Author: Shannon Shark @metspolice

Does anyone doubt that A-Rod’s press conference will be a disaster?   He brought in a heavy hitter PR firm, which means this will be the most rehearsed non-honest conference in history.

During the Gammons interview he spoke as if he was trying to remember what else he was supposed to get it – “oh and I was naive.  I was naive and stupid.  And did I work in the word culture?”

Pettitte did it right.  Everyone forgave him in about two seconds.  Giambi too.  

I’m still waiting for an “I never did steroids” from the Captain.

Meanwhile, the commissioner just doesn’t get it.  We need to buy him a “The buck stops here!” sign for his desk.     Check out Newsday today:

“I don’t want to hear the commissioner turned a blind eye to this or he didn’t care about it,” Selig said. “That annoys the you-know-what out of me. You bet I’m sensitive to the criticism. The reason I’m so frustrated is, if you look at our whole body of work, I think we’ve come farther than anyone ever dreamed possible.”

Please.  Y’all got rich on McGwire & Sosa.

The commish will be watching the press conference today:

“Let’s just say I’m going to monitor that situation closely,” he said. “I honestly don’t know how anyone could have done more than we’ve already done.”

www.metspolice.com

Even if you don’t want to attend the game, I can tell you first-hand that you can get $200 for a not-great ticket to opening day (on the official home of MLB scalping, Stubhub).

No I’m not in the ticket business, but if I can go alone on Opening Day and take $200 off my $1200 in tickets I’m doing it.

You can too..

NEW YORK — The Mets launch their online registration for purchasing tickets for Opening Day at Citi Field on Tuesday at 10 a.m. ET on Mets.com and LosMets.com. (really, come on).


The registration for the online random drawing runs through Tuesday, Feb. 24. Opening Day, the first at Citi Field, is Monday, April 13, against the Padres at 7:10 p.m.

Fans registering automatically become eligible for the random drawing. No fee or purchase is necessary to register. A limit of one entry per person is in effect. No guarantee exists that those who register will gain an opportunity to purchase tickets. All purchases are limited to four tickets. The opportunity to purchase tickets is non-transferable.

A limited number of fans will be selected in the online random drawing. They will be notified via e-mail by Feb. 27. Ticket prices start at $27 each. All purchases must be made using a major credit card. Per ticket and per order fees apply.

Season tickets are on sale now at Mets.com and LosMets.com. Information regarding the sale of single-game tickets for the inaugural 2009 Mets home season at Citi Field will be announced shortly.

www.metspolice.com

I’ve written about this before, but it’s nice that Jerry sees things the same way I do.

The 2009 Mets need to win it all.

Not a division (or a lousy Wild Card).  Not a pennant.  Not lose Game 7 of the World Series to the Red Sox.

Win the World Series.

That’s it.  Anything else and I lump this team in with 2006, 2007, 2008 and even that really forgettable 2000 team that everybody but me likes for some reason.

Jerry said, “That’s why we’re here, to win it all.  That’s why everybody’s here.”  I guess the Wilpons weren’t in that room because they obviously don’t want big TV ratings or a big left fielder.  

When did it become “The Wilpons” anyway?   It used to be Fred, now it’s “The Wilpons” which reminds me of “The Dolans” in many ways, none of them good.

Wallace Matthews in Newsday has a gem of a paragraph.

The Wilpons have made it quite clear that they are enamored of Omar Minaya, their Teflon general manager, who probably can survive six more collapses before things start to heat up in his office.

Omar does get a free pass doesn’t he?

www.metspolice.com

I was down at the Daytona 500 all weekend, so thanks to fellow Mets Policeman “Cyclones Fan” for minding the store.

Did Jerry really say he wants to bat OverReyes third?  Jerry that’s the kind of thing that will get me back on the Lee Mazzilli for manager kick.

Anyways as I catch up on all thing Mets, my “Tom Seaver” google tracker caught this one.  I know links are lame but I bet most of you didn’t read the Seattle Times  over the weekend.

When Tom Seaver returned to the Mets in December 1982, he was treated like returning royalty.

Yet Seaver, acquired in a trade for three players, was coming off a dismal season for the Reds in which he had gone 5-13 with a 5.50 earned-run average.

No one knew quite what the Mets were getting — the greatest player in club history, or a vague facsimile.

“I don’t know what the public will remember or expect,” Seaver said at a crowded news conference at Shea Stadium. “I’m not going to go out next season with a sign saying, ‘It’s 1983 and I’m 38 years old.’ “

“When I pitch, I still have to get Pete Rose and Mike Schmidt out. … They want me to come back here and be Tom Seaver.”

Full story here.  It’s an article about Griffey Junior returning home to Seattle…and brings up these not so great comebacks…remember these?

Other major stars who returned to their initial team for one last fling, albeit with less panache than the Babe, included Tony Perez and Pete Rose to the Reds (1984 for both, a dalliance that would not end well for Rose, brought in to be a player-manager with an unanticipated sidelight as a gambler); Reggie Jackson to the A’s (1987); Phil Niekro to the Braves (for one ceremonial start in 1987); Don Sutton to the Dodgers (1988); Gary Carter to the Expos (1992); Eddie Murray to the Orioles (1996, for a stint that included his 500th home run); Rickey Henderson to the A’s (the last time in 1998); and Tom Glavine to the Braves (2008).

Man that 1983 return was awesome.  Doesn’t the SI cover just warm your heart?  If only it had lasted.   Imagine Tom on that 1984 team (my favorite Mets team of all time) – or would that have meant Gooden wouldn’t have made the team….and in retrospect maybe not hitting fame and fortune at 19 might have led a more mature Dwight Gooden not to let his demons get to him?

www.metspolice.com

I’m sure I’m a day behind the other 10,000 Mets blogs (I was down at the Daytona 500) but I’m not going to pass up a chance to link to a Joel Youngblood article from the great “Where are they now?” series in the News.

If you’re old enough you remember the day Joel played for the Mets and the Phillies.  If you’re one of these 20-somethings who aren’t old enough to remember the Mets winning a World Series, then you have no idea who Joel is.  Youngblood was an OK outfielder – really a 4th OFer type although he rang up some starts on some awful Mets teams – and even was the Mets All-Star one year.

You think the Yankees are annoying now?  Try being 12ish years old and every year the AL All Stars are half the Yankees and your team just has one guy (usually Mazzilli of course) and even the one guy doesn’t start, maybe he gets in in the 8th inning, and you are 12 and half asleep.

Joel’s the kind of player the 2007 and 2008 Mets could have used.  Scrappy and serviceable.

Here’s the article:  Youngblood link

www.metspolice.com