Few and Chosen: Defining Mets Greatness Across the Eras [Hardcover]

Rusty Staub (Author), Phil Pepe (Author), Keith Hernandez (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 25, 2009

In the middle of the 1983 season, I got traded to the Mets. That was a tumultuous year for me, getting uprooted in the middle of the year from St. Louis, where I had spent almost 10 years and was comfortable, going from a first-place team to a last-place team, not being where I wanted to be. It was not a very good time for me. Rusty asked me where I was going to live that season, and said, "If you're unattached, you need to get an apartment in the city. I'll show you around. I know you're going to love it." That's when our relationship started to develop, and it became the great friendship that it is today. The thing that impressed me about him as a player was that he was always focused on the game and focused on the pitchers. As a teammate, I would take advantage of Rusty's experience and, because we both hit left-handed, we would often talk hitting. You can learn things from other hitters, and I always wanted to get Rusty's take. I'm deeply honored that Rusty has chosen me as the No. 1 first baseman in Mets history--especially coming from him because I have always respected his opinion. I always made a point over the years to ask Rusty who were the greatest players whom he played against, who were the greatest pitchers, the toughest left-handers he faced, the best right-handers. Those were all the guys who were on the bubble gum cards I collected when I was a kid. After all, Rusty is 10 years older than I am, so he saw players I never did.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

Since the creation of the franchise in 1962, the Mets have risen from Casey Stengel's Amazin's--the loveable losers in the team's early years--through the years of powerhouse pitching squads, including Gil Hodges' World Series-winning club in 1969, to the truly amazing '86 championship team and the perennial contenders of today. Of the multitude of talented men to have passed through Shea Stadium, this book culls the best of the best.

First baseman and first-class slugger Rusty Staub has seen them all--and played with or against many of them. So who is better qualified to pick the five best Mets players at every position, as well as the club's best managers?

Who would you rather have at catcher: Gary "the Kid" Carter or heavy-hitting Mike Piazza? And who is the better shortstop--Jose Reyes or Bud Harrelson? What about on the mound? Surely three-time Cy Young winner Tom Seaver tops the list of right-handers...or does he?

Staub breaks down the strengths and weaknesses of the Mets' greatest players. Along the way, he shares his personal anecdotes and reflections on the men that have made the Metsies the Metsies. Who had the potential to be a first-ballot Hall of Fame pitcher before he became his own worst enemy? Who was the hardest-working utility player? Who could well be the best third baseman in the history of the game?

Staub's inside insights make Few and Chosen Mets: Defining Mets Greatness Across the Eras an indispensable book for any and all New York Mets fans, as well as a fitting tribute to a franchise that carries its rich tradition with it from Shea Stadium to Citi Field.

About the Author

Daniel Joseph (Rusty) Staub is many things to many people: gourmet chef, restaurateur, philanthropist, baseball player, and one of the most popular athletes in New York history.

Born in New Orleans, Staub signed with the Houston Colt .45s (later the Astros) at the age of 17 and had a distinguished 23-year major-league career with four teams: the Houston Colt .45s/Astros, Montreal Expos, Detroit Tigers, and New York Mets, with which he served two tours of duty in 1972-75 and 1981-85.

He is the founder and chairman of the board of the New York Police and Fire Widows and Children's Benefit Fund Foundation, Inc., president of the Rusty Staub Foundation, and continues his association with the Mets as a club ambassador.

Phil Pepe has covered sports in New York longer than the New York Mets have been in existence.

Through his work with two newspapers, the New York World Telegram & Sun and the New York Daily News, he has covered many of the greatest moments in Mets' history, including their initial season, 1962; their pennant clinching in 1969, 1973 and 1986; and their World Series victories in 1969 and 1986.

This is his eighth book in the Few and Chosen series. Other entries in the series are the New York Yankees, St. Louis Cardinals, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers, New York and San Francisco Giants, and the Negro Leagues.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Triumph Books (March 25, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1600781535
• ISBN-13: 978-1600781537
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 8.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #966,122 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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