Before the heavy-metal intros for relief pitchers, before the JumboTron and even the electronic scoreboard, there was Karl Ehrhardt and his signs at Shea Stadium. Dubbed the "Sign Man of Shea," Ehrhardt captured the moods of Mets fans in the 1960s and '70s with thousands of handmade placards. For players who made errors, one read: "BUM." After a clutch Mets hit: "WUNNERFUL." And upon the last out of the 1969 World Series, which the Mets won: "THERE ARE NO WORDS." Ehrhardt died from natural causes in his Glen Oaks, Queens, home on Monday, his family said. He was 83.