Banner Day Banners of Yore

[Guest Edgy DC]

We go back to 1980 with this one, posted at Facebook by my friend Dave Keener.



Top ten things about this banner:

10) Dave may be a boy scout but he's too much of a 1980 individualist to don the neckerchief. (You know he listens to the Steve Miller Band.)

9) The desperately futile flail of that Met figure. (I guess him being a lefthanded whitey means it's Jorgenson.)

8) They carefully delineated the border, like it's a sheet of loose-leaf. They probably used the yardstick there that they failed to use to keep the names straight.

7) They barely squeezed the S at the end of "Queens," but did it with extra oomph.

6) Bill Almon gets knocked out of the list by Jorgenson's follow-through.

5) Matt's sassy wristband. It's the accessory of choice for the active child of 1980 to deal with nettlesome brow sweat.

4) In their zeal to execute the Mets insignia, they left the "York" out of "New York," but you know they noticed at the end and said "fuck it."

3) The cocky tilt to Dave's hips. He doesn't care what other banners are out there --- he's bringing his A game.

2) Jerry Morales, stuck in as an afterthought between Jorgensen's legs. Nobody ever sincerely rooted for poor Jerry.

1) Sexy Mr. Met in repose.

[Benjamin Grimm]

The first thing I noticed was the incorrect script M on the uniform.

Maybe they intended to say "New Mets", like Carlos Beltran would 25 years later.

[Guest metsguyinmichigan]

Joel Youngblood gets top billing!

I've always wondered why they killed off Banner Day. Fear of critical banners? Death of traditional double-headers?

[Guest Edgy DC]

Maybe they intended to say "New Mets", like Carlos Beltran would 25 years later.

Or "New NY Mets."

But an interesting thing here is that, though this is still a relatively young roster, there's almost no future awaiting these players, and about 75% of that future belongs to Jeff Reardon. Twenty percent can go to Claudell Washington (whose legs are gone, but still has a big contract with Atlanta ahead of him), and Mazzilli, Zachry, and Jorgenson still have some future as extra players on good teams, but that's about it.

I'm only assuming this is a Banner Day effort, but the simultaneous presence of Bill Almon (signed July 11) and Jos� Cardenal (released August 13) narrows us down to about a month. (This was a very hot period of baseball for the Mets, where they flirted with .500-ness and third place.) And within that month, it would presumably be while the Mets were home.

But I check UMDB see only one Sunday doubleheader in that span --- a sweep of the cards July 13. I check the memories to see if anyone recalled it being banner day and I get this.

JOEY May 19, 2005 I played centerfield on the NY Playboy Bunnies team at half time against the Bayside Federal Savings Bank for a charity fund raiser. I met Lee Mazzilli that day and after he saw me he hit 2 home runs! Whatta man!

Doesn't sound like Banner Day --- or Boy Scout Day, for that matter.

You have a series of games there on your UMDB schedule marked not in orange for home or white for the road, but in tan. What's that about?

[Benjamin Grimm]

Those are the games that weren't played in the month that's being displayed. They're shaded grey for road games and that dark tan color for home games.

At times I've toyed with the idea of tracking promotional events (at least, as scheduled) in the UMDB as well as ticket prices. I'll probably get to both some day. I have most of the yearbooks from the past and can probably get some help here for the few I'm missing.


And Michigan, my guess is that it was the end of scheduled doubleheaders that killed Banner Day. Though I wouldn't be surprised if the new WFAN-inspired mentality caused banners to be more angst-ridden and less optimistic, which would have spoiled a lot of the fun.

[Ceetar]

You don't even see a lot of banners on regular days anymore. Which I think is one of the big reasons the Mets don't consider bringing it back.

[Gwreck]

The reduction in signs/banners at Mets games is largely a factor of the new ballpark, particularly because there are fewer places to hang them and security is vigilant about refusing to let people hang them up.

[metirish]

On it's own it's a great picture/banner, but your observations make it all the better...

