Mike's Mets: Barry Duchan Archives

My Pessimism May Have Been Optimistic!

In my most recent posts to this site, I lamented how the Mets in one season went from a legitimate World Series contender to a distant also-ran in the NL East. I also speculated that financial constraints would restrict the Mets from making those improvements necessary to restore the team...

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By Barry Duchan, posted at 3:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

Predicting the Mets' Off-season

Several weeks ago, I wrote that the Mets would retain Minaya and Manuel and make only enough moves to give the impression that they are trying to improve the team, with an eye on the pocketbook. Well, M and M are back and Jeff Wilpon is publicly saying that the...

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By Barry Duchan, posted at 3:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

At The Crossroads - A Thoroughly Pessimistic View Of The Mets

In the Mets' history, there have been several periods in which the Mets were barely competitive, where the attraction of going to or watching a Mets game was in hoping the underdog Mets could win and maybe knock off a contender in the process. Unfortunately, despite all the pre-season hopes...

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By Barry Duchan, posted at 3:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

A History of the Mets at Second Base Part 10 - The Future

Editor's Note: This is the last in a series of ten new articles Barry has written on Mets second basemen for this site. - M.S. Most Mets' fans were pretty sure what the Mets' plans would be for filling the second base hole in 2009 and beyond. They'd dump Luis...

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By Barry Duchan, posted at 6:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

A History of the Mets at Second Base Part 9 - 2006 - 2008

Editor's Note: This is the ninth in a series of new articles Barry will be writing on Mets second basemen for this site. - M.S. When the Mets signed veteran Jose Valentin in December of 2005, no one paid much attention to it. He was coming off a perfectly awful...

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By Barry Duchan, posted at 4:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

A History of the Mets at Second Base Part 8 - 2004 - 2005

Editor's Note: This is the eighth in a series of new articles Barry will be writing on Mets second basemen for this site. - M.S. After disposing of Roberto Alomar, the Mets went into the 2003 off-season with Danny Garcia as the likely successor at second base. Jose Reyes looked...

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By Barry Duchan, posted at 4:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

A History of the Mets at Second Base Part 7 - Roberto Alomar

Editor's Note: This is the seventh in a series of new articles Barry will be writing on Mets second basemen for this site. - M.S. The combination of Robin Ventura at third base and Edgardo Alfonzo at second worked quite nicely for the Mets from 1999 to 2001, but the...

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By Barry Duchan, posted at 11:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

A History of the Mets at Second Base Part 6 - What Was and What Might Have Been (The Carlos Baerga era/error)

Editor's Note: This is the sixth in a series of new articles Barry will be writing on Mets second basemen for this site. - M.S. Historically, the Mets organization has not produced many major league caliber second basemen, but in the mid-'90's, it contributed no less than three. Unfortunately, the...

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By Barry Duchan, posted at 12:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

A History of the Mets at Second Base Part 5 - Jeff Kent

Editor's Note: This is the fifth in a series of new articles Barry will be writing on Mets second basemen for this site. - M.S. On August 29, 1992, the Mets traded David Cone, one of the mainstays of their rotation for 5 years, to the Toronto Blue Jays. The...

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By Barry Duchan, posted at 11:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

A History of the Mets at Second Base Part 4 - Gregg Jefferies

Editor's Note: This is the fourth in a series of new articles Barry will be writing on Mets second basemen for this site. - M.S. Gregg Jefferies was not the first great Mets prospect. A couple of them, Tom Seaver and Doc Gooden, reached the majors and attained stardom after...

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By Barry Duchan, posted at 7:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

A History of the Mets at Second Base Part 3 - The Seventies and Eighties

Editor's Note: This is the third in a series of new articles Barry will be writing on Mets second basemen for this site. - M.S. Ken Boswell started the '70's as more or less the regular at second base. The Mets probably had hopes that farm system product Teddy Martinez...

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By Barry Duchan, posted at 6:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

A History of the Mets at Second Base Part 2 - The Sixties

Editor's Note: This is the second in a series of new articles Barry will be writing on Mets second basemen for this site. - M.S. Going back to 1961, the expansion draft left the Mets without a solid candidate to pencil in at second base. Of course, you could pretty...

