Author Bios
Brian Joura – I grew up on Staten Island and went to the same high school that produced MLB pitchers Jason Marquis and Rich Scheid, the latter being in my homeroom class.
I followed Jim Valvano to North Carolina State but earned my degree from Guilford College. Previously, I’ve worked for Howe Sportsdata, Street and Smith’s The Sports Business Daily and SportsTicker. Currently, I work for a Division II school but my favorite gig is being a dad to my two kids.
Following the Mets all of these years has produced some famous highs and lows. I’m still convinced the Mets won Game 6 of the 1986 World Series because I sat completely still on the couch throughout the comeback, afraid to move a single muscle in case I might jinx the comeback.
While most Mets fans point to June 15, 1977 as the worst day in history, I’ve always felt that October 22, 1974 was a bad one, too. That’s when we dealt Duffy Dyer for Gene Clines. It still hurts.
David Groveman – I am a lifelong met fan who graduated from the Met Message boards of ESPN to the blogging world. I am a relatively optimistic blogger who isn’t afraid to take a leap into the whimsical, comical or laughable. I follow the minor leagues every Monday with statistical analysis and general statements about the health of our top prospects and surprise successes. There’s no crying in baseball and I am going to always focus more on the reasons to smile.
Rob Rogan – I’m an IT Analyst by day and whatever-happens-to-currently-hold-my-attention by night. Originally from North Jersey, I’ve since lived in more places than I care to count. I find that Mets fans are a rare breed outside of the (true) Tri-State area, so the online community is generally where I discuss all things Mets. I’ve always enjoyed writing but, with my lovely wife as my muse, I’m finally trying my hand at putting it to good use.
Charlie Hangley – I was born right before Casey Stengel retired. As an 8-year-old in 1973, I attended my first game at Shea Stadium – a one-hit shutout loss at the hands of the Braves’ Ron Schueler — and knew I’d found a home. I’ve seen the good (1973, 1986, 1999, 2000, 2006, 2015), the bad (1975, 1976, 1982, 1983, 1991) and the ugly (too many to list). I’ve rooted for the Mets faithfully for over 45 years and have no intentions of stopping now.
I live in Teaneck, NJ with my wife (Abby), 2 kids (Anna & Adam), 2 dogs (Nick & Hawkeye), 1 cat (Lily), and unfortunately surrounded by Yankee fan neighbors.
Steven Shrager – By day I am the Director of Audit Services for a NYS governmental agency striving to ensure that hundreds of millions of dollars that we provide to non-profit organizations is appropriately spent. The rest of the time is spent enjoying life including of course following our beloved Mets, an obsession that started back in their 1962 inaugural season. Through the highs and the lows I have kept the faith and hoped for the best. I live in upstate New York and aside from the Mets, I am obsessed with our four young grandsons, all of whom already have a full complement of Mets garb!
Taryn "Coop" Cooper - I was descended from a long line of diehard "New York National League fans," who to this day believe is the dominant league in this town. I learned about the Mets in 1980, didn't pay attention to them until 1983 until a guy named "Keith" was traded and some dude named "Darryl" with a memorable last name became a star. My first game at Shea Stadium was May 6, 1984. I had no idea at the time how memorable this pitching matchup would be: Dwight Gooden versus Nolan Ryan. Gooden had one of his worst starts of the year. I was also in attendance at Game Seven of the 1986 World Series. This all happened before I was age 10! Naturally, my passions for the Mets transcended baseball, and I started writing about being a Mets fan in 2007 with my first blog, then the foray into the depths of social media. I was born in New Jersey, moved to NewYork City in 2009 to feed my baseball habit, and I met another Mets fan named Ed whom I married and now have hit more than 25 stadiums together (I'm currently at 29, since the A's left Oakland). We attend roughly 30 or more games per year, and the other games we watch at home with our two cats, Wilmer Flores El Catire Gato and Edgardo Alfonzo "Fonzie" Gatito. Baseball and the New York Mets is a main topic of conversation in our household. LFGM!
Ryan Johnson - I may be the rare fan who did not inherit his fandom from a relative or family friend, instead choosing the Mets as 'my team' my senior year of college in 2009 so I could have a sport to follow during the spring. Over the years my passion has blossomed and I am now raising my sons to be Mets fans for life. I follow the team closely and, being an upstate NY native, have especially enjoyed the opportunity to watch highly touted prospects come through the farm system.