What did Wally Backman enjoy the most during his New York Mets career?

Wally Backman, the New York Mets second baseman during their 1986 World Series championship, explains in this video what he enjoyed the most about playing in New York City, including his memories of the spirit of his late teammate, Gary Carter.

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An unlikely reunion for Wil Cordero and his first major league home run

My ticket from 9/18/1992

On the night of September 18, 1992, the New York Mets played the Montreal Expos, and I was excited to get to the park because my favorite Met Gary Carter was now playing for the Expos. I hoped to have one more chance to see him play up close. When my mom told me that we had tickets to the picnic area, my eyes grew wide with passion.

Attending a Mets game in the picnic area was a tradition for our family, as my mom was able to secure tickets through an event her job held there annually. For a young kid, it made going to a baseball game an even more enjoyable affair; there was free food and an opportunity to be up close and personal with the opposing team’s bullpen. This usually meant that some of the players would make themselves available to sign a few autographs, something I looked forward to as much as watching the game.

We usually made sure to arrive early when the gates opened, but this year we were delayed in getting to the park. By the time we got to the picnic area, the Expos bullpen were fully focused in getting prepared for the game. There would be no chance to get some signatures, so I sat closer to the bullpen, hoping in my naiveté that by sitting near the pitchers, I could somehow reverse my fortunes. Little did I know that later in the game, my sulking behavior a few rows away from my family would pay greater dividends than I expected.

Dwight Gooden was pitching for the Mets, and I remember him hitting the skids late in the game, necessitating Mets manager Jeff Torborg to quickly go to the bullpen. After making a pitching change, Wil Cordero, a young prospect at shortstop was preparing to take the plate. I was familiar with him largely due to his rookie baseball card that I owned, so I paid closer attention to the at-bat. A pitch or two later, a fly ball comes skyrocketing in my direction. I stand up in anticipation, noting that the ball is coming increasingly closer towards me. Steadying my hands for the catch I reach out for the ball and at the last minute someone in front of me attempts to snatch at it. It ricochets off of their hands right under my feet. Immediately, I dove on it and secured it in my possession. I was now the proud owner of a Cordero home run ball.

I stand up with the ball and get some pats on the back from fans nearby. Almost as soon as I turn around to look for my family, a Shea Stadium security guard calls for my attention. Being a good young citizen, I followed the man. He informed me that the ball in my hands was Cordero’s first major league home run, and that the Expos would like to offer me a baseball autographed by their bullpen. My earlier dejection now turned to joy, as I would be going home with some signatures after all. I quickly made the exchange, returning Cordero’s first round-tripper to his possession.

Immediately fans came up to me, wanting to know what I traded the ball for. Some said I should have asked for a bat, his jersey, cash, or even autographs of the whole team. Everything happened so fast that I had little time to process the transaction. I was just thrilled that I was being offered something for returning the ball; never did the thought pass my mind of how I could capitalize on the situation.

A few weeks later I wrote Cordero at the Montreal Expos ballpark, explaining to him the events and how I would appreciate it if he was willing to offer his signature, as the ball contained only a few members of the bullpen and not his own penmanship. I didn’t include a baseball card, or a SASE, both no-no’s in the world of writing to baseball players. Heck, I wasn’t sure if he was going to even read the letter, but I thought it was worth sending.

The card sent by Cordero himself

About a month later, an envelope comes from Canada, with the return address written in script, “Wilfredo Cordero, Montreal Expos.” I quickly open the letter, to find a beautiful baseball card, with Cordero’s signature neatly across the front. Both the envelope and card are something I’ve kept until this day.

Imagine my surprise when I read last week that Cordero would be appearing at the 2014 BBWAA Awards Dinner in New York, as part of a tribute to the 1994 Montreal Expos. Right away, I was transported to that game some 22 years ago in Flushing. I thought that if I had the chance to meet him at the event that I would relay the story to see if he remembered. There was one problem though, I didn’t have a ticket.

My friend Nick D’Arienzo of metroBASEBALL magazine must have been reading my mind, because the next day, he sent me an e-mail offering a ticket to attend. I gladly accepted and excitedly awaited my trip to the New York Hilton.

When I arrived, D’Arienzo gave me my ticket and program. Immediately, I looked for Cordero’s name in the program and found that he was not on the dais, but on the main floor with the rest of the patrons. Once we found our table, I put down my belongings and went for Cordero’s table. Sporting a mustache and a goatee, I passed his table once, not sure if it was him. I doubled back, and after a gentleman at his table confirmed that the man I was looking for was indeed Cordero, I introduced myself.

I told him the story and Cordero, as well as the rest of the members at his table, all perked up to hear the tale of his first home run. He thanked me for returning the ball, and when one of the people at the table asked what he remembered about the at-bat, he quickly replied, “You can’t sneak a fastball by me!”

Wil Cordero and the author after the dinner

He gladly signed a few baseball cards that I brought, and agreed to talk more after the dinner was over. We met in the hotel lobby and spoke for a few minutes about being a part of that 1994 Expos team that was halted by the strike, and how being honored at the dinner brought it full circle.

For a young kid that evening who caught his first and only home run ball at a big league game back in 1992, this meeting completed my small connection with Cordero’s memorable first time around the bases.

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Darren Daulton's legacy lives on through his many stories

Darren Daulton, the longtime catcher for the Philadelphia Phillies has been diagnosed glioblastoma, the same aggressive brain cancer that took the life of fellow major league catcher and Hall of Famer, Gary Carter.

Darren Daulton Autograph / Baseball-Almanac.com

He also earned the reputation as one of baseball's best storytellers, as evident by this video where he tells an entertaining behind the scenes tale from the 1993 Phillies including teammates John Kruk and Jim Eisenreich.

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Fritz Peterson: All my friends are hurt and dying

After meeting Fritz Peterson at the 24th annual Joe DiMaggio Legends Game in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., we traded some e-mails and he was kind enough to share this essay he wrote about his friend, Hall of Fame third baseman Brooks Robinson entitled, "All my friends are hurt and dying." With his permission, I am sharing this touching essay as well as a photo from 1970 with Brooks Robinson as Peterson received the BBWAA's "Good Guy," award.

"All My Friends are Hurt and Dying"

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Brooks Robinson and I go back to 1966. My first start in the big leagues was against the Orioles at Memorial Stadium, their season opener. I won the game 3-2 and got a complete game. That was the only game the Orioles would lose that month as they marched to become World Series Champs that year.

Within two weeks the Orioles returned the favor, beating me in New York. After the loss, I went to a pub where ballplayers hung out and met Brooks Robinson personally for the first time. What a gentleman! He actually told me that I was going to be around the big leagues for a long time. Coming from him that gave me a big boost, since I had only been with the Yankees for less than a month at that time, just feeling my way into the big leagues.

Fritz Peterson (2nd from left) next to his friend Brooks Robinson in 1970 receiving the BBWAA Good Guy Award

On January 27, 2012, I saw Brooks at the Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital's annual fund raiser in Ft. Lauderdale Florida. All the ex-major league players first met in the signing room at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino before we went downstairs to one of the ballrooms for the auction of sports memorabilia to raise money for the hospital. There would be a baseball game the next day pitting the National Leaguers against the American Leaguers. Many ex-players were in attendance, as it is each year due to the great cause it represents.

When I first saw Brooks, he looked very weak and frail. He has been dealing with several health issues for two or three years now and it looks like they were taking a toll on him. I sat a few feet away from him and had a little time to joke around about signing autographs with our, “off hands.” He was a righty Hall of Famer that signed autographs left handed and I was a lefty that signed right handed. After the signings, we all went down for some food before we were all introduced to all the fans that were in attendance at the auction.

There was a large dais set up on the stage with three levels of chairs for us to sit on. Brooks was on the third level while I was in front of him on the second level of chairs. After the introduction of all of us by the announcer, we were all to go down to the main floor to mingle with the guests while they looked over the various items up for sale. When we began standing up, Brooks’ chair slipped off the back edge of the platform and he tumbled off the third level backward and then once more as he tumbled off the dais onto the main level in the auditorium which unfortunately had a hard surface. When we realized someone had tumbled off thru the curtains behind us and onto the hard surface below, pandemonium broke loose with players jumping off the stage trying to get to Brooks, half yelling for someone to get a doctor. He was badly hurt. Since it was a fundraiser for a hospital, the audience was full of doctors who just took seconds to get to him. It was sickening, but even worse when we found out it was Brooks, the nicest but most frail player among us that night.

During the panic that ensued, I was looking at Brooks, that sweet, wonderful man lying on the floor all sprawled out with his grey hair all disheveled. I just wanted first to throw up and then, more importantly just to go down and hug him and fix him. I wish I could have taken the fall for him. I have more “meat,” on me, and as of last week I found out that the cancer cells I had had for years were now “undetectable,” the day before Brooks’ fall.

Seeing my buddy on the floor made me cry.

While we were in the signing room I was also updated about Gary Carter, another beautiful man who is being eaten up by brain cancer, similar to other friends in baseball, Bobby Murcer and Dick Howser. That brought me to thoughts of two other baseball friends who died of heart attacks over the past few years, Johnny Blanchard and Tom Tresh.

