Before They Were Amazin’

When the Mets burst on the scene in 1962, they quickly became New York City’s darlings, but for unconventional reasons. “The Mets set unbelievably high standards for futility,” opined Associated Press reporter Jack Hackleman in 1963. “They found new ways to lose. They lost with an inimitable flair … Nobody took it all very seriously, and it was fun.” In other words, they were “lovable losers,” a term widely applied to the Mets as early as their second season. While it was true that everyone was having fun, Hackleman wasn’t entirely correct that no one was taking it very seriously. The team’s early antics turned out to be necessary growing pains as the franchise matured into a World Series-caliber outfit. “Lovable,” definitely. But not destined to be “losers.”