That New Stadium Smell is long gone now in Queens as the Mets head into their 14th season in their third home.

They must sense that the ballpark is aging as they have announced some upgrades to the ” iconic landmark and historic symbol of New York City” that is Citi Field (major eye-roll and more on that in a separate post later today).

The bold in the below is mine, editing the original release.

My two cents: I would be way more excited if the Mets announced they were eliminating digital ribbons and video boards and were creating a throwback experience with a manual scoreboard and a live organ player.  I guess the Mets feel Gen Z needs ribbons.

Also, all these images remind me that they probably shouldn’t have made the stadium green and black when it opened.  Oops.

 

Mets Tap Samsung Electronics America to Create Most Technologically Advanced Ballpark in the Major Leagues

RIDGEFIELD PARK, N.J. – December 17, 2021 – December 17, 2021 – The New York Mets announced Samsung Electronics America as the ballpark’s official display and technology solutions partner, signing a multi-year deal to deliver a complete transformation of the famous ballpark’s screens to create an interactive fan experience like never before. Samsung – a leader in Digital Signage innovation – will bring the Mets vision of creating a one-of-a-kind ballpark to life with its unique portfolio of displays, content management platform and services.

“Baseball is one of America’s great historical pastimes and thanks to cutting-edge display- and data-driven innovation, we are ushering in a new, exciting era that transforms the ballpark experience and brings fans into the game like never before,” said Harry Patz Jr., Senior Vice President and General Manager, Display Division, Samsung Electronics America. “Technology is central to the way fans enjoy sports, and we are thrilled to bring Samsung’s full display portfolio, solutions and expertise to this new era of fandom.”

From the moment they arrive on property to the final out, fans will experience gameday in a whole new way. Among the enhancements for 2022 that are expected include new ribbon boards and more than 1,300 LCD screens throughout the ballpark to lead fans to the shortest lines and ensure they don’t miss a single pitch. A new larger and enhanced centerfield scoreboard will be installed for fans’ enjoyment for the 2023 season at Citi Field.

“We are excited and proud to partner with such a world-wide leader and iconic brand as Samsung,” said Executive Vice President and Chief Revenue Officer Jeff Deline. “Like Samsung, the Mets have a very loyal and passionate fan base, and the implementation of this state-of-the-art technology is going to provide an enhanced experience and environment for millions of fans that come to Citi Field for many years.”

IMMERSIVE DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY & SOLUTIONS

As the complete design and build partner for the Citi Field project, Samsung will deploy the full breadth of its display portfolio and technology solutions throughout the ballpark to create the first connected venue in Major League Baseball.

“Samsung has a rich tradition of innovation and purpose-built technology. Over a two-year period, we’ll transform a once static signage environment to an all-digital experience,” said Mark Quiroz, Vice President Product Marketing, Display Division, Samsung Electronics America. “By seamlessly weaving display technology and sensors into the existing environment, Samsung will create a gateway for connectivity at Citi Field for both the operators and the fans.”

“Our partnership with Samsung is a significant investment from our owner Steve Cohen to bring the most state-of-the-art technology to the ballpark and provide our fans an even better experience at Citi Field,” said Mets Chief Technology Officer Mark Brubaker. “The quality of these upgrades and integration into the daily experience for our fans make Citi Field an industry leader when it comes to the most innovative technological displays.”

WHAT FANS CAN EXPECT

Built for the future, the ballpark upgrade – one of the largest single projects in all professional sports – is slated to take place over the span of two years and will make Citi Field the most technologically advanced ballpark in the major leagues. When complete, Citi Field will feature:

More than 1,300 LCD screens and 4,000 square feet of direct view LED screens in public spaces, enhancing the fan experience at every touch point and even alerting them when their team merchandise is ready for pick up
A ballpark-wide IPTV system that will carry nearly 100 channels of sports and entertainment content

Double the number of slow-motion replay systems and three times as many cameras for increased game coverage

An enhanced and fully upgraded scoreboard to display the latest LED technology and handle 4K video

An iconic landmark and historic symbol of New York City, Citi Field will welcome fans to experience one of America’s favorite pastimes like never before through Samsung innovations. The multi-year technology upgrade is scheduled to begin in 2022.

….

Yawn.

Long time readers know that since at least 2013 I have been espousing the theory that the current Mr. Met is not the real Mr. Met, but is in fact Mr. Met’s son.  You can read my family tree theory here.

Well, a new video by the Met confirms this but has opened up a whole lot of questions.

First up, we meet this mustached character.

Paul Lukas of @uniwatch pointed out that this character has its coat buttoned in a way to suggest it is wearing a woman’s coat.  Also, nice choice of blue cap.  The voice seems to be in the register I would traditionally associate with a male voice, but that could be my own bias.  I digress.

Let’s pay close attention to what the Mustached Character In The Woman’s Coat tells us…

You got that?  MR. MET’S PARENTS LIVE OUT OF TOWN.   We then see them stranded…

That character on screen left looks familiar…she appears to be Lady Met (which btw GREAT job by someone paying the bleep attention to franchise history for a change.)

The man on the right appears to be this fellow below, the true Mr. Met, who was so disgusted by the Seaver trade that he stopped going to games and was never seen in Queens again.  He couldn’t even be bothered to root for the 1986 team.  I totally get it Mr. Met.

Next we see that someone forgot to QC the captions, but that’s OK, I probably have 5 typos in this article alone.  I get it.  Also, nice choice of jerseys by Mr. and Mrs. Met.  Who are the black jerseys even for Steve? Have you read the Facebook posts? They are not as popular as TTSG and Vulgar Pete make them seem to be.  Again I digress.

