I have been asked twice in the last hour about the Mets Maniac, so I have gotten off my deck and grabbed the laptop.
In the 1980s Mr. Met didn’t give a hoot about the Mets. He acts like he’s a big time Mets fan but he bailed during the late 70s. The Mets tried out Mettle the Mule, but for the 1980s they HAD NO MASCOT.
I was a vendor back in the late 80s and I can tell you there were two unofficial fan costumes walking around. One was the Mets Magician – a wizard of sorts in a blue wizard hat. Whatever you are imagining now, that’s it.
The other was the Mets Maniac!
The Mets Maniac would walk around rubbing his hands together (fidgeting) and I think I remember the Maniac having cross-eyes.
This is NOT an official Mets mascot, but was around frequently, as was the Wizard.
It would be years until Mr. Met would return to Shea Stadium, so the next time he claims to be a big fan ask him why he didn’t attend any games in the 80s.
You should all follow Mets Police as I talked about this in 2013.
You’re Welcome.
