Two years later, Tom Terrific was 25-7, in possession of the Cy Young Award and the Mets were would champions.

Seaver would be voted the N.L.'s finest pitcher two more times, strike out 200 or more batters nine years in a row, compile four 20-win seasons with the Mets and on my fifth birthday, he would strike out a major league record 10 consecutive battery and finish the contest with another record--19 strikeouts in a single game.

He was traded to Cincinnati during the 1977 season and spent five complete seasons and pitched his only no-hitter there.

After a 5-13 season in 1982, he went back to the Mets before the 1983 season, for Charlie Puleo, Lloyd McClendon and Jason Felice.

Getting traded for Puleo, McClendon and Felice--three players whose greatest claims to fame are getting traded for Tom Seaver--signalled the beginning of Seaver's decline.

Through no fault of his own, he had never gotten the opportunity to play with a consistent contender Admittedly, he been on two champions, but the Mets never were big winners and when he arrived in Cincinnati he found the Big Red Machine rusting away.

Tom Seaver would eventually take a 614 winning percentage into this season, although he pitched for a combination of teams that played a few percentage points under 500 when he was with them. He possesses the highest winning percentage differential (.117) in major league history.

Even the great Walter Johnson, cursed with the uniform of the Washington Senators, did not rise as consistently above the lackluster play of his teammates as did Tom Seaver.

But that's not what I'll remember about seeing Seaver that evening in Fenway.

As he took his pitches in the bullpen, he was surrounded by a huge crowd of curious fans. The scene was marked by a horde of brats who kept screaming to a legend and his catcher that they should throw a glove, a ball, a batting glove or some souvenir over the fence.

The greedy little kids cried and should for some tangible members from their trip to the ballpark. I wanted to tell them who was they were yelling to, to shut up and have respect-go bug the rag-arm warming up in the Red Sox pen, but don't disturb this guy-he's special.

Seaver ignored them, but their persistent shouting ruined the scene.

Finally, as if by some divine grace, it began to rain. The kids stopped screaming and Seaver left.

The rain fell for almost two hours and sputtered to a stop. The teams came back out of the clubhouses and Seaver walked gently to the bullpen.

This time the kids were long gone, shoved into Hulk pajamas and tucked into bed.