One of the bright spots of the last few Met years for me has been the broadcast trio of Gary, Keith and Ron.

They are no Bob, Ralph and Lindsey. And that’s great. The modern day voice of the Mets has its own style and Cohen, Hernandez and Darling are endearing themselves to fans of every vintage. I especially appreciate that these guys are no homers. They call it like it is. That breeds respect.

Gary, Keith and Ron have launched a new charity endeavor. I got a press release last night. Here ‘tis, in case you missed it:

For Immediate Release
 Contact: Lynn Cohen
                      info@garykeithandron.com
                                                                                               
Gary Cohen, Keith Hernandez & Ron Darling Create Website for a Good Cause: T-Shirts Being Sold With Net Profits Going to Announcers’ Favorite Charities

(NEW YORK CITY, May 14, 2008).  SNY television announcers Gary Cohen, Keith Hernandez & Ron Darling today launched their “Pitch in for a Good Cause” website where fans can purchase custom designed tee shirts with net proceeds from the sales going to the New York sportscasters’ favorite charities.  The website is also interactive with fans being able to submit their favorite Gary, Keith & Ron stories, as well as photos of people wearing the tee shirts. Fans can also learn about their favorite sports announcers through a “Getting to Know 3 Guys in a Booth” page, where they can ask questions. 

“It takes a community to weather the storms of life,” said Gary Cohen, voice of the New York Mets.  “We’re asking our fans – our community – to join us in helping others.”

The website is offering four different tee shirts. One has Cohen’s signature phrase, “It’s Outta Here.”  Another features caricatures of Hernandez’s fans all wearing his #17 jersey, sporting his mustache, wearing his famous footwear and enjoying a pop. Darling’s tee pays tribute to “Mr. Perfect,” as well as his many numbers and nicknames.  The fourth is the official “Gary, Keith and Ron tee-shirt,” providing a humorous but loving portrait of the sportscasters’ fans. All fans who purchase a tee shirt will be invited to an end of the year fundraising event.

“My mother died of Alzheimer’s at the age of 59, so for the last 15 years I’ve helped raise funds for the Cobble Hill Health Center in Brooklyn because of its terrific care for the elderly with dementia, Alzheimer’s and other related disorders,” explained Hernandez.  “And that’s the charity I’ve selected.”

 “I chose the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation because of its dedication to finding a cure for juvenile diabetes,” Darling said.  “Since my youngest son was stricken with JD at the age of 11, one of my goals is to make his life and lifestyle as promising as any other child’s.”

“Domestic violence touches everyone, and I’ve picked the Women’s Shelter of Greater Danbury because of the enormous life-changing impact this safe house has on women and their children,” explained Cohen.

The official Gary, Keith & Ron tee shirt can be purchased for $22.99, and the other three tees featuring the individual sportscasters cost $20.99.  All four can be purchased for a discounted price of $75.00.  The Gary, Keith & Ron website is http://www.garykeithandron.com.

For further information contact:  Info@garykeithandron.com.

For

For one night in April, that will change.

In yet another nod to the past, the Mets will honor the Jets on April 28 with a pregame salute to the team that once spent 20 seasons playing at Shea Stadium. Former Pro Bowlers Joe Klecko, Wesley Walker, Greg Buttle, Randy Beverly and John Schmitt will return to their old home for the final time in Shea Stadium's history. The Jets Flight Crew cheerleaders will be on hand, along with the team's traveling, interactive JetsFest.

Jets season ticket holders will have an opportunity to meet and greet the former Jets stars in attendance at a pregame event at Shea Stadium's picnic area.

The event comes with plenty of precedence -- a throwback to the days when the Jets stalked these grounds alongside the Mets. The pinnacle of that Queens era came in 1969, when both teams won largely unexpected championships -- the "Miracle Mets" beating the Orioles in the World Series, only nine months after the Jets pulled off one of pro football's greatest upsets in Super Bowl III. Quarterback Joe Namath guaranteed that his Jets would beat the heavily favored Colts and then made good on the boast, leading his band of underdogs to a 16-7 victory and giving the American Football League more legitimacy than ever in its final year of existence. Namath was named the MVP.

Fourteen years later, the Jets moved out of Shea Stadium, leaving for the football-centric confines of Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. Yet the Mets have not forgotten their former friends, choosing to honor them during the final season of Shea's history.

The Mets will move into their new stadium, Citi Field, next April, and the Jets will soon follow suit, leaving the Meadowlands for a new stadium within the same complex.

We have had plenty of enquiries here at Loge13.com about the Shea Stadium Doomsday Clock. Folks have asked if there is a widget version of the clock they can place on their sites or blogs.

Thanks to the magic of the Internet – and DepressedFan’s Brian – Loge13 is proud to offer the official Shea Stadium Doomsday Clock widget. The widget version looks like this:

The code for the clock is here:
<script type="text/javascript" src="http://www.loge13.com/widget.js"></script>
<script type="text/javascript">doomsday_clock (0);</script>

Just paste it into your template and you’re good to go. if you want any modifications (bigger, smaller, faster, slower), just e-mail me at:

kingman AT blogsbyfans.com

The folks over at PaulandRingoatShea.com put up the widget and an excellent Billy Joel mockup. Check it out. And don’t forget to sign their petition.

Now you can watch Shea’s time fly from the comfort of your own site. Enjoy.

More about the clock here.

I’m not raining on the Giants’ parade today. I’m just a contrarian. And by the time the next football season rolls around, Shea Stadium will be on the short end of its existence.

Here’s a great photo of Joe Namath playing at Shea, courtesy of the NYTimes archives:

N.Y. Jets vs Houston Oilers at Shea Stadium, Sept. 18,1966

This photo captures a rare moment captured when Joe Namath leaped to complete a pass over the defensive line.

That’s back when Joe had knees.

True story about the Jets and their training grounds out at Hofstra University. My aunt was a nun and at one point, was stationed out on Long Island. She provided day care services for kids on the Hofstra campus. Her apartment was on the opposite side of campus. Between the two points was the field on which the Jets would practice.

My aunt walked across that field to get to her job every day, 12 months a year – whether the Jets were there or not. It was the quickest way to work and no one was going to alter her course. When the Jets would come and set up camp at Hofstra, she still stubbornly walked across the field and live practice to get to work. The Jets officials knew when she was coming and would halt practice for her. Pretty cool stuff. She was a great lady and the Jets were pretty kind by not sacking her. Although she probably could have held her own.

The Bobster e-mailed me before the Super Bowl and reminded me I have neglected the Jets on Loge13.

This is true and I suppose this oversight may be deliberate. I was a big Jet fan in the 1970’s, when they played in Shea. When they left Queens and moved to New Jersey, I hated them and stopped watching football for awhile. It didn't help that a lawnmower almost landed on my head at a 1979 Jet game at Shea Stadium. But that's another story...

Then I left Queens and moved to New Jersey a few years ago. Now I have some issues to work out.

But the Giants have now won Super Bowl XLII. And today there is a parade. In New York. Ridiculous. The New York Giants and New York Jets play in New Jersey. They are not New York teams. The Jets still practice at Hofstra but next year, that will change too. But these two franchises will never admit they are Jersey teams. I guess I am not the only one with relocation issues.

Anyway, Bobster writes:

Let's not leave out the NY Jets when considering the last days of Shea!  Remember, the first championship team to play at Shea wasn't the Mets.  The Jets won the American Football League title in December 1968, then won the Super Bowl two weeks later in January 1969.

Thanks for the photos, Bobster.

• Death From Above: Shea, 1979