G-Fafif

metsguyinmichigan wrote: G-Fafif wrote: The Wilpon/Wilpon era accelerated the deMetsification of the franchise. Banner Day had been allowed to lapse while Doubleday was still around. Old Timers Day disappeared while Doubleday was still around. Blue and orange was blackened while Doubleday was still around. So it can't all be blamed on the second W. But the determination to ignore the traditions and the heritage hardened post-2002 and took years of carping from the peanut gallery -- and the fact that they needed something/anything to distract us from the lack of a competitive product -- to reverse course. Part of it is the well-documented and often commented-upon obsession the principal owner has for the team of his childhood and how that obfuscated properly tending the legacy of the team he actually owns, part is the intimidation the franchise as a whole suffered in the face of MFY hegemony in the runup to the construction of Citi Field and part is generally faulty institutional memory. I've been told by those who made some of the decisions that were antithetical to Metsian equity that, in so many words, a) people don't care about those things (that is we doubt we can sell an extra 'x'-thousand tickets right away if we schedule this or that); and the MFYs already do that and we're not the MFYs and that thing you're asking about is associated with the MFYs. MFYs on the brain directly explains why you didn't see blue walls when Citi Field opened and, to a certain degree, why you haven't seen a 40th anniversary celebration of the You Gotta Believe pennant (unless you want to count the Playing Cards giveaway, sponsored by Caesars). The concomitant belief among ownership and upper management that whatever the Mets have in their annals doesn't really matter when compared to all those rings, et al, is probably why blue and orange did not become fully prominent in the Met palette again until 2012. And why Banner Day comes on little cat feet instead of striding proudly through the center field gate. And why the Mets Hall of Fame was allowed to idle for eight years as Gooden, Strawberry, Johnson and Cashen went unrecognized nearly a quarter-century after their greatest accomplishments. I've also been told there's a simple clerical reason why so often "This Date in Mets History" blurbs on the video screen are wrong (the other night Jim Hickman was credited as driving in a big run for the 1969 Mets), but when you get right down to it, you have an organization that never stops to think about the details that go into making a thing people love a thing people love. Or to put it more corporately and coldly, they're horrendous brand managers. If I ran the Mets, I would create a position called vice president of tradition and fan experience, and GFAFIF would be the only person interviewed. He would have an office next to mine and authority to roam the stadium and order changes to anything and everything, except for the fridge of Diet Coke in my office, my lone act of rebellion. G, what would you do, assuming you accepted my job offer? (Pay is somewhere between David Wright and Juan Lagares, closer to Lagares.) If I was paid enough, the beverages with which people stock their fridges would no longer be an overriding professional concern of mine. I'll get back to you on specifics.

A bit on the cereal thing here.

In the '70s, NBC shows would be listed in the Metro NY TV Guide as airing on Channels 4 and 20, 20 getting the clear-TV screen treatment. Try as I might, I never got 20 to come in on the South Shore of Long Island. Now and again you could pick up 3 or 8. I loved that the Mets were important enough to have a channel in Connecticut airing their games.

batmagadanleadoff wrote: Citi Field is soggy free. The seats are numbered accurately. The divider-less urinals flush OK. And the elevators don't get stuck in between levels. Puddles form and sit like crazy in the front rows of Promenade well after a decent rain. Gotta be careful on some of those staircases that lead to the seats behind home plate on that level. Less soggy than good old Shea, to be sure, but not sogless by any means. How much would have dividers in the proletariat men's rooms cost anyway? Not installing them was a subtle dismissive "eff you" to the people who couldn't buy seats in the fancier sections.

metsguyinmichigan wrote: VHF in the NYC area was six working channels 2, 4, 7, 5, 9, 11 and 13. And in the pre cable era, that was about as good as it got. Oh man, and in the pre-remote control days, there was that dial that my sisters would spin through so quickly that it would eventually break and we'd need pliers to turn the knob! I remember 2 was CBS, 4 was NBC, 7 was ABC, 9 was WOR, and 11 was WPIX, with 13 being public television -- which Billy Joel immortalized in "Pressure," one of his cool New York references. But what were channel 5's letters? WNEW.

