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UniWatch on the '86 era Mets Home Unis

batmagadanleadoff Mar 21 2021 06:23 PM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Mar 21 2021 08:30 PM

[FIMG=444]https://dugout.uni-watch.com/app/uploads/2021/03/1986-nlcs-game-7-mets-vs-astros-e1616270195229.jpg[/FIMG] Excerpt: One thing that has always piqued my interest is how fans can “like” a certain uniform — one we might otherwise consider bad, or of poor design — based on how well a team does while wearing it. [***] I am probably in the minority here, especially as a Mets fan, but I've always hated the uniforms worn by the Mets when they won their second, and most recent, World Series, way back in 1986. I've always thought it was a poor design — I'm fine with pins, and I'm fine with racing stripes — but having both on a uniform was overkill. Not only that, but somewhat inexplicably, the team chose to go with pullover jerseys but paired them with belted pants, a rather disjointed look. Yes, not every team that wore pullovers wore sansabelt pants (or vice versa), but these were exceptions rather than rules. But because the team won the World Series in these uniforms, fans love them, and by extension, think they're “good” uniforms. Not only was their stripe overkill, but frequently during play, the jerseys would shift, causing misaligned stripes (this is especially upsetting to those of us with OCD). I didn't dislike the gray roadies as they didn't have pinstripes. And I will always like the Expos racing stripes (especially since they wore button fronts and belts), [FIMG=333]https://theundefeated.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/gettyimages-53203899.jpg?w=1024[/FIMG] but I never liked the stripes/pins look of the Mets, despite their success wearing them https://uni-watch.com/

dinosaur jesus Mar 21 2021 07:36 PM Re: UniWatch on the '86 era Mets Home Unis

I agree with him. I don't hate those uniforms--they did still look like the Mets--but the racing stripe looked dumb. At least they never wore baby blue road uniforms, like half the teams in baseball in the seventies.

Edgy MD Mar 21 2021 07:38 PM Re: UniWatch on the '86 era Mets Home Unis

Dead on. I mean, every bit. And the alternative blue tops looked like softball unis. https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/w_736,h_485,c_fill,g_auto,f_auto/https%3A%2F%2Frisingapple.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1171486994-850x560.jpeg> I think they tended to wear them in spring day games, so they had a way of being a real intrusive opening day presence.

G-Fafif Mar 21 2021 08:07 PM Re: UniWatch on the '86 era Mets Home Unis

Sport magazine c. 1987 ran a best/worst uniforms piece, back when you had no idea people thought about such things. I remember the Mets were panned for their “War Eagles be damned” ensemble, an Auburn University reference. At the time I was insulted because how dare anybody criticize anything about the Mets, but I thought about it and the stripes plus stripes thing did seem a bit excessive. Still love ‘em for the reasons Phil Hecken cites in the above excerpt. They had a good run.

Edgy MD Mar 21 2021 08:24 PM Re: UniWatch on the '86 era Mets Home Unis

I wouldn't even have intuitively occurred to me to link the Mets piping and the Expos piping as relatives from the same design feature trend, although of course they are. The moment it appeared on the Expos kit, it was like it was always there, like it had always been there and I jut hadn't noticed. The Expos tended to have a way of producing an elegant whole from a lot of goofy parts. Sort of like that wounded soldier on M*A*S*H* who pays the 4077 back by going to their mess hall and making delicious food out of the same awful ingredients that Igor couldn't do anything with.

batmagadanleadoff Mar 21 2021 08:25 PM Re: UniWatch on the '86 era Mets Home Unis

The guy that dissed these unis more than anyone I know (or heard), is .... Keith Hernandez.

G-Fafif Mar 21 2021 08:38 PM Re: UniWatch on the '86 era Mets Home Unis

When the Mets adopted the side stripes, I thought, “Oh, like the Expos have.” Because I was away at college the first month of the '83 season, I don't think the update really sunk in for me until I saw the yearbook on sale at my local newsstand in May and it was featured in cartoon form on the cover.

batmagadanleadoff Mar 21 2021 08:39 PM Re: UniWatch on the '86 era Mets Home Unis

=batmagadanleadoff post_id=58268 time=1616379923 user_id=68] The guy that dissed these unis more than anyone I know (or heard), is .... Keith Hernandez.

I wonder if those pinstriped racing stripes Mets unis were an afterthought? The Mets introduced the racing stripes in 1982, where they were featured on the road unis only. As for Hencken's gripe abut the pullover jerseys, which I agree with, the Mets had been wearing pullovers for a few years already, going back to 1978 and the two-button pullover top.



Two button pullover top baseball trivia -- The only other MLB team to wear two-button pullover tops in the same style worn by the Joe Torre managed era Mets were the Texas Rangers in the 1970s. The only players to have worn the two-button pullover tops for both the Rangers and the Mets were Lenny Randle and Tom Grieve.

batmagadanleadoff Mar 21 2021 08:40 PM Re: UniWatch on the '86 era Mets Home Unis

=G-Fafif post_id=58270 time=1616380717 user_id=55] When the Mets adopted the side stripes, I thought, “Oh, like the Expos have.” Because I was away at college the first month of the '83 season, I don't think the update really sunk in for me until I saw the yearbook on sale at my local newsstand in May and it was featured in cartoon form on the cover.

You could buy a Mets yearbook at a newsstand in Tampa?

batmagadanleadoff Mar 21 2021 08:43 PM Re: UniWatch on the '86 era Mets Home Unis

=batmagadanleadoff post_id=58272 time=1616380846 user_id=68] =G-Fafif post_id=58270 time=1616380717 user_id=55] When the Mets adopted the side stripes, I thought, “Oh, like the Expos have.” Because I was away at college the first month of the '83 season, I don't think the update really sunk in for me until I saw the yearbook on sale at my local newsstand in May and it was featured in cartoon form on the cover.

