Friday, September 26, 1969 THE MICHIGAN DAILY Page Nine Friday, September 26, 1969 THE MICHIGAN DAiLY Page Nine Jubilanl NEW YORK - The Shea Stad- ium playing field looked yesterday like the pock-marked, crater-rid- dled surface of the moon. But there wasn't even an American flag flying to note the historic occasion. Someone stole that, too. In one of the most incredibleC souvenir snatching safaris in Shea Stadium was stripped of everything that wasn't tacked Met fans wreak havoc "It usually takes up tour hours to clean up. This time it'll take us four days." Fortunately, the Mets are head- ed for Philadelphia before the field has to be used again Monday night for the Mayor's Trophy Game against those once formid- able rivals from another borough, the New York Yankees. The American flag will be re- York's baseball fans because of the ineptness represented by such as Mary Throneberry, the intre- pid first baseman-outfielder who turned a triple into a single bet- ter than anyone in baseball. AND IT REACHED its crescendo at 9:07 p.m. EDT, Sept. 24, 1969, when young Gary Gentry got Joe Torre to ground into a game- ending doubleplay. Then it be- gan. It lasted some three hours, and it required the 300 police on hand, plus reinforcements, to fin- ally end it. Even the courtly United Nations was concerned - and enthralled - about the New York Mets, once underdeveloped but now suddenly a superpower. "I love them," said Privado G. Jimenez, Ambassador Extraordin- ary and Plenipotentiary from the Philippines, who also upholds his country's interest at the world forum. "Every time I can, I al- ways watch them." Even the Soviet Union acknow- ledges the profit-making team. "We're No. 1" said a member of the Soviet delegation as the Mets were negotiating the clinch- er. If you're CHICKEN Then don't join the DAILY V" -.-. / . r , WEK Sales & Service, Inc,.A 310 East 665-8637 Washington *Service entrance on Sth Ave. u Honda We Have Them All Big and Small Sales +m "St. Service 'e Accessories!QAm PartsAa NaM S. Q down - and a number of things placed, the center field walls will that were - after the New York be repainted, the field will be re- Mets clinched the National League sodded, the batting cage will be East pennant Wednesday night. refitted but nothing likely will recapture the moment that spawn- BUSINESS STAFF BUTYETEDA al asquet (IIae otlrt o r t f ! L I a THE SCENE, some 12 hours af- ter the mass revelry that didn't end until some three hours of hysteria had passed, was viewed yesterday by head groundkeeper John McCarthy with almost total disbelief as he stood on the dug- out steps, his hands jammed in his orange nylon windbreaker. "I've been in this business since 1956," McCarthy said, "and I've seen more people get hurt and I've seen more violence. But I've never seen damage to a field to this extent." The damage was clear to see, the field cleared of the dancing, jumping, howling, screaming fans who had poured out of the stands in celebration after the Mets 6-0 victory over St. Louis and stormed the field, scaled the walls, climb- ed the scoreboard in exhiliration. They celebrated by stealing the American flag in center field and climbing a light tower on which was placed one of their own ban- ners. They celebrated by scribbling the center field walls with graffiti of the affectionate "Love T h e Mets" type. THEY CELEBRATED by litter- ing the playing surface with pap- ers, programs, ice cream contain- ers, beer cans. They celebrated by ripping up 1,000 to 1,500 feet of sod from the playing surface and leaving it pockmarked with crat- ers. They celebrated by breaking three wheels off the batting cage and stripping the netting off it. They celebrated by tearing up the all-weather matting in the coach- es' boxes behind first and third base. They celebrated by taking piece of the scoreboard. ed the storm. It had been building since 1962 when the Mets came into exist- ence, taken to the hearts of New BUT YESTERDAY all was quiet. (tksgt otlrt u tf Manager Gil Hodges was at his Brooklyn home, his phone off the hook. Undoubtedly his two aces, Tom Seaver and Jerry Koosman, will be the keys to a challenge for the National League pennant against the Western winner. There would, however, be no words for Hodges on that sub- ject. Or Seaver. Or Koosman. Ort any of the other stars of this in- credible story. $10 per month In this first year of the divi- sion setup in the majors, the FREE Service and Delivery two division winners must meet in the best-of-five-series starting on Saturday, Oct. 4, in order to ---NO DEPOSIT REQUIRED--- qualify for the World Series. The ultimate survivor, of course, CAL : will then go on to meet the Balti- more-Minnesota winner in t h e -Ne ja r Ientals World Series, starting Oct. 11. Both playoffs and World Series 662-5671 start on Saturday and the regular season ends, Thursday, Oct. 2, SERVING BIG 10 SCHOOLS SINCE 1961 instead of on a Sunday as usual. As for the fans at Shea yes- terday, they were few, the first - in line for the gate sale of playoff tickets that begins at 8 a.m. on Enjoy Yourself - J fl Friday. 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