Spring Training with the Mets in Port St. Lucie

Spring Training with the Mets in Port St. Lucie
128 Pages
ISBN 978-1-63499-019-6

Since 1988 the New York Mets have used Port St. Lucie (a.k.a. “St. Lucie”) as their spring training home. Loyal fans from Flushing and beyond have made an annual trek to the bucolic backfields of St. Lucie to literally walk in the footsteps of their baseball heroes. The theme of loyalty and patience fill these pages, as we take a pictorial history of the Mets in St. Lucie.

Though undergoing some change through the years, the fields of St. Lucie have remained mostly unchanged, while the Mets have migrated through a variety of managing styles, ranging from the brashness of Davey Johnson, Dallas Green, and Bobby Valentine, to the humble demeanor's of Jeff Torborg and Art Howe, to the humor-filled reign of Jerry Manuel, who became adept at substituting jokes for wins during his years managing the Mets.

While the post September 11th 2001 era ushered in increased privacy for the players, the St. Lucie complex still ranks extremely high in “fan friendliness.” In turning these pages, you not only revisit the Mets of yesteryear, but you also get a glimpse of the changing nature of the game, as well as the changing face of the nation.

Jim Maggiore

About Jim Maggiore (Oneonta, New York Author)

Jim Maggiore

JIm currently focuses on writing about both minor and major league baseball. He resides in Binghamton, N.Y., which has been affiliated with the Yankees or the Mets for 60 years (and counting). His current project is "From Binghamton to the Big Apple," which documents the players who have played for Binghamton and gone on to play baseball for the Yankees, Mets, Giants, or Dodgers.

Jim was born in Brentwood, Long Island, and was graduated from Binghamton University. After completing his college studies, Jim stayed in the Binghamton area and worked for IBM in a variety of professional positions for 33 years.

Since his retirement from IBM, Jim has written seven books, including "Spring Training with the New York Mets in Port St. Lucie," "Celebrating 100 Years of Baseball in Greater Binghamton: Tales from the Binghamton Baseball Shrine," and "Spring Training with the Washington Nationals."