RobKirkpatrick.com

I wanted to post a quick review of a new book called Faith and Fear in Flushing: An Intense Personal History of the New York Mets, by Greg Prince (Skyhorse Publishing, 2009).  With a cover that includes images from the 1986 World Series and Yadier Molina’s home run off Aaron Heilman in the 2006 NLCS, Prince’s memoir chronicles both the triumphs and heartbreaks of the Mets team – not from the jaded lens of a reporter but from the unique perspective of a fan who grew up at the same time the Mets franchise did. There are many books out there covering the Mets championship seasons, but Prince is the type of fan who remembers 1970s team favorite Steve Henderson just as clearly as he does the Amazin’s’ overcoming Dave Henderson’s home run in Game 6.  (He might have titled his book Praying for Ron Hodges.)  In this day of naming rights, luxury-suite ballparks, and alternate batting-practice jerseys, Prince reminds us of the true charms of being a baseball fan.

- Rob

In a year of riots and protests – including the Harvard Student Strike, People’s Park, the War Moratorium, the Days of Rage, and the occupation of Alcatraz – perhaps the most pivotal in terms of lasting influence were the Stonewall Riots, which occurred 40 years ago this weekend in Greenwich Village. The uprising of patrons of the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar on Christopher Street, against a police raid inspired local residents, gay and straight, to join in. Forty years later, it stands as one of the most important rallying moments in the history of the gay and lesbian rights movement in America.

Read this recent New York Times story on Stonewall here: http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/22/police-records-document-the-stonewall-uprising/?hp

…and, of course, you can read more about the Stonewall Riots in 1969: The Year Everything Changed, available now from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Borders, or directly from the publisher.  Visit my book page for links to purchase.

Ps. I also discuss Stonewall, as well as other colorful incidents from the year, in the upcoming History Channel program Sex in ‘69: The Sexual Revolution in America. Air date coming soon!

- Rob

Sunday, June 29, 1969

Bob Gibson struck out 10 batters but Fergie Jenkins got the win Sunday afternoon at Wrigley.

Jenkins gave up just 3 hits and 1 run, while Willie Smith was the hitting star for Chicago, going 3 for 4 with a homerun and 2 RBI.

Game two was a blowout. The Cubs pounded out 12 runs while starter Dick Selma got a complete-game,10-strikeout win. Ernie Banks hit a 3-run homer in the 1st. Ron Santo was 3 for 4 with a homerun and 5 RBI.  And Billy Williams was 4 for 5 with a double, triple, 3 runs and 3 RBI. Williams appeared in his 895th and 896th straight game to break Stan Musial’s NL record.

Cubs 3, Cardinals 1 (1).  W: Jenkins (10-5)  L: Gibson (10-5)

Cubs 12, Cardinals 1 (2). W: Selma (8-3)  L: Grant (4-8)

***

With Tom Seaver on the mound, 7 Mets runs were plenty against Pittsburgh. Recent acquisition Don Clendenon, who came into the day hitting just .118 as a Met,  went 2 for 4 with 3 RBI, and Cleon Jones and Ed Charles both knocked in 2. Tommie Agee scored twice.

Mets 7, Pirates 3.  W: Seaver (12-3)  L: Veale (4-9)

Team Name                        G    W    L    T   PCT    GB   

Chicago Cubs                    76   49   26    1  .653     -  

New York Mets                   71   39   32    0  .549   8.0  

Saturday, June 28, 1969

Bill Hands gave up just 3 hits and 1 run to St. Louis at Wrigley. Willie Smith and Don Young both homered for the Cubs.

Cubs 3, Cardinals 1.  W: Hands (8-6)  L: Giusti (3-7)

***

A 5-run Pirates rally in the 8th inning broke open a Saturday night game at Shea. Cleon Jones went 3 for 4, scored twice, and drove in a run in a losing effort. Ed Kranepool had 2 hits and 2 RBI, and Al Weis added 2 hits and an RBI.

Pirates 7, Mets 4.  W: Bunning (7-5) L: Gentry (7-6)  SV: Gibbon (4)

Friday, June 27, 1969

The Cubs rapped out 10 hits but managed only 1 run against Steve Carlton and the Cardinals. The St. Louis lefty tossed a complete game and worked around trouble by striking out 12 Chicago batters. Ken Holtzman gave up jst 2 runs in 7 innings but took his second loss of the season. Ron Santo went 2 for 4 and knocked in Paul Popovich for the only Cubs run.

Cardinals 3, Cubs 1.  W: Carlton (8-5)  L: Holtzman (10-1)

***

Steve Blass outpitched Jerry Koosman in a pitcher’s duel at Shea Stadium. The Mets managed only 3 hits, with J.C. Martin driving in Art Shamsky for the sole New York tally.

