Mr. Met

Mr. Met is the mascot of the New York Mets. He is a baseball-headed humanoid being who wears a Mets cap and uniform. He may be seen at Citi Field during Mets home games, after making Shea Stadium his home for years, and has appeared in several commercials as part of ESPN's "This is SportsCenter" campaign.

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, the 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. He was also the first person on the Mets that was 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 three "little Mets" children, the smallest being a baby in Lady Mets'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" (the Mets theme song) on the car's radio.

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 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.

The usually squeaky-clean character went on a celebrated twitter feud with pitcher Noah Syndergaard in 2016 and 2017. On May 31, 2017, however, the actor playing the character lost his temper, showing the finger to a fan during a game, an incident that was captured on video by another fan, as these usually are in this day and age. The employee was immediately fired.

Number Controversy

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. Coincidentally, he was also the first Met player ever with #52. During the time Clark wore #00, Mr. Met was depicted wearing #1.

Lately

Mr. Met can be seen at Citi Field during and after games. He can be also dressed up or rented for special events.

He has also appeared numerous times during sketches on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien".

According to March 20, 2006 issue of The New Yorker, Reilly was working on a book of his experiences with the team, to be called "The Original Mr. Met Remembers".[1]

Mets Money, one-, five-, and ten-dollar denominated 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 President pictured on the respective bill.

Facts

From the Mets' marketing department.

• Birthday: April 11, 1962
• Zodiac sign: Aries
• Hometown: Flushing, New York
• Height: 6 feet 10 inches (2.08 meters)
• Weight: Top-heavy
• Uniform Number: 00
• Rivals: Phillie Phanatic and Screech

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

Source

The information on this page is taken mainly from Mr. Met's Wikipedia page.