The inquiry at the center of our first episode, “Wilbur Huckle for President,” began with a couple of mysterious New York Mets–related buttons and led me into conversations with sloganeers, experts in political ephemera, and the legendary Wil Huckle himself.

Now, cheerfully, I’m going to share some choice responses to the episode as well as a bit of bonus material that didn’t make it into the story.

I’ll also reveal the winners of our Huckle button contest/lottery/raffle, and I’ll explain how you can get your own Replay Booth merch (a snazzy button, naturally).

“Extremism” Knows No Bounds

The episode started with an exploration of “Extremism in Defense of the Mets Is No Vice,” the Goldwater-referencing slogan that won the grand prize in the New York Mets’ Banner Day contest in 1964. One of the Long Island high schoolers who carried that sign was Arthur Engoron, who many decades later became a judge who fined Donald Trump $355 million.

Engoron is also, somewhat less famously, the proprietor of the Wheatley School Alumni Association Newsletter, the latest edition of which includes an item written by Engoron (and inspired by Replay Booth) about that magical 1964 Banner Day and its aftermath.

After the episode got published, I also got an email from Engoron’s classmate and fellow Banner Day winner Dan Silver. In that message, Silver wrote that I got one detail wrong: Contrary to what a third Wheatley High classmate, Mitch Stephens, told me, the “extremism” banner was not painted in the Stephens family driveway. “There can be no dispute whatsoever,” Silver wrote, that the sign came into existence in “the Silver family backyard, on Locust Lane.” Stephens’ reply: “I have a memory of painting in my parents’ driveway what I think was the winning banner. But it could have been another. Dunno.”

A Night in the Huckle Rabbit Hole

Twelve years ago, writer and Mets fan Jason Fry published a blog post headlined “The Wilbur Huckle Appreciation Society.” That piece, for Jason’s great site Faith and Fear in Flushing, identified Huckle as “a vessel of hope and possibilities” for Mets fans of yore, and noted the existence of the Huckle buttons.

After episode 1 of Replay Booth got released, Jason published another blog post, “A Night in the Huckle Rabbit Hole,” that celebrated our episode as “a fascinating tour through American pop culture, political theater, and of course Mets history.” (Thank you, Jason. And thank you for inspiring the headline of this newsletter.) That post also included an image of Jason holding a Wilbur Huckle baseball card that he’d designed and commissioned himself. The front of that customized, unofficial card features “an old Topps photo unearthed and shared by Keith Olbermann.” And here’s a picture of the back, which Jason wrote, and which I’m sharing with you as a Replay Booth exclusive.

This is perfection. And keep on reading for another tidbit about a customized, unofficial Wilbur Huckle baseball card!

Mr. Met in a Deerstalker

If you liked the audio edition of “Wilbur Huckle for President,” I also did a print version for Defector. It includes an amazing illustration of Mr. Met as Sherlock Holmes by Mattie Lubchansky that I’m planning to get framed. The piece also includes a couple of wonderful photos.

First, courtesy of Ronald Einziger, here’s the sign that won the four-man category at the New York Mets’ 1964 Banner Day contest. Ronald is the young lad on the far right.

And second, courtesy of Wil Huckle, here’s the man himself wearing a “Metropolitan Party | Wilbur Huckle for President” button in 2025.

Bonus Huckle

In the episode, I made brief mention of Wil’s high school yearbook photo. Here it is, fourth from the right in the top row, with a poignant quote beneath it.

I wasn’t able to include any mention of this New York Mets questionnaire that Wil filled out in his own hand in 1966. I found these documents, strangely enough, on Ancestry.com. (Research tip: Look everywhere!)

And finally, in audio form, here’s another tidbit I couldn’t figure out how to include in the episode: Huckle’s minor-league teammate Ron Swoboda talking about an odd piece of fan mail.

I’d suggest hitting play so you can hear Swoboda’s giggle, but here’s a transcript: “I remember one time, though—this was funny. Wil got some fan mail while he was in Williamsport and a guy from New York had sent him a letter and said, Dear Wil, if you ever make it to the big leagues would you consider changing your name?”

