The 1986 Mets Rewatch Newsletter is a newsletter for fans who like their cows holy and who sing Take Me Out To The Ball Game badly
When I was in college and hosting a sports talk show on the campus radio station, I remember doing something a few times that I called "It might be. It could be. It is!"
I don't remember what exactly we did in that segment, but I do remember recording the intro with our advisor (Dr. Dave Rogosky) and that, with all due respect to Dr. Dave, his way of saying the phrase had nothing on how Harry Caray said it.
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I found it amusing that those six words were how Harry Caray called a home run. So there was some delight in finding the June 20 broadcast of the Mets-Cubs game at Shea Stadium, as called by Cubs announcers Harry Caray, Steve Stone, and Dewayne Staats. And it occurred to me that I'd never heard Harry Caray call full innings before. So this week's newsletter is about how Harry Caray called the 1986 Mets through the lens of this game.
What was so interesting in watching the six innings that Harry called on TV was how much he seemed to like the Mets. Within the first minute of the broadcast, we were shown this banner, one Harry really liked. He pointed out that it was a tribute to Mets third baseman Ray Knight.
He quoted Psalm 23:5, "His cup overfloweth" in describing Knight's season to the viewers. I'm not normally one for interjecting religion into broadcasts, but hey, it's Harry Caray so exceptions can be made.
Harry was also incredulous that Dwight Gooden has the most losses of any Mets starter. "Can you believe that?"
We also learn quickly that "we're carrying a shared feed," meaning that the pictures on the broadcast are being chosen by the Mets production team (hence why that banner was shown on a Cubs broadcast).
If you watch a Harry Caray broadcast, it kind of feels like he's talking directly to you. That's because throughout the game, Harry rattles off the names of a lot of people who are either watching or listening to the game.
John and Laura are here on their honeymoon. Kevin Ciepak (sp?) of Cherryville, Indiana and Matt Swan of Rockford, Illinois get shoutouts. So does Bill Hedberg of Barry, Vermont. Cameraman Lenny Wexler's father is watching and is told that his son is doing a good job.
"The Cubs have a lot of fans, very few runs," Harry said, lamenting the plight of his team, which entered 27-37 under manager Gene Michael. He later pointed out that only two Cubs could have cracked the Mets lineup – second baseman Ryne Sandberg and shortstop Shawon Dunston (who eventually did!).
The Mets defense did its part to keep the runs to a minimum. Look at where Mookie Wilson's glove was when he caught Ryne Sandberg's fly ball that ended the top of the first.
"A great effort by Mookie Wilson! Holy cow! Sandberg can't believe it. What a jump he had to get on that ball to make a one-handed shoestring catch."
Sid Fernandez was the starter for the Mets that day and Harry made it clear that he was a big fan. He went through Sid's year-by-year strikeouts and innings pitched numbers for the Dodgers' minor league teams.
"How can you trade a guy with those stats? The Dodgers had so much pitching."
Harry likes to talk up prospects. Of Mets minor league outfielder Stan Jefferson, Harry said that the Mets think he's gonna be another Darryl Strawberry.
And I can't imagine Harry would have been into analytics. The closest we get to that in this broadcast is when a popup that ends the bottom of the second "might bring rain. That's how high it is."
In the third inning, Gary Carter makes a sliding catch on a Ron Cey popup for the Mets second good defensive play of the day. Harry acknowledges it and also notes "You can't turn on a radio or TV without seeing a Gary Carter commercial."
With a Harry Caray broadcast, you never know which direction the commentary is going to go. The best compliment he paid the Cubs all day was when he noted that pitcher Scott Sanderson "is a handsome man."
Not long after that, there's a foul ball hit straight back, in the vicinity of Caray and Stone.
"Don't flinch Steve, I'll protect you," Harry says, to which Steve replies, "I've seen your hands. I'm gonna go for a glove."
The Cubs score first, netting two runs in the fourth inning, which Harry has ceded to the team of Stone and Staats (I'm guessing he went to the radio booth). The Cubs could have had more but not for the Mets third good defensive play of the day, Mookie Wilson throwing Cubs catcher Jody Davis out at the plate.
"Davey Johnson told me before the game Wilson's arm was feeling pretty good," Stone said.
I do want to flash forward to present times, as I'm writing this a few days after Gary Cohen and Keith Hernandez talked about Keith's stoicism as a player. Hernandez and Carter drove in runs to tie the game in the bottom of the fourth and then Hernandez homered off the handsome pitcher to put the Mets ahead in the bottom of the sixth.
You can see in the dugout that Keith doesn't seem into the idea of doing a curtain call. But he obliges for the fans. This was his expression just before taking the curtain call.
Harry returns to the booth in the seventh inning and the game goes a bit off the rails. The Mets entered the bottom of the seventh leading 3-2. They ended the inning leading 9-2.
Ray Knight, who didn't hit a triple in 1984 or 1985, hit a triple that Keith Moreland misplayed. Pitcher Ray Fontenot threw away an Ed Hearn bunt on which Harry was apoplectic. Harry alternated between calling Tim Teufel by the proper pronunciation of his last name and "Tim TOO-full." Teufel doubled.
"There's no comparing these two ballclubs," Harry said.
"Harry there's no mystery why this club is in first place. Every time they've had to execute, they've executed," said Stone.
After a Darryl Strawberry intentional walk, Gary Carter homers against Cubs reliever Jay Baller (who had been swinging a golf club in the bullpen earlier). We get a "There's a drive. It might be. It is! A home run. Holy cow!" (apparently skipping the "could be"). They want Gary Carter to come out."
Of course, Carter obliged. Harry called it all with the enthusiasm that you'd expect from the Mets broadcasters and did the same when Ed Hearn homered bottom 8 (though without the might be, could be, is).
In the bottom of the eighth inning a couple of fans ran on the field. "The gendarme are after them," Harry said, teaching his viewers French vocabulary. I guess it will cost a couple hundred bucks to get out of the pokey tonight." Harry watched the pursuit closely, noting that even the ballgirl joined in chasing after the two (who were inevitably caught by a group of five gendarme).
I do want to point out one last play. With the Cubs down 10-2 in the ninth inning, Dunston hustled to beat a throw on a routine ground ball. And he went into second base really hard to break up a potential game-ending DP. I can see why Shawon was so well liked (I know Dusty Baker and Steve Phillips were big fans from talking to them at ESPN).
The broadcast ended one batter later. Caray noted that the Cubs best pitcher in this game was the handsome Sanderson. "It's a sad state of affairs isn't it?"
It may have been for the Cubs. But certainly not for the 1986 Mets or for those who watched this broadcast.
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