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By Barry Duchan, posted at 10:43 AM | Permalink

A History of Mistakes at Second Base

Editor's Note: This is the first in a series of new articles Barry will be writing on Mets second basemen for this site. - M.S. It's hard to believe how in the past 15 years the Mets have had so many disappointments at second base, especially when they've made several...

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By Barry Duchan, posted at 1:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)

Memories of Steve Chilcott

Editor's Note: I've been privileged for the last couple of years to run Barry's pieces on Mets history on this site. Barry isn't blogging currently, but I will rerun some of my personal favorites of Barry's writings once or twice a month for the benefit of new readers. - M.S....

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By Barry Duchan, posted at 12:18 PM | Permalink

Looking Back To 1962 - Al Jackson -The Mets' ONLY Good Pick

Editor's Note: I've been privileged for the last couple of years to run Barry's pieces on Mets history on this site. Barry isn't blogging currently, but I will rerun some of my personal favorites of Barry's writings once or twice a month for the benefit of new readers. - M.S....

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By Barry Duchan, posted at 11:43 AM | Permalink

Old Time Mets - Warren Spahn

Editor's Note: I've been privileged for the last couple of years to run Barry's pieces on Mets history on this site. Barry isn't blogging currently, but I will rerun some of my personal favorites of Barry's writings once or twice a month for the benefit of new readers. - M.S....

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By Barry Duchan, posted at 11:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Turn Back The Clock - Mets' Top 10 Prospects 40 Years Ago

Editor's Note: I've been privileged for the last couple of years to run Barry's pieces on Mets history on this site. Barry isn't blogging currently, but I will rerun some of my personal favorites of Barry's writings once or twice a month for the benefit of new readers. - M.S....

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By Barry Duchan, posted at 11:57 PM | Permalink

Mike Pelfrey

OK, So I Was Wrong... There probably isn't a Mets fan, blogger, or beat writer who hasn't at one time or another in the past few years pointed out what an awful trade the Mets made when they sent Scott Kazmir away for Victor Zambrano, even though few if any...

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By Barry Duchan, posted at 1:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Old Time Mets - John Stearns

In the 1973 Amateur Draft, right after the Texas Rangers selected the highly regarded and ultimately ill-fated David Clyde with the first pick, the Phillies used the second selection to take catcher John Stearns out of the University of Colorado. The next two picks both turned out to be hall-of-famers,...

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By Barry Duchan, posted at 12:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Mets Trades of the Past - Dumping the Heroes of '69

The 1969 Miracle Mets inspired dozens of books and for those of us who were Mets fans then, they represented an iconic team that will live in our memory forever. What made them so special was that pitching aside, they were primarily a very ordinary team of journeymen, disappointments, and...

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By Barry Duchan, posted at 1:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)

You Gotta Have a Catcher

In the 1961 expansion draft, the Mets made Hobie Landrith, a journeyman catcher, their very first pick. Why Landrith rather than someone who could be considered a prospect? Manager Casey Stengel had a simple explanation - "You gotta have a catcher or you're gonna have a lotta passed balls". Throughout...

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By Barry Duchan, posted at 12:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

A Different Kind of Trade Talk

This is the time of year that everybody proposes trades. Now that there are so many blog writers that allow for instant feedback in the form of fan comments, it's interesting to note that the same trade proposal usually gets back at least one comment that it would be a...

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By Barry Duchan, posted at 1:11 AM | Permalink

Trades from the Past - Bob Ojeda

Continuing this series of posts on the best trades the Mets ever made, if Bernard Gilkey was the only hitter to have a career year after being traded to the Mets, then Bob Ojeda was clearly the first, last, and only pitcher to similarly have a career year after coming...

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By Barry Duchan, posted at 12:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Trades from the Past - Bernard Gilkey

When discussing the outstanding trades the Mets have made over the years, the acquisition of Bernard Gilkey from the Cardinals is usually forgotten. In part, this could be because Gilkey really had only one good year for the Mets - although it was a terrific one, and also because even...