You could buy a Mets yearbook at a newsstand in Tampa?


Never mind. You were back home in Mets country in May.

G-Fafif Mar 21 2021 08:46 PM Re: UniWatch on the '86 era Mets Home Unis

Clarification: after returning home for the summer (in May). Racing stripes were good throwback fodder almost five years ago.

Edgy MD Mar 21 2021 08:47 PM Re: UniWatch on the '86 era Mets Home Unis

Two button pullover top baseball trivia -- The only other MLB team to wear two-button pullover tops in the same style worn by the Joe Torre managed era Mets were the Texas Rangers in the 1970s. The only players to have worn the two-button pullover tops for both the Rangers and the Mets were Lenny Randle and Tom Grieve. https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/mVcAAOSwyqleDZ8j/s-l400.jpg> [fimg=300]https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/lsoAAOSwMz5fyGID/s-l500.jpg[/fimg] No?

Edgy MD Mar 21 2021 08:50 PM Re: UniWatch on the '86 era Mets Home Unis

That Mets uni is a touched up Rangers top, innit?

G-Fafif Mar 21 2021 08:50 PM Re: UniWatch on the '86 era Mets Home Unis

Never mind. You were back home in Mets country in May. You got it. I can still see that yearbook in that magazine rack in that particular luncheonette on the Saturday night I spotted it and can still feel the giddiness of it being available somewhere besides Shea. I noticed the 2021 MFY yb for sale at a local chain drug store the other day. That seems wrong on many levels.

G-Fafif Mar 21 2021 08:54 PM Re: UniWatch on the '86 era Mets Home Unis Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Mar 22 2021 06:09 AM

Man, was I ready for the 1978 jersey update. To my adolescent mind, everything about the Mets was tired rather than traditional. It's the same reason I welcomed Steve Albert with open ears. I seem to recall Bob Murphy being very approving of the new look, what with the two buttons keeping it from being a pure pullover. (Trying to imagine Murph being virulently against something.)

batmagadanleadoff Mar 21 2021 08:55 PM Re: UniWatch on the '86 era Mets Home Unis Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Mar 21 2021 09:21 PM

Edgy MD wrote: Two button pullover top baseball trivia -- The only other MLB team to wear two-button pullover tops in the same style worn by the Joe Torre managed era Mets were the Texas Rangers in the 1970s. The only players to have worn the two-button pullover tops for both the Rangers and the Mets were Lenny Randle and Tom Grieve. https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/mVcAAOSwyqleDZ8j/s-l400.jpg> [fimg=300]https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/lsoAAOSwMz5fyGID/s-l500.jpg[/fimg] No? Yes! Good catch. I forgot about Rusty and I realize why: I was only thinking about players who were Rangers in the 70s before they were Mets from that era because I assumed that the Rangers didn't wear the two-buttons in the 80s.

batmagadanleadoff Mar 21 2021 08:57 PM Re: UniWatch on the '86 era Mets Home Unis

=G-Fafif post_id=58277 time=1616381425 user_id=55] Never mind. You were back home in Mets country in May. You got it. I can still see that yearbook in that magazine rack in that particular luncheonette on the Saturday night I spotted it and can still feel the giddiness of it being available somewhere besides Shea.

I had that exact same feeling the first time I saw a Mets yearbook available at a magazine rack instead of at Shea.

batmagadanleadoff Mar 21 2021 09:06 PM Re: UniWatch on the '86 era Mets Home Unis

=G-Fafif post_id=58278 time=1616381668 user_id=55] Man, was I ready for the 1978 Jersey update. To my adolescent mind, everything about the Mets was tired rather than traditional. It's the same reason I welcomed Steve Albert with open ears. I seem to recall Bob Murphy being very approving of the new look, what with the two buttons keeping it from being a pure pullover. (Trying to imagine Murph being virulently against something.)

Those Mets two-button jobs are associated with some of the most depressing squads in franchise history, aren't they? Dreadful squads that couldn't use expansion as an excuse.

Edgy MD Mar 21 2021 09:18 PM Re: UniWatch on the '86 era Mets Home Unis

https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ouf_zcyfE7w/XxZ6cqCuFgI/AAAAAAABKDQ/Lu0v58Hekssi64-lhWQPSJpPDKs8AxTsACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/jorgensen7.JPG> [fimg=300]https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71d6evDTf5L._AC_SL1000_.jpg[/fimg] [fimg=300]https://i1.wp.com/mets360.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/zest-front-4-Montanez.jpg[/fimg] https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/2~EAAOSw5P9bGHi9/s-l500.jpg>

batmagadanleadoff Mar 21 2021 09:19 PM Re: UniWatch on the '86 era Mets Home Unis

When the Mets adopted the side stripes, I thought, “Oh, like the Expos have.” Because I was away at college the first month of the '83 season, I don't think the update really sunk in for me until I saw the yearbook on sale at my local newsstand in May and it was featured in cartoon form on the cover. You could buy a Mets yearbook at a newsstand in Tampa? Never mind. You were back home in Mets country in May. [FIMG=555]https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51060655228_999fd50a55_o.jpg[/FIMG]

