One of the thrills of my life was holding a banner with my sister on Banner Day at Shea stadium on 1972 or so. We walked in displaying our banner from the right field gate. I remember thinking the grass looked so incredibly green, and the lights were so bright. But the thrill was walking across the pitchers mound, thinking "this is where Tom Seaver stands". More than 50 years later, I remember that thrill.
Great interview with Tom Terrific. Dick Schaap always one of the best sports interviewers. He was also a pretty good athlete himself - an all American lacrosse player at Cornell, and a longtime friend of the great Jim Brown, the greatest lacrosse player ever. Thanks for posting this. Seaver’s insights always intriguing and interesting.
Saw Seaver pitch for The Mets from 1970-1977 at Shea many times. He really was the best.He would have earned another 30 wins if he was with a team that hit.
I just love watching these late 70's mets game..a matter fact any team late 70's games...it brings back child house memories...truly a treasure are these 70's baseball games, thank you.
Semper Fi to Tom Seaver! He was one of the top 5 right-handed pitchers of the modern era (after the dead-ball era of pre-1920's). I'd say (in no particular order) Bob Gibson, Tom Seaver, Greg Maddux, Roger Clemens, and either Pedro Martinez, Nolan Ryan, or Bob Feller for 5.
"Tom Terrific" and he WAS...! He was first class all the way and he had the credentials...! Handsome, well groomed, well spoken, ex Marine, college grad and a great pitcher... He had it all going on...! #41, YES...!!! R.I.P. Tom Seaver
Tom Seaver had it all going for him but he worked his ass off for all of it. Success was no accident, Tom was the consummate professional athlete. He regarded his game as a religion. Many people including his own teammates were jealous of Tom, as was that asshole _NY Daily News_ sportswriter Dick Young.
He was my favorite player and I studied that delivery and pitched the exact same way . UNTIL I hit college and my college coach demanded I change to the stiff leg shit that is now used. what happens 3 games into the season my elbow "explodes" and this was before everyone got tj surgery.
Everyone else seems to always know what's best. Try putting a music soundtrack to baseball games. Ugggh. Anyway you reminded me of this quote from Shane Larkin - Larkin jokes that a Little League coach may be one reason he lost interest in baseball. “Pete Rose taught me how to hit,” Larkin said. “Then my Little League coach said whoever taught me how to hit didn’t know what they were talking about!”
@@RoundingThird funny you mention that because when the coach was trying to change me I showed him a book called the art of pitching that I had memorized . It was only written by Seaver with with help from Nolan Ryan and Steve Carlton. He said they were anomalies. So I followed my coaches instructions because I wanted to play and lost 5 mph off my fastball and like I said boom elbow explodes
Tom Terrific. I saw him pitch at Shea in 1970 and 1971. I still have his 1968 Topps card. It's the only one I kept when I gave all of my cards, including a Nolan Ryan rookie card (aaaarrrrggghhhhh!!!!) to my next door neighbor when we moved.
I agree, a freakishly well pitched game doesn't have to be perfect. How about Kerry Wood's 20k game against a lineup of absolute stud hitters in 1998? Between Wood's blazing fastball and bowel-locking curve the Astros didn't have a chance that day. The most memorable pitch was Bagwell flinching at a curve for strike 3. Good stuff.
The greatest Met to ever wear the uniform. Sad day for us Mets fans. So glad I watched him pitch as a kid, even if it was for the Reds. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't have a team to root for. Rest in peace.
One of the classiest guys I have ever watched. He was o e of my heroes as a kid and as a teenager. I wasn't a pitcher. But Tom's commitment to excellence and his character were always something I sought to replicate. Even as a Cincinnati Reds fan. But then Tom came to Cincinnati. Talk about the pinnacle. Lol
Era. Earned Run Average . Seavers Era was 2.86. LIFETIME! Guys today register that in a season, and they wanna talk contract. Don't 4get, with the Mets anemic offense when he played, he had to pitch with only 2 or 3 runs to work with back then. So he could only give up a run or 2 to win. 9 straight years of 200 plus Ks. He won 20 games 5 times. And 19 wins in 73, his 2nd Cy Young. His best year, 1971, he was 20-10, 289 Ks, and 1.76 Era. In 1975, his 3rd Cy Young, 22--9, 243 Ks, and 2.38 Era. Even in 1977, split between Mets and Reds, he won 21 games. 25 wins and 2.21 Era in 1969. His1st Cy Young. He won 20 games in 1972, and led league in Ks in 1976. Has 3,640 lifetime Ks and 311 wins. He is to the Mets, what Ted Williams is to the Bosox, and Mickey Mantle is to the Yankees. After 50 yrs, he still is the greatest Met.
