Mother of the Mets

Mother of the Mets tells the riches-to-winnings story of how Joan Whitney Payson, the epitome of American wealth and privilege, brought National League baseball back to New York City. Payson was known for her jolly, matronly persona, but Cynthia A. Kierner shows that behind the façade of the clueless-but-passionate Mets owner was a shrewd businesswoman whose decisions sparked a legacy like no other – and a miraculous 1969 world championship.

Payson's New York was a city hemorrhaging baseball teams. In 1958, the Giants moved to San Francisco, the Dodgers to Los Angeles, and fans lamented the loss of their favorite teams. Joan Whitney Payson – entrepreneur, art collector, philanthropist, and, most tragically, dedicated Giants fan—decided to fight back. Her vast resources, business savvy, and lifelong love of baseball propelled her to create and nurture the New York Mets. It's Mrs. Payson who brought Willie Mays back to New York, and who kept Ed Kranepool a Met for his entire career. After her team won the World Series, Governor Nelson Rockefeller hailed her as the "greatest thing since the moon landing."

From her glamorous childhood as the heiress of two prominent American families to becoming a Hollywood investor to founding one of the country's first venture capital firms, Payson lived a life of luxury and excellence. Mother of the Mets cements her story, and the grand rise of the Mets, into sports and NYC history.