Replay Booth, Episode 1: Wilbur Huckle for President
Two mysterious Mets-related buttons kick off a 60-year journey, with stops at the Republican Convention, a tiny town in rural Texas, and the courtroom where Donald Trump got fined $355 million.
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