[metirish]

Top songs of 1980.....not feeling Steve Miller here.....more like Joy Division, it's in his eyes I think, that angst that Joy Division captured so well ,a s did the 1980 Mets I suppose.


Ask him who he was in to back then.

http://www.musicimprint.com/Chart.aspx?id=C000150

[ashie62]

My first was 1969. We took a bed sheet and painted three race cars with Mr. Met driving the "lead" car.

[G-Fafif]

Banner Day in 1980 was June 8 against the Pirates.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Which makes this a free radical. Awesome.

metirish wrote: Ask him who he was in to back then.

I'm certain the answer would be the Beatles. Most of us in the US didn't discover Joy Division until New Order happened.

[Theoldmole]

My brother did a great one, in 1970 -- "The Founding Fathers of the Mets Revolution" -- the classic painting, with Hodges, Seaver, Agee, etc. taking the place of the originals.

[Guest Edgy DC]

This guy took his banner day seriously.

[stevejrogers]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: And Michigan, my guess is that it was the end of scheduled doubleheaders that killed Banner Day. Though I wouldn't be surprised if the new WFAN-inspired mentality caused banners to be more angst-ridden and less optimistic, which would have spoiled a lot of the fun.

Probably best that they did when they did now that I think of it. I don't think I want to know what Internet Communities inspired angst ridden banners could be like!

[G-Fafif]

Once had a discussion with TPTB on this topic and they claim doubleheaders' extinction killed Banner Day, even though they kept it going for several years as a pregame parade.

If Metsies wanted to be really proactive, they'd say screw it and schedule a Banner Day Doubleheader.

[ashie62]

G-Fafif wrote: Once had a discussion with TPTB on this topic and they claim doubleheaders' extinction killed Banner Day, even though they kept it going for several years as a pregame parade. If Metsies wanted to be really proactive, they'd say screw it and schedule a Banner Day Doubleheader.

Now had hard would that be?

[Guest Edgy DC]

As easy as going out and finding more banners and plackards on the internet.

[Gwreck]

Ashie62 wrote: Now had hard would that be?

Impossible, as the agreement with the player's union prohibits scheduled doubleheaders.

[Guest Edgy DC]

So... it's actually easier to go out and find Banner Day banners on the internet?

Hey! Check out who drank the 1992 Kool-Aid!

[ashie62]

Gwreck wrote: Ashie62 wrote: Now had hard would that be? Impossible, as the agreement with the player's union prohibits scheduled doubleheaders.

really? wow... What a bunch of wusses.

[Guest Edgy DC]

If it's my union, I'd say that more doubleheaders on Sundays mean more Mondays off.

[Theoldmole]

Maybe they should make Ernie Banks the next exec director of the union.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Edgy DC wrote: So... it's actually easier to go out and find Banner Day banners on the internet? Hey! Check out who drank the 1992 Kool-Aid!

Good God, that's a disproportionate amount of effort expended.

The artist put more honest work in that year than at least two of those guys.

[G-Fafif]

The scheduled doubleheader can be done. The Oakland A's are doing it this very year, details here and here.

From the A's vp of marketing and sales Jim Leahey:

In certain cases, you must have player union approval and in others it is not required (depending on timing of previous day�s game). In this case, yes, we worked with the Players Union. We also worked with the league and the Angels. The good news is that we gained an extra day off for the players coming out of the All-Star break so that made it attractive to all. We also have days off following the series which will help us maintain a normal five-man rotation.

That settles it: 2012, Fiftieth Anniversary Season, Most Metsian Tradition (besides blowing playoff spots on last days of seasons) -- the Banner Day Doubleheader must return.

[bmfc1]

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: The artist put more honest work in that year than at least two of those guys.

Very funny comment, LWFS.

And G-Fafif is right. Since the Mets brass won't think of this on their own, this should become a cause celebre by the fans.

[Guest Edgy DC]

"

.

"Holy crap, they're carrying 11 pitchers!"