Tuesday, February 03, 2015

1969 Year Of The Mets And Jets

The Mets and Jets were emblematic of the era, the 1960s was known for a generation gap and of the emergence of youth as a voice.  Neither team was in existence ten years earlier.  The Jets were part of a brand new league the AFL, that challenged, before it became part of the NFL.  The Mets  were an expansion team, a consistent cellar dweller, that shared a town with the storied New York Yankees. The Jets shared the spotlight with the New York "Football" Giants.  Many noticed that the two teams had names that rhymed.  Both teams played in Shea Stadium.  A field that was also famous for hosting the Beatles.
In  the Super Bowl of 1969, the Jets pulled off one of sports greatest upsets beating the Baltimore Colts. In the two previous Super Bowls, the NFL's Packers easily beat the 2 best AFL entries. The top picture is of Joe Namath, the Jet's brash, outspoken but talented quarterback. Namath was unlike any sports figure at the time. A mod dresser and a lover of the night life.
In the World Series, the Mets upset Baltimore's Orioles, also a heavily favored team.  On a related note.The NBA New York Knicks would beat the Baltimore Bullets on their way to the championship in the upcoming NBA season. Of course the Knicks had been around for a while, but can be tied to the Mets and Jets by the year, the city, and the fact that it also beat a  team from Baltimore in the post season.  Not long afterwards, New York would get the Nets, who would play in the ABA, a team with a rhyming name with the city's two hottest clubs.
In a year that saw Woodstock and a man walk on the moon.  The respective championships of the Jets and the Mets, would put a definitive cherry on top of a decade, forever known for the explosion of the youth culture.

3 comments:

Unknown said...

Knicks sweeping the Bullets 4 games to none in 1969 playoffs was an upset. Celtics won the championship that year. Knicks beating the Bullets 4 games to 3 games in 1970 playoffs was not an "upset" by any stretch. Knicks won the 1970 championship by beating the Lakers

Unknown said...

Knicks sweeping the Baltimore Bullets 4 games to none in the 1969 playoffs was an upset. Knicks did not, however, win the championship that year. Celtics did. Knicks beating the Baltimore Bullets 4 games to 3 in the 1970 playoffs was not an "upset" by any stretch. Knicks went on to win the championship, beating the Lakers.

Mike Barer said...

Thank you for the correction, which will be incorporated into the post. Let's put it this way. New York teams were beating up on Baltimore.