Mr. Met
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Mr. Met | |
|---|---|
| New York Mets — No. 00 | |
| Mascot | |
| Bats: sleep upside down(from mets.com) | Throws: T-shirts,cracker jacks,great parties(from mets.com) |
Mr. Met is the official mascot of Major League Baseball's New York Mets. He is a man with a large baseball-shaped head. He can be seen at Citi Field during Mets home games, has appeared in several commercials as part of ESPN's This is SportsCenter campaign, and has been elected into the Mascot Hall of Fame.[1]
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[edit] History
Mr. Met was first introduced on the cover of game programs in 1963, when the Mets were still playing at the Polo Grounds in northern Manhattan. When the Mets moved to Shea Stadium in 1964, fans were introduced to a live costumed version. Mr. Met is believed to have been the first mascot in Major League Baseball to exist in human (as opposed to artistically rendered) form.[2] He was also the first person on the Mets to be represented by a bobblehead doll.
In the 1960s, he occasionally appeared in print with a female companion, Lady Met (sometimes known as "Mrs. Met"), and less frequently with a group of 3 "little Mets" children; the smallest was a baby in Lady Met's arms. The entire family was featured in a This is SportsCenter commercial, driving home from the ESPN Broadcast Center in Bristol, Connecticut, long before the traffic jam after the last show, bobbing their large heads in time with "Meet the Mets" on the car's radio.
He has been portrayed by many people over the years. Dan Reilly was the first person to wear the Mr. Met costume, starting in 1964, but in the early 1970's, the Met franchise inexplicably removed Mr. Met from action for close to 20 years.
It was not until long time Met fan, Lois Kaufmann of Queens, New York wrote a compelling appeal for his reinstatement in 1992 that the Mets realized they had made a mistake in the decision to abandon the beloved mascot.
The team did not grant Lois her request to be Mr. Met, but they did follow her advice and brought Mr. Met back in 1994, as part of a promotion with Nickelodeon. From 1994-1997, Mr. Met was portrayed by AJ Mass, currently a fantasy sports writer for ESPN.
On April 14, 2002, the Mets held a birthday party for Mr. Met at Shea Stadium. It was attended by costumed mascots from all around Major League Baseball and by Sandy the Seagull, mascot of the Brooklyn Cyclones, a Mets farm team.[2] Lady Met was conspicuously absent.
First baseman Tony Clark was the first Met ever to don 00, Mr. Met's number, doing so in the 2003 season. He switched to #52 that June when Queens schoolchildren asked him what had happened to Mr. Met.
Mr. Met can be seen at Citi Field during and after games. There is an area near Mr. Met's Kiddie Field where fans can meet and post for pictures with him. He can also be rented for special events and private parties.
According to March 20, 2006 issue of The New Yorker, Reilly is currently working on a book of his experiences with the team, to be called The Original Mr. Met Remembers.[3]
Mets Money, $1, $5 and $10 denomination gift certificates accepted at concession stands and souvenir shops at Citi Field feature the image of Mr. Met. The design is somewhat reminiscent of standard U.S. currency, but instead features images of Mr. Met attired and posed similarly to the historical official (Washington, Lincoln or Hamilton) featured on the respective bill.
During their series against the San Francisco Giants beginning on August 14, 2009, the Mets wore throwback jerseys featuring a Mr. Met patch on the right sleeve.[4]
[edit] Outside baseball
In 2007, Mr. Met became a spokesman for MTA New York City Transit, appearing on several advertisements and safety messages within the New York City Subways and buses.
He was also featured in commercials for MLB 06: The Show, a video game for Sony's PlayStation 2, where a camera crew followed him around as he performed his daily duties, such as buying coffee and picking up his laundry.
He's also appeared numerous times during sketches on Conan O'Brien's Late Night and Tonight shows. On one particular appearance in October 2007 he was beat up on stage by the Phillie Phanatic to symbolize the Mets' historic late season collapse and the Phillies winning the division. Mr. Met also appeared on the September 17, 2007 episode of Deal or No Deal on NBC. He also made a cameo on the February 13, 2008 episode of The Colbert Report as one of Stephen Colbert's returning "writers" from the WGA strike.
He has his own Build-A-Bear Workshop store, but instead of at Citi Field, it's located at their flagship store on Manhattan's Fifth Avenue.
He has his own book called Mr. Met's Journey Through The Big Apple. It tells of a journey through New York City with a few Mets fans.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Goff, Liz (2007-10-03). "Mr. Met Voted Into Mascot Hall Of Fame". Queens Gazette. http://www.qgazette.com/news/2007/1003/features/045.html. Retrieved 2009-10-04.
- ^ a b McGuire, Stephen (2002-04-25). "He's In The Army Now: The Life And Times Of Mr. Met". Queens Tribune. http://www.queenstribune.com/archives/featurearchive/feature2002/0425/feature_story.html. Retrieved 2009-10-04.
- ^ McGrath, Ben (2006-03-20). "Meet the Mets". The New Yorker. http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2006/03/20/060320ta_talk_mcgrath. Retrieved 2009-10-04.
- ^ "Mets to wear New York throwback uniforms to honor National League Heritage August 14-16 at Citi field | mets.com: Official Info". Archived from the original on 2009-08-15. http://www.webcitation.org/5j3Cuxx0d. Retrieved 2009-08-13.
