Introducing the Mets Yearbook Cover Derby!

[Benjamin Grimm]

Thank you again!

We're just about all set. All we need is the 2018 cover and we can get started.

It looks like there will be 62 covers in this competition. If that holds true, we'll have 31 first-round polls. The first-round winner with the best vote percentage will get a second-round bye and advance directly to the Sweet Sixteen.

This is being put together in a hurry, so we have yet to hear from the people in Stockholm regarding how the winning cover will be honored.

[G-Fafif]

seawolf17 wrote: The orange and blue #1 logo, interestingly, was designed by my uncle.

At the final game of the 2014 season, I encountered a gentleman carrying a giveaway bag bearing that logo from 25 summers before. Its truth was marching on.

[Benjamin Grimm]

41Forever wrote: Benjamin Grimm wrote: I found a nice 2017 yearbook image, so 41 Forever is off the hook. (Thanks, though!) No prob! Do you need the Spanish versions? There were two years, I think.

Do they have different-looking covers? If we can put two Spanish versions in the mix, that would get us to a nice NCAA-friendly count of 64.

[Guest 41Forever]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: Benjamin Grimm wrote: I found a nice 2017 yearbook image, so 41 Forever is off the hook. (Thanks, though!) No prob! Do you need the Spanish versions? There were two years, I think. Do they have different-looking covers? If we can put two Spanish versions in the mix, that would get us to a nice NCAA-friendly count of 64.

I believe they do! Will scan and send tonight.

[Guest d'Kong76]

41Forever wrote: Do you need the Spanish versions? There were two years, I think.

Through 1999, there were four. 1988 (same front cover as English), 1989 has different
photos and Mets logo baseball (I might not have this, now I'm gonna go all ocd), 1990
not sure what is on the cover and 1992 there's a bi-lingual edition Los Mets de Nueva
York with Bonilla pictured.

No idea if they continued after that.

[G-Fafif]

Might need a couple of play-ins.

[Frayed Knot]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: Benjamin Grimm wrote: I found a nice 2017 yearbook image, so 41 Forever is off the hook. (Thanks, though!) No prob! Do you need the Spanish versions? There were two years, I think. Do they have different-looking covers?

Yes, the Spanish cover is partially hidden behind a wall.

[Benjamin Grimm]

My greatest familiarity is with the covers of the 1970s and 1980s. By the 90s I was buying with less enthusiasm, and I stopped altogether a few years ago, when I realized I was bringing them home and putting them on a shelf with barely a glance inside.

There are some nice covers in the collection, and more than a few that are hideous. I already know which one is my own favorite. (I'll mention it when it appears in a poll.) I was pleased to see that not all of the more recent covers are as bad as I was thinking they were.

Unlike the Tabloid Cover Derby, these covers won't be presented in chronological order. (I don't want to start with 1962 vs. 1963, and then go to 1964 vs. 1965.)

I can either scramble them and we'd have random first-round assignments, or we can work from opposite ends: 1962 vs. 2018, 1963 vs. 2017, etc.

Thoughts?

[batmagadanleadoff]

No to 1st round chronological order matchups. Those Willard Mullin covers are among the best. Why don't you secretly seed them yourself and then have a 1 v 64, 2 v 63, etc. NCAA style bracket. Do that without telling us you did that.

OE--- I already know which is my fave. For many, many years.

[Edgy MD]

Yeah, I think treating 1962 as the top seed and 2018 as the bottom has merit. Without endorsing a favorite, I'd say that keeps like from matching up against like until the later rounds.

[Guest cooby]

Obviously, we think this exciting

[Frayed Knot]

I can either scramble them and we'd have random first-round assignments, or we can work from opposite ends: 1962 vs. 2018, 1963 vs. 2017, etc. Thoughts?

I think a totally random set-up would be the fairest way to go. Any other would tend to have some kind of bias, intended or otherwise.
And even though this can be set up like the college hoops tourney, there's no real seeding to do. Each year is its own entry but it's not like it pre-earned a right to face off against a particular level or era of opponent.

