Since it’s an after the off-day news cycle and Jackie Robinson Day is more important than this, let’s celebrate today.
On April 15, 2008 the Mets took the field. Every player was wearing 42 to honor Jackie Robinson, with no names on the back.
I like the look of no name on the back, but if you’re ever going to have names, the day when everyone has the same number seems like a good day to have names.
I had been thinking about starting a blog to teach myself about what we then called “new media”, so I fired up Blogger using my disposable email account, the one I would use to win Mets lottery tickets, the one in the name of my dog Shannon, and started a blog. I posted about the no names on the back.
The blog needed a name.
I like the Mets. I also really like a band called The Police, and in 2007 they had reunited after 20+ years, something that seemed like it would never happen. So Mets + Police = Mets Police.
Year One, I dunno. I barely remember what we did for most of that summer. Some people would read the site but it was mostly generic blog stuff that I’d put in NOT LINKING today if someone else wrote it.
2008 was also the year Shea was closing. That gave some heat to the end of the year including a wonderfully Metsian anti-climatic Game 162 loss and post-game depression slash ceremony.
Then, in 2009, we had a new stadium to talk about. Fun! Traffic to the site! And the new stadium had issues! Obstructed views! Entire sections where you couldn’t see Left Field! The Wilpons forgot to decorate the place with anything Mets but they sure did with Dodgers stuff (oh wait, it’s Jackie Robinson Day on Sunday, awkward…).
Suddenly Mets Police had a world view. A purpose. And the Police part of the never-thought-out title took on a new premise. The site took off.
Ten Years.
Along the way I have been called “negative.” I’ve also been called “shill” for two stretches, one in 2012 when I liked the team and people had rage, and again this past off-season by the silly group of boycotters called #MetsFansUnited (who have gone silent with the hot start, to the point that I’ve appropriated their hashtag as something we all use when happy about the Mets.)
There have been some wonderful moments. Dave Howard agreeing to hit a game with me after me calling him out many many times was one. We had a great evening out, stayed in loose contact afterward, and Dave later did something very nice not involving the Mets at all that I really appreciated.
I wanted Banner Day back. It came back. It has gone away again, but that’s OK, the Mets gave it a three year try.
Then there were the uniforms. Oh, the uniforms. I found an alliance of sorts with Uni Watch and “General” Paul Lukas who was leading the war to ditch the black. So many posts about uniforms.
Then, the Mets were kind enough to invite me to the press announcement where they announced not only was Banner Day back, but that they were ditching the black and going back to the beautiful set we have now. The Treaty of Flushing had been signed.
There was this player Murphy. My grandmother was a Murphy. I liked this guy Murphy the Mets brought up in 2008. Irish name. Didn’t seem to have God Given Talent but set out to make the most of himself. My kind of player.
The beat didn’t like this Murphy. They liked someone named Ike Davis. I liked Murph. The beat was very mean to Murph. Gary Cohen didn’t like Murph. I decided I was on Team Murph. #imwith28 became a well used hashtag.
I lived long enough to win the argument. Murph was an All Star for the Mets, and Ike Davis, not so much. Nothing against Ike, I liked him, but the beat was wrong. We even had Murphtober.
I wrote a book. I helped start the Queens Baseball Convention. The internet changed and traffic dipped. Lately it’s back, and I can’t even be cynical about the Mets hot start, I think it’s just magically back. Or you guys like that I’ve been extra silly lately. Or the Facebook Algorithm likes me. Or I fixed whatever plugin was broken. Anyway, it’s working again.
It’s been fun doing this every day for a decade. There have been a few days where the site was on autopilot because of travel, or @mediagoon covered me while I was in Alaska, but I think I’ve only missed one, maybe two days in ten years without a contribution from me, and that contribution was almost always written day-of.
Thank you all for your support and for reading. On to the thank you section.
…..