It saddens me to no end about these guys, and there will be others, but I feel blessed to have known them and because as of this moment, I have a new lease on life. I intend on paying more attention to my friends and thanking God for every moment, especially for the little things.

I love you Brooksie! (He calls me Fritzie). What a beautiful man!

Brooks Robinson is a Hall of Fame 3rd Baseman. Fritz Peterson ended up with the lowest career E.R.A. of any pitcher in the history of Old Yankee Stadium 1923-2008.

- Fritz Peterson

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Seven decades of World Series highlights signed by 12 baseball immortals

To celebrate the 2011 All-Star weekend, A&E Home Entertainment is providing a sale on a truly impressive 21 DVD collection of seven decades of World Series highlights presented in a stunning 58-page commemorative book. There will be a 30% sale on everything baseball when you enter the code PLAYBALL from July 11-13, 2011 from shop.history.com

Only 100 of these editions have been hand signed by 12 Hall of Famers, which is described below. Those ordering the autographed edition will also receive a custom case to display their wares. You can order the autographed edition by clicking here.

For those that cannot afford the price tag on the limited edition set, the sale also applies to the standard 21 disc version which still comes in the beautiful commemorative book. We at Baseball Happenings have been given a screening copy of the set and it is truly a treasure for any baseball fan. This edition of the World Series Film Collection can be ordered by clicking here.

A&E HOME ENTERTAINMENT AND MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL PRODUCTIONS UNVEIL A SPECTACULAR, LIMITED-EDITION, AUTOGRAPH-ENHANCED VERSION OF THE OFFICIAL WORLD SERIES FILM COLLECTION

The quintessential blend of baseball history and history-makers comes together in an unprecedented intersection of a luxurious Major League Baseball DVD collectible with authentic Hall of Fame signatures with SIGNATURE LINE: THE OFFICIAL WORLD SERIES FILM COLLECTION.  Available exclusively on Shop.History.com and Shop.MLB.com, the DVD set, which elegantly displays the iconic moments and legendary heroes across seven decades of World Series Films, will only be offered to sports fans around the globe in a limited-edition run of 100 for $2299.

The Signature Line edition will be embellished with the signatures of 12 World Series legends and Hall of Famers -- who helped pen World Series history and created many of the defining moments of Major League Baseball.  Authenticated by Mounted Memories, an MLB licensee and leader in the sports collectibles field, the set will also be officially licensed and authenticated by Major League Baseball, with each unit individually numbered and marked with a sequentially coded hologram to ensure authenticity.

SIGNATURE LINE: THE OFFICIAL WORLD SERIES FILM COLLECTION will be gilded by the golden signatures of:

• Yogi Berra: Most World Series Championships, most hits, most doubles, singles, putouts, and guided Don Larsen to the only Perfect Game in World Series history.
• Bob Gibson: Two-time World Series MVP, most strikeouts in a World Series game (17) and totaled 92 Ks in 81 innings pitched.
• Reggie Jackson: “Mr. October” blasted 10 Fall Classic Home runs including three in a row on three pitches in 1977.
• Johnny Bench: Driver of the Big Red Machine and defensive titan, he won the 1976 World Series MVP after batting .533 with two home runs.
• Whitey Ford: The “Chairman of the Board” holds numerous World Series pitching records including: most strikeouts (94), most wins (10), innings (146), WS games (22).

Rounding out the star-studded roster of Fall Classic icons are:

• Gary Carter
• Bob Feller
• Rollie Fingers
• Carlton Fisk
• Brooks Robinson
• Mike Schmidt
• Bruce Sutter

About THE OFFICIAL WORLD SERIES FILM COLLECTION

The drama and unforgettable images of baseball are the World Series moments celebrated from generation to generation.  Now, for the very first time, these dynamic events have been preserved and commemorated in a timeless treasure certain to become the centerpiece of any baseball fan’s home entertainment library.  Elegantly displaying the complete set of official filmed World Series highlights across six decades of World Series Films (1943-2008), this encyclopedic set is divided into 14 eras and features 50 hours of unforgettable baseball action across 20 remastered DVDs.

With a foreward by 19-time Emmy winner Bob Costas of MLB Network and framed with 58-pages of editorial, remarkable archival images, and rare Hall of Fame artifacts, the dramatic package creates a timeline of World Series lore since 1903. The 65 official World Series Films feature more than 50 hours of restored, digitized, and glorious history as it happened.