Edgy MD Mar 21 2021 09:29 PM Re: UniWatch on the '86 era Mets Home Unis

Found a fourth two-button two-teamer. https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61%2BZCGG7vUL._AC_SY445_.jpg> https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9m66ardIALg/XF3cjTgHEpI/AAAAAAABDEQ/5DUN-ixhJa45L0vh67KjtMMiCKXsM0H8gCLcBGAs/s1600/377bc28dcb7a6461230401a4b30a.jpg>

batmagadanleadoff Mar 21 2021 09:33 PM Re: UniWatch on the '86 era Mets Home Unis Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Mar 21 2021 09:34 PM

Edgy MD wrote: Found a fourth two-button two-teamer. https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61%2BZCGG7vUL._AC_SY445_.jpg> https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9m66ardIALg/XF3cjTgHEpI/AAAAAAABDEQ/5DUN-ixhJa45L0vh67KjtMMiCKXsM0H8gCLcBGAs/s1600/377bc28dcb7a6461230401a4b30a.jpg> Dock and Rusty could start their own club: players who wore both the Mets and Rangers two-button pullovers in the same season. If they were alive.

G-Fafif Mar 21 2021 09:34 PM Re: UniWatch on the '86 era Mets Home Unis

=batmagadanleadoff post_id=58281 time=1616382409 user_id=68] =G-Fafif post_id=58278 time=1616381668 user_id=55] Man, was I ready for the 1978 Jersey update. To my adolescent mind, everything about the Mets was tired rather than traditional. It's the same reason I welcomed Steve Albert with open ears. I seem to recall Bob Murphy being very approving of the new look, what with the two buttons keeping it from being a pure pullover. (Trying to imagine Murph being virulently against something.)

Those Mets two-button jobs are associated with some of the most depressing squads in franchise history, aren't they? Dreadful squads that couldn't use expansion as an excuse.


Terribly cheap-looking in retrospect, too. I was too dazzled by that 9-6 start in 1978.



I was impressed that when the alumni were brought back for Shea Goodbye, the players of that era were outfitted appropriately, as if somebody had been paying attention.



Those Rangers never won anything but they sure sported some sweet threads.

G-Fafif Mar 21 2021 09:41 PM Re: UniWatch on the '86 era Mets Home Unis

[FIMG=555]https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51060655228_999fd50a55_o.jpg[/FIMG] To square the topical circle, finding an Official Mets Yearbook away from Shea matched the thrill of being able to buy a Mets replica batting helmet, like the ones seen here, at Nathan's in 1971. All of New York was Mets Country.

batmagadanleadoff Mar 21 2021 09:45 PM Re: UniWatch on the '86 era Mets Home Unis Edited 4 time(s), most recently on Mar 21 2021 10:33 PM

Terribly cheap-looking in retrospect, too. I was too dazzled by that 9-6 start in 1978. I was impressed that when the alumni were brought back for Shea Goodbye, the players of that era were outfitted appropriately, as if somebody had been paying attention. Those Rangers never won anything but they sure sported some sweet threads. While I knew, logically, how bad those Mets were, I was still young enough to remain unreasonably optimistic about their chances. I mean, I was crazy for Steve Henderson, and saddened when, in the end, it became clear that he would never duplicate the magic of his rookie season. And for two years, I would argue with everyone 'till I was blue in the face that Craig Swan was one of baseball's best pitchers, which he was, but didn't get his due because his Mets were atrocious and back then, hardly anyone bothered to look beyond a starting pitcher's unimpressive W-L record. If I was joining this forum today, I could just as easily pick swanbelongsontheallstarteam for a handle. Some of those Rangers unis were fantastic. How much more awesome would this awesome Rangers home uniform look in button-down style? [FIMG=444]https://render.fineartamerica.com/images/rendered/default/print/10.5/14/break/images/artworkimages/medium/2/texas-rangers-bump-wills-march-28-1977-sports-illustrated-cover.jpg[/FIMG]

batmagadanleadoff Mar 21 2021 09:54 PM Re: UniWatch on the '86 era Mets Home Unis Edited 6 time(s), most recently on Mar 21 2021 10:12 PM

[FIMG=555]https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51060655228_999fd50a55_o.jpg[/FIMG] To square the topical circle, finding an Official Mets Yearbook away from Shea matched the thrill of being able to buy a Mets replica batting helmet, like the ones seen here, at Nathan's in 1971. So did I! At Nathan's. Which, in 1971, I wore to the very first Mets game I ever attended and removed from my head and placed it over my heart for the singing of the National Anthem. And then from a peripheral vision side glance, caught my older cousin smirking and elbowing his fiancee to look at me when he caught me in the act of saluting with my Nathan's helmet -- not a mean or mocking smirk, more of an "aww, how cute" smirk, I assumed. One day, I was playing golf with that helmet in the living room. I don't mean that I was golfing while wearing the Nathan's helmet. Instead, I had invented some golf-like game where the helmet was the golf ball. And when I tapped the helmet ever so lightly with my age-appropriate wooden baseball bat, the helmet cracked into like three or four pieces. Lucky me I wasn't playing the hardball or real version of baseball back then, beciause if I did, I would've surely worn that Nathan's helmet. With pride. And with a very false sense of security. That helmet was one of my prized possessions from that era.

G-Fafif Mar 21 2021 09:56 PM Re: UniWatch on the '86 era Mets Home Unis

[FIMG=444]https://render.fineartamerica.com/images/rendered/default/print/10.5/14/break/images/artworkimages/medium/2/texas-rangers-bump-wills-march-28-1977-sports-illustrated-cover.jpg[/FIMG] One imagines on The Jeff Burrows (or perhaps Toby Hurrah!) Forum, threads with “Bump” have a different meaning than they do here.

batmagadanleadoff Mar 21 2021 10:07 PM Re: UniWatch on the '86 era Mets Home Unis

I think you're the only person that I can recall ever acknowledging the 1971 Nathan's Mets batting helmet.

