Live at the Hofstra Conference
Submitted by Jon Springer on Wed, 04/25/2012 - 4:15pm
If you're planning to head out to the 50th Anniversary Mets Conference beginning this week at Hofstra University (and I hope you are) come see me! I intend on blowing minds with a brilliant and devastating analysis of the four Tom Seaver Transactions in a speech scheduled for Opening Night, a 6:45-8 p.m. session which also will include a presentation I'm dying to see about Dave Kingman and an analysis of sports business trends in the wake of the Midnight Massacre. Following my presentation there will be a screening of the film "Mathematically Alive." I also intend to return to see some presentations on Saturday. Full details of the conference are available here. Hope to see you there!
Recap please!
Jon, after the conference, please provide a recap of your Seaver speech here for those of us who can't make it to Hofstra!
Happy Recap
I reviewed the details behind Seaver's 1966 signing, the 77 trade, 83 reacquisition and free-agent compensation loss to the White Sox. I don't know if anyone recorded it or anything, but I thought it went well and the crowd, though kind of small, was good. I also enjoyed the other presenters I saw and intend to come back again Saturday. Good times!
Thanks
What was the gist? Did you find anything unusual or otherwise?
Conference
The conference was fantastic. I presented Saturday morning on Keith Hernandez. It was a great opportunity to talk about the Mets with everyone there. Lucky for me I found out about the call for papers just in time from MBTN!
Dominic sorry I missed your
Dominic sorry I missed your event. Was coaching tee ball Saturday morning.
Gored, I felt like I was doing journalism more than anything else, reviewing the key contributing factors in each deal.
Briefly, in 1966, the key factor was assistant GM Bing Devine's willingness to risk a shot at Seaver which won over Weiss' objections; in 77, Seaver lost faith in the organization to commit to a team that would rise to his standards when Grant was unwilling to bid on the first crop of free agents; in 84, there was tension between Doubleday and the Chisox owners over DD's move to depose commissioner Kuhn which Doubleday felt was a factor in the Chisox decision to take Seaver from the Mets. It was also ironic comeuppance for owners having insisted upon compensation to accompany Free Agency.
Interesting
I knew about Devine and his influence, but I never heard the story about Doubleday, Kuhn, and the White Sox. That whole compensation system was ridiculous, where a team could be penalized for an FA signing it had nothing to do with.
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