Here’s the link…I haven’t even read it yet. You guys read, digest, and I will share my thoughts in a tad.
But throughout this 13-year black-and-blue war, one question has gone unanswered: What was the genesis of the Mets’ BFBS program? Did it start with team owner Fred Wilpon? Equipment manager Charlie Samuels? Some grunt in the marketing department? The MLB Properties office?
At long last, Uni Watch has the answer. And it’s a revealing story — not just about the Mets, but about how uniform decisions get made in general.
I guess we can trace the re-emergence of home blue to Samuels’ firing. Hopefully we can see blue on the road in ’12.
I don’t mind the black as alternate, but the current royal blue hats are perfect and should be worn at least 80% of the time.
I am a supporter of the black, but think that the blue caps should be a shade darker that they are (as they originally were).
“Geez, the Yankees are outselling us something fierce at Modell’s.”
“Could it be because they won the World Series in 1996 while we were finishing with a losing record for the sixth conecutive season?”
“Don’t be an idiot! It’s obviously because people don’t like royal blue! Let’s overhaul our design completely!”
Never mind Madoff. This is why the team needs to be sold.
(And I don’t hate the black, either. But I do hate the reasoning. “Shadow” story is intriguing though.)
halfacre on the black jersey:
once a month or so? that would still be six times too many
samuels is STILL PE#1, but i gotta still fault halfacre (who actually sounds like a decent guy) at least as much…
I can’t kill Halfacre – he was doing his job.
To me Mark Bingham is still Public Enemey #1 – he was the marketing “genius” that first concocted the whole black in the uni idea for the Mets
https://metspolice.com/2011/03/30/secret-horrible-origins-of-the-black-mets-uniforms/
Samuels you could call PE #1A for taking it to another level
This line: “”The Yankees represent America,” Ms. Lowell said,” reminded me of a brief encounter, during the first week of Nov. 2000, in the middle of Bizerte, Tunisia.
This old local guy was walking toward us wearing a Yankees’ cap. I, of course, immediately asked him who won the series (we spent the previous two weeks out in the middle of nowhere, doing Dirt Dart things). Of course he was clueless to what I was talking about, but, did offer procure us some pot, has, or hookers (in any combination. We declined his offer, though we were amused by his entrepreneurial spirit.
Wish Lucas had asked Halfacre about what light he could shed on the adoption of the snow-whites.
And, what part AIS played in the demised of the swoosh tailed “Mets” home jersey and script swoosh tailed “New York” road jersey.
You can’t blame Halfacre. Per his story, he actually minimized the damage the last-place Mets/Samuels were insistent upon doing to the uniform.
OK, so the dropshadows were his idea. I don’t like ’em, but that’s the least offensive element of the Black Plague. The last-place team/Samuels did the cap, requested the black jersey, wanted the midnight logo, and decided to start using the belt/sleeves/socks (which I hate above all).
The only way you can pin this on Halfacre is by assuming if he didn’t come through with the dropshadow idea, the Mets would have given up altogether on black, which is doubtful. Judging from that interview, it’s still Samuels’ fault above anyone else’s.
Truthfully, the blue cap with the dropshadow intrigues me (at least as an alternative to the hybrid). I may have to mock one up to see how it looks.
you mean for the roads?
like they wore for one game in 2008 (last game in OYS)?
that’s a great look…i would have no problem if they wore that on the road
oh wait…you mean an actual BLUE CAP with dropshadow on it
sorry…was thinking you mean the unis…carry on
ok…this is really a really crappy Q&D, but were you thinking of something like this? (or a reasonable facsimile)
Exactly. I could live with that as the “black” version, but it’s easy to see why they didn’t do it. It’s not really different enough to justify its existence and nobody’s going to rush out and buy that if they weren’t into the regular cap in the first place.
Still, though, the civilian sales end of it could’ve easily been addressed in other ways besides making everything black. Return to the more muted blue. Do a reverse-Tigers and have a road cap with a white NY. Have a grey road cap. Hell, keep the ice cream man caps. Push the fashion caps. Anything besides the hybrid we ended up with.
what i want to know is excatly why they couldn’t wear this if they just had to go black?
was it:
1) too much like the departed giants, especially for the wilpon/samuels’ taste
b) just too damn good looking for the mets
iii) the proceeds from any retail sales would have to actually go to the giants (some kind of copyright infringement?) — although, they appropriated the “giants'” NY, so i don’t see how the mets don’t already “own” that logo
or
D) all/some/none of the above
i gotta think there’s no copyright issues anymore…if thats not already NYM property, it’s gotta be in the public domain, no? multiple layered and white (or blue or orange) outlines look like shit on a cap…and drop shadow is almost as bad..i could live with the blue cap, orange letters and dropshadow if they did nothing else, but i still see no reason to mess with the perfection that is the current blue/orange cap
a blue hat with a dropshadow did exist very briefly in the team’s history. it was their alternate BP cap in 1999. i own it and i’ll snap a picture tonight and send it shannon’s way.
I vaguely remember a BP hat in the late 90’s/early 00’s that was blue with orange NY and a dropshadow…
As mentioned above:
http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-ERA-MLB-NEW-YORK-METS-HAT-5950-7-1-4-BASEBALL-MESH-/220783082739?pt=US_Baseball_Fan_Shop&hash=item3367b27cf3
that’s the one i was referencing as well.
the on-field hat was constructed a little differently (the mesh was finer)than the retail 59/50, but same design.
yeah…but that one has the white outline, which looks like shit
frankly, imho, the mets blue with orange is GORGEOUS and doesn’t need any dropshadow, and CERTAINLY not any white outline
Best hat in baseball IMO.
Agree totally on the white outline.