Faith and Fear in Flushing made its debut on Feb. 16, 2005, the brainchild of two longtime friends and lifelong Met fans.
Greg Prince discovered the Mets when he was 6, during the magical summer of 1969. He is a Long Island-based writer, editor and communications consultant. Contact him here.
Jason Fry is a Brooklyn writer whose first memories include his mom leaping up and down cheering for Rusty Staub. Check out his other writing here.
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Tom Seaver. Nancy Seaver. Singing with the Lettermen. Awkwardly joking with Eddy Arnold. Referring in detailed fashion to the World Series just recently won. This aired on NBC’s Kraft Music Hall, November 5, 1969, not three weeks after the Mets commenced their reign as Earth’s baseball champions, only 17 days since Tom and teammates confirmed “You Gotta Have Heart” for Ed Sullivan.
Clearly, humanity had reached its peak.
I’d read of this variety show appearance, but I never dreamed I would see it. Great thanks to my old friend Joe F. for finding it.
Tom really could do it all. Not just on the field but as the face of the franchise as well. The Mets thought they had it again with Doc and Wright but I guess it’s not so easy to find.
I was hoping to find that Ed Sullivan video, but so far no luck. I’ve seen it before so there must be a copy somewhere.
hello march 1962.
you can see it in full on a video released by major league base ball productions called “an amazin’ era 25 years of mets base ball” released in 1986
He is so at ease in front of the camera. There is a great interview of Tom and Pete Rose on the Mike Douglas show which can be found on youetube. He was a real “natural”. As a wine maker he is also giving it his all. Have tried the cab, and while pricey, it’s quite good.
I kinda wish that, in 2004-05, Nancy Seaver had cornered Anna Benson somewhere in the grottoes of ol’ Shea, and told the younger Met wife a thing or three.
If only Nancy Lopez had reason to be around Flushing these days. She can be found, in greater liklihood, working on her putting inside Nationals Ballpark in Washington, DC, where her husband Ray does Nationals TV color commentary.
Greg, now that Mookie Wilson is back home wearing #1, somehow, someone’s gotta bring Ray Knight home.
Thanks Greg for posting that trip down memory lane for us. Don’t recall having seen the show when it aired. The lines delivered by Tom and Nancy were great.
Tom was already used to being in front of the camera so it comes as no surprise how much at ease he appeared, despite having to sing. Besides all the sports shows and the Sullivan program, he and Cleon Jones appeared on Carson the night after they clinched the eastern division and then he was a guest on the Joe Namath show before the series began. Namath told Seaver there was no doubt the Mets were going to win since they were playing a team from Baltimore.
I remember this quite well, except I had forgotten what show it was on or who sang with him. As a Mets fan, it’s very cool to be reminded of a time when they were the talk of the country. As a musician…yikes, it was like the 60’s never happened. I mean, this was around the time of the Velvet Underground and the Stooges and here’s a guy 25 years old doing stuff that probably made my parents yawn.
That crossed my mind — or as a friend put it upon watching, he was 23 when the White Album came out, boy did the squares have their clutches in him.
I’m thinking Tom went where the money was, and it was at Kraft, on NBC.
Fast-forward just over 22 years to when his HOF election was announced. In a great, far-ranging interview with Howie Rose, he mentioned being at a Rod Stewart concert with his wife and daughters the first summer he was fully retired. Not that Rod Stewart was exactly breaking musical barriers in the late ’80s, but I was still surprised to picture Tom Seaver at anything remotely contemporary.
No matter what anyone has to say about Tom Seaver – and not all of what I have heard has been positive – I love how sincerely devoted he has been to Nancy all of these years.
I sure do – “RC…the one with the mad mad taste,” and Pamela Austin, as I recall, was a “budding star.” Which of course meant that no one on the planet ever heard from her again.
wow. just wow. they don’t make television like this anymore. over 40 years later, his voice sounds exactly the same (I can’t vouch for the singing voice though).
