TAKING SWINGS & WOKE DISSES
Met-fan ‘pimp’ battles brushbacks
Pimpin’ ain’t easy. The 24-year-old Mets fan affectionately called the “Rally Pimp” — who clownishly dresses in a fur coat, sunglasses, track suit and massive gold chain, and whose presence at Citi Field has coincided with the team’s hot streak — is striking out with the woke crowd.
SNY reporter Andy Martino took a swing at upstate Goshen native Max Wiener with a post on X whining about how “pimp imagery is problematic on so many levels.”
Fans who consider Wiener a fun figure and a welcome good-luck charm fired back.
“People were reaching out to me. They’re like, ‘Hey man, are you OK?’ And I’m like, ‘What? Watching Andy Martino get wiped on X because he made an extremely cold take. This is the greatest thing ever,’ ” Wiener told The Post before the Mets game Friday.
“It backfired on him so hard because more people came to me in my defense to be like, ‘This is just a guy having fun at a baseball game.’ And then he even doubled down and was like, ‘He’s culturally appropriating black culture and he’s being racist,’ and then people were like, ‘What are you on, brother?’ ”
Wiener, a comedian who lives in Midtown East, crafted a hilarious rebuttal video to appease Martino, where he donned different costumes — including the Rally Virgin, Rally Joe Namath, Rally Amish Housewife and Rally Pope.
Martino still has not reached out to Wiener directly and the Rally Pimp — who’s gained close to 10,000 social media followers since his debut — could not care less.
“I’ve heard nothing from him, nor do I think I will, and nor do I really care to, because I’m not going to change anything I’m doing just because one beat writer said it was offensive,” he said.
“Because again, and I have to keep reassuring people, I’m not a pimp. Sorry, guys. The cat’s out of the bag. I don’t own women.”
The name “Rally Pimp” was not even Wiener’s idea; it was bestowed upon him by fans on social media after he was first captured on camera at an April 4 game. Since that game, the Mets have gone 11-6.
“I did not pick that name. I did not choose this life. The pimp life did choose me, unfortunately,” he explained. Although Wiener said spectators may think he is “ho-ing himself out for the camera,” this is his everyday look, which he’s been donning at Citi Field for years. “I’m wearing this to CVS. I’m wearing this to get a slice and a beer,” he explained. “I had been wearing it to the games for the past couple of seasons, and I guess it was just this year that they were like, ‘Let’s give this guy a shot on the camera.’ ”
He is also getting the attention of marketers.
Athlete Logos has designed two T-shirts (left) using his image.
Rocky’s NY Deli in Georgia even created a turkey and ham sandwich in his honor.
“If they had gotten my input, I would have told them, ‘Listen, this is cool, but . . . let’s put a little prosciutt’ in there, a little bit of chicken,’ you know?” he said.