That’s my Met, holding the water bottle.
In 1986 Doc’s visits came via TV
April innings snuck sparingly during work nights
May Saturday games yelled at in smoky Syracuse bars
June July August hoping this 21-year-old Dwight remained good and true
Third year in the bigs with my Mets on a real roll
Thunder and lightning fastball
Lord Charles curve
Opposing batters, knees buckling.
September was cruise control on the way to 108 games won
October, oh, October.
Astros fall in six games for pennant!
Buckner misses game six Mookie grounder and, poor Red Sox, we win game seven!
The Doc and gang delivered a World Series title in 1986
And my 29-year-old’s heart said wheeeeeee!
On June 20, 2015, Doc’s visit came in person
I stood by a rail in NBT Bank Stadium
I wore a Mets shirt
I wore a Mets hat
I looked out over a line of a thousand Mets fans ignoring the Chiefs game
They waited for five seconds and one autograph.
I wanted one good picture.
The buzz started
Some folks saw the tall former pitcher walk out of the hall
Chiefs GM Jason Smorol strode next to Doc
They aimed straight toward the rail
Toward me.
Tne Mets fans called his name
Hey Doc
Hey Dwight
Hi Doc
Hi Dwight
The man who won the 1986 World Series with my gang of Mets
Doc looked straight ahead
At my shirt
At my hat
At my smiling face
Doc Gooden reached out
He shook my hand
And 29 years later my heart said whooooooooooa!
1986 visits Syracuse.
The Triple-A International League Syracuse Chiefs called Saturday night Re-opening Day, with 1986 New York Mets Dwight Gooden and Len Dykstra visiting to sign autographs. Although it was announced that both would sign on the concourse between 5 p.m. and the start of the game at 7, transportation for the former players’ was late. Dykstra signed from 6 to 8 p.m. and Gooden from around 8:10 p.m. to 10:10 p.m. The line for each was long. I decided to just take pictures and watch the game with my dear wife Karen, daughter Elisabeth, her boyfriend George Three, and his parents George Two and Susan.
This is the second of my entries in the Five Photos Five Series Challenge. My thanks to Amy Rose for nominating me to participate.
Here’s how this challenge works: You Post a photo each day for five consecutive days and attach a story to the photo. It can be fiction or non-fiction, a poem or a short paragraph that shares your insight or inspiration of or from the image.
Today I nominate my friend, novelist S.D. Gates. Have fun!
Mark Bialczak 
That’s so cool! 😀
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Yes, my team, my favorite from the wayback, Rachel. 🙂
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Love this story Mark and love that b-lined to your smiling face! ❤ What a day that must have been!
Diana xo
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Yes, that sort of made me smile, Diana. Ear to ear!
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Those Mets teams truly were Amazing…
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Yes, that’s why I was agog, Austin. 🙂
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That is just fantastic! Really well told too.
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Thanks for your too-kind works, my dear friend Rachel. I had fun with the photo and the poem, at the very least. 🙂
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On June 20, 2015, Doc’s visit came in person.
DUH! Now I am awake.
I’m all aflush with desperation that finally I got it. What in the heck did I read this am? Or did I read at all? Here it is almost 1pm and now I am finally beginning to wake up. So you were standing at the rail, taking pics. Some fans began to call his name, and in so doing, he looked at you and shook your hand. Your 29 year old Heart (the same one when this man was playing ball) went WOO HOO! Got it! Sure did take me long enough. I think I will lay down now and take me a nap. That just about wore me out!!! Hehehehehehehe ❤ 😉 ❤
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❤ I love how you can reason things out, Amy Rose.
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A dose of common sense when one is awake does come in handy at times. Hehehehehe LOL 😉
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1986-Dad was 35 Mom was 33 I was 4 (on my only 4 Terp?). Mets -vs- Braves so what do you think so far? The Gatorette.
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I think you are a worthy adversary here, Gatorette. Extremely. Mets vs. Braves is a supreme tussle always, right? Even though your Braves are so dang good and my Mets …
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Like three in a row-Braves!!!
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YEAH! I know.
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Great post and photos!!!!! Thanks for the nomination. I am going to have to ponder on how to attack this challenge. Thank-you for thinking of me!!!!!
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Thank you for your kind words, S.D., and I hope you have fun with the execution. 🙂
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Shhhh! I am thinking. Must go to work and think on how I can rise to this challenge. :))
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Full disclosure, I hate the Mets passionately. I just hate them and probably most things NY related as well. Lol. I remember when Gooden broke in as an 18 year old. He was nasty to hit against for sure. For some reason I thought Lenny Dykstra was dead or something. I’ll be darned. Carry on, good sir.
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All Cardinals fans hate the Mets, Don. We stole Keith Hernandez for Neil Allen! But you won all those titles after ’86 and we got … crickets. Carry on, good sir. 🙂
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When I was a kid, I had a “The Mets Are Pond Scum” t-shirt. They were pretty big around here in the late 80’s… and every once in a while, I’ll still see one at the ballpark even though the two teams haven’t been division rivals in 20 years.
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When they split to three divisions, the Mets-Cards rivalry was the worst casualty, Bill. By far.
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Woo hoo!!! Doc looked right at YOU and you have a pic to prove it! Way to go, cuz!!! Great post one I truly enjoyed! You are off to a great and mighty start! Day 2 and you are looking oh so fine!!! Goooooooooo, cuz!!!! (((HUGS))) cuz from the west ❤
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Thanks, Amy Rose. I didn’t get a photo of him looking right at me because when I saw that he really started coming toward me I lowered the phone and looked him in the eye!
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But who then took the pic that you posted? I know I see you looking at him, and that is worth MORE then a photo! What a thrill that must have given you!!!
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I took the picture, Amy Rose, but this is before he got closer and started looking at me. 😉
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*confused as she cranks open the other eye* OK, got it, cuz! Sorry! Gee, it’s Monday, all right? *sigh*
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😉 Now I think I hope I wonder if you know what I mean, cuz.
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*groaning* PALEEZE. Don’t feed into the confusion, cuz. Here is what I thought. I thought that it was YOU in the pic 29 years ago. OK? Now I am understanding that YOU took this pic of your Doc and another man, and then when you wanted to take Doc’s picture, instead you made solid eye contact. Whew! Did I get it right? *crossed eyes, forehead furrowed*
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You are 100 percent correct. Click, click, click. He’s coming at me forget about pictures and be a human. 🙂 Thank you cuz.
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Hehehehehe Whew! I added another comment just to get this answer in stone!!!
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No no no!! I’m wrong. Geeze, WAKE UP, AMY!!! They didn’t have cell phones 29 years ago, and the picture you showed was recent. Now I am more confused then ever. Cuz, not fair especially on a Monday! I slept so soundly last night I still am having trouble keeping both eyes open. *sighs*
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No worries here, cuz. I’m awake now. See my latest comment. Scroll down. LOL
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That was so cool Mark that the Doc aimed right at you
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I put myself in the right place at the right time, Paul. 🙂 Thanks!
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how wonderful! i love things like this. ‘doctor, doctor, give me some news…..’
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‘I gotta bad case …’ Yup. Great Robert Palmer lyrical connection to my feelings here, Beth.
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