Pirates 3, Mets 1.  W: Blass (8-4)  L: Koosman (5-5)  SV: Gibbon (3)

Thursday, June 26, 1969

The wind was blowing out on Ladies Day as the Pirates and Cubs combined for 7 home runs and 22 total hits.

Both teams notched 11 basehits, and both had 5 runs at the end of 9 regulation innings.  Home runs from Billy Williams, Ken Rudolph, and Ron Santo matched blasts from Willie Stargell, Manny Sanguillen, and Roberto Clemente. Jim Hickman stepped up to the plate with Rudolph on first and 2 outs in the 10th, and sent a game-winning shot over the ivy-covered walls of Wrigley.

Cubs 7, Pirates 5 (10 inn.).  W: Regan (9-5)  L: Dal Canton (5-2)

***

Another hard luck loss for Mets starter Don Cardwell, who suffered his 8th defeat in 10 decision. Cardwell pitched well, giving up just 2 runs through 7 1/3 at Shea, but Phillies hurler Grant Jackson bested him with a sparkling 4-hit, 10-strikeout performance. Cleon Jones went 2 for 3 to raise his season average to .353.

Phillies 2, Mets o.   W: Jackson (8-6)  L: Cardwell (2-8)

Team Name                        W    L    T   PCT    GB   

Chicago Cubs                    46   25    1  .648     -  
New York Mets                   38   30    0  .559   6.5

Tune in now to the SNY (SportsNewYork) television station to see Miracle in New York: The Story of the ‘69 Mets, narrated by Tim Robbins, on the story of an Amazin’ year: http://www.sny.tv/index.jsp

Wednesday, June 25, 1969

Fergie Jenkins limited the Pittsburgh Pirates to 2 runs on just 2 hits while striking out 10. The Cubs managed just 3 hits themselves, but 2 Pirate errors contributed to 5 Chicago runs.  Jim Hickman had an RBI triple in the 2nd inning.

Cubs 5, Pirates 2.  W: Jenkins (9-5)  L: Veale (4-8)

***

The Mets blew a 5-0 lead as Philadelphia fought back to win in 10 innings. Cleon Jones and Al Weis both knocked in 2 runs to put New York out in front, but neither Nolan Ryan nor the Mets bullpen could protect the lead.

Phillies 6, Mets 5 (10 inn.)  W: Wilson (2-2) L: Taylor (3-2)  SV: Boozer (3)

Team Name                           W    L    T   PCT    GB
Chicago Cubs                       45   25    1  .643     -
New York Mets                      38   29    0  .567   5.5

Tuesday, June 23, 1969

Tom Seaver gave up just one run, on a solo shot by Larry Hisle, through nine innings in pitching the Mets to a 2-1 win in game one of a doubleheader at Shea.  Bud Harrelson accounted for both Met runs when he tripled in Al Weis in the 3rd inning and then scored on Cleon Jones’s single.  Woody Fryman struck out 10 New York batters but still took the loss.

Jim McAndrew took the baton in the second game and earned his first win of the year by pitching eight shutout innings for New York. Tommie Agee led a 9-hit Mets attack with a home run and two singles.

Mets 2, Phillies 1 (1).  W: Seaver (11-3)  L: Fryman (6-4)

Mets 5, Phillies 0 (2). W: McAndrew (1-2)  L: J. Johnson (3-7)  SV: Taylor (6)

***

Ron Santo’s 3-run blast powered the Cubs over Jim Bunning and the Pirates at Wrigley.  Bill Hands went the distance to improve his record to 7-6.

Cubs 3, Pirates 2.  W: Hands (7-6)  L: Bunning (6-5)

NL EAST

Team Name                        W    L    T   PCT    GB   
Chicago Cubs                    44   25    1  .638     -  
New York Mets                   38   28     0  .576   4.5

Monday, June 23, 1969

Chicago pulled out a come-from-behind win in Wrigley with 2 runs in the 9th off the Pittsburgh Pirates bullpen.

The Cubs trailed 4-3 going into the bottom of the 9th, but pinch-hitter Bill Heath lead off with a single and Don Kessinger’s bunt single pushed Heath to second. With one out, Billy Williams singled to score pinch-runner Nate Oliver with the tying run, and then Ron Santo’s sacrifice fly brought in the winning run.  Phil Regan went 3 2/3 scoreless innings in relief.

