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Mets Sign Guy

tpw7474 Dec 17 2005 08:16 PM

Does anyone know or remember the name of the sign guy from Shea in the 1970's and 1980's? My son has this as a trivia question and we can't find it anywhere. I remember him and what he looks like but can't remember his name.

metirish Dec 17 2005 08:29 PM

I've no idea but I'm sure some here will be able to help.

Zvon Dec 17 2005 08:39 PM

tpw7474 Dec 17 2005 08:47 PM Thanks to Zvon

We looked everywhere and could not find the answer. Thanks for your help.

Bret Sabermetric Dec 17 2005 08:56 PM

The truth now--how many of you opened this thread because you thought either the Mets had signed someone whose name was "Guy" or because you thought "What, the Mets have been signing gals up to now? Well, that explains some things"?

Edgy DC Dec 17 2005 09:18 PM

Greg has made a passing --- but solid --- argument that Herr Ehrhardt belongs in the Mets Hall of Fame.

Elster88 Dec 17 2005 10:29 PM

Bret Sabermetric wrote: The truth now--how many of you opened this thread because you thought either the Mets had signed someone whose name was "Guy" I'll confess to this.

MFS62 Dec 18 2005 08:04 AM

He may be in our HOF but probably won't be in the Mets'. I seem to recall that about 20 years ago, the Mets had a promotion wherein that named the "top 25 Mets Fans". The sign man wasn't one of them. I don't know if this was based on fan nominations (which fans would have left him out?) or by the club (if they intentionally left him out it was stupid). And if the fans omitted his name, (everyone thinking someone else would nominate him), the club could have corrected the omission. Many fans thought it then, and some still feel it today (this was the subject on another board withing the last month). Later

KC Dec 18 2005 08:53 AM

I knew I'd seen that guy somewhere. He helped us out a few years ago ... http://www.kcmets.com/AllAmazinTeam.html

Johnny Dickshot Dec 18 2005 11:12 AM

His signs included some sharp opinions that may not have sat well with management. I believe he popularized GRANT'S TOMB. Though, I'm sure he's not being punished for it; just overlooked. The whole lack of a banner day any more is something I just don't understand. That was great PR and a way to acknowledge their history and celebrate the fans in a way no other team did. Instead they shoot crappy t-shirts from a sponsor AT the fans.

G-Fafif Dec 18 2005 11:49 AM

Edgy DC wrote: Greg has made a passing --- but solid --- argument that Herr Ehrhardt belongs in the Mets Hall of Fame. A memorable FAFIF thread, thanks in great part to Edgy. http://faithandfear.blogharbor.com/blog/_archives/2005/8/2/1100101.html[/url]

seawolf17 Dec 18 2005 12:03 PM

Wasn't it "Kraze The Sign Man"?

Bret Sabermetric Dec 18 2005 12:52 PM

="Johnny Dickshot"] The whole lack of a banner day any more is something I just don't understand. That was great PR and a way to acknowledge their history and celebrate the fans in a way no other team did.. I think they believe it's dangerous, and it is. Some half-clever person could easily compose a sonnet in acrostic form, with the initial letters spelling out FUCK YOU WILPONS and, if they're lucky enough, win the prize for best banner, which gets displayed across the next day's Daily News back page...see where I'm going with this? Cryptographers could scrupulously examine all banners in advance, but safer just to ban the whole dangerous enterprise. Let's see now, For all the thrills and fun you Mets have given Us, this is our turn to show you how much we Cherish you, so happily, with such glee: Know in your hearts for every run you've driven, You've driven a tear of joy down every cheek On every face of every fan at Shea Until no more will flow, but on this day, We can articulate the Mets' mystique well, you get the idea.

Edgy DC Dec 18 2005 02:00 PM

I think the Mets took away his free tickets just about the time they became an actual commodity again.

Zvon Dec 18 2005 07:54 PM

Glad I could help. I think anyone who went to Met games in the 60's and 70's knew exactly who he meant by the sign guy. That guy was a legend. And yes, he printed those signs up himself and was a huge Met fan and should be recognized as such.

Willets Point Dec 19 2005 06:02 AM

the hardhats r the best! u r qweer~

Zvon Dec 23 2005 10:13 PM

found this pic, from the 73 NL playoffs.

