An Amazin' trade...
As hot as the New York Mets are now (they wake up with the best record in baseball this morning), that's how downright dumb they were on this date in 1977. I mean there was a reason that the player they traded was known as the Mets "Franchise". Here's are the highlights of George Thomas Seaver's Met career before the trade:
- 1967) National League Rookie of the Year (wins 16)...
- 1968) Wins 16 games for the 2nd year in a row and strikes out 200 for the 1st of 9 consecutive seasons...
- 1969) Wins 25 games, his 1st Cy Young Award and leads the Mets to their 1st world series championship. Wins Hickok Belt as top pro athlete of the year and is Sports Illustrated's "Sportsman of the Year"...
- 1970) Sets a modern major league record by striking out 10 consecutive batters and finishes that game against San Diego with 19 strikeouts to tie a major league record (with Steve Carlton)...
- 1971) Wins 20 games...
- 1972) Wins 21 games...
- 1973) Wins 2nd Cy Young Award...
- 1975) Wins 22 games and 3rd Cy Young Award...
Two years later he's traded to the Cincinnati Reds for Pat Zachry, Steve Henderson, Doug Flynn and Dan Norman. And oh, by the way, Seaver won 21 games that year for the Reds. In 1978, Tom Terrific pitched what would have been the Mets only no-hitter, but he was wearing the red "C" on his uniform when he pitched it against St. Louis...
The Mets seeing the error of their ways got Seaver back in a trade following the 1982 season. A good thing considering that Tom Seaver is the only home grown Met in the Baseball Hall of Fame...
More June 15 Memories...
1844] Charles Goodyear receives a patent for a process to strengthen rubber...
1864] An order to establish a military burial ground was signed by Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton (the location will become known as Arlington National Cemetery)...
1851] Baltimore dairyman, Jacob Fussell, sets up the 1st ice-cream factory (we like this man, but Baltimore ?)...
1904] More than 1,000 die when fire erupts aboard the steamboat General Slocum in New York City's East River...
1909] Benjamin Shibe patents the cork center baseball (a year earlier someone patented the baseball centered cork. Clearly there's no conflict here)...
1911] The Computing-Tabulating-Recording Co. was incorporated in the state of New York (the company was later renamed International Business Machines (IBM) Corp)...
1938] The Dodgers celebrate their 1st Ebbets Field night game. Reds pitcher Johnny Vander Meer celebrates his 2nd consecutive no-hitter (now I know you've heard this before but this record will never, never, never be broken. To break this record a pitcher would have to pitch 3 consecutive no-hitters. Did I mention that this record will never be broken ?)...
1948] WPIX-TV, channel 11 begins broadcasting in New York City...
1953] The New York City Transit Authority is formed...
1956] 15-year old John Lennon and 13-year old Paul McCartney meet for the 1st time when John and his Quarrymen perform at a church dinner in Liverpool...
1958] The Platters sing "Twilight Time" on "The Ed Sullivan Show"...
1963] Jan & Dean's "Surf City" is released...
1963] "Sukiyaki" by Kyu Sakamoto becomes the 1st Japanese record to chart (and now the next part) and the 1st Japanese record to go to #1...
1969] "Hee Haw" debuts on CBS-TV (Walter Cronkite becomes catatonic, calling it a right-wing conspiracy and threatens to quit) hosted by Buck Owens and Roy Clark (Walter must have won because CBS dropped the show after 2 years, when it was in the top 20)...
1973] "Where were you in '62 ?". "American Graffiti" premieres in New York City...
1976] Baseball Commissioner Bowie Kuhn kills proposed deals that would have A's owner Charlie Finley send Vida Blue to the Yankees and Joe Rudi and Rollie Fingers to the Red Sox (Charlie was trying to get rid of salaries, something the Marlins have been quite successful at)...
1977] The Mets do the unthinkable, they trade Tom Seaver (feature story)...
1978] King Hussein of Jordan marries 26-year old American Lisa Halaby, who becomes Queen Noor...
1980] Jack Nicklaus wins his 4th U.S. Open title...
1983] The Mets trade pitchers Neil Allen and Rick Ownbey to the Cardinals for Gold Glove 1st baseman Keith Hernandez (one of the home team's best trades)...
1984] Thomas "Hitman" Hearns wins one of 5 crowns he would wear with a 2nd round KO of superwelterweight champ Roberto Duran...
1987] Michael Spinks wins the heavyweight title with a TKO of Long Island's Gerry Cooney (one year later Mike Tyson would almost take Spinks head off when he beats him)...
1990] "Dick Tracy" premieres with Warren Beatty and Madonna in the starring roles...
1992] VP Dan Quayle puts on a dunce cap and sits in the corner after spelling "p-o-t-a-t-o-e, potato". The Trenton (NJ) elementary school then spells Quayle's name "s-t-u-p-i-d, stupid"...
1994] Israel and the Vatican establish full diplomatic relations (mazel tov)...
1994] Ruth Bader Ginsburg is sworn in as Supreme Court Justice (mazel tov)...
1994] The football Giants cut quarterback Phil Simms...
1995] During his murder trial O.J. gets the pair of gloves from Johnnie Cochran. O.J. struggles with a constipated look on his face. Marcia Clark and Christopher Darden look at each other going "um, er, uh, uh, um, er". O.J. and Cochran win, case over...
2003] A jury in Houston convicts accounting firm Arthur Andersen of obstruction of justice...
2003] In northeast London, a trailer was stolen that contained thousands of copies of J.K. Rowling's book "Harry Potter And the Order Of The Phoenix". The empty trailer was discovered 2 days later...
[To ensure accuracy of dates and content, multiple reference sources are used in the timeline]...
"Happy Birthday...happy birthday"...
1932] Former N.Y. Gov. Mario Cuomo...
1949] Russell Hitchcock of Air Supply...
1954] Jim Belushi...
1958] Baseball Hall of Famer Wade Boggs...
1963] Helen Hunt...
1964] Courteney Cox Arquette...
1970] Leah Remini ("King of Queens")...
1973] Neil Patrick Harris ("Doogie Howser, M.D.)
[Today is the 166th day of 2006 with 199 days remaining in the year and 19 days until July 4th]
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