Keyboard Quarterbacks

By Mark La Monica

Here in the Keyboard Quarterbacks' main office (it looks very much like your standard cubicle), we have this technological thing called email. It's this do-hickey that allows people to send people information via a computer and some type of wiring. Perhaps you've heard of it.

Moments ago, one of these "emails" came into our computer from this guy we call the "Watchdog" touting a nice little surprise. It appears that our Mustache Madness contest we ran back in July is getting more attention and acclaim.

The folks at SNY, who so kindly saluted Keith Hernandez's winning mustache on the air way back around the MLB All-Star break are up to their keen marketing tricks again. (Note: Give that link a minute or so to download.)

This email, forwarded from a high-ranking SNY rep, reads as follows:

Given the recent acclaim for Keith's Mustache, we're doing a Keith's Mustache give-away at Shea on Friday, Sept. 14 at the Mets vs. Phillies game. SNY will distribute 25K fake mustaches to fans (poly bagged with the attached card celebrating Keith's mustache). Let me know if questions. Thanks.

Just one question: How did we all cope in this society before Mustache Madness swept the nation?

It came equipped with this nifty bit of stuff called "attachments." They look like this:

We encourage everyone in the greater metropolitan area to go Shea on Friday and celebrate Keith Hernandez's upper lip covering. Tickets start at $17.

In the meantime, relive the excitement of Mustache Madness, the 32-mustache competition to decide the Greatest Mustache in New York Sports History. And don't miss our special photo tribute to Keith's 'stache.

By Mark La Monica and Joe Fernandez

Earlier this month, Keyboard Quarterbacks reader Johnny Islander called our Mustache Madness contest "the biggest waste of internet bandwidth I have ever seen."

That's cool. We don't hate on people's opinions of our silly creations. He's got a right to his opinion and we here at the Keyboard Quarterbacks fully respect it. No harm, no foul. He's probably right, at least until recently.

Where we believe Johnny Islander went wrong is in not checking out what the American Mustache Institute is doing.

On July 16, they announced their Greatest Sports Mustache of All Time contest.

On July 11, we announced Keith Hernandez as owner of the Greatest Mustache in New York Sports History after the two-week contest called Mustache Madness which began on June 27.

A bit sketchy, don't you think? This is almost as shady as when the WWF pulled out a twin referee in the Andre the Giant-Hulk Hogan-Ted DiBiase fiasco on The Main Event in 1988.

This competition is like the WCW playing "American Made" when Hogan walks out instead of hearing "Real American." What's another word for remix? Oh yeah -- robbery.

Sure, it's easy to say they've done something different because they expanded it to the entire country. They can do that since they're not a New York-based organization.

But, seriously? Where do you think the idea came from? In fact, they linked to the Watchdog's interview with Hernandez on that site that ran in Newsday on July 13.

Sports Illustrated gave the AMI a paragraph. FOX even gave them a segment.

Just remember where Mustache Madness began, people.

We're not saying we're the only ones that can pull off a mustache competition. Heck, we encourage them. But just give credit where mustache credit is due. And maybe wait a month or two.

By Mark La Monica

What occurred in the bottom of the fourth inning on the SNY telecast of the Mets-Reds game on July 13, 2007, was earth-shattering for us here at Keyboard Quarterbacks.

Our new good friends at SNY were kind enough to let us share it with you. Click the link below. It may take a few seconds to load, depending on your computer and Internet connection.

Mustache Madness invades SNY

By Mark La Monica

Last Thursday, I thought the world would grind to a halt when the Watchdog interviewed Keith Hernandez on being voted the Greatest Mustache in New York Sports History and got it published in our newspaper.

Then, I broke four ribs and two vertebrae while watching the bottom of the fourth inning of the Mets game on SNY. Yes, folks, Gary Cohen and the broadcast crew all donned fake mustaches in support of Keith. (We should have a video link to it on Thursday).

But still, the madness rages on.

On Tuesday night, I received an email from Blog reader Rishi. It went like this:

Because the idea was so awesome, I thought I'd share... unfortunately, I had to shave it off for work.

-Rish

Attached to that email was this photo:

You gotta love that kind of support. Rish, you're a good man.

See, we're not the only ones with mustache obsessions.

Mustache Madness caught on so much that the Watchdog called up Keith Hernandez to discuss his recently minted title of Greatest Mustache in New York Sports.

Read the SportsWatch column here. Keith's quotes are outrageous.

By Joe Fernandez and Mark La Monica

He finished his 18-year MLB career with a .296 batting average, 2,182 hits, 162 home runs, 11 consecutive Gold Gloves, a share of an NL MVP but maybe more impressively -- one legendary mustache.

