R44 Posted August 5, 2005 Share Posted August 5, 2005 OK, yesterday I was searching google images for photos of Maz as Baltimore skipper... Low and behold, find some weird shots of Maz back in the 1970's looking like he just got off the set of Saturday Night Fever http://www.espnradio1310.com/images/classic%20photos/lee-mazzilli.jpg http://www.espnradio1310.com/images/classic%20photos/lee-mazzilli2.jpg ***** Anyway, here's the deal: As a young kid I started getting into the Mets around 1980, a few years after he came up in 1976.... He was said to be a prospect that couldn't miss. 1st round pick out of Brooklyn, junior speed skating champ (from NYC no-less), Hollywood looks, ect... I remember reading about how he was supposed to be New Yorks' next version of Willie Mays in the mid 70's (honestly)....Feeling was he could run like deer, play the outfield with the best of them and hit over .300 and gain some power as grew in the pre-roids era. For a while, he was doing fine. While those Mets teams stunk, he was an All-Star, getting featured by thew Sporting News, Sport, SI, ect. Anyhow, at the age of 26, he flopped and I never knew why Could never, ever understand why. Although, surfing the Net, fans have theories about his off-field activity (non flattering and possibly untrue)... Actually, it was nice to see him be such a prominent member of the Mets in the last half of the 1980's....I doubt the Mets beat the Sox or Astros in 1986 without Lee's amazing pinch-hits. But, again, I always wonder how he went from a star to bum as a player overnight? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
faba Posted August 5, 2005 Share Posted August 5, 2005 R44 I still think that he was rushed to the majors by the Mets-which in the long run hurt his career. The expectations and pressure and enticements are so great in New York that you have to be a special person to handle it all Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R44 Posted August 5, 2005 Author Share Posted August 5, 2005 R44 I still think that he was rushed to the majors by the Mets-which in the long run hurt his career. The expectations and pressure and enticements are so great in New York that you have to be a special person to handle it all You might be right faba, but it had to be one of the weirdest' things I can remember..... Here's a player the Mets tout as their next savior (like Seaver) and from the time he's 22 to 25 he looks the part of a star...All-Star games star, ect... After that, he just goes away with whimper and finally resurfaces as a pinch-hitter. I was a teen in 86', so I remember him real well on those horrible Pirates teams that awful turf in front of 2,000 fans most nights....He was so bad, he was eventually cut and sent to the minors... I remember, out of the blue, the Mets cut George Foster (who screamed racisim at the time) to bring him back to the Mets and no Mets fans wanted him back because he so bad--but it was a move that worked out well. You're probably on the right track about the off-field stuff bringing him down. I hope he gets another shot to lead a team....Personally, I think Baltimore has a better team than the Yanks, but injuries knocked the Birds down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LionelRichie Posted August 5, 2005 Share Posted August 5, 2005 He was said to be a prospect that couldn't miss. 1st round pick out of Brooklyn, junior speed skating champ (from NYC no-less), Hollywood looks, ect... when i played college baseball i saw mazzili in spring training. one of our coaches (~65 at the time) was a former speed skating champion and said mazzilli idolized him as a kid. he said Maz was a pretty good speed skater growing up and that's how they know each other. i never knew whether to believe him or not, but i guess he was telling the truth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R44 Posted August 5, 2005 Author Share Posted August 5, 2005 when i played college baseball i saw mazzili in spring training. one of our coaches (~65 at the time) was a former speed skating champion and said mazzilli idolized him as a kid. he said Maz was a pretty good speed skater growing up and that's how they know each other. i never knew whether to believe him or not, but i guess he was telling the truth. Yea, in the early 1980's (or so), when I first really started watching baseball full throttle, the Mets announcers used to always say Lee was a Olympic caliber speed skater--some say he was such a great skater, he could've played in the NHL, if he played ice hockey. Remember, Lee's from Brooklyn, NY (Not Brooklyn, Minnesota), which made the story and his aura that much more unbelievable... I guess nothing goes in straight line in sports--Not all players get better after a great start in their careers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.