FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.queenscourier.com MARCH 27, 2014 • THE QUEENS COURIER 61 sports Local baseball T-shirt designer is going pro BY LIAM LA GUERRE lguerre@queenscourier.com @liamlaguerre A Little Neck native and diehard Darren Meenan poses with models for the launch of The 7 Line 2014 calendar. PSAL Girls Tennis - Queens A1 Division High School W- L Streak Benjamin Cardozo 3-0 W3 Forest Hills 2-1 W2 Francis Lewis 2-1 L1 Townsend Harris 0-2 L2 Bayside High School 0-3 L3 Standings courtesy psal.org as of March 25 PSAL Baseball - Queens A Division High School W- L Streak Benjamin Cardozo 1-0 W1 Aviation 0-0 - Bayside 0-0 - Flushing 0-0 - Forest Hills 0-0 - Francis Lewis 0-0 - John Bowne 0-0 - Queens HS of Teaching 0-1 L1 Standings courtesy psal.org as of March 25 Benjamin Cardozo city champion wrestlers, Steve Kim and Douglas Chau, THE COURIER/Photo by Terence M. Cullen Compiled by LIAM LA GUERRE/@liamlaguerre PSAL Boys Tennis - Queens A1 Division High School W- L Streak Benjamin Cardozo 4-0 W4 Townsend Harris 3-1 L1 Bayside High School 1-2 W1 Francis Lewis 1-2 W1 Forest Hills 0-4 L4 Standings courtesy psal.org as of March 25 PSAL Softball - Queens A Division High School W- L Streak HS For Construction 3-0 W3 Forest Hills 2-0 W2 Francis Lewis 2-1 W2 William C. Bryant 1-1 W1 Frank Sinatra 1-2 L2 John Bowne 1-2 L1 Bayside 0-1 L1 Benjamin Cardozo 0-3 L3 Standings courtesy psal.org as of March 25 Mets fan said he was overwhelmed to sign his fi rst Major League Baseball contract. But Darren Meenan won’t be chasing down fl y balls in the outfi eld or belting homers over the Citi Field fence. Instead, he’ll be hawking his clothing brand, The 7 Line, after MLB offi cially licensed it, he announced on his website on March 21. “I never imagined the brand would have enough steam to get to this level,” Meenan said. “It’s taken years of hard work and dedication, and I pinch myself daily that this is in fact a job.” Meenan watched his beloved Mets fi nished 70-92 and fourth in the National League East in 2009. To console himself, he created a T-shirt that read “I survived, let’s go Mets 2010.” The next year he started The 7 Line clothing brand out of his parent’s basement, making shirts for other Mets fans with custom messages. The brand was a hit and its popularity rose like a pop-fl y. Through the years, Citi Field became decorated with fans wearing the brand and national media outlets documented its growth. As an offi cially MLB licensed brand, The 7 Line has the opportunity for more exposure and sales. Since he started selling the T-shirts in 2010, they were exclusively available for purchase through The 7 Line website. But starting this season, fans can try on and purchase the clothes from a kiosk inside Citi Field across from the Big Apple Brews and the Shake Shack. The 7 Line has made its mark on Mets culture besides clothing. Meenan is known for organizing “The 7 Line Army,” which is a group of Mets fans that travel to home and away games. Although the licensing announcement solidifi es the brand’s place in Mets history, Meenan plans to further strengthen it for the fans. “I promise to give 100 percent towards this brand and stay dedicated to the Mets fan base,” Meenan said. “We’re all in this together and this is your brand just as much as it is mine.”
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