It is a viral video making the rounds: an errant first pitch by Omaha Storm Chasers (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League) owner Gary Green ended up breaking protective glass behind home plate at Citi Field.
Green is a hardcore New York Mets fan from way back: he was around for some of the biggest games in Shea Stadium history, and he’s a serious Mets memorabilia collector. Last night he was asked to throw out the first pitch at a Mets game in Citi Field, an effort that resulted in an inaccurate toss, a shattered glass panel and a blase reaction from catcher John Buck. Juuuuuuuust a bit outside, as Harry Doyle would say. From Yahoo Sports:
Green attended Game 6 of the 1986 World Series as a 21-year-old and subsequently bought at auction Bill Buckner’s cleats and mitt from that fateful game (after Green made a fortune founding Alliance Building Services)….Among his treasures, Green also owns the last mitt Gary Carter used with the Mets, the “shoe shine ball” of Cleon Jones fame from the ’69 World Series and the jersey Endy Chavez wore when he made one of the best plays in major league history. Green’s collection has been displayed at Citi Field.
Now there’s another treasure to display with his other memorabilia. We’re hoping the Mets preserved at least part of the broken glass for Green.
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