METS MERCHANDISE HOTTEST IN USA

[samzacky]

"...the Mets' phenomenon is nationwide, according to Major League Baseball, which pegs the Amazin's as the hottest team in terms of merchandise sales in the entire country."

FANS TAKE WRIGHT TURN

By RICHARD WILNER (NY POST)

July 2, 2006 -- New York baseball fans have found a new Mr. Right - David Wright, that is. The Mets' handsome, 23-year-old third baseman has dethroned perennial favorite Derek Jeter as the city's most popular boy of summer, according to sales of jerseys and T-shirts....

And thanks to Wright's supporting cast - shortstop José Reyes and recent additions Carlos Beltran, Carlos Delgado and Pedro Martinez - the Mets have now pulled up alongside the Bronx Bombers in merchandising power....

In fact, the Mets' phenomenon is nationwide, according to Major League Baseball, which pegs the Amazin's as the hottest team in terms of merchandise sales in the entire country. "The Mets are really the perfect storm, with hot young players like Wright and Reyes, proven stars like Pedro and Delgado, with the team performing superbly on the field," said Howard Smith, the head of MLB licensing.

[SiddFinch]

So a winning team with young and new players and 88 different jerseys and hats is selling a lot of gear? Shocker.

[BBM]

Everyone run out to buy your Mets jerseys...

[Braden]

Good for the Mets.

By the way, team's on-field play is the major factor in merchaindise sales, not number of aternate jerseys the team uses.

[tBBP]

My opinion...the black in the Mets' scheme (and uniforms) look pretty damn good to me. If memory serves me right they may have ben the first pro sports league to feature it so prominently when it wasn't even one of their original colors. The fact that the team is in New York (instead of, say, KC or CINCY--who have NO BUSINESS using black when the name of the squads IS A COLOR...and yes I know the Royals weren't exactly named for the color, but...still) I guess sorta kinda works for them in that regard in that they needed to differentiate themselves--or, from a marketing standpoint, LOOK BETTER) than their crosstown rivals, and IMO, they do.

Id buy a jersey if I had the $$$ to do so...

[Hat Boy]

My opinion...the black in the Mets' scheme (and uniforms) look pretty damn good to me. If memory serves me right they may have ben the first pro sports league to feature it so prominently when it wasn't even one of their original colors.

Blue and orange were selected as the colors of the Mets as a nod to the city's past with the Dodgers and Giants. It seems strange to me that they would let black take over thier uniforms like that.

[NJTank]

That expalins all the Mets things I see lately, now if I can find a size 64 jersey id be set till thena its just T-shirts

[slapshot]

My opinion...the black in the Mets' scheme (and uniforms) look pretty damn good to me. If memory serves me right they may have ben the first pro sports league to feature it so prominently when it wasn't even one of their original colors.

I think the Knicks, who were also originally blue and orange, may have beaten the Mets to the punch by adding black to their uniforms first.

I can't find any specific dates, but I'm pretty sure the Knicks did it first, with the black as part of an alternate jersey before officially adopting at as the road uniform.

[ZapRowsdower8]

Is there a list that ranks all 30 teams by merch sales? I would love to know who the bottom team is. My guess... probably Tampa Bay (although I want to pick up their BP cap soon) Possibly Texas, I just don't seem to see alot of Rangers merch on the streets.

[GoValpo]

there is nothin more i hate in sports than bandwagoners

[Alphabet Man]

did i just watch the Mets get spanked 16-7 by the Yankees?

[tBBP]

My opinion...the black in the Mets' scheme (and uniforms) look pretty damn good to me.  If memory serves me right they may have ben the first pro sports league to feature it so prominently when it wasn't even one of their original colors.

I think the Knicks, who were also originally blue and orange, may have beaten the Mets to the punch by adding black to their uniforms first.

I can't find any specific dates, but I'm pretty sure the Knicks did it first, with the black as part of an alternate jersey before officially adopting at as the road uniform.

You know what JP? I think you're right. Now that I think about it, I think I can remember the Knicks using the balck as far back as '98--but as a trim color. The Mets went and practically made black their primary color, in a way. Somehow I get the impression that was supposed to be a fashion jersey that somebody REALLY LIKED and then they slotted it into their jersey lineup. I guess they needed to somehow differentiate themselves from the Yanks while also bringing back a color from the past (as someone previously mentioned the orange comes from the days of the NY Giants, the blue from the days of the Brooklyn Dodgers--so nice how that matched up with the Knickerbockers and, later, the NY Islanders huh?).

Either way I think the METS black jerseys are pretty good-looking. Now, when the KC Royals went and did that, then (for some ignoramious reason--that ain't a real word, I just made it up), the Oakland A's back in the day (wish I had that pic still), that just wasn't cool. Then the Reds--the REDS--became the Cincinnati BLACK-AND-Reds. (For what it's worth, I'm pretty rure everyone here knows by now the Reds are switching the black out for navy blue for the upcoming season. Just goes with the trend of the new "it" color of the decade--navy blue. Just like black was the "hot" color of the '90s--along with the influx of newer, flashier colors like purple and teal, which, for a man who likes color, I actually liked.)