Don't forget that Tom pitched back in the day of the 4-man starting pitching rotation. That gave him more opportunity for strikeouts and wins but it also took a toll on his arm, not to mention those weak-hitting Mets teams that you referred to. The start following his "imperfect" 07/09/1969 game against the Cubs, he pitched a complete game losing decision against the same Cubs in Chicago, losing 1-0. Amazing.
I grew up a Yankees fan in the 1970's....as well as a Mets hater. At the same time, I loved watching Seaver pitc.h. His flawless delivery, concentration....even the way he caught the balk from the catcher...was everything a pitcher should be. The whole 1977 mess should never had happened. That was during the infancy of free agency.....unchartered territory for everybody involved
You can go to the parking lot of Citi Field and find the exact spot where Tom Seaver toed the rubber for many of his greatest games. I stood on that spot last week - looking into home plate and wept. How I loved Tom Seaver.
Truly great pitcher. During his years with the Mets from 1967-1977, Tom had a winning percentage of > .600; the Mets winning % as a team during that period - after subtracting Seaver's wins and losses - was less than .500. Phenomenal. The greatest RHP in the last half of the 20th century? Who was better than Tom Seaver?
YES, all of Tom's great contemporaries had much better run support than Tom did! If he pitched for the Big Red Machine in their prime he wins 30 games!
I watched every pitch of that 1-hitter live in 69 and it felt like something special wash going to happen right from the start. I had watched a ton of Tom Seaver pitching before, but it seemed like there was a new camera or camera location from centerfield. I never had seen pitching perfection like that. The ball seemed to rocket out of Seaver's hand and with almost surgical precision hit Grote's glove wherever he put it. It seemed like a man playing amongst boys.
Tom Seaver was SO much my boyhood idol, meant so much to me( somewhat mislead a little), that when my alcoholic father passed away, to bury the hatchet so to speak, I placed my cherished Tom Seaver Topps rookie baseball card in the casket with my high school favorite baseball glove as well. Point being: my father SHOULD have been my idol, not Tom Seaver. Seaver was the consumate professional, artist, and THE BEST of his craft. Lack of run support Jacob DeGrom?? Tom wrote the Book on how to succeed on your own merits with worse run support than even today. No other pitcher in the modern era has had less run support than Seaver. Yet he wins 311(? top of my head). I never met Tom Seaver. Never wanted his autograph or anything like that. All I ever wanted, was to simply shake his hand. This post is from the heart, and my handshake to TOM TERRIFIC! LOVE and Best Wishes to Tom, Nancy, and his girls and family!!!!
Mr Tom Seaver-- my boyhood IDOL! Talk about NO RUN/OFFENSIVE support???? This MAN CARRIED his Met teams on his BACK! I have a bookstore from 1974, Tom went 11 innings against Don Sutton and the Dodgers--11 innings!!!!! He got a NO DECISION, and the Mets lost 2-1. Greatest right handed pitcher in the Modern era. Period. Please don't mention Roger Clemens( I'll rip you up with stats), and Bob Gibson?? Guess what? He didn't win 300 games! Love Ya Tom!
Wow..so he continued living in Connecticut after being traded. You know every time we go to Greenwich..which is very rarely I always think of Tom Seaver. You know..Tom Seaver lived here. The last time we were in Greenwich I thought to myself, let me look online to see where he lived i want to go to his house and see it..kind of the same way I've been to George Harrison's house in Henley & where the Beatles frequented in Liverpool ect.I look on my phone to read Tom Seaver has Dementia. What a sadness..what a sadness. One day I'll learn of which house he lived and stand in front of it and think of him. If you really want to get the Tom Seaver experience read his book The Art of Pitching.
are you randy Jones who won the cy young in 1976?? for San Diego? if so u and winflied threw me a ball in Cincinnati in 1979. you tried but you pitched the night before so winflied threw the ball to me instead of u.
Victoria Louden. No im afraid not. Did have his baseball card. I believe he won the Cy Young award. Remember he had a perm. Thanks for bringing back some fun memories of my childhood.
THat unfortunatly is one of the negativie byproducts of the baseball strike from that year. He was on target to have another 20 plus game winning season.
True. I believe Server was 14-2, dwarfing Valenzuelas 13-7 mark. And I think his Era was better. That split season, 1981 strike bullshit season screwed the Reds, who I believe, had the best record in MLB that year.
