It may be catchy, but it also is copied. I quote to you from the Washington Star-News of Oct. 2, 1973:
"(Tug) McGraw, an 0-6 pitcher on August 21, finished with a 5-6 record and 25 saves - including four victories, 12 saves and no losses in his last 17 outings. And he has contributed the slogan that has become the team's creed: 'You gotta believe!'"
In the summer of '73, McGraw's New York Mets were in last place in the National League East. But the division was full of mediocre teams that year, and the Mets figured they had as good a shot as anyone. So when they went on a tear, winning 23 of their final 32 games, the mass of media types in the Big Apple picked up on something the Tugger had said and turned it into a full-fledged battle cry.
The Mets, incidentally, finished with an 82-79 record and were the only team in the division above .500. They did beat the 99-win Cincinnati Reds in the league championship series, primarily because Tom Seaver, Jon Matlack and Jerry Koosman represented the core of a far better rotation than Jack Billingham, Don Gullett and Fred Norman.
The ensuing World Series with Oakland was an exciting one, although it did feature the first Series game to go beyond midnight Eastern Time, setting a not-so-hot precedent. That was the game in which the A's Mike Andrews made two errors in the 12th inning, then owner Charlie Finley tried to release Andrews in the middle of the Series.
The A's eventually prevailed in seven games, with Bert Campaneris and Reggie Jackson cracking home runs (Oakland's only two homers of the Series) in the third to knock Matlack out of the game. I remember my dad complaining that, with the Mets obviously about to lose, they didn't put Willie Mays into the game for one last appearance. Mays went 2-for-7 in the Series at age 42.
As for Frank Edwin McGraw (1944-2004), he was 1-0 with a save and 2.63 ERA during the '73 Series. But he wasn't nearly as effective in '74 and was traded to the Philadelphia, where he helped guide the Phils to their one and only World Championship.
RIP, Tugger. Let's figure that the Pirates are paying you a tribute every time they use your slogan.
Trivia question 30: Who managed the "You gotta believe" Mets?
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