MLB is full of promotions that are corny, cringey and far too commercial, but every now and then a team does one that hits the mark. The New York Mets announced some of their upcoming season promotions for this season, and one of them is brilliant, as the Mets will hold “Bobby Valentine Disguise Night” at Citi Field on May 29.
You have to be a Mets fan/baseball fan with a sense of history or a love of general hardball craziness to get a sense of just how much the Mets nailed it with this concept, which will feature the first 15,000 fans getting a mustache-and-glasses get up to commemorate one of the wackiest managerial moves ever.
Start with the basic history. Valentine managed the Mets from 1996-2002, and he helped guide the Mets to a berth in the 2000 World Series. The footnote is that while Valentine had an amazing baseball mind—-not to mention talent as a player at the start of his career with the Los Angeles Angels-—he also had a massive ego that he often displayed by making the team’s success all about himself.
The ultimate version of that happened on June 9,1999, when Valentine was ejected from a game against the Toronto Blue Jays in the 12th inning. The Mets manager found a unique way to voice his disagreement with the call, returning to the dugout wearing the fake mustache and glasses get up, using eye black for the mustache. He then spent the rest of the game doing his bit in a 4-1/2 hour game that the Mets ended up winning in 14 innings, according to an AP report via ESPN.
Valentine was suspended for two games and fined $5,000 for the stunt, which was considered a total clown-show move at the time. But the 75-year old Valentine has since leaned into the concept, and in 2024 he did an in-game interview in the Angels booth wearing a disguise.
The former manager is all-in on this commemoration, too.
"I love it!" Valentine wrote in a text to The Associated Press about the planned giveaway. "I'll be there. Can't wait."
It will be a fun night to remember an interesting period in Mets history. The Mets were also star-studded back then, and they were led by the likes of Hall of Fame catcher Mike Piazza, third baseman Robin Ventura and pitcher Al Leiter. Controversies were near-daily events when Valentine was in charge, and this is a great way to “honor” his unique legacy.