The Mets Police

Matthew Artus has some good suggestions for the Mets on how to handle social media. Definitely worth a read.

Some thoughts from me:

– “new media” isn’t going away.  Embrace it.  I know the Mets can’t engage all 25,000 Mets blogs but there’s probably a dozen or so “big” blogs.

– I agree with Matthew.  Retweet.  Engage the fans.  Follow some people.  Reply to questions.  They don’t need to negage the trolls, but if someone asks “is there cap day this year?” that’s pretty easy for someone to field.  I don’t reply to everyone who hits me @metspolice, but I bet I have picked up followers because of my back and forth with fellow fans.

Anyway, I’m hitting the sack.  Go read Artus, Let’s Go Mets, and I have good stuff for you tomorrow.   Time for me to cuddle up with Howie and a pillow.

Kinda cool…

FLUSHING, N.Y., April 27, 2010 – Delta Air Lines (DAL), the official airline and proud sponsor of the New York Mets, together with New York Water Taxi are launching free Water Taxi service to every regularly scheduled home game at Citi Field for the rest of the 2010 season. Delta’s Baseball Water Taxi service, the area’s only complimentary public transportation to the games, begins today Tuesday, April 27 with a 5:40 p.m. departure from Pier 11 at Wall Street for the second game of the Mets-Dodgers doubleheader. Mets rightfielder Jeff Francoeur helped christen the vessel earlier today.

But beware…

Please note: service is only provided to the game; there is no post-game return service back to Manhattan. Fans can take mass transit home from Mets games. The 7 train is the fast, convenient, and “green” way to travel back to Manhattan following the game. For more details visit www.mta.info and click on “Take the Train to the Game”â„¢ or call New York City Transit at 718-330-1234.

So while the temptation is to get irate “what there’s no trip home!” think about it…you work downtown, hop a nice easy ferry.  You get home however you were going to in the first place.

Will has been taking some videos of Citi Field – check out his playlist.   If you’ve never seen 126th street of McFadden’s you’ll enjoy video #3

Will says:

I posted some new Citi Field videos to my You Tube, shot (last) Saturday prior to the loss to the Nationals.

They include footage of the Apple, a relatively complete survey of the new player banners along the left field and right field fanwalk/exterior, 126th St and McFadden’s (exterior and interior), the renovated Rotunda, Shea Bridge and the Hall of Fame and Museum (shot after the game).

Feel free to link to any if you like. And thanks for all your work on the site. I enjoy it

Scott has fired me up this morning by pointing out an article in the new New York section of the Wall Street Journal.

The Journal article is called Do The Mets Need A History Lesson? and quotes several former Mets, and they sound frustrated.

There are unnamed players referring to the team as “distant” and “cold” and there’s a line in the article about the franchise history starting in 1980.  I remember when it started in May 1998 so at least there has been some progress.

Bud Harrelson and Ray Knight express their frustration. (I want to write about Buddy later in the week, if you have any thoughts/memories email [email protected])

Mike Piazza is quoted as saying….wait for it….“yeah but he didn’t play for the team” about a certain entrance.  That’s Mike “going in the Hall of Fame as a Met and a catcher” Piazza saying it, not a bunch of WFAN callers and a fat blogger.

The line from Dave Howard about Old Timer’s Day not drawing interest from fans or sponsors is mentioned.

What I hope Mr. Howard understands is that his business is about so much more than 9 guys with a bat and ball.

If I want to sit in the sun, have a hot dog, and watch some random faces throw around a ball I can go to a Ducks game and have a much better experience than I ever will at a major league game.   Believe me my kids won’t be able to tell the difference.

This is about Tribes.

If you have bothered to read this far, you are in the same tribe as me.   We decorate ourselves in blue and orange to identify ourselves as part of the tribe and we are drawn to others like us.   The pilgrimage to Citi Field is part of tribe mentality.

The frustrations with Citi Field in 2009 were because our homeland was gone and the new homestead was decorated with the colors of another tribe.

Old-Timer’s day isn’t about getting Maxwell House to sponsor it. It should be about reenergizing your family members.  When people lose their association with the tribe they’ll stop visiting the home soil no matter how good the burgers are.

The product known as The Mets isn’t just about Reyes and Wright. It’s Knight rounding third, it’s Buddy fighting Pete Rose.   It’s the despair of 1977, and the healing of a home run in September 2001.   It’s about the connection we all made with our fathers when we were seven years old.

My son is a Mets fan because I am ramming Mets down his throat. He loves going to games.  You lose me, you lose a customer for the next 30+ years. You lose him and it will be Jeff’s kids that will feel the pain.

Let a kid walk around with a Banner. You let dogs walk around, why not let your most passionate fans make a sign?

Why not invite some old-timers back? As I have written before, I bet I could get Ronnie, Keith, Hojo, Mazzilli, Buddy, Wally, Alfonzo and Kranepool in Flushing by 3:30 today and I don’t have a Rolodex.

Does Old-Timer’s day have to be about a sell-out (how’s that going on the other nights by the way?), won’t a passionate crowd suffice?

The Mets have been fan-friendly so far in 2010 and the homestead has been remarked in our colors. I hope the bosses out there read both the Journal and my comments here.

I know it’s a business, but don’t forget what the business is built upon.

Wall Street Journal link

Ron Darling will be making a public appearance on Wednesday at what looks like a cool event:

Find out what it’s like to stand alone on a major-league pitching mound and be the center of attention for thousands of fans. Hear Emmy-winning SNY sports analyst Ron Darling – two-time All-American at Yale, starting pitcher for the New York Mets in 1983 to1991, key member of the ’86 World Championship team and author of “The Complete Game: Reflections on Baseball, Pitching, and Life on the Mound” — talk with New York Times sports writer Ken Belson about America’s pastime, this year’s spring training results and what to expect at the start of the 2010 season.

The above TimesTalk event takes place at TheTimesCenter, 242 West 41st Street, New York City.  For additional information or to purchase advance tickets, which are $30 plus service fees, call 1.888.NYT.1870 or visit www.TimesTalks.com.