2
2012
Polo Grounds, Bob Mandt, Dick Young, Banner Day Trivia
An article by 
As you all know by now, the New York Mets announced that Banner Day will return Sunday, May 27 prior to the Mets playing the San Diego Padres at 1:10 p.m. at Citi Field.
Banner Day was a Mets tradition from 1963 to 1996 with fans of all ages parading on the field showing their homemade banners made with bed sheets that professed their love for the team, but do you know how it first came to be?
Citi Field Tribute to Bob Mandt
Well according to the Daily News, the late Bob Mandt, the former Stadium operations manager at Shea, once said Banner Day was sort of invented by fans. Some had brought banners to the Polo Grounds in the Mets’ nascent years and the Mets used to eject the fans, whose homemade art projects sometimes blocked the view of other fans. But famed Daily News sportswriter Dick Young wrote a column saying the banners should be allowed in and the Mets changed their mind. An event was born.
It took place between games of doubleheaders, which were still scheduled back then. Sometimes it annoyed both managers, because as many as 8,000 or so fans showing off their banners could make the break between games as long as two hours. Neither skipper would know just when to start warming up his Game 2 starter.
A fan brings a "Stay Team Stay" banner to the last Giants game ever played at the Polo Grounds.
One last item… Before the Mets first game in the Polo Grounds, there was the New York Giants’ last game at the Polo Grounds… Was that banner from way back in 1957, a sign of things to come?
About the Author: Joe DeCaro
I'm a lifelong Mets fan who loves writing and talking about the Amazins' 24/7. From the Miracle in 1969 to the magic of 1986, and even the near misses in '73 and '00, I've experienced it all - the highs and the lows. I started Mets Merized Online in 2005 to feed my addiction. Follow me on Twitter @metsmerized.
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Makes sense to hold it against the Padres since the park would have been a “Ghost Town” without a good promotion!
It will be showdown between the real fans vs. the fair-weather, bandwagon ones. Which ones are you?
I will be there with my banner. It will say “Sandy Loves OPS – Over Paying Scrubs!”
That only makes Mets fans look even more like the worst in the game. Supposedly you want players to perform yet throw daggers at morale just to spew hate towards ownership. It seems pretty clear at heart, you want players to fail and lose as many games as possible.
There really are some fans that seriously do seem to want the players to do terribly just to make some kind of point.
I think in honor of Casey they should rename it Placard day.
That’s pretty funny. I remember watching that interview where he said he forgot to take his pitcher out because he was too busy reading the placards.
The sad thing is after years of hearing requests to bring back Banner Day when a date became official many of the comments were of things other than professing their love for the team.
“MR. MET FOR PRESIDENT!”
Remember that first banner day and how everyone was taken by it – don’t forget, this had not been done before so nobody knew what to expect. But didn’t know that the Mets originally discouraged banners at first.
It’s a good idea resurrecting banner day but at the same time it will leave a bitter taste in many a mouth because ownership has knocked so much of the fun out of being a Met fan not in terms of the financial struggles but because ownership has distanced so very much away from the team in terms of Citi Field not being like Shea, that it was only due to fan backlash that Citi Field stopped from being a shrine to a team that left New York more than a half century ago and one honoring the Mets and their tradition.
What I’m afraid might happen is the banners might reflect a love for the team with some negativity between the lines for Fred, Jeff and Saul. I hope they leave Sandy out of this.
This will be my only visit to Citi, look for me my banner will have playing cards numbered 2-9. Each 1 will only have a players’ name inside…at the bottom it will say “We can’t afford face cards!” Fred, Jeff, and Saul will be the jokers on each side lol. If I actually believed it could get past security, i’d actually do it. Lol.
By the way guys and gals, i’m just joking…don’t take offense…LETS GO METS!
Now bring back Oldtimers Day. I used to love Oldtimers day.