Tag: Charlie Williams

Posted in Uncategorized

Remembering the departed

Posted on by Paul

Today is All Saints Day. In the Protestant church, it’s a time to remember the people who have departed this world and joined the Church Triumphant in Heaven.

On this day of remembering, I’d like to take a moment to recognize the members of the New York Mets family who we’ve lost over the past year.

  • Ray Sadecki – November 17, 2014 (Player 1970-1977)
  • Bill Monbouquette – January 25, 2015 (Coach 1982-1983)
  • Charlie Williams – January 27, 2015 (Player 1971)
  • Jeff McKnight – March 1, 2015 (Player 1989, 1992-94)
  • Nelson Doubleday – June 17, 2015 (Co-Owner 1980-2002)
  • Daryl Hamilton – June 21, 2015 (Player 1991-2001)
  • Yogi Berra – September 22, 2015 (Player 1965; Coach 1965-1971; Manager 1972-1975)
  • Dean Chance – October 11, 2015 (Player 1970)
Posted in Baseball, Binghamton Mets, Uncategorized

Jeff McKnight (1963-2015)

Posted on by Paul
Signed Jeff McKnight 1991 Score baseball card from my collection
Signed Jeff McKnight 1991 Score baseball card from my collection

Jeff McKnight, a utility player who appeared in 173 games for the New York Mets in 1989 and 1992-94, passed away on Sunday after battling leukemia for 10 years. He was 52.

McKnight, better known for wearing a record five different uniform numbers during his New York career than any of his accomplishments while wearing blue and orange, is the third former Mets player or coach we’ve lost so far in 2015.

Charlie Williams, a Flushing native who was traded for Willie Mays after pitching in 31 games for the 1971 Mets, died on Jan. 27. Bill Monbouquette, the Mets pitching coach in 1982 and 1983, died on Jan. 25.

Signed Minnie Minoso 1961 Topps baseball card from my collection
Signed Minnie Minoso 1961 Topps baseball card from my collection

Former Chicago White Sox star Minnie Minoso also passed away on Sunday. He made his major league debut two years after Jackie Robinson, was Major League Baseball’s first black Latino star.

Charlie Williams' 1972 Topps baseball card
Posted in Baseball, Uncategorized

Charlie Williams (1947-2015)

Posted on by Paul
Charlie Williams' 1972 Topps baseball card
Charlie Williams’ 1972 Topps baseball card

We almost made it through January, but this week we lost two members of the New York Mets alumni family. As I noted on Wednesday, Bill Monbouquette passed away on Sunday.

And now we get word that 1970s pitcher Charlie Williams died Tuesday as the result of complications following surgery. Greg Prince wrote about the man Mets traded for Willie Mays in 1972, and I’d urge you all to read it.

(If today’s social media forums were around in 1972, I wonder what the reaction would have been to trading a talented home-grown pitcher who was born in Flushing for an aging superstar.)

Williams continued to receive autograph requests in the mail right up until the end of his life, his brother-in-law told New York Times reporter Patrick McGeehan. “It was a regular thing for a long time,” he said. “People would want to complete their collections.”

(Interesting enough, SportsCollectors.Net shows collectors who wrote to Williams and recorded their results had an 0-for-16 success rate over the years.)