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The New York Times reports that the original Shea Stadium sign man, Karl Ehrhardt, died Tuesday at his home in Glen Oaks, Queens. He was 83.
Dennis Hevesi writes:
“In an interview with The New York Times in 2006, Mr. Ehrhardt said, “I just called them the way I saw them.”
“Ehrhardt served in the Army during World War II, as a translator in a prisoner-of-war camp holding German soldiers. After the war, he graduated from Pratt Institute with a degree in design art.”
…the original sign man was a little before my time, but i am aware of the contributions he made to the team and to the fans in the early years…several have followed in his footsteps, and although i appreciate all of them, no one can come close to the man who started it all…with shea being in its last year, this season will be bittersweet for many reasons…
…all the best to karl’s family…
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May Mr. Ehrhardt rest in peace. I grew up watching Mets games starting in 1967 when regular people, like Mr. Ehrhardt, were sitting in the field level seats. He was a part of Mets games like Bob Murphy, Ralph Kiner and Lindsey Nelson.
Indeed. I remember that A-G sign for Tommie Agee and the way he would get chants going. Say hi to Tommie, Clink Cardy & Tug for us Karl.
Karl the Sign Man…I never met you but as a Met fan since 1962 I got tremendous joy from your signs over the years. You had an incredible knack for having just the right sign for the situation. What a gift you were to the Met Nation and may you rest in peace. Thanks for all the enjoyment you gave us.
I agree. I started going to games in ‘73 (old-timers game. Matlack threw a one-hitter in regular game!). I don’t know that I ever knew the sign man’s last name, but he was a pleasure to see at the games. I remember looking for him and his signs. Like looking for that Lindsey Nelson sports coat! RIP Mr. Ehrhardt.
Hey Hammer!! No kidding! That Old Timer’s Day game was my first Mets game, too — I’ll never forget it! Matlack was brilliant: a one-hit gem busted up by, of all people, John Curtis, the St. Louis starting pitcher. Rusty and Cleon Jones hit homers in that game and, if memory serves, the Mets won 4-0.
My condolences to Mr. Ehrhardt’s family! Thank you for being a NY Met fan and more importantly thank you for your service!
Sail on Karl . . .
I’m currently living in Texas, but I can’t tell you how excited I am for Citi Field to open. At the same time, I’m sad that Shea won’t be no more. Regardless of what others were saying about Shea being old or broken down, I thought it was a beautiful place to watch a baseball game.
There wasn’t too much glam or glitz taking away from the game. Once the game started though it was business as usual. No swimming pool to get a sun tan, a restaurant you’d find in the downtown of most cities, a hotel, or heck even a nice view. We didn’t need one. We had just the right amount with the subway cars racing on the big screen and the T-Shirt launches to keep people content while during the breaks. But once the game started, and I mean the moment it started, 56,000 + were focused on how many Ks Doc or Coney will have, how far Strawberry’s HR will be, how the new rookie was going to cope w/ NY, if Bonilla will do something, what out-of-this-world play Ordonez will make, if Piazza will hit a walk off HR or how good Reyes will be. (sorry my memories start with Doc & Darryl)
I’m happy to get a new stadium for our team, but I will surely miss our Shea Stadium. Anyone else have a nice story about the stadium?
All my early childhood Mets fan memories of Seaver, Koosman, Matlack,McGraw,Kiner’s Korner etc, Sign Man is a part of that. His wit & sarcasm was entertaining & fun…
Rest in peace Sign Man
To quote the Signman from the 1969 World Series
“Words Cannot Express…”
The Mets family is full of wonderful characters, including players, announcers, and especially fans. I think the posters on Metsblog are the heirs to what Karl started. I hope we can do him proud. God bless Karl’s family, and all of you, too.
Its sad that things like signs are taken for granted at todays games. There was always a pioneer in the beginning that started something. I keep getting thoughts of the little kid holding the sign at Tom Glavine’s 300th win. “Ya Gotta Believe,” and I now think of such an iconic figure holding signs in the early days when it wasn’t a regular sight to see fans holding up something up during a game.
I remember footage of Casey Stengal talking about the fans bringing their Placards & how wonderful it was…. also they used to have Sign Day at Shea & between games of a double header the fans would come in from the centerfield fence and the signs would be judged for prizes.
