Al Jackson, tough left-hander on original Mets, dies at 83

NEW YORK (AP) — Al Jackson, a tough left-hander who provided a rare glint of hope in the early days of the woebegone New York Mets, has died at 83.
His death was announced by the Mets, for whom he worked for 50 years as a pitcher, major league coach, minor league pitching coordinator and front-office adviser. He died Monday at a nursing home in Port St. Lucie, Florida, after a long illness.
The Mets said in a statement it would be “impossible to calculate the number of players and st