Swoboda went on to say that “in that New York person’s mind, Wilbur Huckle didn’t go with the big leagues.” I couldn’t disagree more.

Huckle Speaks (Again)

When I checked in with Wil, aka Mr. Huckle, by phone earlier this week, he told me that he was in the middle of rebuilding a 75-year-old greenhouse. He also said, laughing heartily, that he’d never heard anything about that piece of fan mail Ron Swoboda remembered, wherein a Mets fan encouraged him to change his name. “Goodness, gracious, boy—my mother wouldn’t have liked that at all,” he said.

I also wanted to ask him about this photo he’d sent me:

Among the autographed baseballs (note the Solly Hemus signature on the left and his old roommate Tom Seaver among others on the right), the vintage Huckle photo, and the Louisville Slugger bat, you’ll notice a Wilbur Huckle / Cleon Jones baseball card. While that card looks like it came from the 1964 Topps set, it is not an actual 1964 Topps baseball card. The Trading Card Database doesn’t have any Wilbur Huckle cards listed at all, and there were no Cleon Jones cards issued before 1965.

So, there it is: another customized, unofficial Wilbur Huckle baseball card! When I asked Wil who’d made it and how he acquired it, he said, “All I know is I’ve got it in my possession. Where it came from I don’t know.”

And that is a mystery I don’t think I’ll be solving in another podcast episode.

Button Winners

In the closing credits of the episode, I said that anyone who signed up for this newsletter would be entered into a drawing to get one of these beautiful vintage Wilbur Huckle buttons.

The winners, selected via random number generator, are Craig “CB” Brown and an anonymous Replay Booth fan.

But in another way, you’re all winners, because I’m excited to report that I hired Busy Beaver Button Co.—owned by Replay Booth button expert Christen Carter—to produce some custom merch. Behold! (And note that the dashed lines will not appear on the actual button.)

If you want me to mail you one of these beautiful items, all you have to do is refer five people to this newsletter. To make a referral, just click the button below and follow the instructions.

Refer a friend

That’s all for now. And a reminder: If you want to send feedback or ideas or just say hello, you can email me at replayboothpodcast@gmail.com.

In my 20-plus years as a journalist, I’ve written and podcasted about lots of history stuff. I’ve also written and podcasted about lots of sports stuff. When I left my full-time gig at Slate earlier this year, a thought occurred to me: Maybe I should write and podcast about sports and history at the same time.

That’s the idea behind Replay Booth, a new series about history, sports, and the surprising threads connecting the past and present. You can listen to the pilot episode, “Wilbur Huckle for President,” by clicking the player at the top of this page. You can also use this link to listen via your platform of choice.

The episode is about these two buttons that I bought at an antique store:

I wanted to know who came up with these slogans, what they meant, and who put them on a souvenir. And most of all: Who in the heck was Wilbur Huckle?

I figured out all of that stuff, while also exploring the history of banners in baseball, Jackie Robinson’s shift away from Republican politics, the record civil court verdict against Donald Trump, and showering habits in minor league baseball.

If you want to dig in yourself, you’ll find the sources I used listed below.

As for the future of this new show … I’m not sure!

I made this pilot independently, with the help of producer Kevin Bendis and a bunch of generous friends. I’d love to make more episodes, but that depends on how big of an audience this reaches.

If you want to support this kind of journalism—and support me!—please do one or both of the following:

• subscribe to the One Year podcast feed, where Replay Booth is currently living

• tell everyone you know about Replay Booth on social media, in person, or using other forms of communication that have or have not been invented.

When there’s news about what’s coming next, I’ll let you know. And in the meantime, if you want to send feedback or ideas or just say hello, you can email me at replayboothpodcast@gmail.com.

This episode was reported and written by Josh Levin. It was produced by Kevin Bendis, who also made the theme song and did the scoring. Derreck Johnson created our artwork.

