Ya Gotta Believe

By Jay Horwitz

Ed Kranepool was concerned that his roommate and teammate Tug McGraw had crossed the line and had gotten himself in trouble with the team’s brass.

Owner M. Donald Grant was giving the last place Mets a pep talk 48 years ago today and in the middle of the speech Tug jumped up and yelled, “Ya Gotta Believe.”

“It was Tug begin Tug,” Ed told me. “Some of us were afraid that Mr. Grant might have thought Tug was mocking him. I told Tug to go to the owner to tell him he was just trying to get us going.”

Whatever McGraw’s rational was, Tug’s ploy worked. “Ya Gotta Believe” became the rallying cry the rest of the 1973 season and Yogi Berra’s team rose up from last place and made it all way to the World Series.

“Tug was our cheerleader,” said Kranepool. “He had a way with words. Thanks to Tug, “Ya Gotta Believe” always will be part of Mets history.”