The Mets Police

Some new soulless merch for folks who want to pose as baseball fans.

Seems fun – and I see references to “former players” coming by, I’ll try to scrape up the info.

Madison Square Park and Delta Air Lines invite fans of New York baseball to upgrade their baseball experience at the “Delta Dugout,” an interactive three-day event celebrating the city’s two beloved teams. As the Official Airline of the New York Mets and New York Yankees, Delta is commemorating the iconic interleague series between the teams by hosting its second annual Delta Dugout at Madison Square Park, May 20-22, 2011. The event will feature player appearances, live game viewing, baseball-themed activities and giveaways.

The Delta Dugout schedule of events, May 20-22, includes:

Friday, May 20, 11AM – 10PM Opening Day

11am – 7pm: Gaming Village and Delta Sky360 Lounge: Batting Cages, Fast Pitch, Custom Photo Booth, Delta Destination Challenge, Plane-Ko, Silent Auction, Kids Corner, Dugout Trivia, Specialty Concessions, Giveaways.

7pm: Live Viewing of Yankees-Mets series opener with great giveaways, including travel packages from Delta, baseball gear and tickets to future Mets and Yankees games.

Saturday, May 21, 11AM – 10PM

Noon: Fast Pitch Challenge and Baseball Clinic with Joba Chamberlain & Home Run Derby Challenge and Baseball Clinic with Josh Thole.

11am-6pm: Gaming Village and Delta Sky360 Lounge: Batting Cages, Fast Pitch, Custom Photo Booth, Delta Destination Challenge, Plane-Ko, Silent Auction, Kids Corner, Dugout Trivia, Specialty Concessions, Giveaways.

3pm: Mr. Met Meet & Greet.

5:15pm: Bernie Williams Special Pre-game Concert.

7pm: Live Viewing of Yankees-Mets series, game two, with great giveaways, including travel packages from Delta, baseball gear and tickets to future Mets and Yankees games.

Sunday, May 22, 10AM – 4PM

11am: The 3rd Annual Fan Flair Challenge at the Delta Dugout with phenomenal giveaways to the “most spirited” outfitted Mets and Yankees fan including game tickets, baseball gear and more!

10am-4pm: Gaming Village and Delta Sky360 Lounge: Batting Cages, Fast Pitch, Custom Photo Booth, Delta Destination Challenge, Plane-Ko, Silent Auction, Kids Corner, Dugout Trivia, Specialty Concessions, Giveaways.

1pm: Live Viewing of Yankees-Mets series finale, with great giveaways, including travel packages from Delta, baseball gear and tickets to future Mets and Yankees games.

via Madison Square Park Conservancy – Keeping Madison Square Park a bright, beautiful and lively public park..

Sniff.

Lee Mazzilli will have a role in helping to select this year’s Yankees of the future.

Mazzilli has been assigned to serve as the club’s representative for this year’s First-Year Player Draft, where he will pull up a chair and phone in each pick as scouting director Damon Oppenheimer and his team work down the Draft board.

via Mazzilli will assist Yankees at Draft | yankees.com: News.

Some of you youngsters may not remember this…but at one point the Mets took a serious run at acquiring A-Rod.  But then…

Boras began asking for things that had nothing to do with A-Rod’s alleged childhood fantasy of playing for the Mets. The list included a Shea Stadium office, a marketing staff, a merchandise tent at spring training, a luxury box, use of a private jet, and more billboards than Jeter could count.

via Alex Rodriguez, New York Mets could not make deal in 2000; both may have regrets – ESPN New York.

Two thoughts…

The playoff-caliber teams from the end of the last century may have stayed playoff-caliber a tad longer.  If the Mets moved Reyes to second for Kaz Matsui, it’s plausible that you could have an infield of Wright, A-Rod and Reyes at 2B playing today.

On the other hand, it seems as if everything in Flushing turns to disaster, and it’s almost always a clownfest in the media – combining A-Rod’s penchant for fun New York Post covers with the Mets’ tendency to look silly…well that could have been a scary combo.  And then there was that steroids thing…

Oh well, that’s someone elses problem.  A-Rod is now a “true Yankee” like Damon and Giambi and the Mets have a scrappy homegrown team.

Check out the good read on ESPN NY