1990 LEAF TIM TEUFEL
We all have our favorite Mets’ mannerisms.
As a child of the ’70s/’80s, here are some of the player tics and techniques that I would emulate in the Shea Stadiums of my backyard and my driveway and my mind:
• Tom Seaver dragging his right knee across the downslope of the mound. And my mom wondered why I always needed patches for just one leg of my jeans.
• Jerry Koosman‘s geometric leg kick was my favorite kind of math.
• Tug McGraw thumping his mitt against his thigh. I brought this particular percussion to the mound in many a B-Minor Little League game.
• Felix Millan choking up so much that he could’ve hit the ball with either end of his bat. I tried this once in a wiffle-ball game and knocked myself on the chin with the yellow plastic knob of the bat. Ouch.
• I assume that John Pacella ordered his hats 1/8 of a size too large, because try as I might, I could never shake my lid like him. Threw my glasses off my face a few times, but the hat stayed put.
• Richie Hebner tugging at the back of his shirt. If I make myself do this now, it still feels kind of natural.
And then there was Tim Teufel‘s waggle. This card from the 1990 Leaf set does a great job of capturing intimations of the waggle. Hell, if you shake it just a bit from side to side, the card practically comes to life. And damn– my hip just twitched.
So what was your favorite Mets’ mannerism?
My favorite is Rusty Staub’s hands-on-hips pose that he used when he felt the ump missed a strike call.
Bruce Boisclair’s impossibly wide stance.
Josh Thole’s swing-the-bat, touch-the-plate pre-pitch routine.
Least favorite:
Angel Pagan’s cover face up on throw over to first base.
R.A. Dickey’s TD call after every pitch to rearrange his jersey.
All time fave was Millan. Also, Willie Montanez flipping the bat from barrel-to-knob-to-barrel as he walked up to the plate.
Now, my wife and I chant along with David Wright and his perfectly choreographed pre-swing routine: right-hand-batting-glove-velcro, left-hand-batting-glove-velcro, head twist, wipe-nose-with-front-of-jersey, back bend, hip waggle. NOW he’s ready!
Brian, thanks for bringing some modern examples to the party. I was having a hard time thinking of any distinctive behavior on these current teams.
Here’s hoping that there’s some kid out there who is doing the whole “right-hand-batting-glove-velcro, left-hand-batting-glove-velcro, head twist, wipe-nose-with-front-of-jersey, back bend, hip waggle” thing…