1973Mets Victory Was Earned, By George 10/2/1973Sis, Boom & Ahhh! for Mets: Cheering Faithful Greet Team at LaG 10/2/1973Mets Put Miracle on Flagpole! 10/2/1973'You Gotta Believe... Gotta Believe!' A Whisper in July, War Cry in Stretch 10/8/1973Jon Had 'Em All the Way 10/8/1973Bud Hit the Reds Where It Hurt 10/9/1973Rusty Was Best Swinger in the Game; 2 HRs in 9-2 Rout 10/9/1973Slide by Rose Sparks a Free-for-All; Fans Toss Garbage, Reds Walk Off Field 10/19/1973For a Sick Man, Cleon Swings a Healthy Bat 10/19/1973A's Won't Find Help At Home 10/22/1973No Miracle 10/22/1973Mets Were Believers Until the Miracle Ended 10/31/1973Cy Award Surprises Seaver 3/1/1975Kingman a Met Steal at 125G 5/15/1975Mets Fine Cleon After Fla., Kuhn Okays 7/22/1975Torre: 4 At-Bats, 4 Double Plays 8/5/1975Tate 0-Hits Expos Till 8th, Fans 13; Mets Tumble, 4-3 11/12/1975Seaver Tops Jones for 3rd Cy Young 12/13/1975Mets Trade Staub for Lolich 12/15/1975The Mets Have Found Speed By Trading Slowness Away 7/20/1976Kingman Out Six Weeks; Braves Down Mets, 4-2 00/08/1977Lolich To Mets: I'm Not Coming 4/27/1977Mets Add Some Punch - Buy Texas' Randle 5/8/1977Says Grant: Seaver Is Forcing Me To Trade Him 6/1/1977Joe Knows the Score; Nobody Wants Seaver 6/1/1977Torre Met Manager; Replaces Frazier, Hired through '79 6/16/1977Reds Make Big Pitch, Give Four For Seaver 6/16/1977Seaver to Reds and King to Padres 6/16/1977Fans Uptight Over Seaver... but for How Long? 6/16/1977'Much Relieved Inside' -- Kingman 6/16/1977The Mets Trade Seaver to Cincinnati, Deal Kingman to San Diego 6/16/1977Good Friend Gone, As Well as Pitcher 8/13/1977A Not-So-Grand-Slam Breaks Millan's Collar 12/2/1977Maddox Is Very Pleased With Newest Number(s); The Mets Step Into the Present 12/9/19772 From Class of '71 Move On 12/9/1977Harrelson Has Trouble With Some Answers 12/10/1977Unsettling News for the Matlacks 7/1/1978Met Rally in 9th Foils Bucs, 6-5 7/1/1978Mets Survive Collision With Pirates, 6-5 9/27/1978ERA Title 'Saves the Year' for Swan 10/1/1978Some Harsh Sentences for a Season 11/9/1978Mets Ax Grant, Eye Rose 12/9/1978Koosman to Twins; Carew deal stalled 12/10/1978Kooz last link to past 2/8/1979Mets get a reliever, completing Kooz deal 3/28/1979Mets Land Hebner: Espinosa to Phils for lefty slugger 3/29/1979Hebner's bat fits like a glove 4/7/1979How About the Queens' Boro? 4/7/1979Orosco, the Rookie, Is a Precious Met 6/15/1979Torre: Fine performance, lousy script 7/9/1979Mule Name Nettles Mets' Fans 7/11/1979All-Star pick Mazzilli: I should be starting 11/1/1979Hebner dealt to Tigers for .211, .222 hitters 1/25/1980METS SOLD: Record $21.1 million paid by Doubleday-Pickett group 1/26/1980Mets: Series in '80s: 'Do anything to bring fans winner,' vows Wilpon 1/27/1980The owners who give Mets Midas touch; Martin as manager could solve Mets problems 6/4/1980Mets pick a Strawberry in draft 6/15/1980Henderson HR in 9th Stuns the Giants, 7-6 6/15/1980Torre's faith has Mets believin' 5/22/1981Redmen Steal No-Hitter From Yale 6/7/1981Don't Pick on Strawberry; He's Growing Into a Body 10/20/1981Bamberger Gives In to Mets' Temptation 10/21/1981New Pupils for Bamberger; Torre Sorting Job Opportunities 2/11/1982Foster's $10M 2d richest pact 2/12/1982Met players glad to have latest mate 4/2/1982Mazzilli to Texas for 2 prospects 8/31/1982Viewing the Mets in a New Light 2/6/1983The Mets' Newest