Next we learn that Mr. Met is likely naturally right-handed.  It is possible that he is a switch hitter.  However, Mrs. Met is throwing right-handed.  If Mr. Met were a switch hitter he would likely bat lefty against her.  So let’s assume Mr. Met is right-handed until evidence suggests otherwise.

Mr. Met hits a HR but then does an obnoxious bat flip so I hope Mrs. Met knocks him on his butt the next time he is up.  Put one in his back Mrs. Met!

In the end, we see the family together.

However, there are still a few mysteries……

Uni Watch has a great piece about the 1970’s era Mrs. Met.  Is this the same character as the redheaded Lady Met?  Did she marry Mr. Met Sr. and go blonde for a while and has now returned to her natural red?  OR is something else up????? Keep reading.

This video says that Mr. Met Sr. and Lady Met are the current Mr. Met’s parents.  If we’re unclear who the blonde Mrs. Met is – could there be EX-Mr. Met out there somewhere?  And she has great legs.

Is it possible that Mr. Met Sr. cheated on Blonde Mrs. Met with his ex-girlfriend Redheaded Lady Met, and had a baby out of wedlock? A baby that would work for Jeff Wilpon in the 1990s?

Perhaps this scandal led to Senior’s departure from the Mets organization in the 1970s (speculation).  I hereby put into evidence that Senior is not wearing any Mets gear whereas Lady Met is.

Note the video says that the couple by the palm tree are Mr. Met’s parents.  There is no mention of them being married.  Maybe Mr. Met broke up with 1970’s Mrs. Met and returned to his TRUE LOVE Lady Met.

More research is needed here.

The Uni Watch article about 1970’s Mrs. Met clearly states..

The blonde is Mrs. Met.  The redhead is Lady Met.

All that makes me think Mr. Met left Mrs. Met 1970s for his one true love, the redheaded Lady Met.  I find it interesting the Mets have revealed this after all these years.

More questions….what happened to Mr. Met 1,5? The wild child nobody speaks of?

Mr. Met II was briefly around, but has been largely erased from Mets history.  These are the only two photos I know of Mr. Met 1.5

Why would he be erased – UNLESS, Mr. Met 1.5 is the child of Mr. Met Senior and 1970’s Mrs. Met.  He is the Connor Roy of the Met family, and Mr. Met Sr. doesn’t consider him on par with his other son from his current relationship with Lady Met.  Metseccion if you will.

So to summarize…

Mr. Met Senior was the Mets mascot in the 1960’s and early 70s.

In the 1960’s he is in a relationship with Lady Met, a redhead.

By the 1970’s Senior is married to Mrs. Met, a blonde.

In the late 1970’s he parts ways with the Mets. Perhaps he can’t take the losing, or the Seaver trade OR the Mets quietly let him go after uncovering his affair with ex-girlfriend Lady Met.

At some point, Jeff Wilpon is approached by Mr. Met 1.5 the son of Senior and 70’s Mrs.  Quickly, even Jeff Wilpon realizes this guy is trouble and lets him go.

Jeff then reaches out to Senior’s younger bastard child, the current Mr. Met.  At some point this character marries this woman.

No not the woman screen right, the woman on the left.  In short time the woman on the left grows out a ponytail.

STILL UNCLEAR is why Senior, Lady, Mister and Mrs. Met 2010s did not include the children in the holiday photo?

Where are the kids?

BUT WAIT – look at the woman in the picture above?  She does not have hair?  Is she Mrs. Met 2010s, OR did the current Mister take after his father and have children with this woman before breaking up with her.  It does seem likely as we never see these kids at games or in holiday videos.

Was Mr. Met married to her?  Were they just dating?  Is Mr. Met estranged from his three kids?  I think it’s clear that this is possible.

Updated recap:

Mr. Met Senior was the Mets mascot in the 1960’s and early 70s.

In the 1960’s he is in a relationship with Lady Met, a redhead.

By the 1970’s Senior is married to Mrs. Met, a blonde.

In the late 1970’s he parts ways with the Mets. Perhaps he can’t take the losing, or the Seaver trade OR the Mets quietly let him go after uncovering his affair with ex-girlfriend Lady Met.

The Mets try to change the subject and hire a mule.

At some point Senior moves away from Queens to an area that has palm trees.

Jeff Wilpon hires Mr. Met 1.5, the son of Senior and Mrs. Met 1970s, then quickly fires him.

Jeff hires the current Mr. Met.

Current Mr. Met has a relationship with a bald woman which results in three children.

At some point this relationship ends, and Mr. Met eventually marries Mrs. Met 2010s.  They do not appear to have any children.  The children do not seem to have an active relationship with their father.

Oh and just one more thing…

Are the Mets doing fair and legal searches for this mascot job?  Was the job even posted?  The gig seems to have become some sort of family dynasty.  Occasionally they hire a dog or a mule, but it seems like if you are blood related to Mr. Met Senior you have an inside track on this job.

Happy Holidays!

Happy holidays from the #Mets! 🎄☃️ pic.twitter.com/56HCaWRKHO

— New York Mets (@Mets) December 15, 2021

This is the cap to wear when you want to show that you’re on Team Owners during the lockout.  Those stupid players are likely to boo you anyway, so screw those millionaires, root for the billionaires – at least they aren’t phony.

I guess there is a lockout so there’s no need to workout and watch game films thus Vulgar Pete has time to hang out at comedy clubs. If Matt Harvey did this you guys would be mad.

New Era, it’s really OK, you don’t have to make a cap every day.

“Hey what if we added paper planes to a design?”

WHAT?