Mr. Met
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mr. Met is the official mascot of Major League Baseball's New York Mets. He is a baseball-headed humanoid being who wears a Mets cap and uniform. He can be seen at Shea Stadium during Mets home games, has appeared in several commercials as part of ESPN's This is SportsCenter campaign, and has been selected into the Mascot Hall of Fame.
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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. Although a blatant rip off of the Mr. Red Mascot first seen in 1955, Mr. Met is believed to have been the first mascot in Major League Baseball to exist in human (as opposed to artistically rendered) form. 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.
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. 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 Shea Stadium during and after games. He can be also 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.[1]
Mets Money, $1, $5 and $10 denomination gift certificates accepted at concession stands and souvenir shops at Shea Stadium 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.
[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 Late Night with Conan O'Brien. On one particular appearance in October of 2007 he was beat up on stage by the Phillie Phanatic to symbolize the Met's 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.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Mr. Met (NY Mets official site)
- Queens Tribune article on the history of Mr. Met
- Photo gallery of Mr. Met's 40th birthday party, attended by other baseball mascots, on the New York Mets' official site
- Tony Clark switches numbers
- Why Tony Clark took #52
- Popular YouTube clip of Mr. Met dancing Bhangra at an Indian wedding
- Artist rendition of Mr. Met choking the Philly Phanatic