The Wilpon/Wilpon era accelerated the deMetsification of the franchise. Banner Day had been allowed to lapse while Doubleday was still around. Old Timers Day disappeared while Doubleday was still around. Blue and orange was blackened while Doubleday was still around. So it can't all be blamed on the second W. But the determination to ignore the traditions and the heritage hardened post-2002 and took years of carping from the peanut gallery -- and the fact that they needed something/anything to distract us from the lack of a competitive product -- to reverse course. Part of it is the well-documented and often commented-upon obsession the principal owner has for the team of his childhood and how that obfuscated properly tending the legacy of the team he actually owns, part is the intimidation the franchise as a whole suffered in the face of MFY hegemony in the runup to the construction of Citi Field and part is generally faulty institutional memory. I've been told by those who made some of the decisions that were antithetical to Metsian equity that, in so many words, a) people don't care about those things (that is we doubt we can sell an extra 'x'-thousand tickets right away if we schedule this or that); and the MFYs already do that and we're not the MFYs and that thing you're asking about is associated with the MFYs. MFYs on the brain directly explains why you didn't see blue walls when Citi Field opened and, to a certain degree, why you haven't seen a 40th anniversary celebration of the You Gotta Believe pennant (unless you want to count the Playing Cards giveaway, sponsored by Caesars). The concomitant belief among ownership and upper management that whatever the Mets have in their annals doesn't really matter when compared to all those rings, et al, is probably why blue and orange did not become fully prominent in the Met palette again until 2012. And why Banner Day comes on little cat feet instead of striding proudly through the center field gate. And why the Mets Hall of Fame was allowed to idle for eight years as Gooden, Strawberry, Johnson and Cashen went unrecognized nearly a quarter-century after their greatest accomplishments. I've also been told there's a simple clerical reason why so often "This Date in Mets History" blurbs on the video screen are wrong (the other night Jim Hickman was credited as driving in a big run for the 1969 Mets), but when you get right down to it, you have an organization that never stops to think about the details that go into making a thing people love a thing people love. Or to put it more corporately and coldly, they're horrendous brand managers.

Only the second-most pathetic four-game series at Citi Field of which I attended three-quarters (all but the Wheeler start). The August sweep by the Rockies last year was slightly worse. Nats can slug, Mets can't hit, the paid attendance figures were fraudulent and there ya go. Perhaps 400 people remained by finale's end. FF pretty clearly intentionally plunked Werth. It earned him half a Schaefer point from me.

Box Harang 3.0 Recker 1.5 Young 1.0 Murphy 0.5 Duda 0.5 Baxter 0.5 Francisco 0.5

batmagadanleadoff wrote: batmagadanleadoff wrote: Another tough one, especially for the younger members of this forum, who might not have ever seen this ex Met hatless and in a Braves uniform. Twice in the last two season I've met historically well-informed younger Mets fans who persist in referring to Mee-yan as "Mil-lahn." (The veteran narrator of the audio version of my first book did the same.)

batmagadanleadoff wrote: More scenery from the Sadecki spot, including a white house structure. If that's the structure I'm thinking of, it's been there since the Mets took over the joint, back in 1962. I remember the game when this Toppless fringe Met got his first major league hit. In front of the home crowd at Shea Stadium, he singled in his first ever at bat. It was either a grounder past the infielders or a line drive that first bounced in the deep part of the infield. I believe that structure and its out-of-the-frame twin are known as the Lute Barn(e)s.

Armando Reynoso scurries to lead his Colorado Rockies into the non-championship parade, their 2013 championship considerations having actually evaporated hours before Marv Throneberry's New York Mets did on September 11, but you know how Marv is about paying heed to generally accepted running and marching routes.

Box o' nuttin'. Wheeler 3.5 Lagares 0.5 Hawkins 0.5

Yeah, Marv Throneberry knows why he was asked to lead his New York Mets into the non-championship parade. They were eliminated from 2013 championship consideration on the evening of September 11. They didn't touch second, either.

Zack makes trouble for self, overcomes it in first.

