When you're a Jet...
Lately I’ve been fielding a lot of calls and texts from people who saw the shot of John F. Kennedy Jr. walking out of his New York City apartment wearing an Elmwood Jets T-shirt in the new CNN documentary An American Prince: JFK Jr.
It all started with a rinkydink ad we ran in The New Yorker. We were pushing Elmwood Jets t-shirts to help the Holyoke Youth Baseball League raise a few buckaroos. So the ad runs once, and we get a call from Mike Leonard of NBC’s Today Show. He starts by saying, “Are you nuts? You’re running an ad on the honor system in a magazine with worldwide circulation?” Yeah, that’s what we did. So Mike says, “I’m coming to Holyoke with my cinematographer Terry Maday to do a story on this crazy fundraising thing you’re doing for Holyoke Youth Baseball. So round up your Jets coach from when you were a kid, and let’s go.”
I got a hold of my coach, Buddy O’Neill. It was good to be back together with Buddy. Mike and Terry came to town and shot about an 8-minute segment for the Today Show. We got a lot of response after the piece ran. A lot of big shots ordered the shirt. Regis Philbin ordered a few, and he told the story on his show Live with Regis and Kathie Lee. Regis also wore it to the gym, and his buddy JFK, Jr. wanted a few. JFK Jr. was photographed a number of times wearing the Jets shirt.
The shirt was also ordered by Craig T. Nelson from Coach. Tim Allen of Home Improvement ordered one and then sent it back, signed with his name and his famous “RRR.” Congressman Richie Neal called me and said he wore out his Jets shirt, which he uses when cutting his lawn. So I’m gonna deliver a new one to him.
I think people like this shirt and name because it feels like everybody’s neighborhood. David Cecchi, who started out with me, designed the logo and it endures today. I’m gonna throw in a tune from that 1958 championship season when we beat the Mater Dolorosa Saints for the Mitey Mite title. I fainted out in left field, and a fan yelled out, “The left fielder is dead!”
Keep your dukes up.
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