Interview subjects:

Mitchell Stephens, 1964 New York Mets Banner Day contest winner; author and journalism professor

Arthur Engoron, 1964 New York Mets Banner Day contest winner; judge serving on the New York Supreme Court

Ron Swoboda, former New York Met and minor-league teammate of Wilbur Huckle

Rod Gaspar, former New York Met and minor-league teammate of Wilbur Huckle

Ronald Einziger, 1964 New York Mets Banner Day contest winner; attorney

John Low, owner of West Howard Antiques

Christen Carter, owner of Busy Beaver Buttons & Merch and president and co-curator of The Button Museum in Chicago

Wilbur Huckle, minor-league baseball player and retired middle school biology teacher

Sources for this episode:

Articles

Bromwich, Jonah E. and Ben Protess, “Trump Fraud Trial Penalty Will Exceed $450 Million,” New York Times, Feb. 16, 2024.

Brooks, Art. “How Far the ‘Big Shea,’ Cooperstown?”, Reporter Dispatch (White Plains, N.Y.), July 24, 1974.

“C5H4N4O3 on AuH2O,” Busy Beaver Button Museum.

Canzano, John. “Canzano: The legend of Wilbur Huckle: Friendships, baseball, and bedtime stories,” Bald Faced Truth, Feb. 16, 2025.

Dekunder, David. “Bullets still flying high: Area softball team reached ASA championship,” New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung, Dec. 29, 1995.

Foley, Red. “Banners Fly as Mets Win 2,” New York Daily News, Aug. 24, 1964.

Foley, Red. “Met Banner Day! Win 2-1, 5-4,” New York Daily News, Aug. 24, 1964.

Foley, Red. “ ‘Streaking’ Craig Out For No. 4 vs. Colts,” New York Daily News, Sept. 14, 1963.

Friedman, Arthur. “Button Collectors Are Busy,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Sept. 10, 1964.

Fry, Jason. “The Wilbur Huckle Appreciation Society,” Faith and Fear in Flushing, June 7, 2013.

Garnick, Darren. “Political Button of the Day: Mets farmhand Wilbur Huckle and the Metropolitan Party,” Darren Garnick’s Culture Schlock, Oct. 29, 2008.

Gould, Lee. “Button ‘Biz’ Is Booming,” Associated Press, May 14, 1975.

Hayward, Steven F. “Extremism and Moderation: Barry Goldwater’s notorious convention speech, 50 years later,” Claremont Review of Books, Summer 2014.

Hritz, Tom. “Button baron looks back on 3 billion heartbeats,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Nov. 4, 1980.

“Huckle for President,” Busy Beaver Button Museum.

“Huckle Signs With Mets,” San Antonio Express-News, June 8, 1963.

Isaacs, Stan. “How Did Mets Reach 10th Place? Practice,” Newsday, Sept. 16, 1963.

Isaacs, Stan. “Met Fans Parade in All Their Unfurled Glory,” Newsday, Aug. 24, 1964.

Isaacs, Stan. “You Can’t Tell Mets Without a Sign,” Newsday, June 10, 1963.

Jacobson, Steve. “Beginning of Baseball Brings Back Boyhood Bliss,” Newsday, April 9, 1990.

Jacobson, Steve. “Mets Take Quick Look at Florida Phenoms,” Newsday, May 3, 1966.

Karmosky, Charles. “The Sportscope,” Daily Press (Newport News, Va.), June 21, 1963.

Kremenko, Barney. “Hassle Ends—Casey Expected to Be Back,” Sporting News, Sept. 14, 1963.

Kremenko, Barney. “ ‘Pray,’ a Winning Banner Implores All Met Fans,” Sporting News, Sept. 5, 1964.

Maas, Jan. “Right on the Button: Seeking ‘Instant Identity’? Board the Button Bandwagon,” New York Daily News, Aug. 21, 1966.

Matthews, Wid and John Murphy. “Mets Continue to Strive for the ‘New Look,’ ” Asheville Citizen-Times, March 8, 1964.

