Featured Post: A Banner Day For Me And My Mets!

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• Alex68 March 5, 2013 at 9:12 am

  Clare, good piece, unfortunately, the mets season might be over by may 11th. no need to get clever, just honest. something like Wilpons Sell the team for god’s sake would do just fine….
  • Clare Lafferty March 5, 2013 at 9:58 am

    I understand that the Mets might not be contenders this year, but that doesn’t matter as far as Banner Day goes. Wonder if we’ll see any Anti-Wilpon or Madoff banners…
• jessep March 5, 2013 at 9:14 am

  Clare – Two points

  I don’t mean to make this sound the way it probably will, but I think Banner Day is a generational thing. (My wife would slap me for saying that to a woman haha)

  But I’m serious. For me, a 30 something year old fan – I don’t get it. Perhaps part of my lack of interest stems from the fact for 4 years I worked in pro baseball and actually was the director of promotions and so it was my job to put things on the schedule that fans got excited about? For example, I can’t stand fireworks. Fireworks for some odd reason bring baseball fans out of the woodwork – I’ve seen more firework shows than most people I know. So when the 4th of July comes around, I’m very bah humbug ha

  But back to my point, I think it’s fascinating how excited fans of your generation get over this promotion.

  My 2nd point – When I read this I thought “wow she really loves this promo.” Your kids didn’t get you tickets so you can see the 9 innings – they got you the tickets because you love the promo too right? No excuses Clare, play like a champion. Get your butt to Citi Field in time to walk the track with your banner. Stay in NYC if you have to. You’ve been a fan since 1968 and have never been – time to cross it off your list.

  I expect to read about your experience no later than May 13th.

  Nice job.
  • Metro12 March 5, 2013 at 9:40 am

    As an older Mets fan, I share Clare’s fondness for banner day, though I don’t get as excited over it as much as she apparently does. However, I did miss it when it was gone and am glad they brought it back. Hopefully they keep it.

    Some of the earliest banners have become classics, and I remember them not from having seen those banners days myself, but from hearing announcers like Kiner or Lindsey Nelson in later years constantly reminisce about their favorites. The one that always pops to my mind first is: “Don’t be sore, the Mets and I are only 4″ which was carried around by a little kid back in one of the early banner days.

    Hopefully they keep it around for good now.
    • jessep March 5, 2013 at 9:48 am

      I’m of the mindset that I cannot stand when companies or any type try to revive old promo ideas. We’re in a different culture today than in the 60′s. Today a fan can express their views without going to banner day. They have websites, such as I dunno – MMO?

      I remember when the vote happened to change the date and I was shocked, I was thinking aloud “seriously who cares if its at night?” but apparently some people did.

      There’s nothing wrong with a generational divide between fans. I think it’s just fascinating that in an era with Twitter, Facebook, more Mets blogs than you can count – there are still fans out there who get excited about expressing their views on a bedsheet.
      • Metro12 March 5, 2013 at 9:57 am

        jessep, with banner day, you can get on TV!

        Really, I think there is an appeal for some to be able to parade out in front of thousands in the stadium as well as millions watching on TV. So if it helps draw people to the stadium, why not? The Mets need all the help they can get these days keeping attendance up.

        If they stopped giving out bobbleheads for a few years, then brought them back, would you still have an issue with bringing back an old promotion?

        Banner day is something they should never have gotten rid of in the first place.
        • jessep March 5, 2013 at 10:00 am

          Oh I’m not doubting the merit of having the promo if fans like Clare value it. I’m just doubting it’s appeal to a later generation and find it to be a fascinating example of a generational divide
          • TRS86 March 5, 2013 at 10:29 am

            Well, I am a 30 something fan and I love it. I truly appreciate the history of the Mets and this is indeed part of it’s history. Of course I am a history major too so perhaps that helps.
            • Alex68 March 5, 2013 at 10:31 am

              History major?? I thought you were a Gym Teacher for a basketball team that hits barely 500 no?
              • TRS86 March 5, 2013 at 10:39 am

                Nope, social studies teacher that coaches.
                As for my teams record, not as good this year as we expected. Still we have won more in my 3 years than the school had won in the previous 5 combined… That says more about how bad they were before I got there than my abilities as a coach though. Heck I have been here 3 years and I am only 4 wins shy of being the all-time winningest coach, LOL.
            • jessep March 5, 2013 at 10:31 am

              Possibly. Again I am not saying anybody our age won’t like it. I am saying the generation of 40+ most likely get more into it than our generation born in the 80′s and beyond.
              • Joey D. March 5, 2013 at 10:45 pm

                Hi Jessep,

                I can completely understand your take on banner day because it was indeed a generational thing and what many might not realize is that Banner Day was not a promotion that the Mets originated as it was a response to us – the original new breeders – who suddenly draped the Polo Grounds in 1962 and early 1963 with a humongous amount of banners – and well thought out ones as well – to the surprise of everyone for banners in other parks were few and far between.