I saw his only no hitter tom also in 1981 during the strike Hal king a former red who was best friends with Dan dressen took me along with his kids to riverfront to watch the players work out. tom took the time out to give me a few pointers and showed me how to throw a slider and that was a highlite of my teenage years growing up in cincinnati
When you think of Seaver you think of greatness
One of the thrills of my life was holding a banner with my sister on Banner Day at Shea stadium on 1972 or so. We walked in displaying our banner from the right field gate. I remember thinking the grass looked so incredibly green, and the lights were so bright. But the thrill was walking across the pitchers mound, thinking "this is where Tom Seaver stands". More than 50 years later, I remember that thrill.
The city of Cincinnati really embraced him and his family. A class act!
Great interview with Tom Terrific. Dick Schaap always one of the best sports interviewers. He was also a pretty good athlete himself - an all American lacrosse player at Cornell, and a longtime friend of the great Jim Brown, the greatest lacrosse player ever. Thanks for posting this. Seaver’s insights always intriguing and interesting.
Saw Seaver pitch for The Mets from 1970-1977 at Shea many times. He really was the best.He would have earned another 30 wins if he was with a team that hit.
I just love watching these late 70's mets game..a matter fact any team late 70's games...it brings back child house memories...truly a treasure are these 70's baseball games, thank you.
God bless Tom Seaver Mr Baseball. The GOAT of MLB pitchers since WW2. Possibly the best of all time. Total class act. He will be missed.
Semper Fi to Tom Seaver! He was one of the top 5 right-handed pitchers of the modern era (after the dead-ball era of pre-1920's). I'd say (in no particular order) Bob Gibson, Tom Seaver, Greg Maddux, Roger Clemens, and either Pedro Martinez, Nolan Ryan, or Bob Feller for 5.
"Tom Terrific" and he WAS...! He was first class all the way and he had the credentials...! Handsome, well groomed, well spoken, ex Marine, college grad and a great pitcher... He had it all going on...! #41, YES...!!! R.I.P. Tom Seaver
Tom Seaver had it all going for him but he worked his ass off for all of it. Success was no accident, Tom was the consummate professional athlete. He regarded his game as a religion. Many people including his own teammates were jealous of Tom, as was that asshole _NY Daily News_ sportswriter Dick Young.
He was my favorite player and I studied that delivery and pitched the exact same way . UNTIL I hit college and my college coach demanded I change to the stiff leg shit that is now used. what happens 3 games into the season my elbow "explodes" and this was before everyone got tj surgery.
Everyone else seems to always know what's best. Try putting a music soundtrack to baseball games. Ugggh. Anyway you reminded me of this quote from Shane Larkin - Larkin jokes that a Little League coach may be one reason he lost interest in baseball. “Pete Rose taught me how to hit,” Larkin said. “Then my Little League coach said whoever taught me how to hit didn’t know what they were talking about!”
@@RoundingThird funny you mention that because when the coach was trying to change me I showed him a book called the art of pitching that I had memorized . It was only written by Seaver with with help from Nolan Ryan and Steve Carlton. He said they were anomalies. So I followed my coaches instructions because I wanted to play and lost 5 mph off my fastball and like I said boom elbow explodes
One of the guys you talk about as being the best. Back in the 70's, this was the Man. Rest in Peace Tom Seaver.
I know it’s futile,
But it makes me mad that he’s already gone. 😦✌️
Tom was the best
A heavy ball master. Tom Seaver was the best pitcher I ever saw up close... The best. I'm very very sad today...
Tom was one of my baseball idols, even though I was a Dodger fan. Who couldn't admire Tom Seaver? RIP Mr. Tom Seaver.
RIP Tom Terrific the "Franchise". Thanks for the memories #41.
Should have had 2 more cy youngs 1971 and 1981
Tom Terrific. I saw him pitch at Shea in 1970 and 1971. I still have his 1968 Topps card. It's the only one I kept when I gave all of my cards, including a Nolan Ryan rookie card (aaaarrrrggghhhhh!!!!) to my next door neighbor when we moved.
Class.
That was an excellent interview!
I agree, a freakishly well pitched game doesn't have to be perfect. How about Kerry Wood's 20k game against a lineup of absolute stud hitters in 1998? Between Wood's blazing fastball and bowel-locking curve the Astros didn't have a chance that day. The most memorable pitch was Bagwell flinching at a curve for strike 3. Good stuff.
Prayers and Positive Thoughts for The Franchise, George Thomas Seaver and his Family. Semper Fi Marine!
Was Tom a Marine ???
@@reflectionsbydon Yup. Says it was the most influential contribution to his success as a major league pitcher.
Nolan Ryan could never pitch in New York !
For ever a Met
Best pitcher since WW2. Only Walter Johnson tops him as the best right hander or greatest of all time:
The greatest Met to ever wear the uniform. Sad day for us Mets fans. So glad I watched him pitch as a kid, even if it was for the Reds. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't have a team to root for. Rest in peace.
One of the classiest guys I have ever watched. He was o e of my heroes as a kid and as a teenager. I wasn't a pitcher. But Tom's commitment to excellence and his character were always something I sought to replicate. Even as a Cincinnati Reds fan. But then Tom came to Cincinnati. Talk about the pinnacle. Lol
#41, RIP. :^(
Era. Earned Run Average . Seavers Era was 2.86. LIFETIME! Guys today register that in a season, and they wanna talk contract. Don't 4get, with the Mets anemic offense when he played, he had to pitch with only 2 or 3 runs to work with back then. So he could only give up a run or 2 to win. 9 straight years of 200 plus Ks. He won 20 games 5 times. And 19 wins in 73, his 2nd Cy Young. His best year, 1971, he was 20-10, 289 Ks, and 1.76 Era. In 1975, his 3rd Cy Young, 22--9, 243 Ks, and 2.38 Era. Even in 1977, split between Mets and Reds, he won 21 games. 25 wins and 2.21 Era in 1969. His1st Cy Young. He won 20 games in 1972, and led league in Ks in 1976. Has 3,640 lifetime Ks and 311 wins. He is to the Mets, what Ted Williams is to the Bosox, and Mickey Mantle is to the Yankees. After 50 yrs, he still is the greatest Met.
Don't forget that Tom pitched back in the day of the 4-man starting pitching rotation. That gave him more opportunity for strikeouts and wins but it also took a toll on his arm, not to mention those weak-hitting Mets teams that you referred to. The start following his "imperfect" 07/09/1969 game against the Cubs, he pitched a complete game losing decision against the same Cubs in Chicago, losing 1-0. Amazing.
Favorite pitcher ever
Love Tom Seaver...
it was heart breaking when he was traded. it was all so needless.
completely needless and unnecessary
I was so depressed
@@softyme63 we near cincinnati jumped up and down when he came to us. a great, great man and great, great player. i share your grief now.
@@marcyfan put it this way-when he was in New York, they called him “The Franchise” lol
It's so disturbing that this man who was given so many gifts and used them with such grace should have been taken so young and in such a cruel way.
I grew up a Yankees fan in the 1970's....as well as a Mets hater. At the same time, I loved watching Seaver pitc.h. His flawless delivery, concentration....even the way he caught the balk from the catcher...was everything a pitcher should be. The whole 1977 mess should never had happened. That was during the infancy of free agency.....unchartered territory for everybody involved
MY best to a Great Met,Player, and individual and his Family. Tom You will always be The Franchise.
Tom Seaver is Tom Terrific, not Tom Brady.
My favorite Met 😀
You can go to the parking lot of Citi Field and find the exact spot where Tom Seaver toed the rubber for many of his greatest games. I stood on that spot last week - looking into home plate and wept. How I loved Tom Seaver.
So cool Victoria Reds fan here in Bellefontaine Ohio ,sure miss those days going and seeing the 70s Reds.
Truly great pitcher.
During his years with the Mets from 1967-1977, Tom had a winning percentage of > .600; the Mets winning % as a team during that period - after subtracting Seaver's wins and losses - was less than .500. Phenomenal.
The greatest RHP in the last half of the 20th century? Who was better than Tom Seaver?
YES, all of Tom's great contemporaries had much better run support than Tom did! If he pitched for the Big Red Machine in their prime he wins 30 games!
The only guy I might pick over him was Juan Marichal!
I watched every pitch of that 1-hitter live in 69 and it felt like something special wash going to happen right from the start. I had watched a ton of Tom Seaver pitching before, but it seemed like there was a new camera or camera location from centerfield. I never had seen pitching perfection like that. The ball seemed to rocket out of Seaver's hand and with almost surgical precision hit Grote's glove wherever he put it. It seemed like a man playing amongst boys.
Rich Tucci .. Me, too.. If I live to be 100 years old I will never forget it..
