'Not Dead Yet,' Says Former Met, Following Reunion Snafu

FLUSHING, NY — In the midst of a disastrous season for the New York Mets, during which fans have taken to referring to the team as "The Mess," a flood of nostalgia was hoped to light a spark Saturday as several members of the 1969 World Series championship team were on hand at Citi Field to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the "Amazin' Mets."

Considered to be heavy underdogs to the powerful Baltimore Orioles, the perennial doormats of the National League pulled off one of the greatest upsets in World Series history, knocking off the Birds in five games to bring the Big Apple its first baseball championship since the 1962 Yankees.

A total of 15 team members were in attendance Saturday, including former standouts Cleon Jones, Jerry Koosman, Ed Kranepool and Jerry Grote. Hall of Famer Tom Seaver's family announced several months ago that he is "retiring from public life" while he battles dementia, and he therefore did not attend the ceremony held on the newly renamed 41 Seaver Way.

During the ceremony, a tribute was played on the big screen in memory of deceased players and coaches. Two surprises, however, were the inclusion of outfielder Jim Gosger and pitcher Jesse Hudson; both are alive and well.

Reached at his home in Port Huron, Mich. Monday, Gosger said he was contacted by a friend on Facebook, notifying him of the snafu.

"My friend notified them I was in fact still alive," he said. "I never got an invite to go up there, which is fine - I probably wouldn’t have gone anyway."

Gosger said a representative of the Mets called to apologize, but the conversation was very brief. The Mets posted a notice of apology to the two former players during Sunday's game, but even then, they goofed: they misspelled Hudson's first name as "Jessie."

Gosger, now 76, appeared in 10 games with the Mets after being acquired from the Seattle Pilots. Nonetheless, he felt he and several others, including Amos Otis, were slighted by not receiving World Series rings. He said he was given a $100 share of the winners' prize fund.

He said he has been bombarded by the media over the past two days.

"It’s been quite an experience, but i got a lot of press," he laughed. "I've had four radio interviews and another in 20 minutes."

The personable Gosger made the major leagues in 1963 with the Boston Red Sox, getting into 19 contests in right and center fields alongside a young Carl Yastrzemski. In his official rookie season, 1965, he appeared in half the team's games and belted nine home runs. That season was most memorable for him, however, due to living with slugging sensation Tony Conigliaro.

"I really miss Tony; we roomed together on the road in 1965," he said. "Loved that man."

He bounced around the big leagues for a decade, including stints with the Kansas City/Oakland Athletics, Seattle Pilots, Montreal Expos and a second tour of duty with the Mets in 1973-74, including the 1973 National League champions. He was one of the players mentioned frequently in Jim Bouton's groundbreaking book, "Ball Four," a diary of the Pilots' lone season before the franchise moved to Milwaukee.