Mets suspend longtime equipment manager Samuels

Mets equipment manager Charlie Samuels, who served in that role for the past 27 seasons, has been suspended indefinitely without pay, the club announced yesterday. Samuels has been linked to an NYPD investigation into illegal gambling, a law enforcement source said yesterday.

The NYPD and the Queens district attorney's office are involved in the investigation, the source said.

The Associated Press reported yesterday that MLB believes the alleged gambling involved mostly NFL games.

A baseball official familiar with the situation confirmed that the Mets had been told of the gambling link and said Samuels' alleged gambling activities have been going on for years.

The team released a statement that said, "Last Wednesday, the Mets suspended Charlie Samuels indefinitely without pay. As this is an ongoing personnel matter, we have no further comment.''

Samuels is only the second person to hold the job of equipment manager of the franchise, succeeding the late Herb Norman.

But his responsibilities extended beyond the clubhouse; he also served as the team's associate travel director for the past 16 years. That involved setting up all of the Mets' chartered flights and hotel stays.

Samuels was held in high regard by ownership and was popular with the players.

His bio was listed in the Baseball Operations section of the club's media guide.