Full Description
This book traces the history of the New York Mets from the franchise's inauspicious beginnings--the 1962 team, led by Casey Stengel and made up of players like Rod Kanehl and Jay Hook, lost 120 games--through the miraculous championship season of 1969. Based on interviews with more than one hundred former players and extensive research by one of the more highly regarded baseball historians writing today, the book covers the era in unprecedented detail. Any Met fan from the 1960s will find some familiar stories along with some they've probably never read before. Presented in an easy-to-read, narrative style, this book traces the rapid ascent of the Mets and explores the reasons for their early failure and dramatic success.
Contents
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Introduction
1. The Team Has Come Along Slow but Fast
2. The New York Beatniks: The Mets Are Born
3. Marvelous Marv and Hot Rod: The 1962 Season (Part I)
4. Elio, Choo Choo and a Lot of Losses: The 1962 Season (Part II)
5. The Three Wise Men and the Two Bob Millers
6. The Duke and the Balk Return: The 1963 Season
7. Casey
8. Vicarious Thrills: The 1964 Season
9. Yogi and Spahnie
10. A Thoroughbred Racer, a Young Colt and an Old Workhorse:
The 1965 Season
11. The First Wave
12. The Man in the Middle: Wes Westrum
13. Dr. Strangeglove and Prepare, Pucker and Pop: The 1966 Season
14. Reluctant Heroes: The Search for a Center Fielder
15. Tom Terrific and Wild Bill: The 1967 Season
16. Gil Comes Home
17. The Second Wave: The 1968 Season
18. The Answer Is Pitching
19. Assembling the Cast
20. Team of Destiny: The 1969 Season
21. The Impossible Dream Comes True
Appendix: In Their Own Words
Bibliography
Index