[MFS62]

Frayed Knot wrote: Yes, the Spanish cover is partially hidden behind a wall.

Don't worry. It is skilled at climbing.

Later

[Guest 41Forever]

Here you go! I don't have 1990 or 1991.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Excellent! Thank you!

The 1988 is the same design as the English-language version, but the 1989 is different.

[Guest d'Kong76]

Do you need one more for 64? I can look tomorrow if you do.

I'm in the random or 1962-2018 camp along with the other comments.
Matching the early year covers against each other in the opening rounds
wouldn't be fair to their greatness.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Yeah, I'm currently at 63, which isn't going to work. We'll either have to add a 64th cover, or I'll have to skip the one Spanish cover and go with one cover getting a first-round bye.

I'd rather extend to 64 if possible.

Another option would be to include the World Series programs from 1969, 1973, and 2015. (1986 and 2000 had generic MLB covers.) But they're not actually yearbooks, so I'm not sure if that would be appropriate. And the people in Stockholm aren't returning my calls. AND it would get us to 66, which is also problematic, but in a different way.

[Guest d'Kong76]

I have at least one more Spanish one, we'll see tomorrow if it's unique
enough to round out the 64.

Stockholm hmphh, we need to stage a coup and leave them but that's
for another time and place...

[Benjamin Grimm]

We'd all miss Maja.

[Zvon]

cooby wrote: Obviously, we think this exciting

Most obviously, this^.

[Benjamin Grimm]

I found the 1992 Spanish cover at this site: http://www.kcmets.com/MetsYearbooks.html

So we're all set. Just need to wait for the 2018 cover to be released. My prediction: Mickey Callaway, flanked by Syndergaard and deGrom.

[Guest d'Kong76]

Cool, I knew I had one somewhere haha!

[Benjamin Grimm]

Since this is going to take a couple of months to get through, I figured we might as well get started sooner rather than later. (There's also pressure from the home office to get this underway before the Daily News steals this idea as well.) The competition between the 1962 and 2018 covers will, of course, have to wait for 2018 to become available, but all remaining matchups will be presented, starting Friday, in random order.

As with the Tabloid Cover Derby, each voting thread will remain open for seven days. Because we have a full slate (as opposed to the downsized 2017 TCD) new threads will be started on weekends as well as on weekdays. If all goes according to schedule, this should keep us busy until around the All-Star break.

Here's the initial look at our brackets. The people in Stockholm apologize for the tiny cover images, but promise that they'll get bigger in subsequent rounds as more space opens up.

[Edgy MD]

I'm liking 1982's first round matchup!

[Guest d'Kong76]

Wow, looks cool!
Vote early, vote often. Oh wait, that's only in potus elections...

[Guest d'Kong76]

I'm surprised in this day and age the cover of the 2018 yearbook has not
surfaced somewhere online. I can't find one. I mean, surely they are all
printed and ready to go. Everything gets leaked nowadays. Not only that,
you'd think they'd be around for people who buy that stuff online and not at
games and team stores.

[Benjamin Grimm]

I did a search too. I found the 2018 Tigers yearbook cover, but not the Mets. You'd think it would be available to order from their website by now.

[Ceetar]

d'Kong76 wrote: I'm surprised in this day and age the cover of the 2018 yearbook has not surfaced somewhere online. I can't find one. I mean, surely they are all printed and ready to go. Everything gets leaked nowadays. Not only that, you'd think they'd be around for people who buy that stuff online and not at games and team stores.

Leaning heavily towards "no one cares enough to leak it"

the "what's new" event was yesterday. Stadium opens Thursday. They're probably switching gears right now, so perhaps it'll show up Monday?

[Benjamin Grimm]

Ceetar wrote: Leaning heavily towards "no one cares enough to leak it"

That's very possible. I myself don't even care about yearbook covers anymore, except for the purpose of this silly little project.

[Zvon]

If they don't release the yearbook cover soon I'll have to whip up my own. And that's not a promise, that's a warning.