With 1,575 votes, Top-seeded Keith Hernandez earned the right to call that lady Kryptonite above his lip Newsday.com's Greatest New York Sports mustache. With 83.2 percent of the vote, he breezes past No. 2 seed Don Mattingly in the championship round.

For a mustache that's been covered with celebratory champagne before, winning championships is "old 'stache" for Hernandez. The 53-year-old won a World Series with the Cardinals in 1982 and then again with the Mets in 1986.

Credit metsblog.com with catapulting Keith Hernandez to the inaugural title. Of course, it's not without justice. Hernandez rode his mustache to a cameo on "Seinfeld." Not too many other mustachioed folks could pull that one off.

An understated mustache, it creates a mood that doesn't have a "Where's the party?" type of vibe, but rather "I'm going to let the party come to me" feel. Some people say that the 'stache is responsible for Hernandez's last five Gold Gloves and was a centerpiece for the '86 Mets world championship.

We here at Keyboard Quarterbacks salute Keith Hernandez -- The man, the Met, the Mustache.

Click the pic for more photos

By Mark La Monica and Joe Fernandez

Here we are, the 2007 Mustache Madness Championship. Or are we back on the Little League fields of 1987 where kids in New York argued which local baseball team had the better first baseman?

Donnie Baseball's the best. No, no, Keith's the best. Back and forth. Back and forth. For hours. For days. The debate still continues. And it was always split down party lines. Yankee fans picked Don Mattingly. Mets fans picked Keith Hernandez. No one dared cross party lines back in those days. Sort of like Congress in recent years, eh?

Fortunately, we're not deciding on any serious legislation that can affect our entire country. Rather, this is much bigger than that! Mustache Madness is a global phenomenon, with the power to affect the masses, a la Live Earth.

Can Keith's mustache ride its "Seinfeld" popularity, its ability to field a bunt, its current SNY presence and those die-hard fans over there at metsblog.com, who were the only force strong enough to turn on Goose's fastball/mustache?

Or can Donnie Baseball, the heart and soul of the Yankees from 1982-1995, do what he couldn't do during his career and bring home the championship? Will he carry enough sentiment from this weekend's Old Timer's Day to overcome the cyber juggernaut that has become Keith Hernandez? Will the people at nyyfans.com or yanksblog.com get their act together and spread the word for Donnie?

Your votes will tell the story. You've got until noon Wednesday to cast your ballot. The winner will be announced Wednesday at 2 p.m.

(2) Don Mattingly

By Mark La Monica and Joe Fernandez

This is it, folks. This is what every athlete dreams of -- The Mustache Madness Final Four.

The Web world has caught on in full swing, with Mustache Madness making its way into link format on metsblog.com. Take note Goose fans, they're locked in on taking Keith Hernandez to the final.

Mustache Madness must say goodbye to crowd favorite Joe Namath, who's Fu Man Chu and Super Bowl III ring carried him only so far. It was a valiant effort, Joe.

Now commence with voting for the Final Four. You've got until Sunday night to support your favorite mustache. View the mustache-to-mustache matchup, then click VOTE to cast your ballot.

(1) Goose Gossage	VOTE	(1) Keith Hernandez
(2) Don Mattingly	VOTE	(1) Walt Frazier

By Mark La Monica and Joe Fernandez

Can you feel the madness consuming you yet? Mustaches, mustaches, mustaches! We're even considering posting pictures of ourselves with mustaches during the Final Four.

Even the Web world has caught on, with Mustache Madness making its way into link format on Deadspin.com, Yardbarker.com, Stickandballguy.com and elsewhere. We appreciate your support for the Madness.

There were two monster upsets in the Sweet Sixteen. Bobby Nystrom pulled an Arizona and exited early as a No. 1 seed. Sal Fasano, as powerful a 2-seed in any tournament's history, pulled a Duke and lost to upstart No. 3 Joe Namath.

Now commence with voting for the Elite Eight. You've got until Thursday night to support your favorite mustache. We made the set up a bit easier this time, again. View the mustache-to-mustache matchup, then click VOTE to cast your ballot. There are some monster matchups in this round.

	The Lou Brown Bracket
(1) Goose Gossage	VOTE	(3) Thurman Munson
	The Ray Finkle Bracket
(1) Keith Hernandez	VOTE	(2) Sparky Lyle
	The Apollo Creed Bracket
(2) Don Mattingly	VOTE	(4) Catfish Hunter
	The Jack "Mr. Baseball" Elliot Bracket
(1) Walt Frazier	VOTE	(3) Joe Namath

By Mark La Monica and Joe Fernandez

We're delighted by the outstanding support shown for Mustache Madness, the latest craze to sweep through the Internet. This is better than the dancing baby from a few years ago and nearly as cool as the random YouTube links you send your friends.