Spacemans Bong Dec 24 2005 02:07 AM

This guy, one R. Karl Erhardt, is on the Board of Governors of the New York Institute for Internal Auditors. I wonder if it's the same guy. Kinda young, but maybe he aged well.

Frayed Knot Dec 24 2005 06:31 AM

'Taint him

Iubitul Dec 24 2005 06:35 AM

="Zvon"]found this pic, from the 73 NL playoffs. When I look at this pic, my eyes immediately go to the photographers' box. Check out those old school lenses!

Edgy DC Dec 24 2005 07:15 AM

A lot happening at Shea that day. Jermaine Jackson, in the house. v Look! the couple from the Woodstock cover. v < Early cell- phone user? Secret Service? Greg and Peter Brady, representin'. > < Narc on anybody recently?

Zvon Dec 24 2005 02:17 PM

Iubitul wrote: When I look at this pic, my eyes immediately go to the photographers' box. Check out those old school lenses! lol @edge.....those are certainly Brady shirts. I was lookin for me but I was still up in mezzanine this game. Rose is not wearing the batting helmet, so this must be from game 3 when Sparky Anderson (that might be his back, far left) pulled the Reds team off the field after the Rose/whiskey bottle incedent, a post traumatic repercussion of the Harrelson/Rose fight. That was a real cheaply constructed make shift box that the Mets had built just for the playoffs. They were wooden and not very sturdy. Bad plan. A section of it along that baseline was for Reds family members. I remember at some point during game 5 they stopped the game afew times. Once because a section of a similarly built box along the 1st base side had collapsed outward, spilling over zealous fans on to the field. And then again when the Reds family members all panicked under the deluge of an orange and blue sea of people behind them anticipating a championship celebration. The police escorted them, in single file, to the Reds bullpen. Another bad plan. Met fans jumped into and took over that section. Those wives and kids really looked scared out of their wits. Im not into 'black' humor but I found this very funny.

Scrapple8 Jan 03 2006 06:00 PM

Karl Erhardt and Doctor Principati were the two most notable fans in the early days of Shea. Erhardt was the signman and Principati was the guy in the raincoat. There was a new signman in the late 1990s at Shea Stadium for a couple of years. A black guy with his kids. He wanted the Mets to acquire Piazza in the wrost way... when they did, he was happy. I guess everyone knows Eddie these days... Eddie is o.w. known as the cowbell man. He changed his jersey number from Ordonez to Beltran. You can see a picture of Eddie in the famous picture of Bob Hope, when Hope died, in the Daily news. Eddie is in the corner of the pic because he served in the Gulf War.

mlbaseballtalk Jan 03 2006 09:57 PM

MFS62 wrote: I seem to recall that about 20 years ago, the Mets had a promotion wherein that named the "top 25 Mets Fans". The sign man wasn't one of them. I don't know if this was based on fan nominations (which fans would have left him out?) or by the club (if they intentionally left him out it was stupid). Later Not sure how that really was supposed to work. Sure there are some, like Sign Guy who became insitutions and all thanks to creativity and of course media exposure. But outside of those few that get media expousure, how would they be judged differently than any of those who attend 60-81 games a year? (not counting those on the road) And with the advent of dialouge sports radio and the internet how would they treat fans known soley through radio and cyberspace. Like the Late Doris From Rego Park who's fame was more due to her being a long time caller on sports radio stations like WFAN, or Jonathan Weissman aka Weissman52 who had quite a run as a Internet Met Community celeb due to his friendship with Bryan Hoch, and even though he only got one or two non cyber space exposures (and the fact that married life and work as a professor caused him to no longer go to as many games and maintain a website) what would make him any different than Karl Erhardt and Doctor Principati. Ditto with Doris. In other words, you would have a slew of people voting for people that they know in their community. Wheither its "Hey that Doris that calls WFAN all the time" or "Hey that Weissman guy with the internet column" or some guy they sit next to every game who is overly passionate up in Upper Reserve section 19 Row H Seat 7 but you don't really know his name that well but only as "That guy in the Wright5 shirt that calls the comes up with classic heckles every game, he's GREAT!" Anyway, guess the point of the vote was missed if the guy who SHOULD have gone in did not! Didn't he pass some time around then? Steve

cleonjones11 Jan 03 2006 10:05 PM Erhardt

Was as much the Mets as Murphy, Nelson and Kiner. He was one of us until he got into a pissing match with M Donald Grant who wanted to have karl turn in his "free ticket"