Cubs 5, Pirates 4.  W: Regan (8-5)  L: Dal Canton (5-1)

Team Name                           W    L    T   PCT    GB
Chicago Cubs                       43   25    1  .632     -
New York Mets                      36   28    0  .563   5.0

Here’s a link to an article in Sunday’s New York Times on the art (or is it a science?) of naming books: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/16/books/16titles.html?_r=1&ref=books

…which brings me to my forthcoming interview with Pat Morrison on Southern California Public Radio, to be broadcast nationally on July 3.  I’ll be interviewed along with Fred Kaplan, author of the similarly titled 1959: The Year Everything Changed.

- Rob

Catching up on Recreating the Miracle Season, we find the Mets climbing the standings of the National League East at the beginning of the summer of ‘69… 

Sunday, June 22, 1969

The Cubs split a Sunday doubleheader.  Chicago’s 4-run rally in the bottom of the 9th of the first game climaxed in Jim Hickman’s game-winning 2-run homer.

Cubs 7, Expos 6 (1).  W: Selma (7-3)  L: Shaw (1-5)

Expos 5, Cubs 4.  W: Face (4-1)  L: Reynolds (0-1)  SV: McGinn (2)

***

At Shea Stadium, Gary Gentry and Jerry Koosman pitched gems as the Mets limited the Cards to just one run in a doubleheader sweep.

Mets 5, Cards 1 (1)  W: Gentry (7-5)  L: Carlton (7-5)  SV: Koonce (4)

Mets 1, Cards 0 (2)  W: Koosman (5-4)  L: Torrez (1-4)

NL EAST STANDINGS

Team Name                        W    L    T   PCT    GB   
Chicago Cubs                    42   25    1  .627     -  
New York Mets                   36   28    0  .563   4.5 

Saturday, June 21, 1969

The Expos edged the Cubs by one run. Ernie Banks drove in Chicago’s only 2 runs.

Expos 3, Cubs 2.  W: Reed (2-1)  L: Jenkins (8-5)  SV: Shaw (1)

***

Jack DiLauro gave up just 2 runs in 6 innings but Nelson Briles and the Cards prevailed over the Mets.

Cardinals 5, Mets 3.  W: Briles (6-5) L: DiLauro (0-2) 

Friday, June 20, 1969

The Cubs got just 4 hits but won as Bill Hands tossed a 5-hit shutout in the friendly confines of Wrigley Field.

Cubs 2, Expos 0.  W: Hands (6-6)  L: Robertson (1-4)

***

Agee and Boswell both went 2 for 4 as the Mets jumped out to a lead against Bob Gibson and held on for the win.

Mets 4, Cardinals 3.  W: Ryan (3-0)  L: Gibson (9-4)  SV: McGraw (5)

Thursday, June 19, 1969

Art Shamsky homered in the 6th and then again in the 8th, and then Ken Boswell’s 2-out single in the 9th scored the tying and go-ahead runs in a thrilling Mets comeback.

Mets 6, Phillies 5.  W: Taylor (3-1)  L: Raffo (0-2)  SV: McGraw (4)

Wednesday, June 18, 1969

In Pittsburgh, Roberto Clemente answered Ron Santo’s 2-RBI triple in the top of the 8th inning with a 2-run homer in the bottom of the inning. Clemente then doubled and later scored the winning run in the 10th.

Pirates 3, Cubs 2 (10 inn.).  W: Gibbon (2-3)  L: Regan (7-5)

Jerry Koosman evened his record at 4-4 with a 4-hit shutout of the Phils. Agee, Garrett and Jones each had 3 hits for New York.

Mets 2, Phillies 0.  W: Koosman (4-4)  L: Wise (6-6)

Tuesday, June 17, 1969

The Mets split a doubleheader in Philadelphia’s Connie Mack Stadium. In the first game, J.C. Martin singled in Ken Boswell in the 7th for the only run of the game. Gary Gentry pitched a 2-hit shutout, striking out 9.  In the nightcap, the Phillies jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first against Don Cardwell and cruised to a 7-3 win,

Mets 1, Phillies 0 (1)  W: Gentry (6-5)  L: Champion (1-2)

Phillies 7, Mets 3 (2)  W: Cardwell (2-7)  L: Jackson (6-2)

 ***

Meanwhile, the Cubs dropped played a twinbill in Pittsburgh. Fergie Jenkins was the hard-luck loser in the first, striking out 11 but losing 1-0. The bullpen couldn’t hold a lead in the second game, as the Pirates scored 3 runs in the final 2 innings to prevail 4-3.

Pirates 1, Cubs 0 (1).  W: Veale (4-7)  L: Jenkins (8-4)  SV: Dal Canton (3)

Pirates 4, Cubs 3 (2).  W: Blass (7-3)  L: Abernathy (4-1)