                In fact, at first the Mets wouldn’t allow fans to show up with banners at all.

                Banner Day was an outgrowth of the sudden and completely unexpected genuine love and adoration us new breeders had for our new team. It didn’t bother us at all that we had a former Yankee manager who was viewed at the time as self-promoting – to us he was suddenly seen as the lovable Casey. And his inept players we simply saw as guys who played their hearts out every day a lot like us – losers, And by that I do not mean “losers” in a derogatory way as it was more a reflection of the hard life most middle class people had to deal with – struggling, working hard and often feeling different than those more fortunate. I did not understand that when I was a kid but I can look back in hindsight now and recognize those traits in both myself and my family at that time. If one reads Jimmy Breslin’s classic “Can’t Anybody Here Play This Game” one will get an understanding of why that happened. We “losers” suddenly had something of our very own.

                I’m just sorry that no written description or video/audio replay will enable anyone not old enough to have been a part of it to fully appreciate how special those first, early years were, putting aside all the sociological explanations that we have today. And while the stories might have become exaggerated over time, the essence of what one will find is 100 percent true.

                What happened 50 years ago during a less cynical – and obviously more naive time – would not happen today. The times have changed and the groundwork that helped foster that uniqueness just doesn’t exist anymore. If we had a team like that today, they would not be seen as lovable and forgivable because they were trying so hard – they would be seen the way Howard Cossell talked about about them back in 1963 when he said the Mets were a disgrace to the game and a fraud and that people should not pay their money to see them (paraphrasing). We’ve seen all the harsh things written about so many of the players here – even by us who won’t praise Wheeler or d’Arnaud beyond anything more than their potential and resent the circumstances (not their fault) that brought them over to the Mets to begin with. We’d all look at them with resentment making so much money.

                Too bad Cosell couldn’t see it then but the Mets were no fraud. They were beautiful for they gave us back something much more valuable than winning ball games. They made us feel good about ourselves and that included everybody – from the elementary school kid that I was to my father who had to work two jobs to make ends meet to my grandmother who spent the last years of her life confined to a wheelchair.

                And that is why I too share your non-interest in banner day today Jessep because I remember when it was a genuine show of affection between the fans, the players and indeed the owners as well. It originated and sustained itself as fan based tradition because it was not a manufactured self-promoting gimmick as it is today. Just like the original chant of “lets go Mets” never originated by being prompted by a loudspeaker or scoreboard.

                Let those who cherish those moments have fun with it today. But for many of us, it is that parade that has long ago passed us by.
        • TRS86 March 5, 2013 at 10:41 am

          Man that would have been great. Someone called in on MLBN recommending getting rid of the celebrity softball game and returning to an old-timers game. They said that the current group most likely wouldn’t watch it. I disagree. I would love to see some guys from my youth back up there again.
          • srt March 5, 2013 at 10:44 am

            I also wish they’d bring back Old Timer’s day. I think over 50 years of playing more than qualifies for enough to have that game.
      • Met Maniac March 5, 2013 at 10:19 am

        You dont get it and you never will.
        • Alex68 March 5, 2013 at 10:23 am

          You dont get it and you never will.”

          THIS^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
  • van March 5, 2013 at 9:59 am

    jessep, there is a whole lotta difference between typing opinions on a keyboard and going out to the park to experience the atmosphere, the people, and to march on the field.

    would you extend this logic to say a political rally? You can tweet or blog all day about your candidate, so why bother to go out and see them in person?

    heck, why should anyone ever go to a game live. Play the games in a studio, and let everyone “watch” on gameday!
    • jessep March 5, 2013 at 10:06 am

      Van – I think you’re taking my view a tad too far and it wasn’t meant to be a big debate. I am merely trying to point out that in my view if you polled fans 18-35 and then say 36-60 I would bet the appeal of banner day is much different. Banner Day relies more on nostalgia than on the opportunity to get your message across.

      When Banner Day was created there was no sports talk radio, no blogs, no twitter, no facebook, no mlb forums – getting your voice heard was nearly impossible. Banner Day gave fans that chance. That’s why it is or was an amazin idea.