Edgy MD Mar 21 2021 10:24 PM Re: UniWatch on the '86 era Mets Home Unis

The Nathan's in Oceanside in the early seventies was more of a palace than a restaurant. Visiting there, as a kid, was more event dining for me than even the Coney Island one.

Edgy MD Mar 21 2021 10:31 PM Re: UniWatch on the '86 era Mets Home Unis

Edgy MD wrote: Found a fourth two-button two-teamer. https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61%2BZCGG7vUL._AC_SY445_.jpg> https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9m66ardIALg/XF3cjTgHEpI/AAAAAAABDEQ/5DUN-ixhJa45L0vh67KjtMMiCKXsM0H8gCLcBGAs/s1600/377bc28dcb7a6461230401a4b30a.jpg> Dock and Rusty could start their own club: players who wore both the Mets and Rangers two-button pullovers in the same season. If they were alive. Montañez was a two-button, two-team, one-season guy, also. Jorgy could have been, but he was a PtBNL that didn't come to the Mets for Willie until after the season. I hated that Montañez was having such a terrible season in '79 and then found his stroke mere minutes after being traded, but the Mets really won that deal handily by getting Jorgenson and Lynch, didn't they?

batmagadanleadoff Mar 21 2021 10:36 PM Re: UniWatch on the '86 era Mets Home Unis

Edgy MD wrote: The Nathan's in Oceanside in the early seventies was more of a palace than a restaurant. Visiting there, as a kid, was more event dining for me than even the Coney Island one. Though not a Long Islander, I'm pretty sure I ate there a few times during my elementary school years. Did that Nathan's have like a small kiddie-themed amusement park with rides?

seawolf17 Mar 22 2021 05:27 AM Re: UniWatch on the '86 era Mets Home Unis

The Chuck E Cheese's in Commack became a Nathan's at some point in the late 80s, but kept the video game/ball pit aesthetic. They just got rid of the animatronic entertainment. Odd memory: met Islander Billy Smith there in the early 80s. My friend's dad recognized him, and I have his autograph (on the back of my friend's dad's business card) somewhere in the basement.

Johnny Lunchbucket Mar 22 2021 05:39 AM Re: UniWatch on the '86 era Mets Home Unis

=G-Fafif post_id=58263 time=1616378827 user_id=55] Sport magazine c. 1987 ran a best/worst uniforms piece, back when you had no idea people thought about such things. I remember the Mets were panned for their “War Eagles be damned” ensemble, an Auburn University reference. At the time I was insulted because how dare anybody criticize anything about the Mets, but I thought about it and the stripes plus stripes thing did seem a bit excessive. Still love ‘em for the reasons Phil Hecken cites in the above excerpt. They had a good run.

I had that issue and have never forgiven either. I could barely understand the frame of reference which to me indicated how little perspective on New York the writer had. I thought, people here don't even care about college football

whippoorwill Mar 22 2021 05:49 AM Re: UniWatch on the '86 era Mets Home Unis

=G-Fafif post_id=58270 time=1616380717 user_id=55] When the Mets adopted the side stripes, I thought, “Oh, like the Expos have.”

I thought of the Phillies



I love this thread

Edgy MD Mar 22 2021 06:05 AM Re: UniWatch on the '86 era Mets Home Unis

Johnny Lunchbucket wrote: Sport magazine c. 1987 ran a best/worst uniforms piece, back when you had no idea people thought about such things. I remember the Mets were panned for their “War Eagles be damned” ensemble, an Auburn University reference. At the time I was insulted because how dare anybody criticize anything about the Mets, but I thought about it and the stripes plus stripes thing did seem a bit excessive. Still love ‘em for the reasons Phil Hecken cites in the above excerpt. They had a good run. I had that issue and have never forgiven either. I could barely understand the frame of reference which to me indicated how little perspective on New York the writer had. I thought, people here don't even care about college football I was at the premier for Rudy. I was working for J. Crew and one of the big shots in the family who ran the company was trying to make it in film. Inexplicably, the big wig chatted me up at the premier and asked what It thought. I hemmed and hawed and lied a little, though I thought any movie with Roc couldn't be all bad. He told me that he was kind of counting on this film to save his standing in the business because his last film was So I Married an Axe Murderer, and that had tanked. He really wanted my input but all I could think was, "Why are you screening this in Manhattan, where anybody who gives two shits about big-time college football is clearly a pod person?"

Johnny Lunchbucket Mar 22 2021 06:11 AM Re: UniWatch on the '86 era Mets Home Unis

I thought the blue tops were pretty good looking, mostly as a fashion look, and I like that they incorporated the gray-silver into the numerals in the 80s. That was something of an underrated rare innovation with the Mets, using road grey in a new way and I was pleased they brought it back. I've always believed the Mets were capable of better looking duds, especially home jerseys. Never been all that big on pinstripes, for example. It's just that the Mets have never really had a design that does it all for me. I'm not even convinced they couldn't utilize black (or the grey-silver) if they just did it right. Hard to beat 75 Record Breaker road look though. https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71XK0bYnMWL._AC_SL1000_.jpg>

batmagadanleadoff Mar 22 2021 06:15 AM Re: UniWatch on the '86 era Mets Home Unis

Tom Seaver just missed the Mets two-button pullovers on both ends of the deal and never wore them in an actual regular season MLB game. Lucky for him. He was traded to the Reds a few months before the Mets would debut the two-buttoners. And he returned to the Mets for the first season in which the two-buttoners were totally ditched for good. Though he did appear in the two-buttoners in several promotions and photo ops just before the start of the 1983 regular season.

