The Case Against Lowercase Uniform Lettering

The Mets decision to invest in lowercase technology for the uniforms of Travis d’Arnaud, Matt den Dekker , and pitching prospect Jacob deGrom, has been met with mostly praise from the media.  Shannon was among those in social media who mocked the Mets use of an upside-down capital “P” in the past.

photo by Adam Rubin
photo by Adam Rubin

An article in the Wall Street Journal explained that Mets equipment manager Kevin Kierst, is the man responsible for the change.:

Kierst, irritated by the controversial upside-down “P” technique, set out to find a solution to the Mets’ orthographical dilemma. Since Major League Baseball’s uniform supplier, Majestic Athletic, didn’t produce lowercase letters, he designed a set himself in the hope of having them approved for use.

Now, with some help from Majestic, the approval of the league and a large amount of work by Kierst this winter, the Mets have an entire new alphabet at their disposal.

“It’s all about being consistent,” said Kierst, who has an artistic background—he used to paint signs on the outfield walls of minor-league ballparks. “If this is the way they spell their name, then this is the way it should appear on their uniform.”

I must respectfully disagree with Mr. Kierst and Mr. Shark.  I feel like I will be the lone voice here, but I think the new uniforms look silly and are improper.  So, I will take this opportunity to make  my case against lowercase lettering on uniforms.

ALL CAPS is ALL CAPS.  Daryl Strawberry’s uniform read “STRAWBERRY,” not “Strawberry.”  Why is a lowercase letter important just because the proper spelling has it in the beginning of the name?  

If the Mets want to leverage lowercase technology for Travis d’Arnaud’s uniform, it is silly to use “d’ARNAUD”.  Shouldn’t it say “d’Arnaud” if we are going to go that route?  I contend the best use of lettering is to be consistent, and stick with “D’ARNAUD”. 

As an example, look at this book about the famous painter Vincent van Gogh.  Notice the cover reads “VAN GOGH,” not “van GOGH.”

vangogh

 

I think the efforts to correctly spell athletes names is an honorable endeavor, and I agree that using an upside-down “P” was goofy, but this just does not sit right with me.

Whether you’re with me or against me, let me know on twitter or in the comments section.  Follow me @verceman and CC: @metspolice I believe there are more ALL CAPS purists out there than we realize!

I am the geekiest Mets Fan

I freely and openly admit it – I am both a geek and a Mets fan.  Last year I acquired (thanks to eBay) one of the 2 jerseys I have been trying to find for a few years – a Star Trek themed Mets jersey worn by the Binghamton Met in June 2009. The jersey I purchased was worn by current Mets SS Ruben Tejada.  (Looking through the MP archives I stated I wanted one back in 2009).

Fast forward to 2 weeks ago and once again thanks to eBay my other jersey target appeared. Yes friends, I now own a dreaded Mercury Mets jersey – amazingly enough in my size.  I have to tell you it’s all I thought it would be and more – it really is an ugly jersey.  I have a feeling the jersey may make an appearance at CitiField sometime this year, and if all goes well there may be a few other Mercury Mets around the park too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pictures from Philadelphia – Batting Practice

As many of you know (if you follow @MetsPolice on Twitter) I had Shannon’s tickets for the game in Philly on Sunday.  Shannon’s only request – take lots of pictures. Before we get to the pictures, a few observations:

  • I saw a few dozen Mets fans scattered throughout the crowd.  What was interesting was that in a very unscientific observation I saw as many if not more Murphy jerseys and tees than just about any other named Met.
  • The Phillies crowd was pretty relaxed when it came to Mets fans.  A few friendly, or at least non-threatening comments here and there, but nothing like how things used to be (or how they sometimes are at Fake Yankee Stadium)
  • I thought it was a little disrespectful that the Phanatic started his antics during the opening ceremony for Jackie Robinson, but otherwise it was a nice tribute

Now the pictures.  I took some during BP (really love those solid blues) and the game.  The new roads look amazing.  The lettering really POPS even from the upper deck as you’ll see in some of the pics.