      But today to me as a “younger” fan (who seems to get older every year) it isn’t as appealing because there are so many different outlets to get your voice heard today.
      • van March 5, 2013 at 11:29 am

        I think you are overestimating how much of the appeal was getting a “message” across. The banners were not quite Vietnam war protest level. It was always about having fun, walking on the field, showing your fandom, etc.
  • Clare Lafferty March 5, 2013 at 10:17 am

    You must have had your hands full thinking of promotional things over the years. I can only imagine the insanity for fireworks. In Philly, they have Dollar Dog nights and everyone in the Tri State area shows up..

    I am thinking about going up early – my daughter wants to make a banner so we’ll see.
    I really should do it and cross that off my bucket list.
    • jessep March 5, 2013 at 10:32 am

      Yeah the goal was always to get press. You wanted to do something that was never done before. One of the greatest nights I ever had working was the night of the Pickle Pentathlon.

      Our team was terrible but it was one of the loudest nights the stadium ever had
• van March 5, 2013 at 9:56 am

  Clare, I too live in SJ and trust me, getting up there by 10:00 (on a wekend) is not a problem at all. Plus, you get a really good parking spot! So hop in the car (or on the train if you don’t want to drive in, just park and ride at Hamilton station) and head on up.

  I actually did banner day once (’78 or ’79, not sure which year but had to be in there someplace) and it was a lot of fun to be down on the field.

  and hey, maybe you will win. The winner got to go inside and meet lots of people, and a free trip to ST this year. And it was a She.
• srt March 5, 2013 at 10:00 am

  As an older fan, I too remember watching the banners parade by on TV, in between a Sunday double header.

  The only knock I have with this is once they brought it back last year, they didn’t televise much of it. Pregame show had a couple of clips, GKR commented during the game along with showing a few clips – and that was it.

  If you want to enjoy the whole experience, you really have to be at Citi that day.
  • Clare Lafferty March 5, 2013 at 10:18 am

    I agree – SNY should have broadcast it all – it was only really mentioned in passing.
    • Met Maniac March 5, 2013 at 10:24 am

      Clare, great post and I don’t recall seeing you before so congrats on your first MMO post. I must say I love the additions of all these new writers who remember the 60s and 70s fondly, when baseball was baseball and fans were fans.

      I remember WOR always showing the Banner Day parade in it’s entirety. Back then the Mets didn’t own their own network and yet it got televised. Now they do and they don’t televise it. Blame the owners. They never cared about our traditions or fan sentiment anyway. Cold as ice like one writer in your midst.
• Mr North Jersey March 5, 2013 at 11:54 am

  I remember reading comments from people wishing the Mets would bring Banner day back. My concern was that once they did bring it back people would not show their support by coming out and participating but with fans like Clare that shouldn’t be a problem.
• gregg March 5, 2013 at 1:48 pm

  Banner Day is one of the wonderful Met-centric things about being a Met. It’s a unique NY Met event, like sitting up in the milkbox seats at Shea. I took part in the Banner Day parade back in middle 80′s, and it was great thrill.
  A very nice piece Clare, be sure to post your Banner before the parade so we can look for you.
  • van March 5, 2013 at 4:47 pm

    Milkbox? Do you mean Dairylea? First game I ever went to (1973) was thanks to my sister drinking about 40 gallons of milk to get us free tickets (way up top, probably FV of about $2 at the time).

    pretty sure it would have saved my parents money to just buy the tickets, but at least my sister has strong bones.
    • Mr North Jersey March 5, 2013 at 4:51 pm

      http://i.ebayimg.com/t/Mets-vs-Padres-June-1-1975-Dairylea-Grandstand-Ticket-Stub-Shea-Stadium-/00/s/NTg3WDI2Nw==/$(KGrHqN,!icE8Mt()ZkiBPIDDC,PDQ~~60_3.JPG
      • Mr North Jersey March 5, 2013 at 4:53 pm

        Looks like you will have to copy & paste url to see the image.
    • gregg March 5, 2013 at 9:02 pm

      Van, thats exactly what I’m talking about. Drink 29 gallons of Dairylea milk and get a seat in the upper deck, lol. We were kids, we didn’t know much better and we thought it was the greatest thing…
• Mr North Jersey March 5, 2013 at 7:04 pm

  Off Topic: Check out the MLB Budweiser Cans.
  https://twitter.com/Budweiser/status/309010298373812224/photo/1