Johnny Lunchbucket Mar 22 2021 06:36 AM Re: UniWatch on the '86 era Mets Home Unis

Edgy MD wrote: Johnny Lunchbucket wrote: Sport magazine c. 1987 ran a best/worst uniforms piece, back when you had no idea people thought about such things. I remember the Mets were panned for their “War Eagles be damned” ensemble, an Auburn University reference. At the time I was insulted because how dare anybody criticize anything about the Mets, but I thought about it and the stripes plus stripes thing did seem a bit excessive. Still love ‘em for the reasons Phil Hecken cites in the above excerpt. They had a good run. I had that issue and have never forgiven either. I could barely understand the frame of reference which to me indicated how little perspective on New York the writer had. I thought, people here don't even care about college football I was at the premier for Rudy. I was working for J. Crew and one of the big shots in the family who ran the company was trying to make it in film. Inexplicably, the big wig chatted me up at the premier and asked what It thought. I hemmed and hawed and lied a little, though I thought any movie with Roc couldn't be all bad. He told me that he was kind of counting on this film to save his standing in the business because his last film was So I Married an Axe Murderer, and that had tanked. He really wanted my input but all I could think was, "Why are you screening this in Manhattan, where anybody who gives two shits about big-time college football is clearly a pod person?" I don;t think you've ever mentioned your J Crew career before

Fman99 Mar 22 2021 07:09 AM Re: UniWatch on the '86 era Mets Home Unis

That's where Edgy and I met. I was modeling men's trousers that featured a prominently roomy crotch bulge. For those of us who don't pack so light ;)

G-Fafif Mar 22 2021 07:12 AM Re: UniWatch on the '86 era Mets Home Unis

Nathan's in Oceanside was Mecca. It had everything. A game room that was a veritable arcade. Gumball machines that dispensed untold treasures, particularly these gelatinous humpty dumpty type figures WITH HATS. Indoor picnic benches and tables. Rides, including a merry go round. A private room, with stained glass windows, for use by fraternal organizations who perhaps gathered to watch Met highlight films. Tuesday nights attracted motorcyclists from everywhere. And the menu went on forever. Shrimp boats (my sister and I saved the boats and convert them to vessels for the hatted humpties). Pizza. Chow mein on a bun. Frog's legs. Fried chicken. Schaefer. And that was before the burgers and franks and signature French fries. Jesus, it's stirring to think about. Nothing on the menu was expensive. All of it was listed so you could learn math: 94 cents + 6 cents sales tax, total $1. Classic Nathan's of Oceanside lasted until about 1977. Scaled-down Nathan's, which was fine until you got misty-eyed for the original, hung in for a long time thereafter, with a lesser menu and a lesser game room and still the motorcycle crowd. No plastic Mets batting helmets, however. Mine, too, didn't withstand horseplay, but our announcers always warned us they shouldn't be considered protective against live pitching. A Nathan's currently resides up Long Beach Rd. from the previous site. Needless to say, it ain't what it used to be.

G-Fafif Mar 22 2021 07:16 AM Re: UniWatch on the '86 era Mets Home Unis

https://twitter.com/super70ssports/status/1354627609020268546?s=21

G-Fafif Mar 22 2021 07:22 AM Re: UniWatch on the '86 era Mets Home Unis

"Why are you screening this in Manhattan, where anybody who gives two shits about big-time college football is clearly a pod person??” I'm not an enormous college football fan, likely a symptom of being a New Yorker. When I got into it to degree, I decided I loved The U (Miami) and detested Notre Dame. But the ONE movie for which I will drop everything when I find it's on and obsess over is Rudy. He showed them.

MFS62 Mar 22 2021 07:32 AM Re: UniWatch on the '86 era Mets Home Unis

=G-Fafif post_id=58311 time=1616419321 user_id=55] "Why are you screening this in Manhattan, where anybody who gives two shits about big-time college football is clearly a pod person??” I'm not an enormous college football fan, likely a symptom of being a New Yorker. When I got into it to degree, I decided I loved The U (Miami) and detested Notre Dame. But the ONE movie for which I will drop everything when I find it's on and obsess over is Rudy. He showed them.

While there hasn't been a major college football team in Manhattan for many years ( Columbia plays in upper Manhattan and CCNY had a team until 1950) , Notre Dame has always been a favorite for people who didn't have a college team to root for. They play each year at (the then-current version of ) YS, and pack the place. And the Notre Dame games always draw high tv ratings there. When you add that to NY being one of the media centers of the country, it wasn't a big stretch to see why they held the premiere there.



And, there's a Nathan's in the food court with a limited menu in the Danbury Mall.



