This is Throwback Thursday #202. In these, we look back into the past at ESCONI specifically and Earth Science in general. If you have any contributions, (science, pictures, stories, etc ...), please sent them to [email protected]. Thanks!
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To commemorate the start of Major League Baseball's Spring Training, we are taking a look at a fun little newspaper article that appeared back on October 7th, 1986. You won't find many Mets fans here in Chicago, but we do love our dinosaurs. Just check out the crowds of people at the Field Museum each week to see SUE the largest, most complete, and oldest Tyrannosaurus rex that has ever been found.
Back in October 1986, the Mets were getting ready to play the Houston Astros in the NLCS, after unfortunately beating out our Cubbies (the Cubs finished a dismal and distant 5th). The Village Voice's Jockbeat section featured "Favorite Dinosaurs of the Mets” by humorist Charlie Rubin.
There's a bunch of great "quotes" in there....
Davey Johnson: Ever notice how great teams and great dinosaurs just seem to follow each other around? That was the message I was brought here to impart, in '84. And today, this is significant, while every Met has a favorite dinosaur, it's always a different favorite dinosaur. There's no dinosaur politics on this club. Guy goes on the [disabled list], he finds his dinosaur waiting for him when he comes back ... Before I took the Mets job I had to know from management, "Do I have the authority to lead museum trips as I see fit?"
Frank Cashen: Dinosaurs are important to any winning organization. And when your dinosaurs go, so does your competitive edge. I was talking to [New York Yankees Owner] George Steinbrenner the other day, and he agreed with me. He said, "You know what killed off those great Yankees teams of mine, don't you? Extreme cold and changing vegetation."
Gary Carter, C: Favorite dinosaur? I prefer footprints. Tracks. But darn they're so incredibly rare. Now, what does that remind you of? If you said, "Hall of Fame baseball players," I'm in complete agreement. I mean, we've preserved Babe's bats, his uniforma, his glove. But did anyone ever think to take a plaster cast of his footprints? Now they're lost to forever. What path did Cy Young take from the showers to his locker? All we an do is guess...
Dwight Gooden, P: Absolutely no question, the highlight of my season was finding that claw bone in the late Cretaceous formation just outside our dugout. Scaling up its dimensions, I’d conclude it was from a creature that was about 6-1 and 200 pounds…probably Tom Seaver.
My favorite is Mookie Wilson, the eventual hero of the World Series.
The Mets ultimately won the series 4 games to 2. They then defeated the Boston Red Sox in the World Series that featured some memorable plays. Who remembers Bill Buckner's error (attributed to the Curse of the Bambino) and the call by Vin Scully?
"So the winning run is at second base, with two outs"
"5-5. In a delirious 10th inning. Can you believe this ball game at Shea?"
"Three and two to Mookie Wilson. [A] little roller up along first... BEHIND THE BAG! IT GETS THROUGH BUCKNER! Here comes Knight, and the Mets win it!"
....
"If one picture is worth a thousand words, you have seen about a million words, but more than that, you have seen an absolutely bizarre finish to Game 6 of the 1986 World Series. The Mets are not only alive, they are well; and they will play the Red Sox in Game 7 tomorrow!"
Did the dinosaurs help them win in 1986? Maybe?!? They haven't won a World Series since...