And come clean, readers. We know some of you have started growing mustaches because of this. It's cool. Send us your mustache photos. You might make the next tournament.

There were very few upsets in the first round, but you can read more Mustache Madness down below the polls. Right now, it's on to the Sweet Sixteen!

View the updated Mustache Madness bracket

Now commence with voting for the Sweet Sixteen. You've got until Monday night to support your favorite mustache. We made the set up a bit easier this time. Click the athlete's name to see and study the 'stache, then click VOTE to cast your ballot.

The Lou Brown Bracket
(1) Goose Goosage vs. (4) Patrick Ewing ---- VOTE
(2) Tony Pena vs. (3) Thurman Munson ---- VOTE

The Ray Finkle Bracket
(1) Keith Hernandez vs. (4) Davey Johnson ---- VOTE
(2) Sparky Lyle vs. (3) David Wells ---- VOTE

The Apollo Creed Bracket
(1) Bobby Nystrom vs. (4) Catfish Hunter ---- VOTE
(2) Don Mattingly vs. (6) Willie Randolph ---- VOTE

The Jack Elliot Bracket
(1) Walt Frazier vs. (4) Reggie Jackson ---- VOTE
(2) Sal Fasano vs. (3) Joe Namath ---- VOTE

Read the first-round analysis by clicking on the link below

By Mark La Monica and Joe Fernandez

Summer is here and we feel like having some fun. And since we know every year that baseball's All-Star break creates three days of next to nothing to do in July, we're ready to launch into some amusement now that will carry us through that little hiccup in the sports calendar.

The Keyboard Quarterbacks proudly -- very proudly -- present Mustache Madness, your chance to celebrate, commemorate and choose the greatest mustaches in New York sports history.

Athletes have been placed in one of four brackets and will face each other in a single-elimination playoff bracket, similar to the NCAA's March Madness basketball tournament.

And, of course, we've named the divisions. In keeping with KBQB style, they are named after sports movie characters -- Lou Brown, Ray Finkle, Apollo Creed and Jack "Mr. Baseball" Elliot.

The mustache tournament, perhaps the world's first, begins now and lasts through July 11. The voting schedule is as follows:

First Round: Vote from 8:30 p.m. June 27 to 11:59 p.m. June 29.
Sweet Sixteen: Vote from 12:30 a.m. June 30 to 11:59 p.m. July 2
Elite Eight: Vote from 12:30 a.m. July 3 to 11:59 p.m. July 5.
Final Four: Vote from 12:30 a.m. July 6 to 11:59 p.m. July 8
Championship: Vote from 12:30 a.m. July 9 to 1 p.m. July 11.

The winner will be announced at 2 p.m. July 11.

Mustaches were seeded based on originality, size, staying power in New York, success of the athlete while he had the mustache, longevity, celebrity of the mustache, how his teammates reacted to it, class and symmetry.

Or decide on your own judging system: Either way, have fun. Follow these three steps:

1) Cut a hole in a box.

Oops, wrong steps. Sorry. OK, follow THESE three steps

1) See the Mustache Madness photos

2) View the Mustache Madness brackets

3) Start voting in the first round of Mustache Madness.

The Lou Brown Bracket
(1) Goose Gossage vs. (8) Tom Gordon
(4) Patrick Ewing vs. (5) John Starks

(2) Tony Pena vs. (7) Herman Edwards
(3) Thurman Munson vs. (6) Gary Sheffield

The Ray Finkle Bracket
(1) Keith Hernandez vs. (8) Wally Backman
(4) Davey Johnson vs. (5) Mike Keenan

(2) Sparky Lyle vs. (7) Derek Harper
(3) David Wells vs. (6) Jeff Kent

The Apollo Creed Bracket
(1) Bobby Nystrom vs. (8) Bryan Trottier
(4) Catfish Hunter vs. (5) Harry Carson

(2) Don Mattingly vs. (7) Jose Valentin
(3) Derek Bell vs. (6) Willie Randolph

The Jack "Mr. Baseball" Elliot Bracket
(1) Walt Frazier vs. (8) Carlos Baerga
(4) Reggie Jackson vs. (5) Billy Martin

(3) Joe Namath vs. (6) Bobby Valentine
(2) Sal Fasano vs. (7) Jason Giambi