SIXTH ANNUAL TABLOID COVER DERBY!

[Benjamin Grimm]

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[MFS62]

Munificent!

Later

[Lefty Specialist]

Excellent.



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[kcmets]

I particularly enjoy these because for the most part it's my first time seeing them. My

guess and hope is a Seaver cover will be a top contender. If the cutoff is after the team

sale, those should fare well too I imagine.

[Benjamin Grimm]

It goes back so far we'll even have Carlos Beltran covers to look at.

[Centerfield]

Smaller than ever. Lol.



Really looking forward to this. But since it's 2020 I'm guessing Ben's computer eats him about halfway through.

[bmfc1]

Do we have to vote in person or can we mail our ballots? I hope that there is no voter supression at work here, too!

[Benjamin Grimm]

This year all ballots will be thrown in the river.

[Benjamin Grimm]

We will get started on Friday morning, October 30. We'll then take a break for the weekend (since we'll be having fewer polls this year, as we did in 2017) and the second poll will be posted on Monday.

[Edgy MD]

I'm wearing a celebratory mask.

[whippoorwill]

Woooooo!

[whippoorwill]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: This year all ballots will be thrown in the river.

Hahaha

[Benjamin Grimm]

PREVIOUSLY, ON THE TABLOID COVER DERBY...



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[MFS62]

Newsday finally broke the Daily News streak.

Can the News recover the glory?

Can Newsday repeat?

Will there be a different outcome?

The tension builds.

Later

[Fman99]

I'm rigid with anticipation.

[Edgy MD]

This is good. My shower curtain is kind of getting moldy.



I hope we get some A-listers this year.

[whippoorwill]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: PREVIOUSLY, ON THE TABLOID COVER DERBY... http://leaptoad.com/mets/covers/previously_2015.png> http://leaptoad.com/mets/covers/previously_2016.png> http://leaptoad.com/mets/covers/previously_2017.png> http://leaptoad.com/mets/covers/previously_2018.png> http://leaptoad.com/mets/covers/previously_2019.png>

These are so funny!



That has to be the most boring reception area in the world other than the Tabloid Upgrades

[Benjamin Grimm]

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[Benjamin Grimm]

Just a reminder... because we have fewer polls this year, the 2020 Tabloid Cover Derby doesn't work weekends. So we'll resume on Monday.

[G-Fafif]

Meanwhile, in the quadrennial broadsheet cover derby...

[Frayed Knot]

The NYC tabs went with: IT'S JOE TIME (Post) and JOEBILATION (NYDN)

[G-Fafif]

[Benjamin Grimm]

We'll be able to vote on these covers beginning Friday, November 20, in the final poll of the first round.

[bmfc1]

BG,

I'm impressed at how up to date the covers are (through Cano) and how nicely the 1st round fit into a Monday to Friday schedule. I'm just wondering how it would be handled if somehow they signed, e.g., J.T. Realmuto today. Would there be another day of the 1st round or would that be considered for the 2021 Derby?

[Benjamin Grimm]

Thanks!



The field is now officially closed. Today was the last day to get an entry in for the 2020 Derby. Starting tomorrow, any new covers will, as you anticipated, be put aside for 2021.



To have the first round end on a Friday I cleverly posted the first of the 16 polls on a Friday, then took the weekend off.



This year's Derby has the fewest covers ever, only 204, breaking the record set in 2017 when there were 208 covers. 2017 and 2020 are the only years with only 16 first-round polls.



The New York Post, our only publication to yet win a title, was more aggressive this year. They have 83 of the 204 covers, while the Daily News has 72 and last year's champ, Newsday, has only 49. This is the first time that the News hasn't provided the most covers.

[th]Year[/th]	[th]Daily News[/th]	[th]New York Post[/th]	[th]Newsday[/th]	[th]Total Number of Covers[/th]
	2015		135		124		110		369
	2016		150		117		114		381
	2017		83		58		67		208
	2018		114		84		81		279
	2019		114		111		93		318
	2020		72		83		49		204

[Benjamin Grimm]

Would there be another day of the 1st round or would that be considered for the 2021 Derby?

The beat goes on. These will be the first three covers presented in the first round of the 2021 Tabloid Cover Derby:



http://leaptoad.com/mets/covers/2020/20201124_NSD_02.jpg> http://leaptoad.com/mets/covers/2020/20201124_NYDN_02.jpg> http://leaptoad.com/mets/covers/2020/20201124_NYP_02.jpg>

[bmfc1]

BG, at Tabloid HQ is there one team working on the 2020 Derby and another working on the 2021 Derby or do the same people (and maybe the horse) that are tabulating the results also pouring over the daily tabloid covers to determine eligibility for the subsequent year?

[Benjamin Grimm]

You know, I'd love to be able to answer that, but observers haven't been able to get within 35 feet of those who count the votes.



If you want to know more, you can go right to the source and ask the horse. He'll give you the answer that you endorse.



Problem is, the horse only speaks Swedish.

[G-Fafif]

And wears a mask, so his responses are a little muffled.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Here they are, the 16 first-round winners. The New York Post comes out strong, making a bid for its first Tabloid Cover Derby title.



We have seven covers from the Post, six from the Daily News, and only three from last year's champion, Newsday.



We have YOPENERS and YOPENING and NOPENING. We have WHAT A TREAT and WHAT A NIGHT. Two covers for Tom Seaver and three for Yoenis Cespedes and one for Carlos Beltran, the three of whom played a combined total of eight games for the Mets in 2020. We have two covers devoted to the outside of Citi Field and one that shows seats filled with cardboard cutouts.



Second-round voting will begin on Monday.



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