Now if I only had about $200-some odd dollarz to spend on a Pedro Martinez black jersey...

[tBBP]

...and then, reading through the "Political Correctness" thread, I see this little snippet of info courtesy of Snowcap30 regarding those colors blue and orange:

long island was originally founded by the dutch (thus the isles colors blue and orange and the cop cars are blue and oragne b/c thats the flag color of the netherlands)

That was in response to Hofstra changing nicknames, but the color info was of particular interest...I learn something new here everyday!

[slapshot]

Now if I only had about $200-some odd dollarz to spend on a Pedro Martinez black jersey...

You don't need to drop 2 bills on a jersey. I've seen places online that sell blank authentics (or even good replica quality, it depends on the team) for around $100, and then you can get it customized for around $50. I have an Authetic Atland Braves home jersey I got off ebay for $75, and for extra money the buyer sent it to Chicago to have Glavine 47 put on the back.

I agree with you about the Mets black...I like the black jerseys, I think the addition of black to the blue and orange works for them. It's definitely overused and should be worn less frequently, but the combination works well. People just don't like it because it's the Mets, they're only supposed to be blue and orange. If you started up a new team from scratch with black, blue and orange, no one would say anything about it.

I like the Reds' addition of black, since it has been part of the logo for a long time. It made the uniforms less bland, since there was at least another element to work with. Again, like the Mets, it was overdone on the road jerseys, but black as a trim or shadow has made the uniforms look nice. Everyone talks about the Big Bad Reds from the 70s, but the monochrome scheme was boring It was clean, but boring. It works for the Yankees, not so much for the Reds.

The Royals addition of the black was overkill. Why not use gold? Gold was in the logo. Or even silver, since they went that direction. But the black was too overpowering for a team historically using blue or powder blue only.

[tBBP]

Now if I only had about $200-some odd dollarz to spend on a Pedro Martinez black jersey... 

You don't need to drop 2 bills on a jersey. I've seen places online that sell blank authentics (or even good replica quality, it depends on the team) for around $100, and then you can get it customized for around $50. I have an Authetic Atland Braves home jersey I got off ebay for $75, and for extra money the buyer sent it to Chicago to have Glavine 47 put on the back.

I agree with you about the Mets black...I like the black jerseys, I think the addition of black to the blue and orange works for them. It's definitely overused and should be worn less frequently, but the combination works well. People just don't like it because it's the Mets, they're only supposed to be blue and orange. If you started up a new team from scratch with black, blue and orange, no one would say anything about it.

I like the Reds' addition of black, since it has been part of the logo for a long time. It made the uniforms less bland, since there was at least another element to work with. Again, like the Mets, it was overdone on the road jerseys, but black as a trim or shadow has made the uniforms look nice. Everyone talks about the Big Bad Reds from the 70s, but the monochrome scheme was boring It was clean, but boring. It works for the Yankees, not so much for the Reds.

The Royals addition of the black was overkill. Why not use gold? Gold was in the logo. Or even silver, since they went that direction. But the black was too overpowering for a team historically using blue or powder blue only.

I...COULD...NOT...AGREE...MORE!

I never could understand why the Royals dont use gold in their scheme somewhere. the crown top of their logo (one of them) is gold--and for that matter, so is the big version of it in their stadium! Royal blue and gold just look so GOOD together, and I think they make for some REALLY NICE uniform combos (hopefully I can get to prove that once I get around to rolling out my Continental Airlines concept, a part of my upcoming debut series--reference my sig.) I think, bad as they are, the Royals, with their color scheme, have the potential to be one fo the best-dressed teams in baseball--and pro sports period--IF they could just work that gold in there somewhere, at least for the home sets and third jersey (can't say I'd like how gold would look on a grey road set--unless the gey had kind of a blueish tint to it). OR yes--even silver. Silver and gold--colors of precious metals, not to mention royalty in some ways.

And by the way, good tip on te e-bay thing, I never thought of that before.

(Still learning new things every day on this site!)

[SabreGuy]

I have to admit that this season I've broken out my old blue Mets caps out of the boxes of my hat collection, because they're making me a believer again. I even have the all black cap, too. I can not STAND the combination of black and blue, though, and for that reason, most Mets merchandise just looks UGLY to me. Their black hat with the blue bill is one of the worst in the majors, probably THE worst. And the batting helmet... well, that's just a travesty!

I do, however, like the blue home uni, with the all blue hat. Those are sharp. But the blue/black combo... yech, I hate it always.

[thing2]

maybe i'm strange, but i like the mets' use of black and their variety of different uniforms and caps.

[griffelh]

At the very least they need to eliminate the black drop shaowing on the pinstripe jerseys. It looks ok on the others, but on the pinstripes it is just gratuitous and it clutters the graphics.

Personally, I dislike the black and would like them to go back to their "traditional" uniforms, which they resurrected from 1995-1997 before adding the first balck alt jersey in 1998.

[PittsburghSucks]

did i just watch the Mets get spanked 16-7 by the Yankees?

did i just watch the Yankees get spanked 19-1 by the Indians?

[BBM]

I'd like to see them wear the blue caps with their gray road uniforms, but they never do this. It'd be interesting to see the combo though.