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By Barry Duchan, posted at 11:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Trades from the Past - Sid Fernandez

When you think about the really good trades the Mets have made, the Cone and Hernandez deals come to mind first, but although few and far between, the Mets have made some other pretty good trades in their history, so as things continue to fall apart for this year's team,...

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By Barry Duchan, posted at 1:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)

M. Donald Grant, Chairman of the Board

The person most responsible for the Mets' worst years was probably M. Donald Grant. He is best known for sending Tom Seaver away, but his influence in the organization was a detriment toward building a competitive team, or keeping one, and things didn't get better until he was out of...

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By Barry Duchan, posted at 10:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Old Time Mets - Cliff Cook

One of the very first trades the Mets made after the 1962 season began was the one that sent veteran Don Zimmer, who had just broken an 0-for-34 slump, to the Reds for lefty Bob Miller (not to be confused with righty Bob Miller, an original Mets' draft pick) and...

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By Barry Duchan, posted at 10:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Old Time Mets - Felix Mantilla

Felix Mantilla, not to be confused with Felix Millan, was an original expansion draft choice of the Mets. He had been a utility infielder for the Milwaukee Braves for the previous six years, and had that tag when the Mets drafted him. Mantilla might have been a better choice for...

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By Barry Duchan, posted at 3:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Mets Trades of the Past - The Biggest One Ever

On December 8, 1977, the Mets were one of four teams involved in one of the most complex deals in the history of baseball. This was it: The Mets sent John Milner to the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Atlanta Braves sent Willie Montanez to the New York Mets. The Texas Rangers...

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By Barry Duchan, posted at 12:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Old Time Mets - Jim Hickman

If Marv Throneberry symbolized the bumbling incompetence of the early Mets, Rod Kanehl the everyman quality, Ed Kranepool the hope for the future, and Roger Craig the frustration, nobody symbolized all of these qualities wrapped into one player the way Jim Hickman did. If Al Jackson was the Mets' best...

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By Barry Duchan, posted at 11:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

One-Game Wonders: Truly Obscure Mets of the Past

From 1962 to 1996, here's a list of players who played exactly one game for the Mets. The stats are taken from "Total Mets", a 1997 publication, but the recollections are my own. HITTERS: Luis Alvarado - a utility infielder who I remember with the Red Sox and Tigers, he...

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By Barry Duchan, posted at 1:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Trades from the Past - Millan and Stone for Gentry and Frisella

The Mets' recent acquisition of Luis Castillo brought to mind another Mets' second baseman with similar skills - Felix Millan. Like Castillo, Millan was a low-profile, but excellent player who excelled in handling the bat and playing an outstanding second base. Felix was one of the main reasons the Mets...

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By Barry Duchan, posted at 11:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Old Time Mets - John Stephenson

If Johnny Stephenson is remembered at all by fans of the early Mets, it's as the last out of Jim Bunning's perfect game. He was so overmatched in striking out, the Mets might as well have plucked a fan out of the stands at random and asked him to get...

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By Barry Duchan, posted at 12:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Old Time Mets - Tommy Davis

Although he spent just one season with the team, 1967, Tommy Davis was a principal in 2 of the biggest trades the Mets made in their formative years, the one that brought him to the Mets and the one that sent him away. Prior to the '67 season, the Mets...

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By Barry Duchan, posted at 8:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Great Mets' Trades of the Past - Hernandez for Allen and Ownbey

Editor's Note: This piece was originally published on June 17, 2007. - M.S. As it becomes apparent that the Mets, as currently constituted, will not run away with the NL East this year, Mets' fans are all anxiously anticipating this year's upcoming deals feeling certain that Omar Minaya will plunge...

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By Barry Duchan, posted at 12:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Taking a Closer Look At Some Past Mets' #1 Draft Choices

Now, that I've completed my review of all of the Mets' #1 amateur draft choices, I thought I'd take a closer look at a few of them. It would be nice if I could see a pattern or general philosophy, but there clearly is none. Some of this lack of...