Announcing Team 6/4/1983Bamberger's Had Enough 6/16/1983Thin Pitching Key to Hernandez Deal 6/16/1983Mets send Allen, Ownbey to Cards for Hernandez 8/2/1983When a Diamond Becomes a Ring 8/7/1983Terrell Is A 2-Timer In Met Win 9/15/1983Dwight Gooden: He's been equal to lofty expectations of Mets 11/22/1983Mets' Rookie of Distinction 1/18/1984Seaver's Status No Cause for Alarm 1/21/1984Tom-foolery lets Chisox nab Seaver 1/21/1984Frankly, Met fans, Cashen blew it 4/8/1984Mets' Gooden Off to a Fast Start 11/20/1984Mets Gooden Rookie of Year 12/8/1984Mets Bag a Tiger: Trade Terrell for third baseman Johnson 12/11/1984Shea Becomes Carter Country 12/11/1984Mets Get Carter: Send Brooks, Fitz, prospects to Expos 9/7/1985Keith Admits All: Calls cocaine 'the devil on this earth' 9/7/1985As Idols Fall, Truth Balances; Mets Not Losing Faith in Hernandez 9/13/1985A glorious day at Shea; Hernandez lets his lumber do his latest talking 10/2/1985The Yale Man Passes Toughest Test of Career 11/14/1985The best is yet to come: Dwight's future can make one Cy with envy 11/14/1985Mets Obtain Ojeda In Deal With Bosox 11/14/1985Cy Youngest: Gooden wins award in unanimous vote 11/14/1985More Than The Franchise 11/14/1985Gooden to Get Plenty -- And Agents Know It 7/13/1986'Stork' Brings Joy to Shea 7/14/1986Rusty's big day was -- what else? -- a hit 7/23/1986Full-Court Press: Darling, Teufel to fight assault charges 7/23/1986HoJo's 3-run HR wins brawlgame 10/12/1986Lenny rolls the dice: Unlikely heroes, Dykstra and Backman 10/12/1986Tough as Nails: Dykstra's dramatic home run wins Game 3 10/13/1986Mets Feel Cheated: Say Scott's a scufflaw after loss that evens series 10/16/1986Sweet taste of victory 10/19/1986Sox Take Game 1: Teufel's error in seventh proves costly to Mets 10/26/1986Mets Remain Alive: Score 3 in 10th after Sox get 2, force 7th game 10/26/1986All the right moves? Managers take heat 10/27/1986Ya gotta reprieve! Be it magic or not, Mets are alive for Game 7 10/28/1986Amazin's grace, how sweet it is 3/27/1987Gooden pushes police complaint 3/28/1987Mets Trade Hearn to KC: Gibbons, Lyons to make team 4/2/1987The Doc Did Drugs: Entering clinic here at bidding of Ubie 10/10/1988Gibson Evens It Up 11/16/1988Kirk's MVP; Darryl 2d 8/1/1989Mets Get Their Man: Get Viola for 5 pitchers; Mookie to Jays 9/28/1989Darryl Makes Threatening Remarks 9/28/1989Gregg-Roger Is Fight to Finish 9/28/1989Davey: Is He Condemned Manager? 9/28/1989Keith, Gary await final word from Mets 9/28/1989Straw shuns extension 5/17/1991Cashen: Try putting spell on Mackey 6/5/1991Cone Does It His Way 12/3/1991Mets Bag Bonilla! 12/3/1991Mets Get Bonilla for $29M; How Deal Was Done; Return of the Native 8/28/1992Cone Goes to Blue Jays: Mets decide his 'demands' can't be met 8/28/1992Whos the New Guy, Kent? Solid at 2B, he packs some power, too. 8/28/1992Move All Of 'Em Out? (Why stop at Cone?) 7/26/1993Mets Coleman tagged as firework hurts fans 8/11/1993Saberhagen Comes Clean: He admits to bleach incident; Dallas upset 12/19/1996Mets show interest in Olerud 12/21/1996Mets swap for Olerud; take time for Todd Talk 5/23/1998Hundley Rings True; Todd welcomes power of Piazza 5/23/1998Mets Deliver a Hot Piazza; Nab All-Star catcher for 3 prospects 8/31/1999Alfonzo Does it 3 and Easy 10/4/1999Opportunity Knocks for Franco 10/4/1999Critical Success (Bobby V's biggest win) 