Later

Edgy MD Mar 22 2021 07:38 AM Re: UniWatch on the '86 era Mets Home Unis

=G-Fafif post_id=58308 time=1616418775 user_id=55] Nathan's in Oceanside was Mecca. It had everything. A game room that was a veritable arcade. Gumball machines that dispensed untold treasures, particularly these gelatinous humpty dumpty type figures WITH HATS. Indoor picnic benches and tables. Rides, including a merry go round. A private room, with stained glass windows, for use by fraternal organizations who perhaps gathered to watch Met highlight films. Tuesday nights attracted motorcyclists from everywhere. And the menu went on forever. Shrimp boats (my sister and I saved the boats and convert them to vessels for the hatted humpties). Pizza. Chow mein on a bun. Frog's legs. Fried chicken. Schaefer. And that was before the burgers and franks and signature French fries. Jesus, it's stirring to think about. Nothing on the menu was expensive. All of it was listed so you could learn math: 94 cents + 6 cents sales tax, total $1. Classic Nathan's of Oceanside lasted until about 1977. Scaled-down Nathan's, which was fine until you got misty-eyed for the original, hung in for a long time thereafter, with a lesser menu and a lesser game room and still the motorcycle crowd. No plastic Mets batting helmets, however. Mine, too, didn't withstand horseplay, but our announcers always warned us they shouldn't be considered protective against live pitching. A Nathan's currently resides up Long Beach Rd. from the previous site. Needless to say, it ain't what it used to be.

This is all true. Different counters had the differing offerings, so you had to commit yourself to which offerings you wanted before getting up from your seat. This was magical, and while I'm sure it would and did drive parents of indecisive children bonkers, it didn't seem to matter at the time, because were allowed to free ranges and they'd just give us a buck or two and let us scavenge on our own. They also had a small proscenium stage for family Wonderama-type entertainment. Magicians and puppeteers who I probably would have thought were totally ass by the time I was 11, but at 7, this was dining in style.



I was from Rockaway, where it seemed like there were arcades on every block, but the arcade at Nathan's Oceanside was where I hoped to die.

Johnny Lunchbucket Mar 22 2021 07:42 AM Re: UniWatch on the '86 era Mets Home Unis

I wore mine through the fall of 84. I remember that because I met a Met fan on freshman move-in day from another dorm who was also wearing one. It turned out that we were not only both into plastic Met replica helmets but we each had a unicycle. He was much more skilled in the clowning arts than me (I was only a dabbler) but often I'd see him on campus as he led the Juggling Club and other stuff like that. Sure enough he went pro. Book him at your next party!

batmagadanleadoff Mar 22 2021 07:52 AM Re: UniWatch on the '86 era Mets Home Unis

=G-Fafif post_id=58311 time=1616419321 user_id=55] But the ONE movie for which I will drop everything when I find it's on and obsess over is Rudy. He showed them.

Rudy's airing soon at 11:00AM on the FAMZ cable TV movie channel.

G-Fafif Mar 22 2021 07:57 AM Re: UniWatch on the '86 era Mets Home Unis

=batmagadanleadoff post_id=58316 time=1616421147 user_id=68] =G-Fafif post_id=58311 time=1616419321 user_id=55] But the ONE movie for which I will drop everything when I find it's on and obsess over is Rudy. He showed them.

Rudy's airing soon at 11:00AM on the FAMZ cable TV movie channel.


Clear my schedule.

batmagadanleadoff Mar 22 2021 08:03 AM Re: UniWatch on the '86 era Mets Home Unis

I could talk about the stuff in this thread all day. Like I care what anybody thinks Drew Ferguson might do this year. He sounds like a quarterback, anyways. Back to Nathan's -- while I was food shopping a few weeks ago, I suddenly remembered a conversation I had with a Nathan's behind-the-counter employee a few years ago. He said that the fries Nathan's sells are the exact same fries you could now buy in the frozen food section of your basic supermarkets. Makes sense, once I thought about it. I mean, those fries must arrive at Nathan's's's frozen in gigantic bags. No way Nathan's restaurants are peeling potatoes from scratch on the spot and then crinkling them up before frying them. So when I remembered that conversation, I bought a bag of Nathan's fries. I never, I mean never, buy frozen food fries for home, otherwise. Anyways, I made them. In the oven, as per the instructions. They were on the soggy or mushy side. After, I noticed that the bag said that for crispier results, frying is recommended. Zvon woulda loved this thread. I bet he had a Nathan's 1971 Mets batting helmet, too.

Fman99 Mar 22 2021 08:07 AM Re: UniWatch on the '86 era Mets Home Unis

We oven bake our fries here at my house. Too much oil in the pan fry process. The key is finding the right cut of fry and using a non-greased, non foiled cookie sheet. You can get a crispy fry if you do it right. We go with the Wegmans brand 'Crispy Fries', cooked at 425 for 18 minutes and turned once midway through.

Edgy MD Mar 22 2021 08:15 AM Re: UniWatch on the '86 era Mets Home Unis

=G-Fafif post_id=58311 time=1616419321 user_id=55] "Why are you screening this in Manhattan, where anybody who gives two shits about big-time college football is clearly a pod person??” I'm not an enormous college football fan, likely a symptom of being a New Yorker. When I got into it to degree, I decided I loved The U (Miami) and detested Notre Dame. But the ONE movie for which I will drop everything when I find it's on and obsess over is Rudy. He showed them.

That's the irony. While neither movie was particularly successful, both became rewatched-over-decades classicks for completely different reasons.



