My friends the Mets have indeed sent me a press release which I am happy to share. I am very happy the Mets have decided to do a Fan Fest after all these years. Now if they could only win a World Series (while nicely dressed) I could shut down my stupid blog and go work on the Climate Emergency.
Having done a few fanfests – the line in the press release that says things will be announced later makes me think, from experience, that they felt they need to announce this but they don’t have everything in stone yet such as the “baseball topics.”
I also am looking forward to the 2020 Queens Baseball Convention which will have Jerry Koosman. In a guest post earlier today, Media Goon shared his thoughts about the Fan Fest.
So yeah, I hope Mets FanFest doesn’t kill QBC…but the whole point in the first place was to get the Mets to do a Fan Fest. Over the years the QBC took a life of its own and has become something very cool and very special. Hopefully both things can co-exist and fans can Mets It Up all winter. I know that The Big Brand will overshadow the fan-run QBC and make things more challenging for Dan and Keith (the QBC organizers). But I can also see where a two hour event run by Corporate is different than an all day love letter from the fans. I think both can exist, and the Mets holding A Fan Fest is a good thing.
I imagine someone will point to the price differences. Fair. The Mets one is for two hours. QBC is all day. The Mets can just make employee Carlos Beltran show up. QBC has to spend some coin to get someone like Jerry Koosman (or past players) to come. Also QBC doesn’t own a stadium. So the economics are different.
All that said, and I can tell you this as someone who wrote the checks the first two years, the Queens Baseball Convention is a labor of love. In year one we profited….wait for it…..sixty dollars. And we were happy to do the event. Had like three fewer people come we would have lost money. And we would have been happy to do it.
So yeah one is $20 and the other is, I don’t even know what QBC is this year but a little more, but they seem like they are two things that have some similarities and some differences. Kinda like the difference between watching The Energy Vamire interview Beltran, or reading a typical post over here. Some people prefer the former, some don’t….and some like both.
Support the Fan Fest, support the QBC. Be happy we have both events.
INAUGURAL METS FANFEST COMING TO CITI FIELD ON SATURDAY, JANUARY 25
FLUSHING, N.Y., November 25, 2019 – The Mets are excited to announce the Inaugural Mets FANFEST will take place at Citi Field on Saturday, January 25, 2020, and will feature appearances by new Manager Carlos Beltrán, current Mets’ players, Mets’ legends, as well as games, tours and other activities for the whole family.
“We are excited to be providing our fans and their families the opportunity to attend the very first Mets FANFEST on January 25th,” said Executive Vice President Lou DePaoli. “The day will be filled with fun activities for fans of all ages, including the opportunity to interact with our players, coaches, alumni, and broadcasters.”
Fans can take part in self-guided tours of Citi Field with stops that include the Mets home clubhouse, broadcast booths, press conference room and more. Young fans will have the chance to take swings in the visiting batting cages, interact with players, play video games and take photos with Mr. and Mrs. Met. Other events, including live panel discussions, will take place throughout the day.
Tickets for Mets FANFEST will go on sale for Mets’ season ticket holders at 10 a.m. Monday, December 2, and to the general public at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, December 3. Tickets for Mets FANFEST are $20 for adults and $5 for children 12 and under, and are available at mets.com/fanfest. Parking will be complimentary (spaces will be limited). There are a limited number of tickets available for this exclusive event, so fans are encouraged to act quickly.
SNY talent will be on-site and will host Mets Hot Stove discussion panels and interviews with current Mets and Mets alumni from 12 p.m.-2 p.m. There will be continuous programming throughout the afternoon including baseball topics, health, fitness and nutrition.
The event will be open exclusively for Mets season ticket holders and corporate partners between 9 a.m.-12 p.m., and to the general public from 12 p.m.-6 p.m.
In addition, special autograph experiences will be available for $25 per person per session. Proceeds from all autograph sessions will benefit the Mets Foundation. For more information regarding autograph sessions, please visit mets.com/fanfest.
More details regarding player appearances and event activities will be released later.