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By Barry Duchan, posted at 10:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Amateur Draft Hits and Misses - Part 3

[Part 1] [Part 2] 1996 - Robert Stratton. A big, strong powerful hitter who spent lots of years in the minors hitting the long ball and doing little else. Surprisingly, never earned a big league shot. Eric Milton and Gil Meche were taken several picks later. 1997 - Geoff Goetz....

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By Barry Duchan, posted at 10:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Amateur Draft Hits and Misses - Part 2

Continuing my look at Mets' #1 selections year-by-year: 1980 - Darryl Strawberry. #1 pick in draft. Apparently, there was some thought given to taking Darnell Coles or Billy Beane, but in the end, the Mets went with the consensus and selected Strawberry, and it turned out to be the right...

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By Barry Duchan, posted at 2:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Amateur Draft Hits And Misses Through The Years

Editor's Note: This piece was originally published on June 5, 2007. - M.S. The Mets don't get to pick until the 42nd selection in this week's annual entry draft, which, incidentally will be televised for the first time. For the next few days, I'll review the Mets' first choices through...

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By Barry Duchan, posted at 11:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Old Time Mets - Rod Kanehl

With all the posts I've done on the early days of the Mets, I never once mentioned the name of Rod Kanehl, who in his way symbolized the 1962-64 Mets as much as anyone. If Marv Throneberry and Choo Choo Coleman represented Mets' ineptitude, then Kanehl was the embodiment of...

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By Barry Duchan, posted at 1:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)

I Could Write A Book (Or Read One)

My thanks to those who have suggested I write a book based on my remembrances of the Mets' early years and the many would-be prospects who played for the Mets. The problem with writing a book without judicious research, that is, one primarily based on recollection, is that unless the...

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By Barry Duchan, posted at 2:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Remembering The Mets

Editor's Note: This piece was originally published on May 3, 2007. - M.S. On yesterday's SNY broadcast of the Mets-Marlins games, as an extension to a trivia question, Keith Hernandez and Gary Cohen discussed how the long history of the Mets should be celebrated at the new CitiField. Keith said...

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By Barry Duchan, posted at 11:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)

What Will It Take To Get Santana? The 1977 Seaver Trade May Offer A Clue

Editor's Note: We will publish a post from Barry Duchan every Sunday covering some aspect of Mets history. - M.S. So much has been written about the 1977 trade that sent Tom Seaver, perhaps baseball's best pitcher at the time, to the Cincinnati Reds, that even those Mets fans who...

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By Barry Duchan, posted at 11:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Trades From The Past - Millan and Stone for Gentry and Frisella

Editor's Note: We will publish a post from Barry Duchan every Sunday covering some aspect of Mets history. - M.S. The Mets' recent acquisition of Luis Castillo brought to mind another Mets' second baseman with similar skills - Felix Millan. Like Castillo, Millan was a low-profile, but excellent player who...

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By Barry Duchan, posted at 10:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)

My Polo Grounds Memories

Editor's Note: We will publish a post from Barry Duchan every Sunday covering some aspect of Mets history. - M.S. Before Shea Stadium was built, the Mets played 2 full seasons at the Polo Grounds, which was right across the river from Yankee Stadium. I went to a handful of...

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By Barry Duchan, posted at 12:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

Old Time Mets - Luplow, Stahl, and Elliot

Editor's Note: We will publish a post from Barry Duchan every Sunday covering some aspect of Mets history. - M.S. I don't remember if the mid -'60's Mets' careers of Al Luplow, Larry Stahl, and Larry Elliot overlapped at any point, because they were all virtually the same player. Lefthanded...

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By Barry Duchan, posted at 11:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Old Time Mets (1966) - Bob Friend, Bob Shaw, and Ralph Terry

Editor's Note: We will publish a post from Barry Duchan every Sunday covering some aspect of Mets history. - M.S. In 1966, in the days before Seaver, Koosman, Gentry, and Ryan, when the Mets' young pitchers were named Selma, Rusteck, Sutherland, and Gardner, the Mets tried to provide some veteran...

