Author: Shannon Shark @metspolice

Here’s the weekly recap of popular posts and those that deserve a second look.  I wondered what an off-season without a new stadium would be like, but the Mets made it easy.  They always do.  I’ve survived another off-season, and now it’s back to pitchers and catchers and actual baseball.  The blog had a great off-season for growth, and traffic picks up once baseball starts.  2010 is looking good so far!

If you’d like to join the Blue Cap Army (it’s free) and join us on Opening Day at Citi, please sign up so I can try to see if someone will give us some freebies.  I don’t know if we’ll have the numbers yet, but this is a building process and has to start somewhere.  Sign up here.

Luis Castillo’s baseball card is pretty funny.

Is this a new alternate logo? Look how the Y is overlayed on top of the N.

The  Mets have quietly admitted there are obstructed views.  Dave Howard, where’s my apology?

Some thoughts about Mascot Races coming to Citi Field.

Why don’t the Mets offer tours of Citi Field?

The Cyclones have a great jersey promotion for Wally Backman.

I thought this discussion was pretty interesting: seems some people think MetsBlog’s commenting system is frustrating.  I think there’s only so many hours in the day.

Joel Sherman has been killing the Mets lately, I am enjoying his work.

Here’s what Jon Matlack’s kid is up to.

Spiderman goes to a Mets game. They lose.

People liked my gift idea for Fred Wilpon

Fun stuff:  Afterlife Shea Stadium was the home of the Puppy Bowl and Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel and now the home of the New Orleans Saints

The Mets added 6-game packs.  Info here and here.

This regularly gets clicked:  It might make financial sense, but it sure is annoying to think Bobby Bonilla will get $1 million a year from the Mets from 2011-2035.

Pictures from the 1986 Tickertape Parade

The Mets respond to a letter from The Mets Police

If you’d prefer to read the Mets Police in a reader or via email click here. It’s free and easy.

I’m still trying to figure out Google Buzz – I think this is how you find me

On Twitter I am @metspolice

Email is [email protected]

I also have started posting non-Mets stuff at Shannon’s Other Blog which is worth checking out like twice a week.  I’ll probably post more during the Olympics and the World Cup, but I’m not nearly as consistent as I am over here.

It seems every day this week there has been something in the paper about Dan Murphy’s defense.   It’s a very boring topic.

Yes he looked like me in left, but I rarely remember throwing anything at my TV when he was at first base.  Is he Keith Hernandez?  No, but not too many are.   Just catch everything thrown to you and that’s fine 99% of the time.

I think the bigger question about first is whether or not the team can live with 12 home runs?   The flip-side is that Murph led the team in 2009 in that category, so it would be odd to not consider him a starter heading into 2010.

How about we just enjoy a home grown player for what he is.  Maybe 12 home runs becomes 18, and the defense is ok.  Unless the Padres are trading Adrian Gonzales for Luis Castillo (oh wait, the Mets didn’t sign Hudson so now Castillo needs to stay) there’s little out there that interests me, so why not Murph?

The Mets made a good move getting Keith Hernandez out there to teach.  They should have done that years ago when they inexplicably didn’t stick Piazza at first for the full 35 games in the spring.

I know this Murph stuff fills column space, so in the end that’s really what we’re reading about.  This week you will read 5 billion generic “can the Mets rebound from injuries?” type stories and another billion “the Mets have question marks” articles.

That’s why I appreciate the different. One blog you should regularly visit is Mets Walkoffs.   Here’s one that thinks about where Strawberry would be in the Mets Pantheon had he not left for LA, and another that points out to you youngsters just how great Gooden was and that he’s clearly the best Mets pitcher of the last THIRTY years.  Seaver is nice and all but think about that, the last THIRTY years.

Or what about Centerfield Maz, who also does his own thing.  Who else would write a column about Tom Veryzer or Sherman Jones (who?).

There’s plenty of great Mets related writing out there, including the newspapers, but the same column over and over (is Reyes healthy?  Can David Wright’s power come back?  Will Jerry/Omar last the season?) bores me.

Cool stuff here from the 1970’s as “fun generic content while Shannon is at the airport” day continues!

Here’s Lady Met (what happened to her?) and click here for more fun.

I see a bit of a discussion about a proposed Mascot race at Citi.

Some thoughts:

1.  Don’t do it, it’s lame.

2.  If it has gotten as far as MetsBlog mentioning it, that means it’s being discussed outside of Wilpon’s Bunker, and it’s being talked about more than just as a passing idea.

3.  These are the Wilpon Mets, the team that ignore’s it’s own tradition and borrows traditions from others.  Do you remember when the Mets stole the YMCA thing from the Yankees for about a week.  Yes they did, I saw it with my own eyes.

4.  Since all that adds up to yes it’s going to happen, perhaps we’ll see the return of Lady Met.  I’ll actually stop-hating on this idea if they dress someone in a Mettle the Mule costume (just embrace it) rather than some made up Poochie character (that’s a Simpsons reference).

5.  If the team is going for Bread and Circuses how about Banner Day and Old Timer’s Day.

Now I’m waking up!   Heading out for a well needed run, Mets Police Junior’s basketball game, and then some more bloggin’.

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