1. Wear white pinstriped uniforms.
2. Wear blue hats. Just to be clear, wear blue Mets hats.
3. Introduce Tom Seaver last. Last. Tom walks out to the mound in a white pinstriped #41 (vintage, no black shadows).
4. Have Tom Seaver throw a pitch to Jerry Grote, who is also in a vintage uniform.
5. Focus on the 1969 Mets and the 1986 Mets.
6. Do not focus on the 2000 Mets or the Wild Card Mets. This is a celebration of Tom Seaver and Keith Hernandez and Buddy Harrelson and Mookie Wilson. This is not about Todd Pratt and Robin Ventura. They can be there but it’s not about them.
7. Get Mookie Wilson to show up. I understand he is mad at the Mets. Just work it out. $50,000 check, a job, a public apology – just make it happen.
8. Get Davey Johnson to show up. See #7.
9. Don’t let the Yankees steal what little history the Mets have. Invite Strawberry, Gooden and Cone. They are Mets. Don’t worry where else they played or didn’t. Invite them.
10. Ignore everyone’s warts. Gooden, Strawberry, anyone else with personal issues – everyone is welcome.
11. No matter what the weather is this week, make sure the final regular season game is the game people paid good money to attend at 1pm on Sunday. If a makeup game is needed don’t you dare play it Sunday night or Monday. Get out of bed and play a split doubleheader at six in the morning. The final game is 1pm and that’s that.
12. Surprise us with the retiring of Keith Hernandez’ #17. You can announce that it will happen next June if you need the sellout that bad, but announce it now.
13. Play tape of the long-time PA announcer (I don’t know his name) who sang Take Me Out To The Ballgame (on tape) in the 1980’s and beyond.
14. Win.
15. Don’t be eliminated.
16. Honor Lindsey Nelson, Bob Murphy and Ralph Kiner.
17. No Citibank executives need to be part of this. They can throw out the ball at game 27 next season.
18. Mention the Jets.
19. Invite Joe Namath
20. Mention the Beatles.
21. Don’t have imitation Beatles make an appearance. Focus on the Mets.
22. Do not mention Billy Joel. He is not a major part of Shea history despite what he’s been selling.
23. Make sure all the “right” players are there. If you are on item #23 on a blog called Mets Police, you know who I mean.
24. Have some of the players from the bad teams. I want to see Joel Youngblood and John Stearns.
25. Remember that Jackie Robinson never played for the Mets nor at Shea. No need to turn this into a celebration of the Brooklyn Dodgers.
That’s a quick 25 off the top of my head…what are your suggestions?