Ah yes, it was called “Banner Day Doubleheader.” What a great and sorely missed event! I remember as a 12 year old creating a banner with my sister and getting to walk on the field between games. Exciting feeling for a young kid! I know the Mets have kid’s programs, but Banner Day was different – anyone with a sign could participate. If I recall correctly, the winning prize the day I went was a trip to Hawaii!
My brother and sisters and I carried signs in more than one Banner Day Doubleheader. My favorite was “Bring back Lindsey, Or Just His Jackets”. I think the winning entry taht year was “The Mets Are A Rugged Team” which was emblazoned on a floor rug. Alas, those were the lean years, when John Stearns ws our best player.
I remember Karl fondly. I also remember going to a banner day double header and you were asked to line up outside the stadium with your banner in the 4th inning of the first game. I think the first game went 17 or 18 innings. It was sad to see all of the fans with their banners lined up for three hours waiting for their chance to parade on the field. I also think the 2nd game went into extra innings. Does anyone remeber the details of those games?
I’m an old timer and I remember Carl very well. He was incredible. Not only was he the original sign man at Shea, he could have (I don’t know) been the original in MLB or maybe all of sports. Of course, folks had banners before, but he might have originated having signs for different moments in a game. As I wrote, I’m not sure, but it’s possible. As someone who does remember him, I’ve missed him all of these years, even though others luckily have filled the void. So yes, I will miss him, now that he’s really gone. The guy had a nice long life though. I miss Agee too – too bad he didn’t live longer and have a longer Met career.
Karl was the best. He always summed up the situation with 2 or three words….miss AGEE too.
To Sign Man!
:::raises a glass of 13 year old Van Winkle Family Reserve Rye:::
He was called. He served. He is counted.
It’s terrible that he won’t live to see Citi Field open because I put a message of one of his most famous signs from the 1969 World Series on my brick.
“Believe In
Miracles?”
I remember one of the things I used to love about watching a home on TV, or being at Shea, was seeing the many banners that use to hang from over the railings and being walked around the stadium. I guess the white background bothered the players from seeing the ball.
Those were the days my friends . . .
. . . oh, and back then there was, of course, the Banner Day double header. : ,,,, (
I broke out of the line, carrying a banner with my brother’s and ran and slid into second. One of my greatest moments! I was not arrested for being a terrorist, the cops just kinda shock their heads and smiled.
Karl, you brought so many smiles over the years. How you got those signs out of the box so fast and with just the right “remark” I will never know! RIP, my friend. You are remembered fondly…
My brother and his friends won banner day during the really bad days – I think it was 1979. It was “The Mets are like a fine wine, they need time to get out of the cellar.” I marched in banner day a few times in the early ’80’s. They should bring it back, even if it’s before a game instead of between games of a doubleheader.
RIP Karl. He was an ebullient character who will be missed. He, the woman behind home with her crazy hat with all the Mets pins waving her arms to “distract” opposing pitchers, and Cowbell man are all a part of Shea and always will be…..if only in our memories.
I hope there is room at the new joint for characters like these.
Another piece of that wonderful year of 1969 slides into history. Karl would sit in the lower field boxes near third base and had a box full of pre-made signs that he indexed — somehow — to fit plays by a particular player or in a particular situation. No sooner did some situation occur on the field, than he found the right sign, stood up and unfolded it and just added to the magic of that year at Shea. The TV cameras invariably found him right away and the fans at the stadium and at TV just loved him!!!
I know there was some kerfluffle in later years between Karl and the Mets over Karl wanting certain seats or something, so unfortunately the relationship ended somewhat shakily, but we who remember 1969 will always remember The Sign Man and how he somehow just Fit right into the Magic that was going on.
RIP Karl, you were A-MAYS-ING!!!
Does anyone know what really happened in ‘81? Was this some kind of Frank Cashen brush-off? Karl was such a fixture, it was a shame he never came back.
Condolences to the family. Sign Man, you will always be a part of Mets’ Lore. You were missed long before you passed on to the Shea Stadium in the sky.
If ever there was a Hall of Fame for Mets Fans he would be in it.
I would like to see him be considered for the Mets Hall of Fame. He was a part of that team in the early days and helped shape the love that the fans have for this team.
