The Franchise RIP

[Brad]

Tom Seaver, the Franchise, the greatest Met and one of the great players of all time, has passed away at 75. RIP. 

[Matthew]

Sad, sad, sad. I remember my sixth-grade teacher was a big sports fan and let us watch the 1969 World Series during class time (the ancient days where the games were all day games). Classy and great player, saw him win a 1-0 game against the Padres, and the Padres never had a chance. Too bad he wasn't able to make the 50th anniversary of that 1969 team. RIP

[ghost of miles]

I remember as a kid what a big deal it was when he got traded to the Reds. Didn’t seem right for Tom Seaver not to be a Met. 

[Dave James]

Boy does this make me feel old.  Seaver was one of those guys who seemed forever young.  Lewy Body Dementia...the same thing that contributed to Robin Williams' passing.

[Brad]

Losing him twice hurt the team and he got his no hitter and 300th win in other uniforms but he changed how people viewed the Mets: loveable losers no more. 

[JSngry]

Condolences to Ben (whose bubblegum card I also had) and all the others.

[Matthew]

As a Padres fan back then, thanks a lot Mets!

Edited September 3, 2020 by Matthew

[Brad]

2 hours ago, Matthew said:

As a Padres fan back then, thanks a lot Mets!

That set the team back for several years, and then when they got him back they left him unprotected. Considering that he won 31 games in 84 and 85, that move may have cost them two appearances in the World Series. 

[Kevin Bresnahan]

10 hours ago, Dave James said:

Lewy Body Dementia...the same thing that contributed to Robin Williams' passing.

True. Terrible disease. Unfortunately, Seaver also contracted COVID-19, which moved up his date of death.

I remember going to see him pitch in his last season with the Red Sox. It may even have been opening day. I still wonder if the Red Sox might have beaten the Mets in that World Series if Seaver's knee had recovered. He seemed to rise to the occasion.

[Brad]

Here is a great article by Marty Noble. Marty covered the Mets for years for Newsday, a Long Island newspaper.

Tom Seaver: Portrait is a Perplexing Pitcher

[Brad]

Scouting report on Tom Seaver while he was at USC. The scout? Someone named Tom Lasorda.

 

[Dan Gould]

1 hour ago, bresna said:

I remember going to see him pitch in his last season with the Red Sox. It may even have been opening day. I still wonder if the Red Sox might have beaten the Mets in that World Series if Seaver's knee had recovered. He seemed to rise to the occasion.

Seaver was traded to the Red Sox on June 29 1986.  He retired before opening day 1987. There was only one 1/2 season with the Sox.

That trade was for Steve Lyons, who famously said "sometimes you just have to change your sox" when he was informed of the trade.

Lyons was also famous for this moment: