THE NEW YORK METS - AUTOGRAPHED SIGNED BASEBALL CIRCA 1977 CO-SIGNED BY: DOUG FLYNN, STEVE "HENDU" HENDERSON, BOBBY VALENTINE, JOE TORRE, LEE "MAZ" MAZZILLI, JOHN "DUDE" STEARNS, PAT (PATRICK P.) ZACHRY, NINO ESPINOSA, MIKE VAIL, JOHN "THE HAMMER" MILNER, BRUCE ARMAND BOISCLAIR, RICK BALDWIN, BOB MYRICK, PAUL SIEBERT, LEN RANDLE, JERRY "KOOSE" KOOSMAN, JOE PIGNATANO, ED KRANEPOOL, BUD HARRELSON, JON MATLACK, BOB APODACA, SKIP LOCKWOOD, WILLIE "SAY HEY KID" MAYS, JOEL YOUNGBLOOD, JERRY GROTE - HFSID 156947

NEW YORK METS (1977)
Manager Joe Torre, baseball immortal Willie Mays (the hitting coach), and 23 players sign a National League baseball.
Baseball signed: "Joe Torre", "Willie Mays" (sharing the sweet-spot), "John Stearns", "Pat Zachry", "Ed Kranepool", "Mike Vail", "Joel Youngblood", "Jerry Grote", "Joe Pignatano", "Steve Henderson", "Paul Siebert", "Bob Apodaca", "Len Randle", "Jerry Koosman", "Rick Baldwin", "Nino Espinosa", "Lee Mazzilli", "Bob Valentine", "Jon Matlack", "John Milner", "Skip Lockwood", "Bob Myrick", "Bruce Boiclair", "Bud Harrelson", "Doug Flynn". Rawlings Official National League Baseball, Charles S. Feeney, President. In all 25 signers. After 7 seasons as lovable losers (1962-1968), the New York Mets amazed the baseball world and thrilled their fans by winning the World Series in 1969. The team remained very strong through 1976, with 7 winning seasons in 8 years and a second NL pennant in 1973. The 1977 season began a 4-year slump in which the Mets never won more than 67 games. JOE TORRE skippered the season from mid-1977 to mid-1980, when he in turn was fired; his glory days as a New York manager would come later, with the Yankees. Nevertheless, this is a fine collection of Met signatures, including a future manager pennant-winning manager (BOBBY VALENTINE) and four members of the "Miracle Mets" of '69: KOOSMAN, HARRELSON, KRANEPOOL and GROTE. Hall of Fame centerfielder WILLIE MAYS, who had broken in with the New York Giants in 1951 and played his final game for the Mets in the 1973 World Series, was a hitting instructor for the 1977 Mets. Fine condition.