Amen. He should be added to the Mets HOF. Everybody from that time including myself remembers him fondly. He was famous to us. At the very least a memorial to him in the HOF room, as well as the pin lady.
Matt, I think you should poll us on that. I think it would be a landslide in favor of it and show it to the heirarchy. If the fans are in favor of it I dont see how they could not.
why not induct him into the Mets HOF? Perfect place for special members of the Met “family”
If Matt starts a campaign, it is as good as done!
That’s a great idea! For those of us who grew up in that era, he was as much a part of the Mets as Seaver, Koosman, Agee, etc. Let’s hope the Wilpons at least see fit to have a tribute to him this season. When the sign man stopped going to Shea, the mets definitely lost something.
I am old enough to have seen him at games. He was a fixture and an attraction all in one.
RIP Karl…talk about ‘back in the day’ fondly…i will never forget the night Tom Terrific almost pitched the perfect game (i hate you jimmy qualls)…the last few rows of the upperdeck were general admission and you got in for free with a milk carton or something like that…the rest of the park was sold out…so at 6:30 or so the whole stadium is empty except for the last 10 or so rows of the upper deck all around the freakin stadium with the most passionate fans in all of sports….
I was there that night too, Rose.
I never saw so many people in Shea. We sat on the steps in the upper deck cause ya just could’nt move.
And when Qualls dropped that little looper in front of Cleon, you could hear a pin drop.
Then slowly, like the Rudy movie, a smattering grew into one those Shea shaking ovations that a young boy will never forget.
We walked home to Richmond Hill that night. The train was just to crazy. We saw history.
amen – rip Karl & thanks for the fond memories…. anyone remember or know of similar characters from Ebbets Field ? I thought there was a cow bell person there is someone with a tuba or a drum ?
I’m showing my age by saying I remember this guy from Games I went to in the 70’s…He was always seated down the left field line if I recall correctly
Great. Now all we have Cow Bell man
That clown shouldn’t even be mentioned in the same thread
Karl Ehrhardt, including his signs, were a NY icon. I remember watching both on televised games and while at Shea his handwork! Specifically, on Spetember 24, 1969, I saw at his sign read, “Tonite’s the Nite,” as the Mets clinched the NL Eastern Division enroute to their first World Series Championship!
If Coopertown ever focuses a display on the fans, and the Mets should in their HOF, Karl and his signs will be there as an ultimate expression of fan devotion! He help define one of the first expansion teams along with their erratic play!
My sympathy to the Ehrhardt family!
…And another part of my childhood slips away.
The Sign-Man, Karl Ehrhardt, will be missed. He was as much a part of my early Mets memories as the players themselves.
I remember going to my first ball game. It was Helmet Day 1973. My dad and I got to Shea early so I could see batting practice. We sat in the Loge (Either section 3 or 5–can’t recall) for the ungodly amount of $3.50 per ticket. With the wide-eyed enthusiasm of a 7 year-old, I sat on the edge of my seat and caught glimpses of my heroes. I looked for Seaver, “Kooz”, Matlack, Cleon and, my first favorote Met, the greatest hitter ever–”Rusty”.
Shea was bigger than me. Like the players who wore the blue and orange, the stadium itself was larger than life. I had never seen something so big, so impressive, so glorious. The green of the outfield stretched for miles. The brown of the infield contrasted perfectly and was being watered down by the grounds crew. The bright white of the uniforms refelcted the sunlight. “Dad, what’s that big black thing in center field for?” It was the batters eye he explained.
I wondered how they supposedly turned the stadium around for the football games when the Jets played there.
Amongst the many things I was looking for that first day were not just the players…but also, yes, “The Sign-Man.”
From home, somehow when he was at the game and held up one of his simple yet poetic phrases, the game seemed different. After a big play, a timely hit or a key strikeout, I would eagerly await Channel 9 to pan over to left field and see what The Sign-Man had to say about what just happened. I recall many times during the summers of my youth watching ballgames from my grandmother’s house in The Bronx. We’d go for lunch and then turn on Channel 9 and listen to Lindsey Nelson, Bob Murphy and Ralph Kiner. We would watch the games on my grandmothers black and white Zenith. A behemoth of sorts with legs underneath. The reception was terrible due to the antenna being turned the wrong way on the roof of her apartment buliding. My dad would tease my grandmother about her black and white set, telling her “There’s 18 guys on the field., Ma” Upon the conclusion of the game, we would hope for Bob Murphy’s “HAPPY” recap and if the Mets won, perhaps even sit through ‘Kiner’s Korner.”
