This is really really cool. I’m going to do a long excerpt here, not to be a thief, but I think it’s an awesome idea, and the author would want the word to get out there. Professor Brand, I salute you!
I excerpt from and highly encourage you to click the link for:
The Proposal for the Hofstra Conference on the 50th Anniversary of the New York Mets
Among the sessions we would expect to see at the conference are these: The Origins of the Mets (how the team was created); The Roots and Mythology of Mets Fandom (the way in which the fan cultures of the Dodgers and Giants merged in the early sixties, why didn’t these people become Yankees fans when the National League teams left? How has their image and personality changed or remained the same over the years?); The Creation of the Image of the underdog Amazin’ Mets in the Early 1960s; The 1969 Miracle Mets Season: How it Happened, What it Meant to People, How It Survives as a Cultural Metaphor; The Mets in Subsequent Eras (sessions on the distinctive character, myths, and dynamics of such identifiable Mets eras as 1970-76, 1977-83, 1984-1990, 1991-1996, 1997-2001, 2002-2005, 2006-present); The Mets and Queens; The Mets and Long Island; The Mets and the Yankees; The Mets in Film; The Mets in Literature; The Mets on TV (“Seinfeld†and “Everybody Loves Raymondâ€); The Mets and the Culture and Politics of New York City; Mets Broadcasting; Mets Journalism; Famous Fans (obscure people who have become famous as Mets fans); Famous Fans (famous people who have made their Mets fandom into an important part of their persona); Integration, Cultural Diversity, and the Mets; The Mets and New York’s Latin Community; The Defining Moments in the History of the Mets; Mets Controversies; Shea Stadium; Mets Internet Forums; The Mets Blogosphere, etc. Anyone would be able to apply to make a presentation at the conference or to chair a session, but rigorous standards would be applied to make certain that all sessions were serious and intellectually substantial.
Please click the blue link for the entire post, great great job, and always seeking to be honorable, full credit to Mike’s Mets for being the blog on which I saw this.
Mike goes on to talk about the good old 1970s era Mets, my personal favorites.
http://www.mikesmets.com/2008/06/respect_for_the_past_shouldn.html