From the Post, 9/27/2001 (free abstract of article in their archives): It began Tuesday, when [Mike Stanton] said of the Yanks' contributions to the relief efforts, "It's not about oneupsmanship, it's not a PR ploy" - comments the Mets perceived as a shot at their public displays of helping out. Yesterday, Stanton said, "I don't think I have anything to apologize for." He conceded he mentioned the Mets specifically in comments, but that his words were taken out of context. Both organizations have done a great deal in the wake of the Trade Center tragedy. Shea Stadium was used as a staging area, and the Mets helped there. Both clubs visited Ground Zero and area firehouses. Both teams donated money, although the Mets' donation of a day's pay was publicized. From the Hartford Courant of 9/30/2001: Completing the oddness of the last week were the stories in New York about a Mets-Yankees rivalry regarding who was doing the most to help. Player rep Mike Stanton said the Yankees would keep their donations private, rather than make it a "PR ploy," and Mets manager Bobby Valentine said that was a "weak comment." Privately, Yankee players were angry at Valentine, believing he had taken Stanton's remarks out of context and fueled the controversy. Silly to snipe over then. Silly to snipe over now. Mets were first on the ground. MFYs did their part eventually. Of course MFYs became the story because they're MFYs and it's the last 20 years. Bobby V tends to rearrange facts and enhance opinions when relating stories from long ago. He let his vague recollection run away with itself. Sorry it looks bad. By all accounts few in a position like his did more when it counted.

The hosts: Eric Young Jr., lf Juan Lagares, rf Daniel Murphy, 2b Lucas Duda, 1b Josh Satin, 3b Matt den Dekker, cf Travis d'Arnaud, c Ruben Tejada, ss Zack Wheeler, rhp

The visitors: Denard Span, cf Ryan Zimmerman, 3b Jayson Werth, rf Bryce Harper, lf Ian Desmond, ss Adam LaRoche, 1b Wilson Ramos, c Anthony Rendon, 2b Dan Haren, rhp

Jeff Kent has jumped on his motorcycle to lead the no-longer-defending World Champion San Francisco Giants into the non-championship parade, coinciding with the Giants' elimination from 2013 championship consideration the afternoon of September 11. UPDATE: Kent denies he's on his motorcycle, but insists he's driving his freshly washed pickup truck.

Penultimate game managed in Queens by winningest manager in Mets history.

Grote, Stearns and Hundley were all offensively inept in their earliest auditions. The poll does not give the easy "too early to say" way out, but it is.

Sitting diametrically opposite the band, I'd have to say the planes. But the band was persistent in its obliviousness to what was transpiring on the field.

