Author: Shannon Shark @metspolice

The news is all over the place this morning that Bernie Madoff’s season tickets to the Mets at Citi Field will be auctioned off by the government to recoup some of what the ponzi swindler lost.

The value of the package – which includes 2 seats to all games, parking, Delta Club access, and of course options on post-season – is $60,750. The Mets have already been paid for the seats so one would think it’s not really their concern.

Maybe it isn’t, but let me float an idea out there to Mr. Wilpon (either one).

Buy back the package from the government and give the tickets to some charity – or a group of charities. Let them then auction off the tickets.

Is Madoff the Mets problem? Not at all – but it’s not great publicity that a swindler used essentially stolen money to buy season tickets. Here’s an opportunity for the Mets to turn a negative into a huge positive.

I’ll even offer an alternative, and one that would generate even greater positive publicity. Have the Mets as a team – the players that is – buy the tickets. Each player could contribute to the cost the relative percentage of their team salary. So guys like Bobby Parnell & Dan Murphy might end up tossing in $200, while Carlos Beltran & Johan would be on the hook for about $8,500 (trust me, they can afford it).

Do they have to do this? Not at all. Will I kill them on it if they don’t? Again, not at all. I’m just a simple blogger offering up some ideas.

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@metspolice

Tonight's game is an interesting one for mindset.

Mike Pelfrey gets the start. If he throws a good game, then Mets fans will be lining up for playoff tickets tomorrow. We'll hear excitement that he's the "real deal" and this generation's Jerry Koosman, Ron Darling type.

If the goes 4 and a third then you can start calling Craig Carton now to rip Omar for not siging "another big pitcher.".

The Reds are starting no slouch in Volquez (17 and 8 last year, the kind of upper-limit fantasy numbers Mets fans have for Pelfrey). On paper you'd favor the Reds.

I've killed past Mets teams many times over for their slow starts. The Mets have an opportunity to feast on the Reds, the "we don't even televise out games" Marlins and the "waaah we can't play at 4pm" Padres.

A fast start makes the season go a lot better and easier.

Will we have a confident Mets team on an early roll or the first official Mets panic of the year? We'll know in 15 hours.

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This morning I'm choosing to write about Joba Chamberlain. Yesterday I chose not to.

Sometime Tuesday midday I got wind that the Joba DUI video was available on the internet. I chose not to post it. I sent a note to a Yankee blogger I collaborate with a little and said "not what I do but fyi…".

Now here we are today. I'm a sportsblogger and I passed on the big story of the day on a slow-news off-day for both NYC teams.

Did I make a mistake? I probably could have grabbed a few hundred extra hits for my site, right?

Here's where I struggle.

Over on the right hand of the blog is says "calling the Mets (and frankly anyone else) on the carpet for the stupid things they do."

Drinking and driving is stupid.

Yet I just didn't want to go all negative. That's not what this blog is for.

Killing the Mets for poor uniform choices? Sure. Complain about the bullpen? Of course! Get on the manager when he calls the organization racist? Yep! Talk about a Yankee when he does something dumb like steroids – sure that was a whole month's worth.

So why not this one?

I'm not so sure myself, but as I self-analyze, I guess the pure tabloid negative stuff doesn't interest me.

I didn't go near the Shamsky stuff nor did I want to talk about Lenny Dykstra allegedly owing a lot of people a lot of money.

You want the Joba video? Google it. Not hard to find. The city papers are having a field day as will WFAN.

It's just not what I want to do. There's no muzzle on my fellow Mets Policemen, they can write whatever they want.

Piling on someone who did something really dumb? Not for me. Even this article will get hits because of the title – and even that bugs me, but I can't ignore the top story.

Don't drink and drive and don't bash your teammates or the legends of your team.

The rest of us being holier than thou should ask if we've ever gone near a car after a beer or two, or if we've ever been a loudmouth with a few in us.

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