Mr. Met

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Mr. Met

Mr. Met is the beloved mascot of the American baseball team New York Mets. He is a baseball-headed humanoid being, wears a Mets cap, and uniform. He may be seen at Shea Stadium during Mets home games, and has appeared in several commercials as part of ESPN's This is SportsCenter campaign.

Mr. Met was first introduced on the cover of game programs in 1963, when the Mets were still playing at the Polo Grounds in northern Manhattan. When the Mets moved to Shea Stadium in 1964, the fans were introduced to a live costumed version. Mr. Met is believed to have been the first mascot in Major League Baseball to exist in human (as opposed to artistically rendered) form. He was also the first person on the Mets that was represented by a bobblehead doll.

Mr. Met on the cover of a 1963 program

In the 1960s, he occasionally appeared in print with a female companion, Lady Met (sometimes known as "Mrs. Met"), and less frequently with a group of 3 "little Mets" children, the smallest being a baby in Lady Met's arms. The entire family was featured in a This is SportsCenter commercial, driving home from the ESPN Broadcast Center in Bristol, Connecticut, long before the traffic jam after the last show; bobbing their large heads in time with "Meet the Mets" on the car's radio.

He has been portrayed by many people over the years. Dan Reilly was the first person to wear the Mr. Met costume, starting in 1964. Mr. Met was portrayed from 1994-1997 by A.J. Mass.

On April 14, 2002, the Mets held a birthday party for Mr. Met at Shea Stadium. It was attended by costumed mascots from all around Major League Baseball and by Sandy the Seagull, mascot of the Brooklyn Cyclones, a Mets farm team.

First baseman Tony Clark was the first Met ever to don 00, Mr. Met's number, doing so in the 2003 season. He switched to #52 that June when Queens schoolchildren asked him what had happened to Mr. Met. Coincidentally, he was also the first Met player ever with #52.

Mr. Met can be seen at Shea Stadium during and after games. He can be also dressed up or rented for special events.

He's also appeared numerous times during sketches on Late Night with Conan O'Brien.

According to March 20, 2006 issue of The New Yorker, Reilly is currently working on a book of his experiences with the team, to be called "The Original Mr. Met Remembers".[1]

Starting in 2006, the team began issuing Mets Money, a one-, five-, and ten-dollar denominated gift certificate system accepted at concession stands and souvenir shops at Shea Stadium. The design is somewhat reminiscent of standard U.S. currency, but instead features images of Mr. Met attired and posed similarly to the President pictured on the respective bill.