Ya, that's me. With Kevin Burkhardt when he crashed my 35th birthday party at Citi Field. Actually, I think I was at his Celiac Awareness event/game in 2013.
And we're losing him. He's leaving SNY at the end of the Mets season (which is rapidly approaching) for a full-time position at FOX Sports. And he has a very high profile position there too. He was hired last season to call NFL games on FOX and impressed everyone there enough to be given an NFL Playoff game assignment (the network only has 1 such assignment that's not for their top broadcast team), and was promoted up to the number 2 announcer for this season. And after a few appearances filling in to call games for MLB on FOX, "KB" as he's known was hired this season to be not a play-by-play man (like he is for the NFL), not a reporter (like he is for SNY), but the primary host of MLB on FOX, including the All Star Game, MLB Playoffs, and World Series. And we hear that he's going to call College Basketball games on FOX. (It should be noted that some of his FOX Sports duties are on the FOX television network and some are on FOX Sports 1 and maybe FOX Sports 2 on cable).
That's a mighty high profile gig. Or as I see look at it, our little Kevin is all grown up.
So the fans over the last couple months of the season have been showing their love to KB, both on twitter and in person (I know of a couple that on separate occasions, fans sought out Kevin to meet up and get a photo with our beloved broadcaster during a Mets west coast road trip by connecting with him on twitter). And with that, for Kevin's last game at Citi Field in front of the home fans (September 17), there is a happening with fans gathering on the Shea Bridge for the game as a way to say goodbye to Kevin in person (and hoping that he obliges the fans and stops by for a few handshakes, hugs, and autographs).
So for what I jokingly refer to as "Kevin Burkhardt Night", I have assembled a list of fake events that we, the fans, will hold in his honor. It goes with the twitter hashtag #FakeKevinBurkhardtNightEvents.
- Kevin will be in the kissing booth for the first 2 innings. Fans are encouraged to come say goodbye in person.
- (SNY fill-in Mets reporter and fan non-favorite) Steve Gelbs will man the dunk tank all night. That event is sponsored by the recent #ALSIceBucketChallenge.
- During the 7th inning stretch, Kevin will run through the "carwash" on the Shea Bridge (the "carwash" has become a thing in the Mets dugout after a Mets player hits a home run or has a productive at bat, with the player being honored running through a sea of white towels held by his teammates). That event is sponsored by the 7 Line.
- In the top of the 9th, the fans on the Shea Bridge will serenade KB with the Boyz II Men hit End of the Road.
- And as Kevin interviews the Mets player of the game on the field for SNY and the fans in the stadium, the entire Mets team will come out and hit Kevin with shaving cream pies (a popular thing usually reserved for the player being interviewed).
- And finally the fans will once again serenade Kevin with another Boyz II Men hit It's So Hard To Say Goodbye To Yesterday.
Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen, KB!
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