About this page
In the early 2000s, the original Jerry Grote website invited visitors to write in, and a large archive of letters built up over the following years. The site’s keepers said they published messages in date order, shortened the names of writers to initials and a hometown, and reserved the right to edit or leave out anything inappropriate. Where a reply from the former catcher or his wife appeared, it was printed under the letter. This page does not reproduce those letters. Instead it summarizes what fans were saying, because the themes tell their own story about how he was remembered.
Calls for a coaching job
The loudest message in the autumn 2001 letters was that Grote ought to be back in a big league uniform. Writers from New York, New Jersey, Florida and California suggested he could serve as a catching instructor, a pitching-staff adviser or a general coach. A few named teams they would like to see hire him, including the Mets, the Astros, and even a Double-A club in Trenton, New Jersey. One fan from Alameda, California, said he had become a catcher because of Grote and described him as a working-class player with no showiness who simply did his job. Another long-time follower, a baseball watcher since 1938, wrote that he had never seen a better catcher, and that much of Tom Seaver’s success came from working with him.
Others focused on his thinking. One reader said Grote had effectively created the idea of a catcher as a coach on the field, and noted that his analysis during broadcast appearances was thoughtful, especially on pitching. A reader in New York pointed out that although he was an average hitter, he was among the best defensive catchers in either league, and that he had patiently taught younger catchers to block balls in the dirt.
Questions and answers
A few of the letters contained questions, and the replies give a glimpse of his views.
- Who taught him to catch? He said that Paul Richards, a general manager during his Houston years, gave him a solid grounding in fundamentals, and that a veteran catcher named Clint Courtney helped him improve as a receiver. Courtney bet him that he could not catch a full game without dropping a ball. It took three tries, after which he went four straight games without a drop. The lesson, he said, was that it comes down to concentration.
- Which catcher did he admire among those playing in 2000? He named Ivan Rodriguez of the Texas Rangers as one of the best defensive players at the position, while saying he was less impressed by his game-calling.
- Who was the most overlooked 1969 Met? He answered that the whole team had been underrated at the time. He singled out Bud Harrelson for the many small things that never made a box score, and Wayne Garrett for soft hands at third base.
- Why do fans still love the Miracle Mets? He thought the championship gave people hope, because the team overcame obstacles that seemed too big, and everyone likes an underdog. He added that the city gave the players just as many memories, citing the ticker tape parade, the key to the city, an appearance on a famous television variety show and a bus ride from the mayor’s residence to Shea Stadium with highway ramps closed so crowds could wave.
Memories of 1969 and a suggestion
Some writers were less interested in the future than in the past. One recalled following baseball for the first time in 1969 as a New York child and counted himself lucky to have started in such a year. Another said that the number 15 would always mean Grote to him whoever wore it next, and thought the number deserved a place on the wall at Shea. A lawyer from New York wrote that few books existed on the art of catching and urged Grote to write one, both for the benefit of young catchers and because he considered nobody better qualified. Grote’s reply to the broader flood of praise was that the relationship ran in both directions, and that fans in New York had given the team memories that would never fade.
The Senior League and life after baseball
One writer asked about his time in the Senior League of former players, which flourished briefly in the early 1990s. He replied that he enjoyed it but found it rough on the body, and that the concept eventually fed into the creation of the independent Atlantic League that Bud Harrelson became part of. At the time he said he was trying to organize a similar league in Texas and that he no longer coached professionally, helping to run his wife’s business instead.
Questions about autographs
Several letters asked whether he signed autographs, and by what method. Those details were specific to the time and have been left out here. The key point is that collectors recalled meeting him at card shows and describing him as kind and approachable.
A spring training question
In January 2002 a fan from Delray Beach, Florida, asked if he would be at Mets spring training to help the catchers. He replied that he had not been formally invited, but that the family might drive up during a school break. His wife said she missed the Mets and wanted to go.
Why it matters
Taken together, the letters show a player admired more for his intelligence and consistency than for flashy numbers. For the numbers behind that reputation, see the Stat Sheet. For more on the team that bound so many of these writers to him, visit The 1969 Miracle Mets, or return to the home page.