McCulley, Jim. “Jax Pitches Giant-Killers to No. 4 With 7-Hitter, 4-2,” New York Daily News, Sept. 12, 1963.

McGrady, Mike. “Buy Buttons, Not Bombs,” Newsday, Aug. 6, 1966.

“Memories of Wilbur Huckle,” the Ultimate Mets Database.

“Met Memos,” Jersey Journal, Aug. 24, 1964.

“Mets, Fans Deal Misery to Yankees,” Associated Press, June 22, 1963.

“Mets Set To Call Up SS Phenom,” Jersey Journal, Sept. 9, 1963.

“The New Breed and the Mets: Signs of the Times,” New York Times, Aug. 24, 1964.

Nowicki, Dan. “Why Barry Goldwater’s 1964 presidential campaign still matters 60 years later,” Arizona Republic, July 17, 2024.

Olbermann, Keith. “Meet Wilbur Huckle. Again,” Baseball Nerd, May 20, 2009.

Olbermann, Keith. “The Washington Natinals,” Baseball Nerd, April 25, 2009.

“One Man’s Stand,” Time, June 26, 1964.

Oppenheimer, Sandy. “Ex-Courier-Times Reporter Writes Book About The Mets,” Bristol Courier and Levittown Times, June 18, 1965.

Pew, Tom. “Political Button Business Better among Republicans,” Troy Daily News, Aug. 31, 1968.

“Piniella Voted Carolina League Rookie Honor,” Associated Press, Sept. 5, 1963.

Prince, Greg W. “If Tradition Holds, Hope and Wit Will Shower the Mets’ Stadium in Sheets,” New York Times, May 25, 2012.

Rasmussen, Frederick N. “They all liked Ike, and claimed credit for the slogan,” Baltimore Sun, Oct. 26, 2018.

Reichler, Joe. “Why Did L.A. Give Up Billy Haas?; New Blood on the Mets,” Associated Press, Jan. 10, 1964.

Scanell, Kara, Lauren del Valle, and Jeremy Herb. “NY Appeals Court Voids the Roughly $500 Million Civil Fraud Penalty Against Trump,” CNN, Aug. 21, 2025.

Sisak, Michael R. “Who is Arthur Engoron? Judge weighing future of Donald Trump empire is Ivy League-educated ex-cabbie,” Associated Press, Oct. 1, 2023.

Springer, Jon. “Huckleberry Found,” Mets By the Numbers, April 30, 2009.

Stengel, Casey as told Harry Grayson. “Mets Amaze With Progress,” Kingston Whig-Standard, April 4, 1964.

Tiede, Joe. “Independent Tides Are Doing Pretty Well,” News and Observer, June 16, 1963.

Twombly, Wells. “Will It Be Wilbur?”, Houston Chronicle, March 3, 1964.

Vecsey, George. “Ed Kranepool Asks, ‘Over What Hill?,’ ” Newsday, May 1, 1964.

Vondas, Jerry. “Button Man, 96, Waits GOP Birthday Gift,” Pittsburgh Press, Oct. 31, 1976.

“Wilbur Huckle,” BR Bullpen.

Wilkinson, Will. “On the Saying that ‘Extremism in Defense of Liberty is No Vice,’ ” Niskanen Center, Jan. 5, 2016.

Ye, Bridget Jinglei. “New York State Supreme Court Judge Arthur Engoron on the Judicial Philosophies That Define His Courtroom,” the Gate, Feb. 5, 2025.

“You Might Think He’s a T-V Star,” Memphis Press Scimitar, April 15, 1968.

Young, Dick. “PG Signs,” New York Daily News, April 30, 1962.

Young, Dick. “Young Ideas,” New York Daily News, June 25, 1963.

Young, Dick. “Young Ideas,” New York Daily News, July 21, 1963.

Audiovisual

Barry Goldwater acceptance speech at 1964 Republican National Convention

Radio broadcast of Chicago Cubs vs. New York Mets, Aug. 23, 1964