I have to thank Keith @mediagoon Blacknick for his major contribution to the site. As my writing partner for the first 8.5 or so years he made a tremendous contribution to the site. Like with any band, we needed to do our own things for a bit, and he is now writing at TheMediaGoon.com (or as I lovingly call it, Van Hagar.) I hope someday we put the band back together.
Dan Twohig for his support and writing over the years. I like busting his chops as I don’t think he has written since 2011 so he gets mentioned in the same sentence as Ed @rustyjr Marcus who also wrote a few things along the way.
Let’s not forget @ceetar who regularly sends me stuff and was the victim of me sharking his Beer List post which Deadspin picked up. They picked up my version not his, and it’s the biggest day of traffic over here by a mile. Coulda been your break Ceetar. Sorry buddy.
Some other people to thank, and as with all thank yous I apologize in advance to whoever I will accidentally forget. In no particular oder…well except the first one is first….
Shannon Forde. Shannon passed away a few years back but was tremendously supportive in always making sure I had the right Mets Police-y type stuff such as when Mrs. Met was going to be announced, and one time she did me a solid and buying and holding a green Murph jersey that was only available down in Port St. Lucie. Yes I paid for it lol.
Her partner in media at the time, Danielle Parillo who was equally supportive.
While naming Mets Execs – Dave Howard for rolling with the shit I gave him. The current crew including David Newman, Ethan Wilson, Mark Fine, Chris Brown and Will Carafello on twitter for not murdering me….
….sidebar memory. At one point in this journey the Mets had a bunch of us Mets Bloggers over for the first time. An off-season meeting at Citi Field. We didn’t know what to expect. We kind of expected some hit men to come out and murder us. Would Jeff Wilpon show up and scream at us? Nope. The Mets were quite nice and wanted to pick our brains. I digress….
Matt Cerrone for helping me to find my voice, especially in the early days, and for sending lots of traffic to these parts.
General Paul Lukas, and Phil Hecken, of Uni Watch for their support, links and brotherhood in hoping the Mets look nice.
Adam Rubin, also very supportive in including my links in his daily blogs.
Jason Fry for putting up with me and doing a podcast about the Mets and Star Wars. Greg Prince for letting me sometimes steal half his articles (leaving of course another 2500 words for you to read over at Faith & Fear).
Randy “The Apple” Medina for some good photoshops and keeping Keith from killing me.
The t-shirt guy! We’ve collaborated on a few things over the years. His name is Darren Meenan and his site is The7Line but hey I like saying “The T-Shirt Guy” both for stylized effect and that’s what my mom calls him.
My mom! Even she did a T7L outing once!
Junior, who let me drag him to a million games as I tried to relive my youth. My dad, long gone, for dragging me to a million games and you’re reading the results. (and hey if you want to psycho-analyze me and this site start there).
I should probably thank Mrs. Mets Police and my other kids in case they read this or my aunt rats me out lol. On the other hand, if I were tonight’s starting pitcher they probably wouldn’t even watch the game. They aren’t big Mets fans.
Sean O’Shea, the Chuck Berry of the Mets Police. Basically I stole his act.
Shannon the dog, whose name I keep alive!
Over on twitter @metspolice, there are several of you I interact with daily, I thank you all. Even the people I fight with – whether you’re putting up billboards or boycotting things, I appreciate you engaging with me and in the end we all just want the same thing.
And not least but too often last, the Mets! Without the Mets this is a blog about Sting’s new solo album with Shaggy (which is really cool by the way, and Andy Summers is touring.)
Thank you Mets for always being entertaining, and for always finding something ridiculous for me to blog about.
The mission of the blog continues to be to encourage the Mets to win the World Series while nicely dressed. The plan is that they win the World Series wearing nice uniforms, I do one last post about the parade, and I ride off into the sunset and the blog ends (or someone takes it over.)
Maybe this will be the year.
Thanks to reading. Here’s to hopefully not another decade. Let’s Go Mets (breathe, pause) Let’s Go Mets.