Learn from this. When you get to be a film producer, don't try to make hits. Try to make institutions.

whippoorwill Mar 22 2021 08:15 AM Re: UniWatch on the '86 era Mets Home Unis

Now I'm hungry for hot dogs

whippoorwill Mar 22 2021 08:17 AM Re: UniWatch on the '86 era Mets Home Unis

We oven bake our fries here at my house. Too much oil in the pan fry process. The key is finding the right cut of fry and using a non-greased, non foiled cookie sheet. You can get a crispy fry if you do it right. We go with the Wegmans brand 'Crispy Fries', cooked at 425 for 18 minutes and turned once midway through. I forget if it's M cCain or OreIda but that is exactly the same cooking instructions for the frozen fries we get and they are quite tasty

G-Fafif Mar 22 2021 08:23 AM Re: UniWatch on the '86 era Mets Home Unis

Zvon woulda loved this thread. I bet he had a Nathan's 1971 Mets batting helmet, too. We would've had an entire series of Topps 1971 replica Mets batting helmet cards by dawn, including coins celebrating the Nathan's menu.

batmagadanleadoff Mar 22 2021 08:55 AM Re: UniWatch on the '86 era Mets Home Unis Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Mar 22 2021 12:51 PM

Zvon woulda loved this thread. I bet he had a Nathan's 1971 Mets batting helmet, too. We would've had an entire series of Topps 1971 replica Mets batting helmet cards by dawn, including coins celebrating the Nathan's menu. For sure. Getting back to the original post, I agree with Hencken's UniWatch critique of those Davey Johnson era Mets home unis. But I have a soft spot for the unis, nevertheless. So many wonderful Mets stuff is connected to those unis. The Mets most dominant period. It's the home uni my all-time favorite Met - Keith Hernandez - wore. It's the uni Dwight Gooden wore when not even God could touch Doc. And how exciting was it to watch Doc in '84 and '85? Was there ever anything more exciting in Mets history? Tuning in to a Mets game after missing the first coupl'a minutes of the game and like clockwork, I'd see the Mets leadoff hitter already on second base and the #2 hitter on first. Sid Fernandez so often looking like Sandy Koufax for the first three or four innings. And on and on and on. I guess that's what the writer was referring to about fans liking unis mainly because of how the team performed in them. And speaking of dominant untouchable era Doc, what hardly anyone ever mentions, if at all, is how Doc was so unjustly robbed of the '84 Cy Young award. He was untouchable in '84 and nobody was even remotely close, including Rick Sutcliffe, that year's winner. But Rick had the wins and his team made the playoffs, and it being 1984, you knew how that would turn out. Doc's legacy, as uneven and troubled as it is, should include winning the CYA in his first two seasons -- winning his first one while pitching the entire season as a teen-ager. [FIMG=444]https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81BZ9PSFRrL._AC_SX425_.jpg[/FIMG]

Edgy MD Mar 22 2021 09:05 AM Re: UniWatch on the '86 era Mets Home Unis

Like with Rookie of the year, they didn't really factor work volume into CYA voting back then, so Sutcliffe not showing up in the National League until the middle of June wasn't really held against him. He was terrific, and carried the Cubs to the title down the stretch, but he was probably the fourth best pitcher in the league that year, and the second best on the Chicago roster.

G-Fafif Mar 22 2021 12:49 PM Re: UniWatch on the '86 era Mets Home Unis

1983 “Try this uniform on.” “What, with the stripes on the side? Isn't that a little much?” “Just put it on. You'll find yourself imbued with powers you've never felt before.” “I don't feel any different.” “Give it time.” “Nope, I still can't...hey, wait a second, I just did something I didn't know I could do!” “Keep the uniform on.” 1984 “Hey, I had no idea you were this good!” “Can you keep a secret?” “Sure.” “It's the uniform.” “The uniform? With the stripes on the side? Isn't that a little much?” “That's what I said, but I have to keep wearing it if I want to keep getting better.” “Keep the uniform on.” 1986 “Congratulations on another big win. Can you tell our audience your secret?” “It's the uniform.” “This? With the stripes? Isn't it...” “A bit much? Doesn't matter. I put it on three years ago and I keep getting better.” “Sounds magical. Say, what's this?” “Oh, a special patch. I thought it added a little flair.” “Well, you know what you're doing, I guess. Good luck and keep the uniform on.” 1992 “I don't understand. I put the uniform on like you told me.” “And you did very well in it.” “But now I suck again!” “Did I tell you to add buttons?” “I just thought it could use a little freshening.” “TAKE THE UNIFORM OFF! Put this one on instead.” “With the tail? Will it make me play better?” “It will make you play as well as you deserve to.” “I wonder why he cackled when he said that.”

batmagadanleadoff Mar 22 2021 10:23 PM Re: UniWatch on the '86 era Mets Home Unis

I decided to google the 1971 Nathan's Mets batting helmet having rekindled old memories of the thing. I spent about 10 minutes or so, looking and looking. And looking. Just one sole entry is what I came up with. Just one. It's from 2005. No pics. Excerpt: May 8, 1971: My dad bought me a replica Mets batting helmet at Nathan's in Oceanside. The availability of such a treasured item at a local outlet had obsessed me. Other than a crappy cap that fell apart in day camp a year earlier, it was probably my first legitimate piece of Metsiana (not counting cards). It was billed as the very same one you could buy at Shea Stadium, something I had to take on faith since I was still two years from my first Mets game. My parents were basketball fans, not baseball fans. I loved that helmet. I would've worn it that summer in Pee-Wee League had it been regulation. Some years later, when tomfoolery finally did it in, I committed to buying a new one on my next trip to Shea, which came August 10, 1977. I gave the fellow at the concession stand on the third-base side of field level a twenty and he gave me back change for a ten. You have to understand that I was giddy to be at this particular game because it was the first one I ever went to without adult supervision (midweek afternoon against the Cardinals, ticket paid for with proceeds from my Newsday route which I outsourced for the day), so I wasn't necessarily keeping good track of my money. I wasn't but a few steps away when the vendor called me over and gave me back the rest of my change. I've still got the replacement helmet. Not only that, but the vendor who was honest enough not to take advantage of a starry-eyed 14-year-old (starry-eyed for the 1977 Mets, yet) is now my brother-in-law. In one of the top five Small World events of my life, my sister brought home her new boyfriend from NYU the following winter. He had been talked up to me as a Shea Stadium employee, me to him as a big Mets fan. And damned if we didn't recognize each other in an instant. Mark claims that he must've liked me because most of the time he kept the change. If i didn't already know who wrote the piece from googling it and then copying and pasting it to this forum, I'd still know who wrote it just from the clues in the piece. ,Youse would, too.