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By Barry Duchan, posted at 8:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Old Time Mets - Larry Bearnarth

Editor's Note: We will publish a post from Barry Duchan every Sunday covering some aspect of Mets history. - M.S. With all the posts I've done about pitching prospects of the early years, I'm a little surprised I completely overlooked Larry Bearnarth. But then again, based on his 2-13 record...

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By Barry Duchan, posted at 1:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Old Time Mets - Jon Matlack

Editor's Note: We will publish a post from Barry Duchan every Sunday covering some aspect of Mets history. - M.S. Jon Matlack's career record of 125-126 may be as mediocre as you can get, but Matlack was a much, much better than average major league pitcher. In fact, he was...

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By Barry Duchan, posted at 11:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Mets' Top 10 Prospects - 1981

Editor's Note: We will publish a post from Barry Duchan every Sunday covering some aspect of Mets history. - M.S. When I wrote that the 1967 crop featuring Seaver, Ryan, and Koosman was probably the strongest group of prospects the Mets ever had, I was weighting it heavily on the...

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By Barry Duchan, posted at 4:01 PM | Permalink

Old Time Mets - Greg Goossen

Editor's Note: We will publish a post from Barry Duchan every Sunday covering some aspect of Mets history. - M.S. Greg Goossen may have been the first "big time" catching prospect the Mets ever had. He just looked like a catcher and had some pretty strong hitting credentials. Yet today,...

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By Barry Duchan, posted at 10:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Old Time Mets - Tim Foli and Bill Almon

Editor's Note: We will publish a post from Barry Duchan every Sunday covering some aspect of Mets history. - M.S. There are some interesting parallels in the careers of Tim Foli and Bill Almon. Both Foli and Almon had two separate stints with the Mets, each 7 years apart. Each...

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By Barry Duchan, posted at 11:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Mets/Indians Trades - Losers All Around

Editor's Note: We will publish a post from Barry Duchan every Sunday covering some aspect of Mets history. - M.S. I found it interesting that over the years, the Mets and Indians have made several trades that were considered major at the time, but wound up being highly disappointing for...

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By Barry Duchan, posted at 10:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

McCovey an Original Met? Gil Hodges as the Mets' FIRST manager?

Editor's Note: We will publish a post from Barry Duchan every Sunday covering some aspect of Mets history. - M.S. Using the online Sporting News archive that I wrote about in my last post, I accessed the issue of September 20, 1961 just before the Mets made their choices in...

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By Barry Duchan, posted at 9:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Greatest News Ever?

Editor's Note: We will publish a post from Barry Duchan every Sunday covering some aspect of Mets history. - M.S. Thanks to a note in Mets Geek, I discovered that every issue of The Sporting News going back to 1886 and through 2003 is now available in a searchable data...

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By Barry Duchan, posted at 5:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Mets Trades of the Past - Tim Teufel

Editor's Note: We will publish a post from Barry Duchan every Sunday covering some aspect of Mets history. - M.S. Ask me who the Mets traded for Keith Hernandez and I'll immediately tell you Neil Allen and Rick Ownbey. Who'd they trade for Sid Fernandez? Bob Bailor and Carlos Diaz....

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By Barry Duchan, posted at 3:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

The Ones Who Got Away - Paul Blair

Editor's Note: We will publish a post from Barry Duchan every Sunday covering some aspect of Mets history. - M.S. In their long history, the Mets have had more than their share of young players who were dealt away and became stars with other teams. Nolan Ryan and Amos Otis...

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By Barry Duchan, posted at 11:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Mets Memories 1964 - Ron Hunt, Pete Rose and Bobby Klaus

Editor's Note: We will publish a post from Barry Duchan every Sunday covering some aspect of Mets history. - M.S. In the 1963 NL Rookie Of The Year voting, the top two were both second basemen - Pete Rose of the Reds and Ron Hunt with the Mets. Neither had...

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By Barry Duchan, posted at 11:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Mets Memories - 1964

Editor's Note: We will publish a post from Barry Duchan every Sunday covering some aspect of Mets history. - M.S. In 1964, their third year of existence, the Mets moved from the dilapidated old Polo Grounds to brand new Shea Stadium in Flushing Meadows. This was especially good news for...

