The original version of this page was a hand-picked list of “top picks” for fans who wanted more baseball after reading about Jerry Grote. Web addresses from the early 2000s have mostly gone stale, so this version describes the categories of resources the list pointed to rather than repeating the links.
Major league and league organizations
The list started with the official home of Major League Baseball, including its section for young readers, and with team sites for the New York Mets, the Houston Astros and the Texas Rangers. Because Grote was born in San Antonio and played for Houston early in his career, Texas clubs received plenty of attention. The Texas League, a minor circuit with a long history in the state, and the San Antonio Missions, the local Double-A team, were both included.
Teams linked to former Mets
Two independent and minor league clubs appeared because of their owners and managers. One was the Long Island Ducks of the Atlantic League, associated with Bud Harrelson, a shortstop on the 1969 Mets. The other was the Round Rock Express in Texas, owned by Nolan Ryan, who pitched to Grote in the Mets years. Both ties show how teammates from the Miracle Mets era stayed involved in baseball long after their playing days.
History and heritage
The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York, was recommended as one of the country’s best-known sports landmarks and a sensible stop for any serious fan. A source for alumni activities, a site about baseball facilities and training in the United States, and a “Hall of Records” devoted to Mets history rounded out this group.
Fan communities
Several pages came from supporters rather than clubs: a very unofficial Mets website, a long-running message board for Mets fans, a personal page maintained by one fan, and the pages of a booster club in Port St. Lucie, Florida, where the Mets held spring training. A couple of these were listed as thanks for linking back to the Grote site, a courtesy common among hobby webmasters of the period.
Collectibles and venues
For collectors, the list included a dealer of baseball cards and sports memorabilia that described itself as serving hobbyists for two decades. A San Antonio arena also appeared, which fits with the local flavor of the rest of the page.
A note on link rot
The original editors asked visitors to tell them if any address no longer worked. Twenty years later, the sensible advice is to search by name for any club, museum or fan project you are curious about. The home page explains how these pages fit into the broader tribute, and The 1969 Miracle Mets shows why so many of the listed names are connected to the same championship team.