It’s the site of Mets author Matthew Silverman and coordination spot for the eight books he has written about the New York Mets:
Shea Good-bye: The Untold Inside Story of the Historic 2008 Season
The Miracle Has Landed: The Amazin’ Story of How the 1969 Mets Shocked the World
Maple Street Press Mets 2009 Annual and Mets 2010 Annual
100 Things Mets Fans Need to Know and Do before They Die
Mets by the Numbers: A Complete Team History of the Amazin’ Mets by Uniform Number
Meet the Mets 2008: An Annual Guide to New York Mets Baseball
Mets Essential: Everything You Need to Know to Be a Real Fan!
Why am I here?
Because cyberspace spit you out here or you heard about it through the Author’s Notes in one of my books.
I want to buy one of these books for a friend, relative, or myself, which one should I buy?
That I can’t tell you, but for an honest description of what is in each book and how they are different. Click here.
What else you got on this site?
I’ll include accurate history with personal reflections to try to show where it might stand in the whole Mets experience.
What makes you an expert?
Getting personal now, aren’t we? I went to my first Mets game as a 10-year-old wearing one of those $3 nonadjustable—and not official—hats in 1975. Mets 4, Giants 2; August 16, 1975; Craig Swan over Pete Falcone—little did I know this would soon be the front end of the Mets rotation in a couple of year—and Bob Apodaca got the save. (Thanks, Dad, and retrosheet.org for the memory.) Things were so strange back them, I’d actually been taken to Shea twice to see the Yankees before my first Mets game. That would not deter me. I don’t have an exact count, but I’ve been to Shea Stadium approximately 300 times since then and haven’t missed a postseason game at Shea since 1988 (and the only two games I missed in the 1986 postseason were just two of the greatest days in Mets history). Not counting the strike-delayed opener I purposely missed in 1995 or the 2003 season starter, when Tom Glavine was pummeled in the bitter cold while I was in sunny Phoenix at the Diamondbacks opener, I have been to every Shea opener since 1989. I remember a lot of things and I’ve been a part of seven different editions, in total, of the the ESPN Baseball Encyclopedia and Total Baseball. I’ve also worked on a dozen books on football. But it’s not in the same league.
What’s the point of it all?
Ah, that’s a good question, but it can’t be answered right now. I will have contests that give away books and occasional Mets tickets to those deemed worthy by answering “these riddles three.” A quick note, there will always be a 1970s trivia question among the three…because people who lived through that or made it their business to know about the untold suffering endured during the Mets Dark Ages, are the true heroes of Shea and beyond.
What’s Keith Hernandez like to work with?
He’s as great as he was as a player. He keeps you on your toes and was very dedicated doing the interviews and setting things up in timely manner–lest anything be forgotten with the passage of time and games. We often talked when the Mets were on the road and sometimes when he was in the car on drives to Shea (using a hands-free device, of course). He was extremely diligent in the editing process. Working with him was truly a career highlight.
Can you get me Keith Hernandez’s autograph?
Sorry but I can’t. I can sign whatever you need or send you a book with whatever you like on it, but the best way to get Keith’s signature is to attend one of the signings on June 11, 21, and 27, 2009; after that you’ll have to write to the team.
Why does a luddite like you have a website?
Because my friend from Iona Grammar School, Robert Pizzella, said I should. He got me tickets to the World Series and he still does a killer Lindsey Nelson impersonation. I listen to him. And my cousin, Blair Rafuse, agreed to help me get the site up and going.
Can I send you comments?
I wish you would. Click here to email me.
Who took all of the photos?
Because I have written photographer credits hundreds and hundreds of times in the newspaper and book industry, I’m not going to stop now. I’ll try to use photo credits when they are available and I may even give myself credit where due. A lot of the photos are credited to Dan Carubia, who has been to Shea even more times than me and was there when the place opened. Hope you like the photos and the writing. I already assume if you’ve gotten to the last line here that you like the Mets.