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By Barry Duchan, posted at 3:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The Early Years - How The Braves Helped The Mets

Editor's Note: We will publish a post from Barry Duchan every Sunday covering some aspect of Mets history. - M.S. Those early Mets teams were awful, of course, but they would have been even worse if not for Milwaukee Braves GM John McHale who regularly sent his team's excess talent...

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By Barry Duchan, posted at 11:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Mets Memories - Ron Swoboda

Editor's Note: We will publish a post from Barry Duchan every Sunday covering some aspect of Mets history. - M.S. To most younger Mets fans with a sense of history, Ron Swoboda will always be remembered for his great catch and clutch hits that helped the Mets win the 1969...

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By Barry Duchan, posted at 2:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)

What's The Catch? The Mets' Strange History With Catchers

Editor's Note: We will publish a post from Barry Duchan every Sunday covering some aspect of Mets history. - M.S. In December, the Mets lost their best catching prospect when Jesus Flores, inexplicably left off the 40-man roster was selected by Washington. Sure, he may be offered back to the...

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By Barry Duchan, posted at 11:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Mets' All-Time Homegrown All Star Team

Editor's Note: We will publish a post from Barry Duchan every Sunday covering some aspect of Mets history. - M.S. There have been many all-time Met teams listed in the past, but most of those include a few players such as Keith Hernandez, Howard Johnson, and Mike Piazza who were...

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By Barry Duchan, posted at 12:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Old Time Mets: Would You Believe Wilbur Huckle?

Editor's Note: We will publish a post from Barry Duchan every Sunday covering some aspect of Mets history. - M.S. Every so often on eBay, someone auctions off a political button that reads "Wilbur Huckle For President - Metropolitan Party". Who was Wilbur Huckle, some obscure third (or 4th) party...

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By Barry Duchan, posted at 10:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Trades From The Past: Staub for Lolich

Editor's Note: We will publish a post from Barry Duchan every Sunday covering some aspect of Mets history. - M.S. In 1975, Rusty Staub had his best year for the Mets, driving in 105 runs. Then, in the offseason, for reasons few fans could understand, the Mets traded Staub to...

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By Barry Duchan, posted at 3:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Trades From The Past - Rusty Staub

Editor's Note: We will publish a post from Barry Duchan every Sunday covering some aspect of Mets history. - M.S. Just before the start of the 1972 season, Mets' manager Gil Hodges died suddenly of a heart attack. A few days later, the Mets announced that Yogi Berra was the...

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By Barry Duchan, posted at 11:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Trades From The Distant Past - A Trade That Never Was

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,...

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By Barry Duchan, posted at 12:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Trades From The Distant Past - Donn Clendenon

Editor's Note: We will publish a post from Barry Duchan every Sunday covering some aspect of Mets history. - M.S. One of the few Mets' trades that actually worked out for both teams was the one that brought Donn Clendenon from Montreal on June 15, 1969. Clendenon had actually been...

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By Barry Duchan, posted at 10:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Pitching Prospects of the '60's - Before The Amateur Draft, Part 2

Editor's Note: We will publish a post from Barry Duchan every Sunday covering some aspect of Mets history. - M.S. Anytime the early Mets acquired a pitcher under the age of 30 from another team, he could have been considered a prospect, since they were hungry for any dose of...

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By Barry Duchan, posted at 9:51 AM | Permalink

Pitching Prospects of the '60's - Before The Amateur Draft

Editor's Note: We will publish a post from Barry Duchan every Sunday covering some aspect of Mets history. - M.S. Before baseball had a free agent draft and before the Mets produced a bumper crop of talented young pitchers like Seaver, Koosman, Ryan, and Gentry, the Mets had their share...

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By Barry Duchan, posted at 2:29 PM | Permalink

Power Hitting Prospects of The Early 1960's

Editor's Note: We will publish a post from Barry Duchan every Sunday covering some aspect of Mets history. - M.S. Over 44 years, the Mets have done an abysmal job in developing power hitters in their organization. Of course, there was Darryl Strawberry and David Wright looks like a real...

