Face of the Mets
Salute to an Amazin’ lifer
Willie Randolph, his coaches and players will stand and applaud in unison when longtime Mets employee Jim Plummer receives the fifth-annual Ya Gotta Believe Award at the Mets Welcome Home Dinner on Tuesday. Plummer has been with the Mets in a variety of roles for more than 30 years. The previous recipients of the award, named in the spirit of Tug McGraw for community service and overcoming obstacles, have been John Franco, Tom Glavine, Rusty Staub and Jerry Kelly from the United Spinal Association. Mets general manager Omar Minaya, asked what comes to mind when he thinks of Plummer, said simply: “The Mets”
“For me,” Omar said, “when I look at Jimmy, I see the history of the team in his face. I see Shea Stadium. I see his friend Tommie Agee. I see Nolan Ryan and all the guys from the 1969 team. Jimmy has done it all in this game, and I am proud to be his friend.” Plummer (far left with George Foster, Gary Carter and Tom Seaver) was 10 years old when he took his first official job as a batboy for the Marion (Va.) Mets. Jimmy moved up to trainer and then to GM at the tender age of 18. He was the first and youngest minority GM for a minor league team. Plummer undergoes dialysis three days a week for a kidney ailment, but, “He always has a smile on his face,” David Wright said. “I know that some days are tougher than others for Plum to come to work, but he never lets that show. He just loves the Mets.” The annual event has raised $700,000 for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
Here’s lookin’ at two
The NBA tips off a new ad campaign today promoting the upcoming playoffs by reuniting former Lakers championship teammates Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant. The ads were directed by the husband-and-wife team of Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, who directed the Oscar-nominated film “Little Miss Sunshine.” While the directors were impressed with Shaq’s acting ability, they were shocked when he decided to make creative changes in the script. While the duo would not acquiesce to the 7-foot-1 superstar, they were able to cajole O’Neal by dubbing him “The Big Copywriter.” The “Where Amazing Happens” campaign will showcase 40 of the league’s stars utilizing technology to morph the players’ faces by synching their cadence and eye movement so within the split screen video both athletes remarkably match one another.
Keith Smart, hero of the 1987 NCAA Championship game against Syracuse, is partnering with Subway to help the company congratulate Jared Fogle, a fellow Indiana University graduate, on his 10th year with the company. Fogle is the Subway aficionado who lost more than 245 pounds and is featured in the company’s ad campaigns.
Reggie’s a fan, too
Reggie Jackson was excited about the Yankees Opening Night win for several reasons. Jackson has been spending a lot of time talking to Joba Chamberlain, trying to help the 22-year-old prepare for his setup role, and Chamberlain came up big that night. Jackson also threw a perfect strike on the ceremonial first pitch, and then talked about how George Steinbrenner should join him in the Hall of Fame. He also got a special autograph for himself that evening. After the Yankees’ 3-2 victory over the Blue Jays, the man who always is signing autographs reached into his pocket and showed The Post’s Kevin Kernan a baseball that had Henry Kissinger’s autograph. “Pretty neat,” Jackson said. The former Secretary of State and Nobel Peace Prize winner also asked Reggie to sign a baseball for him – that’s two heavy hitters for the last opener in the House That Ruth Built.
Meal fit for Super hero
Super Bowl hero David Tyree and his wife, Leilah, finally got a night out alone on the town to celebrate his Super Bowl heroism and the birth of their twins, Sophia and Hannah, at Gallagher’s Steak House. The couple dined on fried calamari, fried shrimp, lamb chops, salmon, chocolate mousse cake and ice cream. . . . Jets guard Alan Faneca and Giants cornerback Geoff Pope participated in the National Epilepsy Foundation walk last weekend in Washington D.C.
Work of Arthur
The Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health (AAIUH), which was founded by the legendary tennis great two months before his death, is holding its annual event, Sportsball, on April 24, when Billie Jean King, Dick Parsons, Bryant Gumbel, Terry McDonnell from Sports Illustrated and Dr. Dawn Morton-Rias are being honored. Otis Livingston from “Today in New York” and Mary Carillo from HBO Sports are co-hosting. This year marks the 15th anniversary of Ashe’s death and the creation of the AAIUH, which continues its mission to decrease mortality from diseases that afflict the most vulnerable urban populations through improved access to care and increased health knowledge. The AAIUH’s health and science academy in Brooklyn offers specialized science classes for more than 150 of the best and brightest African-American and Afro-Cuban high school students, encouraging them to pursue the health profession. For tickets, call (718) 222-5953 or visit http://www.arthurasheinstitute.org.
Fast and Furio
The Steiner Marketplace (www.steinermarketplace.com) is branching out beyond the world of sports. Bidding on the Harley-Davidson consigned by “Sopranos” hitman Federico Castelluccio is up to $12,500, with the auction continuing through April 16. Better known as “Furio Giunta” from the late HBO series, Castelluccio’s cast members James Gandolfini, Lorraine Bracco, Steve Schirripa, Michael Imperioli, Dominic Chianese and Tony Sirico, were among 20 “Sopranos” characters to sign the bike. Portion of the proceeds are going to the Little Baby Face Foundation, which provides corrective surgery for children born with facial deformities. The winner will have the opportunity to dine with Castelluccio and other celebrity friends at a private Italian restaurant in Manhattan.
The Family Guy
Derek Jeter is ready for a double-play partner away from Yankee Stadium. “I can’t wait to start a family,” he says in the premiere issue of Lenny Dykstra’s Players Club Magazine. “I see the other guys bringing their kids to the games, into the clubhouse. I can definitely see myself getting married.” In the meantime, Jeter is putting the finishing touches on his new health club – 24-Hour Fitness-Derek Jeter. The first of his three Manhattan-based clubs is set to open this June on Madison Avenue.