Tom Seaver was SO much my boyhood idol, meant so much to me( somewhat mislead a little), that when my alcoholic father passed away, to bury the hatchet so to speak, I placed my cherished Tom Seaver Topps rookie baseball card in the casket with my high school favorite baseball glove as well. Point being: my father SHOULD have been my idol, not Tom Seaver. Seaver was the consumate professional, artist, and THE BEST of his craft. Lack of run support Jacob DeGrom?? Tom wrote the Book on how to succeed on your own merits with worse run support than even today. No other pitcher in the modern era has had less run support than Seaver. Yet he wins 311(? top of my head).
I never met Tom Seaver. Never wanted his autograph or anything like that. All I ever wanted, was to simply shake his hand. This post is from the heart, and my handshake to TOM TERRIFIC! LOVE and Best Wishes to Tom, Nancy, and his girls and family!!!!
Mr Tom Seaver-- my boyhood IDOL! Talk about NO RUN/OFFENSIVE support???? This MAN CARRIED his Met teams on his BACK! I have a bookstore from 1974, Tom went 11 innings against Don Sutton and the Dodgers--11 innings!!!!! He got a NO DECISION, and the Mets lost 2-1. Greatest right handed pitcher in the Modern era. Period. Please don't mention Roger Clemens( I'll rip you up with stats), and Bob Gibson?? Guess what? He didn't win 300 games! Love Ya Tom!
Gibson is up there
With a great team he would of won 400 games !! No run support like degrom
Wow..so he continued living in Connecticut after being traded. You know every time we go to Greenwich..which is very rarely I always think of Tom Seaver.
You know..Tom Seaver lived here.
The last time we were in Greenwich I thought to myself, let me look online to see where he lived i want to go to his house and see it..kind of the same way I've been to George Harrison's house in Henley & where the Beatles frequented in Liverpool ect.I look on my phone to read Tom Seaver has Dementia.
What a sadness..what a sadness. One day I'll learn of which house he lived and stand in front of it and think of him.
If you really want to get the Tom Seaver experience read his book The Art of Pitching.
Tommy terrific
Glad he liked his time in Cincy .
as an eight yearn 1975 tom seaver and roger staubach were my first two sports heroes. to me they were bigger than life.
I was also 8 in 1975 and they were my heroes as well, along with Bernie Parent of the Philadelphia Flyers.
@@fasteddie9529 my all-time sports heroes will be the 1980 USA Hockey Team.
One of the greatest.
Randy Jones THE GREASTEST!!
are you randy Jones who won the cy young in 1976?? for San Diego? if so u and winflied threw me a ball in Cincinnati in 1979. you tried but you pitched the night before so winflied threw the ball to me instead of u.
Victoria Louden. No im afraid not. Did have his baseball card. I believe he won the Cy Young award. Remember he had a perm. Thanks for bringing back some fun memories of my childhood.
What a sad ending with Tom having dementia. Watched him when I was a kid. What a great pitcher. God bless him and his family.
That 1981 Season Seaver was robbed the Cy Young and the Reds the Pennant.
Absolutely agree.
I agree as well. Felt he earned to win the 1971 award.
THat unfortunatly is one of the negativie byproducts of the baseball strike from that year. He was on target to have another 20 plus game winning season.
@@ralphquinones2010 You are correct.
True. I believe Server was 14-2, dwarfing Valenzuelas 13-7 mark. And I think his Era was better. That split season, 1981 strike bullshit season screwed the Reds, who I believe, had the best record in MLB that year.
GOAT
Kind of surprised Tom got the score wrong in game 1 of the '69 series. He lost 4-1, not 5-3.
The Great One SEVA
Years ago I was in a steakhouse in Great Neck and Charlie Williams had joined us at the bar. He told us Seaver was throwing 106 mph...
Greatest pitcher to ever play the game.
Very scary that Dick said Lou Brocks name at the end of the interview and Lou passes days later after Tom.
Tom Terrific one of the best pictures ever and the best picture who ever pitched for the New York Mets
What year was this?
My favorite baseball player of all time. Is now in fact a wine maker.
I wish he was around the Mets a bit
Like how he's so positive.
I saw his only no hitter tom also in 1981 during the strike Hal king a former red who was best friends with Dan dressen took me along with his kids to riverfront to watch the players work out. tom took the time out to give me a few pointers and showed me how to throw a slider and that was a highlite of my teenage years growing up in cincinnati
Mr met
Terrible interviewer. Didn’t let Tom expound on anything and didn’t ask so many important questions.
Agreed....rather hear about 73 team
Terrific is dead.
What year was this ?
I'm not sure. I recorded it in 1999 or 2000. I'd guess it was recorded between 1995-2000.