Ultimate Mets Database - The Ultimate Mets Scrapbook

THE ULTIMATE METS DATABASE IS NOT AFFILIATED IN ANY WAY WITH THE NEW YORK METS OR MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL.

- All-Time Roster Every Met player... EVER!
- Mug Shots The pretty ones and the ugly ones -- we have them all!
- Player Awards Cy Young, Rookie of the Year, Hall of Fame, and more.
- Transactions Over a thousand player transactions -- in chronological order!
- Managers & Coaches The men who have led the Mets, and the men who helped them.
- Mets Staff Executives, General Managers, Broadcasters, and more. (And Jane Jarvis too!)
- Birth Places Perfect for planning your Mets pilgrimages!
- Oldest Living Mets See which Mets players have spent the most time walking the Earth.
- Necrology Mets players and personnel who are no longer with us.

- Game Results
  All the wins, all the losses. Includes box scores and score cards!
- Opening Day
  The first day of each season! See the starting lineups, who started at each position year-by-year, and leaders by position.
- Walkoff Wins & Losses
  Interactively search for the happiest and saddest endings to Mets games.
- Postseason Games How the Mets have fared in the games that count the most!
- No-Hitters & One-Hitters See a list of every no-hitter and one-hitter pitched by the Mets, or against them. One of these categories was frustratingly empty for over fifty years, but not anymore!
- All-Star Games Mets who have appeared in baseball's Mid-Summer Classic
- Opponents & Ballparks See the Mets won-lost record against every team, and in every ballpark in which they've played!
- Daily Standings What was the Mets' pennant outlook on any given day in past seasons?
- Yearly Finishes The heights and the depths: the Mets won-lost record at the end of each season.
- Mayor's Trophy Games A look back at the long-ago annual series between the Mets and their Bronx rivals.

- Leaderboards Career, season, and individual game leaders at your fingertips!
- Team Leaders Players who led the Mets in various categories, from season to season.
- Decade Leaders Mets history broken down into ten-year chunks!
- Post-Season Leaders Mets leaders, by category, in post-season games

- Ultimate Mets Scrapbook The history of the Mets, as it was reported when it happened!
- Forum Visit the Crane Pool Forum to discuss the Mets and just about anything else!
- Fan Memories Insightful. Poignant. Thrilling. Somber. Nutty. Our visitors have submitted thousands of thoughts and memories of the Mets and the games they've played.
- Mets Uniforms It's more than just laundry! Trace the evolution of the Mets official uniform over the years.
- Uniform Numbers In association with Mets By the Numbers, we present a full history of who wore what number, and when!/li>
- Baseball Cards Our collection of home-made baseball cards, in the style of the classic Topps cards of the 1970's.
- This Date in Mets History Births, Deaths, Transactions, Newspaper Covers

- Contact Us
- FAQ Frequently Asked Questions

The Ultimate Mets Scrapbook, a website within a website, presents the history of the Mets as it was originally reported. The games, the trades, the people, the places. The good news and the bad news. The hard news, and the soft news. We have examples of all of that here.

A comment form is present for each article. As always, you are welcome and encouraged to share your thoughts with other visitors.

New articles will be added periodically, so keep coming back again to see what's new!

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Latest Release
Spotlight on Bud Harrelson

Released January 29, 2024
In memory of Mets Hall-of-Famer Bud Harrelson. This release includes articles dating back to when Bud first signed with the Mets organization in 1963, through his playing career including the World Championship in 1969, the fight with Pete Rose in 1973, his decline and trade to the Phillies, his return to the Mets organization as a minor league manager and then a major league coach, his turbulent tenure as Mets manager and his association with the Long Island Ducks. There's a lot here, so you'd better get started!

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	Gator Star Signed by Mets San Francisco Examiner, June 9, 1963 Bud Harrelson, a 19-year-old third baseman from Hayward, California, has signed a contract with the New York Mets.
Tags: Bud Harrelson.

	A 'Big' Man at Short for the Herd Buffalo Evening News, April 24, 1965 Bud Harrelson is 20 years old and playing for the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons. His height (5'8") and weight (152 pounds) are noted, as will happen many times over the course of his playing career, but he's also regarded as potentially the best shortstop in the International League.
Tags: Bud Harrelson.

Mets' M'Millan Was Hit by Virus
New York Daily News, September 8, 1965
Mets veteran shortstop Roy McMillan (whose name is oddly abbreviated as "M'Millan" in the headline) has been suffering from a respiratory virus. This has given young prospect Bud Harrelson a chance to get some playing time and, according to News columnist Dick Young, he's not quite ready yet. Apparently he gives ground balls "the old dipsy-do from the side."

