I had high hopes for the 1975 team when it was first put together in the off season, for it seemed as though the Mets were finally attempting to bring in offensive players. Guys like Dave Kingman, John Milner, Rusty Staub, Del Unser, John Stearns and Joe Torre together would be able to form a good solid lineup.

When I heard that Jesus Alou had been added to the team in Spring Training I was very happy because I remembered a few high average seasons he had under his belt with some of his previous teams.

This guy swung at everything and if he was lucky enough he would have his bloops and bleeders fall in and he would have a good average on the season.

He was not lucky in 1975. I was at a game when he was called on to pinch hit late in a game that the Mets were losing. He swung at the first pitch and he hit a dribbler that rolled about five feet in fair territory up the first baseline. He was out before his second foot left the batters box.

He hardly struck out. He hardly hit a home run. He hardly made a difference. I loved this guy like I love brand new underpants.

It seems Jesus had a weak stomach and it was easy to make him sick, and we all know there are practical jokers on every baseball team. The story, according to Bouton, was that one of the Astros—probably Doug Rader, but my memory is hazy on this—used to chew up a wad of bubble gum, stick it up his nose, take it out and start chewing it again. This for the benefit of Jesus Alou, who would quickly get very sick and go into dry heaves. Oh, the sophistication of baseball humor. This story made me hysterical when I was ten years old and I still think it's pretty funny.

One thing I used to think was peculiar about the Alou brothers, when I was a kid, was that the three of them didn't look anything alike. Usually brothers will resemble each other, but the Alous didn't even look like they came from the same family. Anyway, I thought that when I was a kid. Jesus Alou wasn't a bad player, and at least when he played for Houston he could have put up better numbers if he wasn't playing in the Astrodome, which killed everyone's numbers who wasn't a pitcher. He wasn't as good as Matty or Felipe, but he was pretty good.

Alou was a decent outfielder for 12 years before joining the Mets, contributing not much speed on the basepaths or power at the plate, but contributing nevertheless. Averaging just one strikeout every 16.2 at-bats, he was almost a guarantee to at least put the ball in play—and sometimes he did it with great success, hitting .306 with Houston in 1970 and .312 in limited duty for them in 1972.

With the Mets in 1975, he contributed a .265 average in 65 games off the bench for that unheralded better-than-.500 team, posting the second-best average among all non-starting position players. And, he continued his low-strikeout ways, with just five Ks in 102 at-bats.

After a brief hiatus from the majors, he rejoined the Astros in 1978, hitting .324 in what was a career renaissance before wrapping up his major league stay in 1979.

His 15-year career was good enough to earn him a spot on the Hall of Fame ballot in 1985 and even a vote or two.

Interestingly, he was once involved in a trade involving two prominent Mets, though neither were Mets at the time. On January 22, 1969, he was sent from Montreal with Donn Clendenon to the Astros for Rusty Staub. Clendenon refused to report to Houston.

Unfortunately, Alou died March 10, 2023 at 80 years old.