Quote:
Originally Posted by Merkle923
This is a common misconception - that the Mets called him up late in September, 1972, and he suited up and didn't play. I've looked extensively at this and I'm convinced it's not true. I've researched Mets 9/72 scorecards and New York newspapers and The Sporting News and the confusion seems pretty clear. The Mets called up catcher Joe Nolan and a couple of others, Cotton included - but only Nolan was to report immediately. The others - principally for our purposes Billy Cotton - were not supposed to show up until Spring Training 1973.
So Hansen - yes, a Sharmanite. Cotton - no.
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You're not going to find any agreement on that in Mets country. People far more Met-fanatical than I have done their research also. According to folks like
Mets by The Numbers (who, literally, wrote the book) show Billy Cotton with the Mets from September 13, 1972 until the end of the season, assigned uni #22 (which I don't recall him ever wearing in Spring Training). They're the ones who disabused Olbermann of the Huckle notion, so I tend to trust they have some factual basis for the Cotton claims (something other than newspaper clippings of call-ups). I have an independent memory of Billy warming someone up in the bullpen back then, but my personal memory is less than reliable. It's possible he was called up to act as an extra bullpen catcher or something, and not to play. That would make you both technically correct.