The Mets Police

A preview of the 1970 season....look how down in the dumps the Yankees were. Amazin'

In 1969 the Yankees drew 1,067,996 spectators, the smallest number since World War II, and more than a million fewer than the Mets. Even in their last "pennant-winning year, 1964, the Yanks were outdrawn by the Mets, and since their descent into the second division they have hardly been noticed. With the departure of Mickey Mantle a year ago, the club of Ruth, Gehrig and DiMaggio was left with only one outstanding player. Pitcher Mel Stottlemyre, who has won 20 games in three of the last five seasons but who has about as much glamour as Harold Stassen.


Poor performance and the absence of shiny names has badly eroded fan appeal. The so-called "limousine" crowd, the New York businessmen who sit in corporation boxes and cheer as if they are afraid of dripping mustard on their $20 ties, was once a basic reason why the Yankees were considered a cold, distant plutocracy by many average fans, but they bought tickets. Not so long ago the Yankees used to be inundated each year with requests for season boxes. Now the demand has gone down drastically as the limousines head for Shea Stadium. Something similar has happened with tourists in New York. Fewer out-of-towners are coming to cheer for the visiting team against the hated Yankees. "It used to sound as though there were more people cheering against us than for us," says Yankee Vice-President Bob Fishel. "That doesn't happen anymore."


The decline of the Yankees has not been solely a result of the Mets' presence, even though there is a lingering feeling that New York is essentially a National League city. Fishel, who has been the Yankees' public-relations director since 1954, blames it on a lack of aggressiveness. "We missed the boat between 1958 and 1961 when we had the city to ourselves," he says. "We did not try hard enough to attract the kids who had been fans of the teams that had left New York.

The Yanks Are Coming, Or So They Hope - 04.06.70 - SI Vault

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July 1973, the Yankees are the talk of the town!  How do you think things will turn out for the '73 Yanks?


It was like old times. The Yankees were in first place, seemingly out from beneath the large rock that had obscured them since 1964. In the bars and supermarkets, on the trains and subways of the nation's largest city, people were talking more about the Yankees than about the Mets. That hadn't happened in ”well, it had almost never happened. Pitching Coach Jim Turner, who has spent 51 consecutive years in a pro baseball uniform, more than any man in history, said, "It's so good to walk out there before a game and see so many people with notebooks, microphones and cameras interested in us again."


...


The Yankees have a new pride in themselves this season, a sense of no longer being the No. 2 team in a city that in recent years endured them primarily by stifling yawns. For a long time during their dark ages the biggest news they made was when they fired an announcer, but not now. The Yankees of 1973 are interesting in themselves. Playing in poor or threatening weather over much of last week, they drew 148,084 people to a Stadium that has received reams of bad publicity”muggings, poor parking, etc.”and is about to be renovated.

Imagine that, a fun Mets club and the Yankees playing in a crappy ballpark. The Mets outdrawing the Yanks by a million fans. That could never happen, could it?


After years of drab mediocrity, the once lordly Yankees - 07.02.73 - SI Vault

While the fact that there is "Yankees grass" isn't new...you really need to experience the marketing.  By the way, this falls into the "if the Mets did this...." category.

For the fan and lawn enthusiast we offer you Yankees Grass Seed™. In these bags, you will find the same grass seed that is used to grow Yankees Sod™, a proprietary blend of 100% Kentucky Bluegrass. This one-of-a-kind mixture was selected specifically for the Inaugural Season at Yankee Stadium™ because of its special growing characteristics and unparalleled performance capabilities. Now Yankees Grass Seed™ can be incorporated into your existing lawn or used to grow a brand new lawn.


For decades, baseball fans have revered the grass at Yankee Stadium. The field is a special place for those few who are fortunate enough to wear the uniform. But for everyone else, even fans who tour the Stadium, the grass is off-limits.



So how did it all start? In the Spring of 2007, DeLea Sod Farms planted three varieties of 100% Kentucky Bluegrass on a special 80 acre farm in Southern New Jersey. 


With 15 of these 80 acres under contract for the Yankees, that left 65 acres of the same grass available for you. And, with the help of Major League Baseball Properties Licensing team, Authentic Yankees Sod™ was born. 

Buy some here!

You know, I started out wanting to goof on this, now I wish I had thought of it.  Maybe I will go into the Plexiglass business.   Are you tired of your neighbor looking directly into your yard, now with traditional Citiglass you can experience the joy of obstructing views....hmmm lemme call Dave Howard.

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Yeah I know I've been cap-obsessed lately, but it's not as if the Mets are out signing players.    Here's a Yankees World Series cap.  Everything baseball postseason is ugly, they use a pretty yucky font.  








If you must have a champions cap...this color scheme and font-age is much better.  








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OK, so maybe they don't really love the Yankees per se, but the Royals - and the rest of the teams in MLB - have got to really love one aspect of the Yankees winning - it means more money for every team.


Literally within 10 minutes of the final out, MLB blasted an email touting 2009 World Series Championship gear. Since this first email, I have also received emails about World Series Pins and a special Sports Illustrated package.

