Sunday, June 10, 2007By Barry Duchan
Editor's Note: We will publish a post from Barry Duchan every Sunday covering some aspect of Mets history. - M.S.
It was late 1966 and the Winter Meetings had just ended. It was a Sunday night, and I'm not sure if I'd missed "Bill Mazer's Sports Extra" on Channel 5, or if that show hadn't been created yet. In any case, I put on the 11 o'clock news on WNBC-4 to hear if there was any Mets news.
The designated reader of sports news that night was Pat Hernon, who was better known as a weatherman, although he was kind of a utility man at Channel 4, hosting some community shows, St. Patrick's Day specials, and who knows what else. I don't know if Hernon was a sports fan, but he was no sports expert.
At the tail end of his report, he stated "At the Winter Meetings today, the Mets acquired Eddie Bressoud and Mickey Stanley". For whom or what, he didn't say, but since they were on 2 different teams, there had to be 2 separate deals. Bressoud, I thought, was a shortstop who could hit a little, hopefully, the Mets didn't give up too much, but Stanley was a very highly regarded defensive centerfielder in the Tiger organization, who (post-Billy Cowan and pre-Don Bosch) might be the long-term answer to the Mets' centerfield problems.
So, I knew that as soon as I got up the following day, I'd check the papers and/or listen to the radio to hear the WHOLE trades. It turned out that Bressoud was acquired for Joe Christopher, probably the Mets' best hitter at the time, but there wasn't a word about Stanley. Not in any paper. Not on any radio station. Not even that afternoon on Bill Mazer's show. Of course, as it turned out, the Mets never did get Stanley. Just where Pat Hernon got the information from, I will never know. But had the Mets really acquired Stanley, it would no doubt have changed the course of baseball history, since Stanley helped the Tigers to a World Championship in 1968, and furthermore, had the Mets gotten him, there would probably have been no Agee trade and who knows what would have happened in 1969.
But to this day, I wonder just what the trade was supposed to be, was there really talk of a trade, or did I just dream the whole thing? (I don't think so). Does anyone else recall this?
About Barry Duchan: I've been following the Mets since 1962. Have to admit I was a Yankee fan as a kid, but I found it to be so much more interesting to see how a young team could build itself up rather than following a team where the season didn't really begin until October. I remember them all - Casey, Marv, ChooChoo, Don Bosch, The Stork, etc. As the years went on, I became more and more of a Mets fan, and a Yankee hater once Steinbrenner and Billy Martin entered the picture. Read More -->
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Comments (3)
I sure never heard of that one. I believe it would have been the 1965 winter meetings though, not 1966. It seems incredible that the Mets of those days had such a woeful offense that Joe Christopher could be one of their best hitters. In fact, he was second on the team in batting with a .249 average. Who was their best hitter? Ed Kranepool at .253!
Posted by mark | June 10, 2007 2:24 PM
Bill Mazer and Lee Leonard inaugurated [i]Sports Extra[/i] on Channel 5 in 1972.
Posted by G-Fafif | June 10, 2007 2:52 PM
Help!!!! save the sinking ship before its too late. now you might think i am over stating this but the mets need to do something quick about their aging outfield. i knock on them in the preseason was they are a little old on the corners and how would they last the entire season. but not to worry cause lastings milledge is waiting and he can make up for lost time by either man. well he is hurt as well and who knows when alou will be back to full strength. i think a good solid outfielder is what they need. if that means turning over a couple of good prospects for a guy for a run this year so be it. delgado, alou, hernandez, glavine and wagner arent getting younger. i believe this is the year to do it. the mets need to own-up and do what they can to grab dontrelle willis he makes your staff an instant world series team. and the bat the need to win the world series comes from a guy who will be a free agent after this year, and thats torri hunter. with these to guys the mets should...no they will win the series in '07.
thats for giving me a forum to vent my frustration. the ny mets front office must take a page from there cross town rivals and spend whatever it takes to win NOW!!!!!
mike d.
the mets fan
Posted by mike davis | June 10, 2007 9:17 PM