Lengthy post here folks. The official press release for today.
METS ANNOUNCE 50TH ANNIVERSARY PLANS FOR 2012
New Logo, Redesigned Uniforms to Celebrate Mets History
Banner Day to Highlight Mets 50th Anniversary Themed Promotions
Fans Can Share Photos at Mets50.com and Enter to Win a Pair of 2012 Season Tickets
FLUSHING, N.Y., November 16, 2011 – The New York Mets today announced plans to celebrate their 50th Anniversary next season unveiling a commemorative logo, introducing redesigned uniforms, revealing a series of promotional giveaways, and launching an interactive online campaign focused on Mets fans and their memories.
The Mets played their first game on April 11, 1962 and six Season Ticket Holders from the club’s inaugural season joined the Mets in making today’s announcement in the Caesars Club at Citi Field. Mets third baseman David Wright, first baseman Ike Davis and outfielder Lucas Duda were also present and each modeled the uniforms during the event, which was emceed by Howie Rose, the radio voice of the Mets.
Logo
The Mets 50th Anniversary logo incorporates the basic elements of the original blue and orange skyline logo, which was introduced 50 years ago today, with gold accents in celebration of the franchise’s golden anniversary. The logo will be affixed to player jerseys on the left sleeve, replacing the primary logo for the anniversary season, and on the back of blue game caps.
Uniforms
The Mets this coming season will wear new home pinstripe, white and road grey uniforms reflecting the look of the original uniforms from their inaugural season. The black dropshadow will be removed from the Mets script logo, letters and numbers. The pinstripe uniform will be the primary home uniform with the white and black alternate jerseys worn on select dates. The blue cap will be worn with the home pinstripes and white uniforms, and the road grey uniforms. The team will also wear a new blue and orange batting practice jersey.
The redesigned uniforms and a wide selection of Mets 50th Anniversary merchandise including t-shirts and patches are on sale starting today exclusively at the Mets Team Store at Citi Field, Mets.com and at Mets Clubhouse Shops. Fans purchasing a new jersey today at the Mets Team Store at Citi Field will receive 50% off any Authentic Collection jacket.
Promotional Schedule
The return of Banner Day headlines a series of promotions recognizing Mets history. Banner Day, which began in 1963, will feature a Mets 50th Anniversary theme with fans parading around the warning track with signs expressing their favorite Mets memory. The Mets will announce the date of Banner Day in the weeks ahead.
The Mets will celebrate each decade of Mets history with a series of alumni bobblehead giveaways. Mets legend and Hall of Famer Tom Seaver will kick off the series in April.
The Mets full promotional schedule for the 2012 season will include commemorative items featuring the 50th Anniversary logo on caps, t-shirts and collectibles. Mets fans will get the chance to choose a commemorative promotional item through an online vote, which will launch during Spring Training.
Mets50.com Web Site
The Mets today launched Mets50.com which will serve as the hub for all Mets 50th Anniversary news and content. Fans will be encouraged to visit the site and share photos of their favorite Mets memories to enter the “FANtastic at 50” sweepstakes to win a pair of 2012 Mets Season Tickets. Other features during the season will include an interactive timeline detailing significant moments through Mets history, “This Date in Mets History,” and archival footage from important Mets moments from the past 50 years.
Mets 50th Anniversary Ticket Packs
A limited number of Mets 50th Anniversary Ticket Packs will go on sale Monday, November 28 exclusively online at Mets.com. The five-game plans start at $50.
Mets Alumni Association Presented by Citi
The Mets Alumni Association Presented by Citi will make multiple appearances throughout the season in concert with the 50th Anniversary season long celebration.
No. 50 Jersey Giveaway and In-Park Elements
A lucky fan at each home game will receive an authentic No. 50 jersey embroidered with the name “FANTASTIC.” The Season Ticket Holders from 1962 present for today’s announcement received these jerseys as a thank you for their loyalty.
In-park entertainment during Mets games next season will feature highlights from the past 50 years, trivia and other programming on Citi Vision.
Mets Hall of Fame & Museum
New exhibits featuring artifacts focusing on the Mets 50th Anniversary will be installed in the Mets Hall of Fame & Museum in time for Opening Day, Thursday, April 5, 2012.
– Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
LOVE the new jerseys, but can’t decide on whether to get the white or pinstriped. Generally, I prefer to go for home jerseys, but the white one is SO good looking…
Funny though that the pinstripe in the shop still has the black dropshadow 🙂
http://shop.mlb.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3871197&cp=12396343
For those of us who have been loyalists to this website for years, we should all be tipping our caps to Shannon Shark today. There is no doubt in my mind that much of what we’re getting today – including and finally blue caps back on the road – is due to Shannon’s constant hard work. He never let this issue go for us – and it’s he who deserves so much credit. He won’t buy into it – but I think we all know he deserves the accolades. Thank you, Shannon. Thank you.
agreed! and i think you can add banner day to that as well. Thanks for everything Shannon!
Agreed – kudos to Shannon. I remain on Jose Reyes suicide watch and will very down on this franchise, but you can’t fault Shannon’s tenacity on these fan issues. Well done!
Btw, Shannon – it looks to me like the blue on the unis has been adjusted – the deeper, old 60s blue. Can you confirm?
Today is a happy day a long bitter fight over. For years of railing on the black in Mets uniforms and people telling me it didn’t matter, and I was worrying about silly things I came to this site and found a home to air my feelings on this stuff. And found that I was not alone in my feelings. Shannon YOU DID IT! Now I feel like I got my baseball team back, looking as they did when I was a kid They have their identity back. Shannon I’m giving you all the credit you even got banner day back! Job well done! Relish in your victory you deserve it.
On the road, the Mets will look better than any team in MLB.
I would have preferred the pinstripes be white rather than off-white, but they look good regardless.
I’ll probably wait until next year to buy a jersey, with the standard patch on the sleeve.
In the meantime, rejoice! The day we’ve been waiting for for 13 years is finally here The Mets look like the Mets again. Hallelujah!
And now a voice from the minority…Glad the Mets are making a special effort to celebrate their half-century of being the New York National League legacy team. I am glad that they are going back to the beginning, as it were, with their jersey choices for 2012. However, I hope that this is only for 2012. As someone who likes black (yet did have some issues with the blue-billed black-crowned cap), I hope that they do not banish that from the official color scheme for the team and find a way to have it in some form in future uniforms (not necessarily in the form of an unnecessary black drop-shadow either). As someone heavily influenced by the fact that the origins of this franchise lean more heavily toward the Giants (e.g. NY logo, Polo Grounds, Joan Payson being a Giants stockholder, etc.)rather than with their Brooklyn Brethren (though do wish that if the Mets insist on the blue, they incorporate the darker one the Dodgers have instead of the lighter blue used by the Mets for some time), I much prefer the black to blue in a normal context and believe that the franchise should have also incorporated it in their original 1962 colors. Regardless of what the powers in the front office and others have said, I believe that including black since 1998 merely rectified what should have been all along part of the Mets colors.
Going to have to buy at least two jerseys (home & away) when they become available.
Michael,
While I respect your opinion, if we apply the same logic for using black in the color scheme, the Mets’ numbers on the front of the jerseys should be red, as the Dodgers are.
In 1962, the incorporated parts of the Giants and parts of the Dodgers history – not all of it.
Just a thought.
Kevin,
I agree that logically the number on the fronts of the Mets jerseys should have been red (despite the fact than numbers did not begin to appear on the front of Mets jerseys (much like their Giants predecessors) until 1965) instead of the two-toned blue with orange outline that were put there. I can only speculate as to why that was (I presume that it was because orange was similar enough to red, but that still doesn’t explain why they didn’t just put orange numbers on the front). It is my belief that in 1962 the history of both New York clubs that moved to California were incorporated into their legacy team, the Mets. Truly the Mets being in New York have a much stronger claim to the likes of Christy Mathewson, Bill Terry, Mel Ott and Jackie Robinson (or indeed, Fred Merkle, Fred Snodgrass or Babe Herman) in their MLB professional lives than what amounted to new franchises (albeit with players in their prime instead of having to go with washed-up expansion draft players) appearing in 1958 California (after all, they left their old fan bases behind and New York without a National League team).
The Blue orange and white colors are also the New York City Flag colors. That is also part of the reason the Mets uni’s have their colors.
The Hybrids are GONE!!! Thank You Shannon! Thank You so much.
And if they have truly darkened up the blue a bit, then I would proclaim today, V day!
Keeping the black alternate is OK. But getting rid of the hybrid is AWESOME!!!!! Today is a GOOD DAY. Thank you again.
Awesome news! MLB shop still has a picture of the old home one up; any idea of if you can customize?
No customs yet I believe. None were available today.
Shannon
You are the man! You brought the heat! I didn’t even think the Mets brass could read. I cannot wait to pick one up.
Thanks Roger. Its very important y’all buy these.