Posted by Beernoser on 5/4/2020 1:55:00 AM (view original):
Bringing up bad memories for this old Mets fan. From what I read in the papers, Seaver's wife was friends with Nolan Ryan's wife and Ryan was making way more than Seaver so Seaver wanted way more money and when someone leaked the story to the press it created a firestorm and Seaver demanded a trade. That started a mad week where teams started giving offers. The offer I thought they should take was the Dodgers offer of Don Sutton one for one, ace for ace.
Instead they traded him to the Reds for four young players, Steve Henderson (OF), Pat Zachry (SP), Doug Flynn (2B) and Dan Norman (OF). Henderson and Zachry turned out to be average players but the Mets got very little for Seaver.
Then they traded Jon Matlack the next year for next to nothing and the Mets team that went to two World Series in 69 and 73 was completely destroyed. Painful memories.
June 15, 1977 a day that will live in infamy for Mets fans. Seaver sent packing to the Reds for Zachry, Flynn, Norman, & Henderson. Also the Mets sent Dave Kingman to the Padres for Bobby Valentine that day.
Matlack went 43-45 after leaving the Mets, but the Mets essentially got an aging Willie Montanez & one - time Washington Senator bonus baby Tom Grieve in the deal.
I remember that Dick Young, respected veteran writer for the NY Daily News was a shill for Mets President Donald M. Grant. He wrote scathing articles about Seaver that year that ultimately helped to run him out of town.
The summer of ‘77 in NYC saw a major blackout in July that led to mass looting. The Son of Sam serial killer was still on the loose at the time terrorizing the city until his capture in August of that year.
Quite a year for NYC & the Mets.