On my way into work this morning I caught a discussion on WFAN where a caller tried to buy a personalized jersey on the Mets website with the name Ramirez and the number 24 but was told it was restricted. This is the message that you are given:
Your current entry cannot be processed. Some entries are prohibited due to guidelines for past and present player names. Please create a new entry.
I decided to try a few others. No luck on Jeter 2 or Rivera 42.
OK, so MLB is blocking player/number combinations from current teams.
Not so fast.
I decided to try a non-star – the backup catcher on the KC Royals, Brayan Pena, number 39. Now I get this message:
Great choice! To purchase your customized jersey, click on “ADD TO CART.”
So it seems that if you are a super-star MLB has one policy, but if you are a no-name player they have another.
Not only that, but Rivera and Ramirez are fairly common names in this area. What if Mr. Ramirez was both a Mets fan and a Willie Mays fan? Sorry, we won’t take your $240.
But they’ll still take $400 million from CitiGroup.
Oh by the way, you can get a Madoff 00 jersey.
www.metspolice.com