FROM OUR BASEBALL LIBRARY
Piazza: Catcher, Slugger, Icon, Star by Greg Prince is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and other online booksellers.
Amazin' Again: How the 2015 New York Mets Brought the Magic Back to Queens by Greg Prince is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and other online booksellers.
Volume I of The Happiest Recap: 50+ Years of the New York Mets As Told in 500+ Amazin' Wins by Greg Prince is available in print and for Kindle on Amazon.
Faith and Fear in Flushing: An Intense Personal History by Greg Prince (foreword by Jason Fry), is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and other online booksellers.
Tom really could do it all. Not just on the field but as the face of the franchise as well. The Mets thought they had it again with Doc and Wright but I guess it’s not so easy to find.
I was hoping to find that Ed Sullivan video, but so far no luck. I’ve seen it before so there must be a copy somewhere.
‘Twas pulled by the copyright holder, because there’s such an incredible market for Donald Dyer having miles and miles of hope.
I really find that when the odds are saying ‘you’ll never win’, that’s when the grin should start.
hello march 1962.
you can see it in full on a video released by major league base ball productions called “an amazin’ era 25 years of mets base ball” released in 1986
He is so at ease in front of the camera. There is a great interview of Tom and Pete Rose on the Mike Douglas show which can be found on youetube. He was a real “natural”. As a wine maker he is also giving it his all. Have tried the cab, and while pricey, it’s quite good.
Tom Seaver.
That’s all.
I kinda wish that, in 2004-05, Nancy Seaver had cornered Anna Benson somewhere in the grottoes of ol’ Shea, and told the younger Met wife a thing or three.
Or Nancy Lopez could have clubbed her over the head with a driver. Would have kept it in the family.
If only Nancy Lopez had reason to be around Flushing these days. She can be found, in greater liklihood, working on her putting inside Nationals Ballpark in Washington, DC, where her husband Ray does Nationals TV color commentary.
Greg, now that Mookie Wilson is back home wearing #1, somehow, someone’s gotta bring Ray Knight home.
who is anna benson?
what did i miss?
Thanks Greg for posting that trip down memory lane for us. Don’t recall having seen the show when it aired. The lines delivered by Tom and Nancy were great.
Tom was already used to being in front of the camera so it comes as no surprise how much at ease he appeared, despite having to sing. Besides all the sports shows and the Sullivan program, he and Cleon Jones appeared on Carson the night after they clinched the eastern division and then he was a guest on the Joe Namath show before the series began. Namath told Seaver there was no doubt the Mets were going to win since they were playing a team from Baltimore.
I remember this quite well, except I had forgotten what show it was on or who sang with him. As a Mets fan, it’s very cool to be reminded of a time when they were the talk of the country. As a musician…yikes, it was like the 60’s never happened. I mean, this was around the time of the Velvet Underground and the Stooges and here’s a guy 25 years old doing stuff that probably made my parents yawn.
That crossed my mind — or as a friend put it upon watching, he was 23 when the White Album came out, boy did the squares have their clutches in him.
I’m thinking Tom went where the money was, and it was at Kraft, on NBC.
Fast-forward just over 22 years to when his HOF election was announced. In a great, far-ranging interview with Howie Rose, he mentioned being at a Rod Stewart concert with his wife and daughters the first summer he was fully retired. Not that Rod Stewart was exactly breaking musical barriers in the late ’80s, but I was still surprised to picture Tom Seaver at anything remotely contemporary.
No matter what anyone has to say about Tom Seaver – and not all of what I have heard has been positive – I love how sincerely devoted he has been to Nancy all of these years.
[…] to Greg Prince of Faith and Fear In Flushing for the […]
any one remember seaver singing in a royal crown cola commercial with pamela austin filmed at shea in 1969?
I sure do – “RC…the one with the mad mad taste,” and Pamela Austin, as I recall, was a “budding star.” Which of course meant that no one on the planet ever heard from her again.
wow. just wow. they don’t make television like this anymore. over 40 years later, his voice sounds exactly the same (I can’t vouch for the singing voice though).