Meeting with the Cowbell Man

A fixture at Shea Stadium, but little more than a hispanic guy with a mustache to me, I was skeptical when Dan pointed him out to me in a bar on Third Avenue last week.

Dan: "That's him, that's the Cowbell Man!!" (for more info on this linked incident)
Rich: "I dunno Dan, a lot of people wear Mets hats and shirts all the time. I wouldn't be so sure."
Dan: "Alright Rich, you're probably right, but just in case...Cowbell!!!"

Of course, as it was him, Cowbell Man (search for cowbell on this page) immediately turned around and got up in our faces because he knew that he had found a couple of fans.

It's rare that I have ever seen anyone more excited to be recognized. Even more amazingly, Dan and I noticed that he was holding a small duffel bag, the contents of which he was only too happy to reveal. Dan asked if he could touch it, and Cowbell Man did him one better, allowing Dan to hit the famous cowbell exactly three times.

Now what makes this encounter particularly interesting is the fact that this happened in mid-October, when the Mets season had already been over for two weeks. So, despite this fact, the Cowbell Man was still wandering around the city in nearly full costume with his cowbell. Apparently his real name is Eddie and he works with NYU as a dietician. He recommends a steady diet of hot dogs, beer, and cracker jack in order to stay in peak physical condition. Also, he has been to every Mets home game since 1964 and he stitched the letters COWBELL MAN and the number 10 onto his jersey himself.

Alas, after ten wonderful minutes of conversation, he had to depart and cheer up the lives of other spoiled 22-year-old Mets fans in other bars on Third Avenue.

But he did tell me to make sure that mlb.com did an article about him for mets.com. At least I blogged about him.