Amazin' Again

For New York sports fans, it was a springtime of discontent. The Knicks and Nets in basketball and the Rangers in hockey all had reached the finals of their league championships, only to finish second best. Then last week New York's hopes rose once more: the Amazin' Mets were living up to their billings. They were off to an astounding start and were clearly the standout team of the young season. Before losing to the Chicago Cubs last week, the Mets won eleven games straight to equal their club record (set in 1969, the year they won the World Series) and to open a lead of six games over the World Champion Pittsburgh Pirates in the National League's East Division.

The Mets' resurgence has been sparked by key trades. One ordered by Met Owner Mrs. Joan Payson brought aging Willie Mays back to his baseball home town in a deal with the San Francisco Giants that cost the Mets one minor league player, at least $50,000 cash and a five-year contract with Mays that will run to more than $500,000. Mays, at 41, had been batting only .184 in San Francisco. But he promptly responded to his homecoming with a flash of his old form. In his first game as a Met, playing against his former Giant teammates, he hit a game-winning home run. Again, last week against Philadelphia, he hit another winning homer. Later in the week, after the Mets had lost two in a row, Mays batted in the winning run in a 14-inning game.

In other trades before the season started the Mets acquired Outfielder Rusty Staub from the Montreal Expos and Infielder Jim Fregosi from the California Angels. In the process they gave up promising young prospects such as Tim Foli and Mike Jorgensen; it was a calculated gamble to land established stars who might help the Mets win a pennant this year. And so far it seems to have worked. During his three years with the Expos, the hard-hitting Staub received the sort of adulation that Canadians usually reserve for hockey players. He was nicknamed "Le Grand Orange" (for his flaming red hair) and, at 28, seemed to have it made north of the border. Last week, after getting four hits in four attempts against the Cubs, he was hitting .310 and proving almost daily that he was thriving on the international transplant. Fregosi, too, was adding punch at the plate.

In addition to the newcomers, the Mets have impressive residual batting strength in such World Series holdovers as Tommie Agee and Cleon Jones. "With the strong bench I have now," says Manager Yogi Berra, "I can rest one guy and still not lose any effectiveness. I remember one game where we had Mays, Agee, Jones, [Catcher Jerry] Grote and [Shortstop Bud] Harrelson on the bench, and we still won."

For all that power, it is pitching, which has been surprisingly good so far, that may well be the key to the Mets' season. Top Starter Tom Seaver (who won seven of his first eight decisions) and Bullpen Ace Tug McGraw are producing as anticipated, and the Mets have been getting unexpectedly strong performances from Rookie Jon Matlack (who won his first five). With the strongest lineup the team has ever had, Berra has a good chance to take the Mets into their second World Series in his first year as their manager.

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