Author: Shannon Shark @metspolice

Shannon Shark is the founder of MetsPolice.com, tweets as @metspolice, is an avid fan of Lee Mazzilli and Daniel Murphy, hates black uniforms and is the author of "Send The Beer Guy" available at Amazon.com. #imwith28
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Mets Police 70’s week: Mets Jerseys

Of course 70’s week will deal with uniforms.  Here’s our Uni Expert Osh41:

This is a circa 72-73 Mets road jersey – Shannon and I dreamed of the day the Mets would reintroduce these jerseys, we would watch 1973 World Series films during rain delays and call each other to discuss how cool the road jerseys looked and hoped they’d make a return.










The Mets introduced polyester jerseys in 72 and got rid of the classic ‘New York‘ lettering beginning in 1974 so this specific jersey existed for only 2 years.












Mets road jerseys did not display ‘New York’ from 1974 through 1986.  In 1987 New York returned to the road uni’s in the form of the script New York (we’ll talk about them in future posts)


In 1974 the Mets removed the ‘New York‘ from the front of the road jersey.  What they went with looks very much like the ‘snow whites‘ that are part of the home jersey rotation now (minus the black – of course).










Why the Mets removed the ‘New York’ from the road fronts is a mystery, they looked awesome.  At any rate this is a clean look, although not as cool or as classy as having New York spelled out.  And guess what is doesn’t have on it??  That’s right – BLACK.  Don’t get me started.

If you are a jersey aficionado, i.e a jersey dork like me, you’ll notice the number font style that was in place on road jerseys from 1962 – 1973 has changed.  What was cool about Mets jerseys from 62-77 was that the road and home jerseys had difference font styles for the numbers.  Starting in 1978 with the intro of the pullover 2 button style – the subject of a future post – the numbers were consistent on both the home and road jerseys.

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The Last Ghost of (the Original) Yankee Stadium

In reading the various reports about the passing of Bob Sheppard a few stated that “The Voice of Yankee Stadium” had died.

And that moniker for him was very true.  Mr. Sheppard (I would never call him Bob) was the Voice of Yankee Stadium – the ORIGINAL Yankee Stadium.  The place where Ruth, Gehrig, Dimaggio, Berra, Mantle, Maris, Jackson, and Mattingly, among many others, spent their entire careers.  All of them had left the game long before the walls of the cathedral were torn down.

And somewhat fittingly as it turned out, so had Mr. Sheppard.

Mr. Sheppard never had the opportunity to visit the new ballpark in the Bronx.  Sure, Derek Jeter uses a recording of him at games, but it’s not the same.  We all know it’s just a recording.

For 85 years Yankee Stadium hosted baseball games (ok, technically 83 years if you take away the 2 years of renovation work in the 70’s).  Mr. Sheppard was the Voice of Yankee Stadium for 56 of those years – that’s 2/3 of the stadiums life!  When you went to Yankee Stadium you expected to hear his voice.  You didn’t even think about it – the sun rises, the sun sets, and Bob Sheppard announces.  It was both expected and conforting.  You knew you were at Yankee Stadium.

Last year when the new stadium opened it really was jarring – at least for me – to hear a completely different voice making the stadium announcements.  Yes I know they had a sub in for Mr. Sheppard in 2008 but the  man sounded similar.  This new voice – it wasn’t Mr. Sheppard, nor was it someone trying to duplicate Mr. Sheppard’s style.  This was a new stadium and a new way of doing things.

Bob Sheppard belonged to the stadium across the street.  The stadium that was home to 26 World Series titles, 34 Hall of Fame players, and the Voice of God.

I find it almost poignant that the last remnants of that historic building were pulled down without much fanfare earlier this year.  Mr. Sheppard was the last Yankee great to retire in that building and now he joins it, and the other Yankee immortals that once called it home.

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Brooklyn’s Backman Bobbleheads (Wednesday)

On Wednesday, July 14, the first 2,500 fans in attendance for the Cyclones’ 7pm game against the Mahoning Valley Scrappers will receive a Wally Backman “Then & Now”mini bobblehead, presented by Lutheran Medical Center.

The 4″-tall collector’s item features Backman “then” — fielding his position in a 1986 World Champion New York Mets uniform — and “now” — as manager of the Cyclones, leaning on a bat.

Backman was a standout second baseman for the Mets in the 1980s – a gritty, hard-nosed table-setter at the top of the lineup for a team that won divisional titles in 1986 and 1988, and an iconic World Series championship in 1986. Backman played in the major leagues for 14 seasons, including nine with the Mets (1980-1988), and five with the Minnesota Twins (1989), Pittsburgh Pirates (1990), Philadelphia Phillies (1991, 1992), and Seattle Mariners (1993). He finished his career with a .980 fielding percentage, and is one of only 66 MLB players ever to notch six hits in a single game (4/27/90). Backman’s 106 stolen bases with the Mets ranks eighth on the franchise’s all-time list and his .283 career batting average for New York ranks ninth. Backman hit .333 in six games against the Boston Red Sox in the Mets’ 1986 World Series win.

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Fan get-together at Two Boots on Monday

The fine folks at Faith & Fear are holding another fan get together.   I won’t be able to make this one (rats, I was wondering when the next one was but alas I can’t make it)

As the F&F’s wrote:

It’s AMAZIN’ ALL-STAR MONDAY at Two Boots Grand Central, Monday night, July 12, at 7 PM. Our regular reading and rallying series moves to a special day for a very special bill of fare. Please join your hosts Greg Prince of Faith and Fear in Flushing and Jon Springer of Mets By The Numbers when they welcome their guests:

• Marty Noble, Mets beat writer extraordinaire for more than 35 years.

• Howard Megdal, pretty fair Mets chronicler himself and, at the moment, a declared candidate for the unelected office of New York Mets general manager.

For more about the event and the where and when part, visit Faith & Fear.

Now, who is psyched for 70’s week?

The Mets Police
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