He was a true part of Shea Stadium history and Mets folklore. His signs were simple…for simpler times. There was no talk of steroids, drugs or ‘overpaid athletes.’ This was before luxury boxes, the apple in the outfield and “Citi” field. Shea was a new stadium, just 9 years old at my first game. One year older than me. Shea was the toast of the National League for being such a modern marvel in the sports world.
Now, we enter a new time. Shea is 43, old, run down and about to be razed in the way Ebbets Field and the Polo Grounds were. I’m 42 and, well, I’m not as young and impressive either. Like my youth, like childhood memories, like dreams of growing up and playing Right Field after Rusty retires, Shea is moving on. Sadly, though, some of it has already moved on and become history.
R I P Karl Ehrhardt.
Well said
Ditto, Matlack! Beautiful post EndyKeith!
My mom passed recently. Me and my brother have been cleaning up her home…..our childhood home. Painful as it is, we’ve been re-living many of our early years. We found our stash of old Met yearbooks…..’73 through ‘83. Clean up had to wait a good long while as we reminisced. R.I.P., Karl! Say hi to our Mom. You’ll recognize her….she’ll be wearing #41 and talking a mile-a-minute about her Mets!
Wow, that was my first game as well. I believe the Mets beat the Expos 5-2 on the back of a John Milner home run. Now that I live in Alabama I’m lucky to get to Shea once every 5-10 years. I do go see them play in the yuppie park Turner field, which by the way reminds me of an Applebee’s restaurant.
God bless him. His spirit, creativity and committment was a joy to behold. Whether you were at the game or watched on tv, he was there for every Met fan, saying what we were thinking, feeling the vibe and giving it ’sign’!. He gave us a voice, he was the “common man” Met fan with a mission and his mission was filled with joy, humor and insight. He will be missed. He was one of a kind, and was with the Mets, as a lot of us were, whether they lost a 100 or won a 100. He will always be remembered as the “sign man” . He was an original and may he be looking down on all of us when we win it all in 2008!!
A neighbor of mine in working-class Glen Oaks, where Jerry Grote and Al Weis also lived in the late ’60s, early ’70s (baseball players were mere mortals then), Karl had some great photos in the 1970 WS Champion Mets Yearbook. Went to school with his son, Richie, who seemed to dig playing “ABA-style” basketball at “the Oval” more than watching MLB at that time. The past…. I’d say put a place of honor for him at the “new Shea,” but it’s really the “old Ebbetts Field,” exclusionary of NY Giants history, a toy and a tool for a rich man and his elitist buddies, something Karl—who paid $324 a year for Field Boxes back then—would despise. RIP, fellow fanatic…
RIP Sign Man. You always made going to the games at Shea back then a little more fun.
Lets have the fans comment on their favorite sign man comments.
After a John Milner home run:
NAILED BY THE (picture of a hammer)
“Jose, Can You See?”
for the ageless Jose Cardenal,
as he would fall victim to another “K”
Speaking of great Met fans over the years….
Who was the older woman who sat behind home plate first row at Shea, and would twirl her arms to try to distract the opposing pitcher? I remember she also wore baseball earrings with the Mets logo on them. I know she’s in virtually every TV shot from the 1986 season and playoff home games. They even did a short TV piece on her way back then.
Anyone remember her?
I’m sorry his last game was 9/30/07. I hope he was coherent and comfortable enough to appreciate the last couple weeks a bit.
As a sidenote, even his passing was noted on ESPN.com.
I mentioned earlier about induction into the Mets Hall of Fame. This guy embodied the spirit of those eariler years. How fitting would it be for the Mets to induct a fan into their hall.
RIP sign man
Here’s to a Shea Stadium Original.
RIP, Karl. You will never be forgotten.
Just another piece of our youth passing away… Put this man in the Mets HOF, Mr Wilpon!
RIP Karl, a true met fan and icon!
Two of my greatest memories from back then: Karl’s signs and Jane Jarvis’ organ.
Hey, not for nuthin’, Jane Jarvis is still with us!