Ron, I had no idea that you were a Mets fan. You have my sincere condolence. How did they get so bad with all that money to spend?
Statistics in the Encyclopedia of Baseball separate baseball into two eras. The dividing line seems to be 1903, when the American League formed and the World Series began. There were some rule changes around then, too. So, even though 19th century players like Wee Willie Keeler and Ole Hoss Radbourne are in the Hall of Fame, their records have the kind of asterisk that they hung on poor Roger Maris when he had the affrontry to break "THE RECORD". The argument about accurate record keeping and field conditions in the Negro Leagues is, and was, bogus. It was just a way to justify segregation. I am not saying that all records from pre-1948 are meaningless. Well, yes I am.
Major League Baseball that excluded, at least, half of the best players is not very major. It may be true that Josh Gibson never had to face Walter Johnson but it is just as true that Babe Ruth didn't have to deal with Satchel Paige. The best thing to do is admit that players of both races played in watered down leagues and the only accurate and meaningful stats started when the best played against the best. Was Ruth a better hitter than Bonds? Was Cool Papa Bell faster than Henderson? Was Dizzy Dean's fastball swifter than Nolan Ryan's? We'll never know but we can know that Bonds, Henderson and Ryan compiled their numbers against the best players of their generation which is more than you can say for Ruth, Bell, Gibson, DiMaggio, and Hornsby. That goes for everyone from the segregated past. Let's recognize that real Major League Baseball started in 1948.
I wish you a better season at Shea.

                        Mike