On Wednesday, Doug Parker wrote about an Ed Kranepool card that I had not seen before. This card, issued in 2005, was modeled on the classic 1971 Topps set. But it was not the pose used for Kranepool’s ’71 card. As Parker pointed out, it was a much-younger Kranepool, but it showed the Krane in [...]
When the Mets signed Jason Bay, he was going to be the slugger in the middle of the lineup who essentially replaced Carlos Delgado in the lineup. Then he didn’t hit for power and had his season cut short due to a concussion. Now fans are looking for any reason to feel confident about a [...]
2001 FLEER E-X BRIAN COLE ROOKIE AUTO Last week, I heard someone make an offhand comment on DC talk radio to the effect that the Mets are a “cursed franchise.” The hosts then moved on to a discussion of why the Wizards can’t win on the road or why the Caps can’t score, or some [...]
So I’ve heard tell this morning that Jason Isringhausen is at Mets’ camp. Apparently, Izzy’s auditioning for a spot in a bullpen which is simultaneously overcrowded and barren, somehow. When I heard this, I was immediately brought back to a hot afternoon in mid-August, 1995. Shea Stadium was a ghost town. The Strike of ’94 [...]
Some people blame the poor season last year by Jason Bay on his move to Citi Field. Others blame it on the season-ending concussion that knocked him out of action before he could turn things around. Me, I have a different theory. Bay’s poor first season is a direct result of his uniform number. While [...]
This is all about the gum. It could be about a lot of different things, I suppose. The vibrant Laughlin artwork. The earlier iterations of the set (1967 and 1970), or the subsequent update (1978). Maybe the trajectory of the Topps monopoly… Or perhaps the 1969 World Series itself. Which I suspect you all know [...]
Most pitchers would kill to have the career of Mike Torrez. He spent 18 years in the major leagues and won 185 games. He was a 20-game winner for the Orioles in 1975 and was a star in the World Series two years later, when he won two games for the Yankees against the Dodgers, [...]
1970 Mets Chemtoys My memories of these are tactile. I don't see them in my mind's eye. I roll them over in my mind's hand. They were sold in league-specific vending boxes, 144 of them packed together. And after a few days on the shelf, the Woodwards and Ferraras greatly outnumbered the Roses and Clementes. [...]
1978 TOPPS BRUCE BOISCLAIR #277 Deadline was approaching, and I was looking for a Zen route out of a writer's rut. I resolved to do a Google image search on “Topps Mets cards” and write a piece on the first hit. And the internet being the magnificent animal that it is, the initial image this [...]
Recently at BTF we were discussing all-star teams for franchises made up of guys who made their marks elsewhere but who had a cup of coffee with the team in question. I made a list of hitters for the Mets and thought it was interesting enough to do pitchers, too, and write it up here. [...]
I looked at my calendar the other day, did some quick mental math and realized that 2011 will be the 50th season of New York Mets Baseball. There will be a lot of lists going around – they’ve already started – listing and linking the 50 Greatest Mets, the 50 Worst Mets, the 50 Nondescript [...]
1970 TOPPS NL BATTING LEADERS #61 Mets’ fans of the ‘60s must have thought that Topps league-leader cards were designed to be cruel. These cards just rubbed it in the face of the orange and blue. “Where are your Koufaxes and Mantles and Gibsons?” they shouted mockingly from multi-paned windows. And out in the street, [...]