Tags: Bud Harrelson, Roy McMillan.

	Can Roy Do It Again For Mets? New York Daily News, September 13, 1966 As the 1966 season draws to a close, veteran shortstop Roy McMillan is facing shoulder surgery, and his future is in doubt. Should the Mets trade for a new shortstop? Or should they give the job to another veteran, Ed Bressoud? Or is it time to turn to young prospect Bud Harrelson?
Tags: Eddie Bressoud, Bud Harrelson, Roy McMillan.

	Mets Thin Man Slays Giants Newsday, September 17, 1966 A big day at the plate for Bud Harrelson. He hits two triples and steals home in a 5-4 win over the Giants at Candlestick Park.
Tags: Bud Harrelson.

	Wes Counts on Young Bud To Blossom Into Star SS New York Daily News, March 1, 1967 As 1967 spring training gets underway, there's going to be a competition for the starting shortstop job. Veteran Roy McMillan is still in the mix, but manager Wes Westrum is touting young Bud Harrelson who, he says, could be another Maury Wills.
Tags: Bud Harrelson, Wes Westrum.

	Say Bud! Harrelson May Be Top SS in NL New York Daily News, July 6, 1967 Bud Harrelson has claimed the Mets starting shortstop job and as his confidence has grown, his performance has improved. Plus, a Bill Gallo cartoon, "Quick Change (Relief) Artist" featuring Hal Reniff.
Tags: Bud Harrelson, Hal Reniff.

	Real Surprise: He's No Loser, This Young Met The Tennessean, August 27, 1967 Tennessee sportswriter Bud Burns expresses surprise that the "hapless expansion" Mets (in their sixth season) have a quality player in Bud Harrelson. Burns doesn't seem to appreciate defensive skills. He says that Harrelson's "lowly" batting average "overshadows anything else he had ever done."
Tags: Bud Harrelson.

	He Makes Light of His Weight Problem Los Angeles Times, April 8, 1968 In this UPI article from April 1968, carried in the Los Angeles Times, Bud Harrelson discusses his struggles to keep his weight on. In the previous season, his production tailed off as fatigue caught up with him during the summer months.
Tags: Bud Harrelson.

	Bud Harrelson Is No Joke To New York Mets' Foes Zanesville Times Recorder, July 21, 1968 A wire-service article from 1968 profiles Bud Harrelson. It opens with some Henny Youngman style jokes about Bud's light weight and goes on to describe some of the good-natured ribbing that Harrelson gets from his teammates. Bud also discusses his approach as a leadoff hitter.
Tags: Bud Harrelson.

	Bud Harrelson, by Bruce Stark New York Daily News, September 26, 1969 One in a series of portraits of the 1969 Mets by cartoonist Bruce Stark for the Daily News.
Tags: Bud Harrelson.

	He Met the Challenge Oakland Tribune, October 14, 1969 As Bud Harrelson is playing in the 1969 World Series, a reporter from his native Bay Area checks in on Bud's high school baseball coach Don Curley, who remembers Bud as a "4-foot-10-inch teenager."
Tags: Bud Harrelson.

	Young Ideas New York Daily News, February 5, 1970 It's spring training, 1970 and Bud Harrelson is a defending World Champion shortstop. In Dick Young's column, Bud reflects on his recovery from knee surgery in 1968 and how, as a minor league player attending a Mets game in San Francisco, he gained confidence when he witnessed his future mentor Roy McMillan make an error.
Tags: Bud Harrelson, Roy McMillan.

	Young Ideas New York Daily News, April 29, 1970 In Dick Young's column, Bud Harrelson talks about the reaction to his first out-of-the-park home run. When asked for an autograph, Bud offered to sign it "Baby Ruth".
Tags: Bud Harrelson.

	Mets' Bud Harrelson A Lover, Not a Fighter The Times (Munster, Indiana), July 9, 1970 Three years before the now legendary fight with Pete Rose, Bud Harrelson took a few steps towards the mound and had to be restrained when he felt that Cardinals pitcher Jerry Reuss was throwing at him.
Tags: Bud Harrelson.

	Bud Harrelson: Batting Expert Florida Today, May 13, 1971 Bud Harrelson, known as a glove but not a bat, is leading the Mets with a .329 batting average and has recently had a nine-game hitting streak.
Tags: Bud Harrelson.

Met Star Turns Singer: Bud Harrelson Doesn't Do Anything Halfway
Kingsport Times-News (Kingsport, TN), December 26, 1971
Bud Harrelson performs at a country-western bar in Woodridge, New Jersey. The article includes a photo of Buddy strumming on a guitar. (This explains why Bruce Stark later pictured Bud playing shortstop with a guitar on his back in his full-color caricature in the Daily News Sunday comic section.)