10/4/1999Eight Men Out: Turk keys Mets win 10/5/1999Leiter Lights Way 10/5/1999Rickey Thrives on Big Stage 10/18/1999To Mets, It's Just Grand: Force ride to Atlanta on Ventura highway 7/23/2000Larkin keeps Phillips' recruiting plan from taking flight 10/22/2000Mets blunder on basepaths: Run selves right out of Series opener 10/23/2000Mike's Unsplendid Splinter Incident 10/23/2000An Olive Branch It Surely Was Not 9/22/2001Piazza is glad to contribute; HR lights way for New York, New York 9/22/2001New York gets to cheer again 9/22/2001Mike HR Makes It Unforgettable; Mets insisted on taking hats off to New York City 2/21/2002For Alomar, baseball is... All in the Family 5/22/2002Mets star: I'm straight; Relaxed Piazza quashes rumors that he's coming out 6/27/2002Mo's HR Stroke Coming Around 9/8/2002Hernandez's Comments Draw Fire 7/2/2003Exit of Man Who Wasn't Here; In city that never sleeps, he did 12/16/2004Everyone feels just fine at Shea 1/10/2005Omar makes The Boss fold; Magic is back for the fans 1/12/2005Carlos: Ya Gotta Believe in Mets: New slugger, new attitude 11/24/2005Delgado Believe 12/15/2005Anna Claus is Naughty and Nice 10/20/2006Chavez has gift of grab 10/20/2006Unlikely power source 10/1/2007Memo: Get a new slogan! 2/3/2008Santana Aces Start In City: Hits streets, greets Met fans after passing physical 3/2/2008Fernando Mania: 19-year-old phenom blazing a trail toward Shea 3/12/2008Mets, fans talking up another Martinez 6/18/2008Minaya: It was time to do it 6/18/2008Pals Go To Bat For Randolph: Equate Willie's firing with 'classlessness' 6/13/2009Castillo has team feeling glove-sick 7/22/2009Tony Turns Met Farm Into Zoo; Shirtless Bernazard dares minor leaguers to fight, say sources 9/29/2011Reyes: Take me out of ballgame 6/2/2012Johan: Finally yes on no-no! 11/15/2012Dream's Now In Grip: From outcast to hero, it's been an Awarding life 4/14/2013Harvey is a two-hit wonder: No-no bid ends in 7th as righty overpowers Twins 6/7/2013Mets Pick is Bourn Again 11/11/2014DeGrom wins Rookie of Year 5/28/2015Noah's Arc Simply Out of Sight! Mammoth HR & arm power Mets' sweep 6/29/2015Break Up the Matz! 7/30/2015What's the Deal? Trade for Brewers' Gomez 'will not transpire' 8/1/2015Mets Grab Cespedes: Land slugger for 2 minor-leaguers 8/1/2015Tears of Joy: Flores walk-off hero and Mets add slugger 8/1/2015At deadline, life from Mets 10/11/2015Met Loss Is Chase Ugly 10/12/2015Days later, Terry still 'shaken up' by Utley 'slide' 10/16/2015What a Relief: Thor & Familia close out L.A. 10/22/2015Wonderful World: Series is next! Duda, Murphy power Mets to NL pennant 11/2/2015Dark Knight For Mets! Harvey can't do it alone as Met dream ends in brutal Game 5 3/31/2016In a Pissy Mood: Toilet humor has Matt miffed, so he holds comments in 6/18/2016Gator's Alonso brings big bat to World Series 10/6/2016Noah comes up aces in wild loss 10/6/2016Driving 'Em Mad: Bumgarner baffles Mets 9/30/2018Good Wright & Good Luck: It's a flood of emotions as Mets Captain takes his final bow 9/30/2018David deserved better 9/30/2018One Final Bow for King of Queens: Wright's finale a tribute to one of great Mets 11/15/2018Rare win for deGrom 11/22/2018Cleon Still a Miracle Man 9/10/2019Thor tells Brodie: Noah more Ramos 11/12/2019Alonso Leaves No Doubt 11/14/2019A Cy-Clone for Jake: Just like last year, deGrom wins Cy Young award in landslide

