1979 TCMA Jackson Mets baseball #5, Paul Wiener (trainer)

Pulling double-duty as trainer and traveling secretary for a pro team says a lot about the demands of minor league basell. Paul Weiner wears it well.

Is there anything one can add to this 70s sartorial splendor? I (and many Mets fans) would love to have that shirt and work so often with their baseball heroes.

Add "Equipment Manager" to the job list!

Dr. Wiener opened a physical therapy practice after his time in baseball. This cameo shows another great piece of New York swag: Wiener's own team jacket.

Paul (as Mets trainer) interviewed by Marv Albert

As Jackson's equipment manager, I bet Paul helped make this on-field story possible.

"In one of the more interesting moments in franchise history, on the evening of 22 June 1978, Mets outfielder Mookie Wilson married Rosa Gilbert at home plate in Smith-Wills Stadium. The ceremony concluded with the couple walking back to the dugout beneath an archway of bats held aloft by Mets teammates. Wilson would become one of at least a dozen Jackson Mets players to wed girls they met during their tenure in Jackson."

Still searching for photos of that ceremony, so sticking to text until they appear.

The Gettysburg Times, Nov 25, 1978

Jackson (Mississippi) served as the Mets' AA affiliate from 1975 to 1990, before moving to Binghamton, NY, a good deal closer to the home team.

Value: This card cost $1 on Beckett Marketplace, typical for most TCMA cards of this era.

Fakes / Reprints: Haven't seen minor league reprints in the market, apart from TCMA's own second printing for their Collecting Kits, which contain visible design differences.