A Day in the Life of Mr. Met, New York’s Hardest-Working Mascot
After spending two seasons as an illustration, Mr. Met made his major league debut in April 1964, and quickly became a sensation: as the first live-action mascot of the modern era (sorry, San Diego Chicken) he not only revolutionized the game of baseball, but gave Mets fans something to cheer about during those lousy early seasons.
Much like the franchise he represents, Mr. Met's experienced tremendous highs and crushing lows in the four decades since. He met his life partner, Mrs. Met, had three children, and rose to the top of his profession. But for nearly 20 years, he was benched by the team, disappearing from games and promotional material. The Mets even briefly replaced him with a mule.
Through it all, Mr. Met kept smiling, and due to popular demand, he made his triumphant return to MLB in the mid-nineties. Since then, he's become a cult icon and (quite possibly) the most popular non-athlete in baseball. Though he's not one to rest on his laurels…as Rolling Stone discovered when we spent a day with the hardest-working mascot in the bigs.
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Trying to Impress Mr. Met
Mr. Met's day begins at the Cross Island YMCA in Queens, where he leads future major leaguers through hitting and fielding drills…and, more importantly, hands out plenty of goody bags. Here, some campers take cuts, unaware than in mere moments, Mr. Met will be on the scene.
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‘Don’t Touch His Head’
Mr. Met surveys the action at the YMCA Jr. Mets Clinic, while young ballplayers go through instructional drills. While he usually travels with crowd control, Mr. Met keeps security at a minimum today, though his handlers do have to keep reminding the YMCA campers that touching his head isn't allowed.
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Keep Your Eye on the Ball
Mr. Met puts YMCA campers through the paces. Along with actual Mets Eric Campbell and Josh Edgin, he runs through fielding, hitting and pitching drills (though he leaves most of the instruction to the pros) and poses for more photos than we can even count.
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Pats on the Back
Despite the presence of actual major leaguers, the YMCA kids go wild for Mr. Met, perhaps because neither New York Met bothers to show up with goody bags.
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A Quick Coffee Break
After the YMCA clinic, Mr. Met refuels with a quick cup of coffee at the Silver Moon Diner. His handlers make sure to mention that while the coffee is adequate, Mr. Met definitely prefers Dunkin' Donuts, the official coffee of the New York Mets.
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Mr. Met Serves One Up
Later that evening, before the Mets took on the Washington Nationals at Citi Field, Mr. Met throws batting practice to fans. He's still jovial after giving up a mammoth shot to a kid in a Matt Harvey jersey, but the next time up, he makes sure to drill him. Not really.
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Stepping Into the Light
As first pitch draws closer, Mr. Met warms up in the center field concourse. After all, he'll spend the next four hours posing for pictures, doling out "high fours," harassing Nationals fans, firing cannons and, of course, avoiding any and all contact with his head.
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Swept Off His Feet
Will, a member of the Pepsi Party Patrol (and one of Mr. Met's two escorts for the evening) gives him a lift after a photo shoot. During the game, Mr. Met takes breaks in his own personal locker room, where photographers are not allowed. We're pretty sure we saw a Nerf hoop in there.
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The Party Starter
Mr. Met heads up to the Party City Deck during the Mets game against the Nationals. The home team is already down 2-0, though the fans don't seem to mind…one even professes his love for the mascot after posing for a picture. Mr. Met's handlers assure us this is a fairly regular occurrence.
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This One’s For You
Mr. Met singles out a fan during a T-shirt toss after the seventh-inning stretch. Though he's got a decent arm, his handlers say he's much more accurate with the T-shirt cannon. Mr. Met refuses to comment on the matter, mostly because he doesn't speak.
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Have Gun, Will Travel
Mr. Met and his trusty T-shirt cannon. Though selfies have become increasingly popular ("This is the year of the selfie," one of his handlers tells us), based on enthusiasm alone, it appears that fans still prefer a T-shirt above all else. You know, 'cause it's fired out of a cannon.
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Hit the Showers
A dejected Mr. Met heads to the locker room after watching his team lose 4-1 to the Nationals, their 11th straight loss at Citi Field to their division rivals. The next night, however, the Mets would get back to their (occasionally) winning ways, defeating the Chicago Cubs 3-2.