Why does this make the Twins happy? Because of an agreement that Bud Selig negotiated with all the owners almost 10 years ago. MLB doesn't have full revenue sharing. However, when it comes to any online activity - and that includes all online shopping - the proceeds are divided evenly among all teams.

The Yankees are the most marketed and marketable franchise in baseball. A Yankees WS Champion tee will sell far more than a Phillies one would have, let along the Twins for example.

So...Yankees win....MLB.com sells more merchandise......Oakland gets a bigger check.


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Yes I am a Mets fan.

And yes I root against the Yankees.

However I will also give credit where credit is due. The Yankees had a hell of a year and as a baseball fan first and foremost I will congratulate the winners of the World Series.

That said, this off-season just got that much worse.

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If you are reading this that means that either
a) there is a Game 6 tonight or
b) the guy Dan who is supposed to be minding the blog while I am away is being a slacker.

This "3930" New Era hat is nice enough....but like many of the 2009 3930's it has that annoying line on the side.



Speaking of lines on the side...this cap is a "women's" cap.  I suppose women like lines.  Just get a regular hat.








Odd color scheme.   You can't where this one during the series if you are a Phils fan.








This barely qualifies as a Yankees anything.   It looks like a made up cap they sell to the tourists.   Maybe if you came from Japan to watch Game 6 but that's it.  Pass.









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See this cap?  Let me tell you the type of person that wears this kind of cap....








These kind of guys do.   My problem with these gentlemen?  They helped themselves to handicapped seats for Game 1 of the World Series.






The rest of the section was filled with folks in wheelchairs...but these two had no noticeable reason to be there other than they beat Ticketmaster's flawed system.

I respect Yankees fan Mr. Sunshine who was offered seats in this area for Game 1 and threw them back because he knew that it wasn't right.


Anyways, back to caps.   Today's theme is ugly.










Why?   Maybe you are a fan of the Gorton Fisherman era Islanders and the Yankees?







Apparently there is a cap style I just don't like or understand.









Good luck to you guys.  I hope you never actually have a need to sit in handicapped seats and hope you enjoyed the game.










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A throwback edition of alternate caps.  These from the 1910 Yankees.  I never knew they wore red, always assumed it was white in those black and white photos.  I wonder if we'll see a 100th anniversary of this cap day next season?







Here's the 1934 Phils.  If you wore this to a game I would think it was cool, however if I saw you on the street I wouldn't know this has anything to do with the Phillies so you would not get props.







This one from 1912.   Not bad.  I wouldn't heckle you if you wore this.









1946 Phils.  Not bad at all.  Wearable.

Back tomorrow with some truly awful caps.









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This next hat is nice, it's orange and blue and has the traditional....oh wait I thought this was a Mets preview for a second.   Why would any Yankees fan get a cap in these colors?







You know your friend that lives in Pittsburgh but still loves the Phillies?









Remember that episode of Batman where the Joker bought the Yankees?   Also suitable for Lakers/Yankees fans.









This cap falls under my "if she's really cute" rule.   On a dude no way, but if the Phillies chick looks hot in this, it is workable.









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What if Jeff Wilpon and Charlie Samuels controlled the Phillies?  Maybe they would wear nonsense like this.









This cap is described as "leather."  I don't know if it is actually made of leather but it sure is unattractive.








Can't you just wear the Schmidt era caps?  Aren't those purple-ish enough for you?








You know how many people were wearing these at the Stadium last night?  Zero.   It is rumored that this cap has never been purchased by any Yankees fan, but I have yet to confirm the rumor.








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As we get ready for tonight's game, it's time once again to look at alternate caps.  This first one answers the question What would Mike Schmidt wear if his ears were cold?







Maybe you can't decide if you'd rather go to the Knicks game than the World Series.  This hat is close enough that it might allow you to wear it to both arenas.







Did you ever wish the Phillies were an ABA team?










Hmmm so close and yet why would you buy this one?   What does the purple brim do for you?

More tomorrow!








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From the mlb.com store.   Um.....








Um.....







Um.....(that's a Jeter meter)







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If you are looking for stuff to do tomorrow....there's a Yankees rally at the Modell's on 42nd street in the morning (once again making the Yankees store across the street making them look bad) and then some Michael Kay thing in Times Square at lunch time.

While killing time in-between there's a Winter Olympics "winter sports festival" at Rockefeller Center which is free and has "interactive curling, luge, sled hockey and biathlon laser rifle demonstrations" and a free skate for kids at 3.

I don't know any Mets-themed events tomorrow.  Will be a long week.

There's zero Mets news going on.   If I had it, I'd share it.

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I went out to the Yankees store (now that they opened up for business) in search of World Series merchandise and found this sign!











MLB sure is selling an awful lot of winter gear.  Maybe they should consider playing 8 Sunday doubleheaders and shortening the season.









The Yankees store had a far lesser selection than Modell's did.  They are selling customized Yankees jersey.  If you get your name on the back you probably don't understand the brand.


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