Paid $12.70, fees included, for the first row of Promenade behind home plate, 516, on StubHub. Flashed my Citi card and received the Tuesday night $10 card for concessions. So $2.70 for a very good view of a slightly not altogether awful ballgame. Couldn't beat the weather. I enjoyed the glimpses of d'Arnaud and den Dekker doing their respective things and extrapolated their potential in my dreams. I admired Gee not totally falling apart when he could have, Feliciano coaxing a DP, Black with a scoreless inning, Francisco finding his way back...I didn't even really mind Hairston's home run, exactly, as I kind of knew it was coming and its landing spot reminded me of the one he hit the day of Dana Brand's Shea-marker memorial (we sat in LF Landing then and he hit it practically right to us). I'll give most ex-Mets a pass for one HR upon return provided it's not killing us or it's not hit in MFY gray. My buddy Rob and I extended our streak of at least one game a year attended together to 19. Seems most years lately we wait until September to put it in the books. Certainly allows for quiet during which to conduct conversations. After two consecutive nights of watching up close and personally as the Nats bashed eight home runs, I have to admit I'm impressed in a gawking at the carnival manner at how hard they're hitting the ball. I don't endorse it, but it's actually objectively impressive. Can't get too worked up over Torres or Gee giving them up given their recent track records. Greg Burke on the other hand can return to his submarine at any time. Noticed airplanes overhead almost nonstop, as if they were waiting for the US Open to clear out before they knew they wouldn't disturb anybody. It was the most planes I can recall flying directly overhead at Citi Field. Kind of a Shea throwback, if one is charitable. More discordant, noisewise, was that there was a cover band concert going on inside the ballpark for most of the game. Reminded me of the cheerleaders in Bring It On deciding to use their school's football games as practice for their own competitions. Waiting in Section 109 of Citi Field Tuesday evening, 17-year-old Sydney Schizzano admitted that she was pretty nervous. She and 13 other students from Rock and Roll University in Hauppauge were about to join a list that included Dave Matthews Band and Sir Paul McCartney. �It�s the waiting that�s the worst part,� said Schizzano, of Smithtown. Not only was the group about to perform an 8-minute concert before the start of the New York Mets game versus the Washington Nationals, but Schizzano, one of the oldest in the group, had also been tapped to sing the national anthem. Schizzano has been singing since she was 6. Her first gig was providing vocals for her uncle�s cable TV show, �Kid Fitness,� and she�s performed at numerous showcases and events with Rock and Roll University during the past two years. �This venue is definitely the most exciting and threatening at the same time,� she said. Meanwhile, the group�s youngest member, Brandon Niederauer, 10, of Dix Hills, kept cool by eating ice cream out of a bowl shaped like a Mets baseball cap as he waited. Although Niederauer, who goes by the nickname �Taz,� only started playing guitar a few years ago, Bill Mignoli, Rock and Roll University�s music director, said he is a natural talent. The fifth grader has already performed at the House of Blues in New Orleans and with members of the Allman Brothers Band. Although the school, which opened in the summer of 2011, has more than 200 students of various ages and experience levels, Mignoli said the group selected to perform Tuesday is �the absolute best of the best.� The opportunity to play at Citi Field came after Mignoli, 52, of Hicksville, received a call from a group ticket sales rep for the Mets. Mignoli said he told the rep he�d consider a group tickets package for his students and their families only if the school could perform on the field. Weeks later, he said he was surprised to learn his proposal was actually accepted. �Many of the things I have done in my life that have turned out to be successful have been on a lark and this was one of those things,� he said. With both teams in their respective dugouts and a few thousand people in the stands, the group performed four songs � Journey�s �Don�t Stop Believin�,� Stevie Wonder�s �Higher Ground� and �I Wish,� and Guns N� Roses� �Sweet Child O� Mine� -- on the field minutes before the game. Their sound included electric guitars, keyboards, drums, saxophones and a trombone. Then, after Schizzano sang the anthem, the band reunited on the Pepsi Porch that overlooks the outfield, where they played throughout the duration of the game for family, friends, fellow students and Mets fans. �We got out there and killed it,� said guitarist Anthony Sexton, 17, of Lake Grove, who is both a student and instructor at the school. �We rehearsed for months, so all that hard work paid off.� Niederauer described the experience as �awesome� and �once in a lifetime.� �It was just really fun,� he said. �What kids get to perform at Citi Field?� Only truly sour note (besides the final score): The "This Date in Mets History" feature on the video screen reported Jim Hickman drove in the winning run in the nightcap of the sweep that put the Mets in first place for the first time ever in 1969. Neat trick, given that Hickman was on the Cubs by then.

Also, WCBS can return to the Fafif household's good graces after a dozen-year absence.

Edgy MD wrote: From 1978 to 1983, most of the Torre and Bamberger eras. It surprises me how few remember they were ever there. I almost got drummed off the MOFo in my first year there referencing WMCA and getting tagged as a confused Yankee fan. Mets moved back to WHN in 1983, having been there from '64 to '66 and again from '72 to '74, so 'MCA era was '78-'82. Prior to that, 'MCA had the MFYs; they moved to WINS in 1978 en route to WABC (original home of the Mets, '62-'63) in 1981, where they stayed through 2001. Mets were on 'NEW from '75 to '77 -- with allowances for midweek day games on WRVR-FM in 1975 and WNYC-AM in 1976. And of course WHN became WFAN in 1987, WFAN moved to WNBC's frequency in 1988 and that's been that, save for a few spillover/conflict games on WEVD (pre-ESPN Radio) and later WBBR. In 2014, WFAN can rot in hell.

Ken Sanders has been awarded the honor of leading the Milwaukee Brewers into the non-championship parade following their exit from 2013 championship contention on September 10.