Tags: Bud Harrelson.

	Umpires disturb mild Bud Harrelson New Jersey Record (Bergen, NJ), July 7, 1972 A tough loss to the Padres has Bud Harrelson fuming over some umpiring calls. He vows to no longer be a "nice guy".
Tags: Bud Harrelson.

	Bud Hit the Reds Where It Hurt Newsday, October 8, 1973 Bud Harrelson provided Pete Rose and the Reds with some bulletin board material after the second game of the 1973 NLCS. These words would soon, famously, lead to an on-field brawl between the two players at Shea. Also includes an article about Game 2, "Up Up and Away Soared Superfoul".
Tags: Bud Harrelson, Jon Matlack.

	Slide by Rose Sparks a Free-for-All; Fans Toss Garbage, Reds Walk Off Field New York Daily News, October 9, 1973 The now legendary Mets-Reds brawl during the 1973 NLCS, with Pete Rose and Bud Harrelson squaring off.
Tags: Bud Harrelson.

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Other releases

August 31, 2023
Forty-three Obituaries
Obituaries for 43 Mets players, coaches, etc., including John Stearns, Tim McCarver, Joe Pignatano, Pedro Feliciano, and more.

Here's the full list:

Larry Bearnarth, Jerry Buchek, Chuck Carr, Gene Clines, Tommy Davis, Pedro Feliciano, Tony Fernandez, Larry Foss, Jim Frey, Bob Friend, Jesse Gonder, Joe Grzenda, Tommy Holmes, Jeff Innis, Cookie Lavagetto, Phil Linz, Tim McCarver, Jeff McKnight, Herb Moford, Harold W. O'Shaughnessy, Brock Pemberton, Joe Pignatano, Grover Powell, Hal Reniff, Arthur Richman, Les Rohr, Red Ruffing, Ray Sadecki, Dick Selma, Norm Sherry, Dick Sisler, Denny Sommers, Tracy Stallard, Eddie Stanky, Leroy Stanton, John Stearns, Dick Stuart, Ralph Terry, Claudell Washington, George Weiss, Carl Willey, Gene Woodling, and Don Zimmer.

July 31, 2023
Ron Swoboda, Edgardo Alfonzo, Gary Carter's debut, and more

Spotlights on Ron Swoboda, Edgardo Alfonzo, and Gary Carter's Opening Day home run in 1985
Portraits of Jerry Koosman, Bud Harrelson, Ron Swoboda, and Wayne Garrett by Bruce Stark
A visit from Cool Papa Bell
A memorable 18-inning win over the Pirates in 1985 at Shea
Obituary of Mets coach Clyde McCullough
Cartoons from Bill Gallo and Bruce Stark
The morning of the first home opener at Citi Field, by Mike Lupica
Francisco Alvarez enjoys participating in the Subway Series against the Yankees

November 16, 2022
Kevin McReynolds, Bruce Stark (1963), Robert F. Kennedy

Spotlight on Kevin McReynolds
Four 1963 cartoons by Bruce Stark of the Daily News.
The Mets honor the memory of Senator Robert F. Kennedy.
Rick Aguilera struggles to gain a foothold in the 1988 Mets starting rotation.

November 7, 2022
April 1962
Contemporary coverage of the Mets' first month in the National League. Their first game in St. Louis, a ticker-tape parade in Manhattan, the reopening of the Polo Grounds after four idle years, their first home game, and more, including profiles of Joan Payson and Jay Hook.

October 26, 2022
Expansion Draft, Tim Foli, Shea Goodbye

Coverage of the 1961 expansion draft which provided the Mets with their first batch of players.
Spotlight on Tim Foli. The Mets made him the first draft pick in the nation in 1968.
Shea Goodbye! The final game ever played at Shea Stadium ended the Mets' postseason hopes, but was followed by a star-studded ceremony.
Polo Goodbye! The final game ever played at the Polo Grounds had no fanfare at all and very few fans in attendance.
Now Straw's the Man Who Stirs the Mets: A Joe Gergen column from Newsday in 1988. Darryl Strawberry is coming into his own as a superstar.
From 1969, Bruce Stark portraits of Tom Seaver and Cleon Jones.
Obituaries of Bill Robinson and Clem Labine.

October 18, 2022
First update
Jim Bunning's 1964 perfect game, and Mets postseason losses in 1973, 1986, 2000, and 2015. Willie Randolph gets fired, Warren Spahn dies, Ron Darling and Tim Teufel get arrested, trades for Bruce Berenyi and for Carlos Baerga, and more. Includes two cartoons from Bruce Stark.