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By Barry Duchan, posted at 3:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Trades From The Distant Past - Don Bosch

Editor's Note: We will publish a post from Barry Duchan every Sunday covering some aspect of Mets history. - M.S. Since Johnny Lewis wasn't the next Willie Mays and Billy Cowan wasn't the next Mickey Mantle, the Mets were still going to need a long-term centerfielder. Maybe the search for...

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By Barry Duchan, posted at 11:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Trades From The Distant Past - George Altman for Billy Cowan

Editor's Note: We will publish a post from Barry Duchan every Sunday covering some aspect of Mets history. - M.S. Roger Craig was the Mets' #1 starter in 1962 and 1963. He valiantly went out there every 4th or 5th day and lost 46 games in 2 years. Craig was...

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By Barry Duchan, posted at 10:40 AM | Permalink

My Favorite Mets - Ron Hunt and Joe Christopher

Editor's Note: We will publish a post from Barry Duchan every Sunday covering some aspect of Mets history. - M.S. In 1963 and 1964, it seemed that everybody's favorite Met was 2nd baseman Ron Hunt, and for good reason. Hunt came to the Mets in a deal with the Braves...

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By Barry Duchan, posted at 11:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

My Favorite Mets - The Very Early Years

Editor's Note: We will publish a post from Barry Duchan every Sunday covering some aspect of Mets history. - M.S. Frank Thomas (for those of you under 30, I'm not talking about the one who's been playing for the White Sox for the past 10 years) was easy to like....

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By Barry Duchan, posted at 8:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

The First Amateur Draft - Part 2

Editor's Note: We will publish a post from Barry Duchan every Sunday covering some aspect of Mets history. - M.S. Although first-round pick Les Rohr was a bust, the Mets did very well overall in the 1965 Amateur Draft. In retrospect, it was one of the best drafts in their...

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By Barry Duchan, posted at 9:49 AM | Permalink

The First Amateur Draft - Part 1

Editor's Note: We will publish a post from Barry Duchan every Sunday covering some aspect of Mets history. - M.S. In 1965, baseball went to a draft system in which all eligible amateur players were selected in reverse order of record from the previous year - a system that had...

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By Barry Duchan, posted at 9:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Trades From The Distant Past - Amos Otis for Joe Foy

Editor's Note: We will publish a post from Barry Duchan every Sunday covering some aspect of Mets history. - M.S. In 1969, the Mets were World Champions, but management saw that there were still holes to fill. So, that winter, knowing that one of their third basemen, Ed Charles was...

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By Barry Duchan, posted at 11:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

WHAT IF? Turning Back The Clock To 1966

Editor's Note: We will publish a post from Barry Duchan every Sunday covering some aspect of Mets history. - M.S. It's June of 1966 and the Mets have already experienced the good fortune of getting their name picked out of a hat to win the signing rights to Tom Seaver....

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By Barry Duchan, posted at 11:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

The Mets Top Ten Prospects - 30 Years Ago

Editor's Note: We will publish a post from Barry Duchan every Sunday covering some aspect of Mets history. - M.S. In retrospect, as good as the 1967 crop proved to be, including Seaver, Ryan, Koosman, and Boswell, the 1977 edition of the Mets' prospect list was a pretty good portent...

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By Barry Duchan, posted at 12:09 AM | Permalink

Trades From The Distant Past - Tommie Agee

Editor's Note: We will publish a post from Barry Duchan every Sunday covering some aspect of Mets history. - M.S. Ask any Met fan under 40 with a sense of the past about Tommie Agee and he'll probably tell you that Agee was the terrific center fielder who helped the...

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By Barry Duchan, posted at 9:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Old Time Mets - Jesse Gonder

Editor's Note: We will publish a post from Barry Duchan every Sunday covering some aspect of Mets history. - M.S. In 1960 and 1961, Jesse Gonder was a good hitting young catcher in the Yankee organization who had no chance of making a team that already had 2 of the...

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By Barry Duchan, posted at 9:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Trades from the Past: Ken Boyer

Editor's Note: We will publish a post from Barry Duchan every Sunday covering some aspect of Mets history. This piece was originally published in September 2005. - M.S. A couple of days ago, I read an article about how Ken Boyer should be considered for the Hall Of Fame. I...