G-Fafif Mar 22 2021 10:55 PM Re: UniWatch on the '86 era Mets Home Unis

=batmagadanleadoff post_id=58380 time=1616473394 user_id=68] I decided to google the 1971 Nathan's Mets batting helmet having rekindled old memories of the thing. I spent about 10 minutes or so, looking and looking. And looking. Just one sole entry is what I came up with. Just one. It's from 2005. No pics. Excerpt: May 8, 1971: My dad bought me a replica Mets batting helmet at Nathan's in Oceanside. The availability of such a treasured item at a local outlet had obsessed me. Other than a crappy cap that fell apart in day camp a year earlier, it was probably my first legitimate piece of Metsiana (not counting cards). It was billed as the very same one you could buy at Shea Stadium, something I had to take on faith since I was still two years from my first Mets game. My parents were basketball fans, not baseball fans. I loved that helmet. I would've worn it that summer in Pee-Wee League had it been regulation. Some years later, when tomfoolery finally did it in, I committed to buying a new one on my next trip to Shea, which came August 10, 1977. I gave the fellow at the concession stand on the third-base side of field level a twenty and he gave me back change for a ten. You have to understand that I was giddy to be at this particular game because it was the first one I ever went to without adult supervision (midweek afternoon against the Cardinals, ticket paid for with proceeds from my Newsday route which I outsourced for the day), so I wasn't necessarily keeping good track of my money. I wasn't but a few steps away when the vendor called me over and gave me back the rest of my change. I've still got the replacement helmet. Not only that, but the vendor who was honest enough not to take advantage of a starry-eyed 14-year-old (starry-eyed for the 1977 Mets, yet) is now my brother-in-law. In one of the top five Small World events of my life, my sister brought home her new boyfriend from NYU the following winter. He had been talked up to me as a Shea Stadium employee, me to him as a big Mets fan. And damned if we didn't recognize each other in an instant. Mark claims that he must've liked me because most of the time he kept the change. If i didn't already know who wrote the piece from googling it and then copying and pasting it to this forum, I'd still know who wrote it just from the clues in the piece. ,Youse would, too.

“Hey, I once wrote about that, too, I'm pretty sure...oh.”

—Me, two minutes ago

batmagadanleadoff Mar 23 2021 12:04 AM Re: UniWatch on the '86 era Mets Home Unis

=G-Fafif post_id=58381 time=1616475330 user_id=55] =batmagadanleadoff post_id=58380 time=1616473394 user_id=68] I decided to google the 1971 Nathan's Mets batting helmet having rekindled old memories of the thing. I spent about 10 minutes or so, looking and looking. And looking. Just one sole entry is what I came up with. Just one. It's from 2005. No pics. Excerpt: May 8, 1971: My dad bought me a replica Mets batting helmet at Nathan's in Oceanside. The availability of such a treasured item at a local outlet had obsessed me. Other than a crappy cap that fell apart in day camp a year earlier, it was probably my first legitimate piece of Metsiana (not counting cards). It was billed as the very same one you could buy at Shea Stadium, something I had to take on faith since I was still two years from my first Mets game. My parents were basketball fans, not baseball fans. I loved that helmet. I would've worn it that summer in Pee-Wee League had it been regulation. Some years later, when tomfoolery finally did it in, I committed to buying a new one on my next trip to Shea, which came August 10, 1977. I gave the fellow at the concession stand on the third-base side of field level a twenty and he gave me back change for a ten. You have to understand that I was giddy to be at this particular game because it was the first one I ever went to without adult supervision (midweek afternoon against the Cardinals, ticket paid for with proceeds from my Newsday route which I outsourced for the day), so I wasn't necessarily keeping good track of my money. I wasn't but a few steps away when the vendor called me over and gave me back the rest of my change. I've still got the replacement helmet. Not only that, but the vendor who was honest enough not to take advantage of a starry-eyed 14-year-old (starry-eyed for the 1977 Mets, yet) is now my brother-in-law. In one of the top five Small World events of my life, my sister brought home her new boyfriend from NYU the following winter. He had been talked up to me as a Shea Stadium employee, me to him as a big Mets fan. And damned if we didn't recognize each other in an instant. Mark claims that he must've liked me because most of the time he kept the change. If i didn't already know who wrote the piece from googling it and then copying and pasting it to this forum, I'd still know who wrote it just from the clues in the piece. ,Youse would, too.

“Hey, I once wrote about that, too, I'm pretty sure...oh.”

—Me, two minutes ago

Wanna know what would make your story go to 11?



That after saving up for your Shea visit, you went over to your local Manufacturers Hanover Trust to buy your game ticket.

Edgy MD Mar 23 2021 06:38 AM Re: UniWatch on the '86 era Mets Home Unis

Can we speak about the other side of replica helmets? The four points which held the adjustable straps in place were of such a firmness and concentration of leather-colored plastic, that if anything should, by chance, ricochet off your head, it not only failed to absorb the impact, but instead painfully concentrated it at a shocking level This of course, didn't keep them from becoming a prized possession which could make any stupid kid the envy of the playground. But God help you when you wore it in a stickball game and the tennis ball came veering off at your head.