The list of baseball’s greatest moments is dominated by the iconic events of the World Series and they live in this significant DVD trophy. These instantly recalled plays and players are showcased within this one-of-a-kind compendium including “The Catch” by Willie Mays, Don Larsen’s Perfect Game, Bill Mazeroski’s series-winning walk-off home run, Bob Gibson’s record setting 17-strikeouts, Carlton Fisk’s dramatic home run, Reggie Jackson’s three consecutive home runs, Kurt Gibson’s improbably Hollywood game winner and Jack Morris’ dominating 1-0 Game 7 masterpiece.

This collection celebrates the images, plays, and heroes that make the World Series a cherished and significant event. As history unfolds technology evolves changing the annual documentary’s style. From the black and white editions, produced and narrated by Lew Fonseca (AL batting champ 1929, Cleveland Indians) thru the narration by legendary broadcasters including Mel Allen, Bob Prince, Harry Caray, Vin Scully, to the current Official World Series Film versions featuring multiple camera angles, players and coaches wired for sound, and play-by-play from TV and radio broadcasters, each annual film is a time capsule of its era.  Records and seasons change with time, but the legends and lore of the World Series on DVD will last forever.

THE OFFICIAL MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL^® WORLD SERIES FILM COLLECTION includes these 20 DVDs:

• Disc 1 -- 1943 Yankees, 1944 Cardinals, 1945 Tigers, 1946 Cardinals, 1947 Yankees, 1948 Indians (approx 182 min)
• Disc 2 -- 1949-53 Yankees (approx 167 min)
• Disc 3 -- 1954 Giants, 1955 Dodgers, 1956 Yankees (approx 115 min)
• Disc 4 -- 1957 Braves, 1958 Yankees, 1959 Dodgers, 1960 Pirates, 1961 Yankees (approx 182 min)
• Disc 5 -- 1962 Yankees, 1963 Dodgers, 1964 Cardinals (approx 100 min)
• Disc 6 -- 1965 Dodgers, 1966 Orioles, 1967 Cardinals, 1968 Tigers (approx 152 min)
• Disc 7 -- 1969 Mets, 1970 Orioles, 1971 Pirates (approx 116 min)
• Disc 8 -- 1972-74 A’s, 1975-76 Reds (approx 170 min)
• Disc 9 -- 1977-78 Yankees, 1979 Pirates, 1980 Phillies, 1981 Dodgers (approx 166 min)
• Disc 10 -- 1982 Cardinals, 1983 Orioles, 1984 Tigers (approx 107 min)
• Disc 11 -- 1985 Royals, 1986 Mets, 1987 Twins (approx 119 min)
• Disc 12 -- 1988 Dodgers, 1989 A’s, 1990 Reds (approx 177 min)
• Disc 13 -- 1991 Twins, 1992 Blue Jays (approx 139 min)
• Disc 14 -- 1993 Blue Jays, 1995 Braves (approx 132 min)
• Disc 15 -- 1996 Yankees, 1997 Marlins (approx 143 min)
• Disc 16 -- 1998-2000 Yankees (approx 186 min)
• Disc 17 -- 2001 Diamondbacks, 2002 Angels (approx 145 min)
• Disc 18 -- 2003 Marlins, 2004 Red Sox (approx 142 min)
• Disc 19 -- 2005 White Sox, 2006 Cardinals (approx 152 min)
• Disc 20 -- 2007 Red Sox, 2008 Phillies (approx 163 min)

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Gary Carter's teammates come together in support of The Kid

Gary Carter might be facing his toughest opponent yet; however, he can continue to battle strongly knowing he has the full support of his teammates. The Hall of Fame catcher is suffering from inoperable brain cancer and was in the forefront of two of his teammates thoughts Friday evening.

Carter's World Champion 1986 New York Mets teammates Rick Aguilera and Doug Sisk were at Citi Field Friday night for a series of events sponsored by the New York Mets Alumni Association presented by Citi. It was very clear that throughout the evening, their thoughts were with their beloved catcher.

The 49-year-old Aguilera works as a high school baseball coach at Santa Fe Christian in San Diego. He has been in contact with Carter recently in a show of solidarity for his cancer stricken battery-mate.

"We've texted each other and I let him know that my family is praying for him,"Aguilera said. "We're hoping that he understands and feels his teammates support and the fans support. I'm sure it means a lot to him."

The 53-year-old Sisk, works for the Mets as a part-time scout in the Seattle area where he currently resides. He wanted to share the same encouragement with Carter that his catcher give him on the mound.

"Gary was a great teammate, always positive about everything. I never heard a bad word out of his mouth, except for a food spread in Pittsburgh once," Sisk said. "He'd catch a night game then a day game; he was just a workhorse. When I had my bad times, he would try to pump me up and try to help out every way, hopefully we can all do that for him now."

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