FLUSHING, Queens (PIX11) — There are Mets fans. There are die-hard Mets fans. Then there’s Ernie Searle, also known as the Mets “Tie Guy.”
“Since I knew there were Mets ties, I started looking for them and finding them and I’d wear them a different tie to each game,” Searle said.
The origins of his moniker started when he was season ticket holder in Section 11 at Shea Stadium.
“And I came up one day and a whole row of guys stood up in unison and called out, ‘Hey Tie Guy, whaddya got today?’,” he said.
Searle has embraced his nickname and now has over 50 different ones.
“I have all of them except one and I will get that one,” he said. “Well it’s made by Vineyard Vines and I’ve only seen it once it my life and someone else got it.”
Mets 2nd baseman Daniel Murphy has also taken notice of Searle’s recognizable appearance.
During his rookie campaign, Murphy picked Searle as the number one Mets fan in 2009.
“It was me and Joba Chamberlain for the Subway Series 2009 so yes I do remember that gentleman,” Murphy said. “You know when you see someone wearing that much Mets stuff, it kinda was a no brainer.”
Searle has experienced his highs and lows with the Metropolitans, but through it all, Tie Guy has has his own team of support: Nick Giampietro who is Pinman and Eddie Boison who is Cowbell Man.
“We are the Ultimets fans,” Searle said.
“One day I had some pins on and my friend Anthony said hey goes you Pinman and I was like hey I gotta an idea so I start putting pins on,” Giampietro said. “My record is 314 but I got about 250 counting the hat on.”
“I’m well-known here as the cowbell man,” Boison,as he plays his famous cowbell, said. “Yeah you hear it on TV all the time.”
“He’s a great friend of mine, he’s a really enthusiastic Mets fan and he just shows a lot of spirit,” Giampietro said of Searle.
When Ernie Searle ralling the crowd in the stands at Citi Field, he a traffic director working for Impark.
“It’s nice to be able to go by somebody on game day and it’s not just ‘I’m here to park you today, I’m trying to show you where to park’,” Daniel Murphy said. “I’m excited to be here, the Mets are playing.”
For Ernie, working here is more than just a job, he’s more than just a fan and the Mets are more than just a team.
Despite their current losing record, to Searle, the Mets are “still the best baseball team in New York.”
PRODUCED BY: KIM PESTALOZZI