http://leaptoad.com/mets/covers/images/2022/2022preview.jpg> The eighth year of the Tabloid Cover Derby is tentatively scheduled to begin on Tuesday, November 1. There will be at least 26 first-round polls this year. Maybe one or two more if the Mets make enough back pages over the next six weeks or so. (Last year there were 24 polls in the first round.) Format will remain the same. The winning cover, as always, will go to Stockholm. The player featured on the winning cover will get a gigantic box of Rice-A-Roni. The stakes, obviously, could not be any higher. You won't want to miss it!

We know he can afford it, but he may not be willing to pay it. Cohen has definitely said that there's a limit to what he'll spend.

That's what the rumors say, but that's just speculation. My prediction assumes that nobody will go that high for him.

I'll guess four years, $150 million from the Texas Rangers.

Yes, but is it worth $40 million per year? I wouldn't bet on it.

Well, Scherzer's best days are behind him too. Sure, deGrom likely has some more outstanding stretches ahead of him. But if you commit to four or five years, I think the great starts will be outnumbered by the mediocre and, eventually, the bad. My guess is that whoever signs deGrom will get about as much out of him as the Mets got from Pedro Martinez, but will be paying for a lot more.

Because I think his best days are behind him.

Oh, definitely. My point is if he wants Scherzer money, you have to let him go. I doubt that he'd opt out unless he's looking for a significant upgrade, and I don't think he should get one. I suspect that there will be the "one dumb owner" who wants to make a big splash (remember that term from the Omar days?) and bring in a two-time Cy Young winner. And if that happens, the team that gets deGrom will probably get a lot of headlines but not many wins.

I picked the Padres because I don't want to be surrounded by Phillies mania.

Note the parenthetical (unless his price comes down). If he's looking for $40 million plus, they should let him leave. If he's inclined to be more reasonable, then yes, they should talk to him.

I think they should forget about deGrom (unless his price comes down) and look in another direction.

I really think he's gone, and that letting him go is the wise move. It will be an interesting off-season.

I think MLB had proposed that the division champs be provided with a 'ghost win', meaning that the Braves would have only had to win one game to take the series but the Phillies would have needed two. But the union rejected the idea.

I have to assume that he lives in a pineapple under the sea.

No duh! That's why he platooned with Wally Backman.

I'm sure he wasn't alone in that.

That 160,000-seat stadium obviously never got built, but the idea lingered, and the site was, as most of us know, proposed by Robert Moses to Walter O'Malley as the location for a new stadium for the Dodgers. That too, never happened. MFS62 may want to avert his eyes from this article, from 1957. http://leaptoad.com/mets/clippings/00119.jpg>

http://dev.sabr.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/coliseum1958.jpg> https://sabr.org/journal/article/a-home-like-no-other-the-dodgers-in-l-a-memorial-coliseum/A Home Like No Other: The Dodgers in L.A. Memorial Coliseum

A Boy Named Seo wrote: Cool find. Funny that the selling point to the Johnny Lunchbuckets of the world is that the average cost for an event would be a buck, but I can't imagine how shitty and far-removed from everything the cheapest seat in a 160,000 capacity stadium would be. Yes, that's true, but remember, this was before television, so thoset shitty far-away seats would be the only way to actually see the event.

Gibbons wasn't. 1986 was a year of the 24-man roster.

If you look at the itemized list under NEW YORK'S ALL-WEATHER STADIUM PRESENTS, it shows that the plan was to only play 15 regular-season baseball games there each year. (I don't know if that's 15 total, or 15 each for the Yankees and Dodgers. I also don't know why the Giants weren't included in this.) So they wouldn't have been building this for the Yankees or Dodgers, it just would have been available for them to play some showcase games each year. Yankee Stadium and Ebbets Field would still have been their primary homes.

Well, they did build this one, just with a scaled down design and twenty-three years later.

This might be more easily read on your phone if it has better zoom capabilities than your browser. http://leaptoad.com/mets/clippings/00118.jpg>

Both finished a close second. Scherzer was only about five points behind Bassitt, and Lindor nine behind Alonso.