centerfield maz

What fan from the sixties, seventies & the early eighties, can forget the old bullpen carts. The vehicles were shaped like baseballs, with a cap on top as the roof.  When a relief pitcher was brought into a game, he would get driven from the bullpen, by stadium personnel, along the foul lines on the dirt in foul territory, to the pitcher's mound area near the dugouts.  There he would exit, leave his jacket with the driver & proceed to walk to the mound. The vision of the Mets great reliever, Tug McGraw (one of baseball's best firemen in the early 1970's)  immediately,  comes to mind . The Mets bullpen cart was the first of it's kind. Other teams had started the practice of driving a pitcher to the mound back in the 1950's. In the huge Cleveland Municipal Stadium, a red car was used to transport the Indians' pitchers.  In Chicago, the White Sox became the first team to use it for relief pitchers.  Later, the early sixties, the Los Angeles Dodgers beca

April 1st 1982: On this day the Mets traded popular centerfielder Lee Mazzilli to the Texas Rangers for two young pitchers, Ron Darling & Walt Terrell. At the time the trade was not favorable with Mets fans. Mazzilli was a popular matinee idol for the Mets since arriving in 1976. As the Mets went downward into a last place team, it was Mazzilli who was one of the few bright spots. He spent six years with Mets up to that point, had made one All Star Team (1979), batted over .300 once & stole over thirty bases twice. He hit over 15 HRs three straight years & drove in over 70 runs twice.  He was never a superstar, but he was good looking, made basket catches like Willie Mays & was one of the better players on bad teams. More than anything else, Mazzilli was one of the most popular Mets of his era. In the strike shortened 1981 season, Mazzilli's average fell to a career worst (up to that point) .228. The Mets felt he was on the down side of his career. The new ownershi