De Blasio looks like real beach bum in Gilligan hat for volleyball with reporters
Just sit right back and you’ll hear a tale, a tale of a fateful trip . . . to the Bronx.
Mayor Bill de Blasio channeled his inner “Little Buddy” at Orchard Beach Friday, as he donned a goofy looking Gilligan’s Island-esque bucket hat to play some beach volleyball — in a stunt that drew mixed reviews from local residents.
Hizzoner played at least three games at the popular Bronx beach, including one with members of the press and another with a team led by Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.
He seemed to be enjoying his day in a sun, as he lounged in a director’s chair between matches and gushed about how well he thought New York was doing during his final summer at mayor.
“It is the summer of New York City. Everywhere we go, you can see it. You can feel it,” de Blasio declared under the hot afternoon sun Friday.
“This is our Riviera, our New York City Riviera. It is a magical place. It is a beautiful place. It is a place, when you come here, it’s like you go to another world,” he added, while still wearing his New Balance shoes and white athletic socks in the sand.
“I mean, sneakers and socks?” a member of the mayor’s entourage side-whispered to a Post reporter when asked to comment on his beachwear.
He also wore a blue “Welcome to…The Bronx” t-shirt from local retailer Bronx Native on Lincoln Avenue, and an orange “BXNY” bucket hat, which evoked the one worn by Bob Denver’s Gilligan character on the 1960s sitcom.
On the beach volleyball court, de Blasio’s City Hall team narrowly bested the team made up of reporters from various city media outfits 21 to 18.
His team then lost to Diaz Jr.’s crew 21 to 13, which was an ignominious defeat for de Blasio, as he had spent the run up to the game boasting that he would win.
“When he is crying in defeat, when he’s just like huddled up in a ball, I don’t want that to be the Ruben Diaz Jr. you remember,” de Blazio razzed.
But after losing to the Bronx borough president, he kneeled down and handed his Gilligan hat to the victor.
“A surplus of trash talking has negative effects,” de Blasio told Diaz Jr. before crowning the borough president with his Gilligan lid.
After the two games, the mayor of the largest city in America lingered at the beach to play at least one more pickup game with his staff.
The beach bum routine rubbed at least one Bronxite the wrong way.
“It’s a bad look with the pandemic going on and all these shootings. He shouldn’t be out here,” a DJ named Israel told The Post.
The mayor was at the beach to cap off a week of events in the borough and to announce a renovation to Orchard Beach pavilion.