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By Barry Duchan, posted at 10:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)

My Polo Grounds Memories

Editor's Note: We will publish a post from Barry Duchan every Sunday covering some aspect of Mets history. - M.S. Before Shea Stadium was built, the Mets played 2 full seasons at the Polo Grounds, which was right across the river from Yankee Stadium. I went to a handful of...

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By Barry Duchan, posted at 10:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Help - Did My Memory Fail Me ???

Surely, there are some fans who read this blog who actually remember listening to Mets' games in 1962. If you are one of them, please help. Here's the story - I wrote a post back in September (which was later picked up by mikesmets.com) based on my own personal recollection...

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By Barry Duchan, posted at 5:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Jackie Robinson and the Mets

Editor's Note: We will publish a post from Barry Duchan every Sunday covering some aspect of Mets history. This piece was originally posted in September 2006. - M.S. With the wildcard race still so close that it seems premature to look at the Mets' most likely first round opposition, I'll...

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By Barry Duchan, posted at 10:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

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...

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By Barry Duchan, posted at 2:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Mike's Mets

New York Mets discussion, news and historical perspective -- now getting by with a little help from my friends.

December 21, 2009

My Pessimism May Have Been Optimistic!

October 8, 2009

Predicting the Mets' Off-season

August 29, 2009

At The Crossroads - A Thoroughly Pessimistic View Of The Mets

January 17, 2009

A History of the Mets at Second Base Part 10 - The Future

January 10, 2009

A History of the Mets at Second Base Part 9 - 2006 - 2008

January 3, 2009

A History of the Mets at Second Base Part 8 - 2004 - 2005

December 27, 2008

A History of the Mets at Second Base Part 7 - Roberto Alomar

December 7, 2008

A History of the Mets at Second Base Part 6 - What Was and What Might Have Been (The Carlos Baerga era/error)

November 29, 2008

A History of the Mets at Second Base Part 5 - Jeff Kent

November 22, 2008

A History of the Mets at Second Base Part 4 - Gregg Jefferies

November 15, 2008

A History of the Mets at Second Base Part 3 - The Seventies and Eighties

November 9, 2008

A History of the Mets at Second Base Part 2 - The Sixties

November 2, 2008

A History of Mistakes at Second Base

October 12, 2008

Memories of Steve Chilcott

September 22, 2008

Looking Back To 1962 - Al Jackson -The Mets' ONLY Good Pick

August 31, 2008

Old Time Mets - Warren Spahn

August 9, 2008

Turn Back The Clock - Mets' Top 10 Prospects 40 Years Ago

July 14, 2008

Mike Pelfrey

July 12, 2008

Old Time Mets - John Stearns

June 29, 2008

Mets Trades of the Past - Dumping the Heroes of '69

June 15, 2008

You Gotta Have a Catcher

June 1, 2008

A Different Kind of Trade Talk

May 18, 2008

Trades from the Past - Bob Ojeda

May 4, 2008

Trades from the Past - Bernard Gilkey

April 20, 2008

Trades from the Past - Sid Fernandez

April 6, 2008

M. Donald Grant, Chairman of the Board

March 30, 2008

Old Time Mets - Cliff Cook

March 23, 2008

Old Time Mets - Felix Mantilla

March 16, 2008

Mets Trades of the Past - The Biggest One Ever

March 8, 2008

Old Time Mets - Jim Hickman

March 2, 2008

One-Game Wonders: Truly Obscure Mets of the Past

February 24, 2008

Trades from the Past - Millan and Stone for Gentry and Frisella

February 17, 2008

Old Time Mets - John Stephenson

February 9, 2008

Old Time Mets - Tommy Davis

February 3, 2008

Great Mets' Trades of the Past - Hernandez for Allen and Ownbey

January 27, 2008

Taking a Closer Look At Some Past Mets' #1 Draft Choices

January 20, 2008

Amateur Draft Hits and Misses - Part 3

January 13, 2008

Amateur Draft Hits and Misses - Part 2

January 6, 2008

Amateur Draft Hits And Misses Through The Years