UnforMETable, Episode 44: Joan Payson

Welcome to UnforMETable, an Amazin’ Avenue Audio show that looks back on less heralded, more obscure Mets players from the past. Although Joan Whitney Payson was certainly not obscure in her day—whether as a socialite from a prominent New York family, or in her endeavors in the worlds of art, horse racing, and philanthropy. But Payson’s other love was baseball—she owned a small stake in the New York Giants, and fought to keep them in New York when the team moved to San Francisco. Which made her a natural fit as an owner to help spearhead a drive to bring a new baseball team to New York—first in a proposed new league, but ultimately as a New York entrant in the National League that would soon be christened the Metropolitans. As fans celebrate the new owner of the New York Mets, and the promising direction that Steve Cohen’s ownership seems to augur, we look back at the woman who shepherded the franchise into existence. As always, you can listen or subscribe to this and all of our wonderful Amazin’ Avenue Audio podcasts through Apple Podcasts, where we encourage you to leave a review if you enjoy the show. It really helps! And you can find us on the Stitcher app, or listen wherever you get podcasts. If you’ve got an idea for a player to be featured on UnforMETable, let us know in the comments. Make sure to follow Rob on Twitter (@WolffRR), and you can now follow the show, too (@unformetable). Tune in next week for another tale from the Mets’ past. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices