Mar. 31, 1963 - Marvin Eugene Throneberry became the symbol of the New York Mets last season. Even his initials spelled out Met. Like the rest of his team, he was lovably inept, but with a flair for heroics. He would lose games by his bungling or win them with dramatic last-inning home runs. A romance sprung up between Marv and loyal Met fans. More than half the fan mail that came to Casey Stengel’s heroes was directed to Marvelous Marv. Ninety-nine percent of it pledged undying devotion. One percent called him a bum. “A club like ours needed a patsy,” explained Marvelous Marv today, “and I don’t mind it. While they were getting on me, they were laying off guys who couldn’t take it.” It undoubtedly was Throneberry’s good nature that endeared him so much to Mets fans. It also endeared him to the baseball writers, who awarded him their Good Guy award. A nameplate is above every Met locker in the clubhouse, all trimmed to bare essentials such as Craig, Jackson, Thomas, and the like. The name of Throneberry is missing. The card above his locker says with simple candor: “Marvelous Marv.”
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