The Daily News has an article today about Stephen Dillon and Bill Wakefield (no I’ve never heard of them either) who both pitched in the first night game at Shea.
That got me wondering about the ceremonial first pitch at the fourth ever event at C-Field on Opening Night. (Must resist sidebar rants about Opening Day being a night game and Opening Night not being the first thing at the stadium.)
This is when I worry about my Mets, because they have a tendency to get things wrong. Remember the marching band last year? Remember making fans sit for a half hour so they could line up some photos that weren’t even used at Closing Day last September?
I worry that the Mets don’t know who should throw out the first pitch at the new park.
I’m sure all of you know the answer is obvious. It should be a pitcher, and it should be someone with Hall of Fame credentials, and it should be a Met. You know who he is.
It shouldn’t be a catcher from Los Angeles. It shouldn’t be an ancenstor of Jackie Robinson (sorry everyone, not day one at a new METS stadium, they can do that on the 15th). It absolutely had better not be “The Vice President of Citigroup.” (can you imagine the boos?)
Someone call George Thomas Seaver and tell him that he’s needed. Pay him the $50,000 that DiMaggio used to get if that’s what it takes. Send one of the Citigroup corporate jets that we pay for to pick him up and send him home. The grapes will be OK without him for 24 hours.
The Mets understand that Seaver is the right choice and the only choice, right?
The News article is here: http://us.mg2.mail.yahoo.com/dc/launch?.gx=1&.rand=35lj6mdbu9t9v
