Author: Shannon Shark @metspolice

This morning, I turn it over to the readers:

Here’s Tom.

Shannon,

After looking at the pictures on the link you alerted me to on your site, I am going to make a point of dropping by Citi Field this weekend, to see the new bricks and the large history blocks amongst them.  I think they are doing a good job of fixing their mistakes and anyone who continues to whine things like “about time” or make any reference to the fact that the Mets didn’t do it from the first season (we all know that – old news), instead of acknowledging that they are now doing a good job should just shut the Hell up, already.

I agree.  I know I’m the leader of the crankypantsers but I’m with you.   It’s a new season, let’s focus on the new.

Again, neither the Wilpons, nor Omar are even close to being the worst owners and GM, respectively, in team history, and if you don’t know that, you don’t know your team history.  Period.  On an unfortunate note, though, did you read the ’86 World Series plate?  It has a bad mistake, saying at the end of the text that “Sid Fernandez earned the win with exceptional relief work,”  As we all know, though Sid was the unsung hero of that Game 7, and properly cited on the plate, he did not get the win, Roger McDowell did, after throwing a 1-2-3 seventh, before Ray Knight’s lead-off homer in the home half spurred a three-run rally (Then McDowell gave up 2 ruins on 3 hits, before Orosco came on to get the final six outs for a well earned save.)  I’m sure they will have to change that one after a number of other people point out the mistake, but they still are doing a good job here.  I have seen bad factual mistakes in books by good writers, so what can you do?  Where are the proofreaders and the fact checkers coming from?

I haven’t looked into it at all.  That would be what I call a good use of the blog.  Hopefully they read your comment  (which they do) and then fix it.   Maybe some other blogs can pick up on it.  I’ll try to flesh out to a separate post later today.   Is that being negative?  I mean, we all want things correct, no?  Even as I’m typing this I’m assuming you are correct about the error.  I’ll look…

UPDATE: oh yeah I’m a dope and went and looked at the one picture I posted.  Yes, it seems to be factually incorrect.   Will spin to another post.

I know Media  Goon might head out there to take some pictures…look for this one please.

Two other quickies:

1)       As to Dan’s query the other day about wearing your own name on the back of a Met shirt, where I grew up in Astoria, that was as lame as it could be. I see his last name is not exactly Smith, but my name is McDonald and the only shirts I ever got with my name on them were a Toronto Maple Leafs #7 and a Calgary Flames #9, both for Hockey Hall of Famer Lanny McDonald.  I still laugh when I see a shirt, especially on an adult, with their own name on their back.  To me, its as foolish as the Yankee fan who wears a pinstripe shirt with the player’s name on it, since they’ve never had names on shirts (Ruth – 3, Gehrig – 4, please).  Its all luck of the draw, you just need to wait for a player with your name, which is easier for me to say, I guess.  I did recently (for my birthday) get a McDonald #6 Blue Jays batting practice shirt for 35-year old John McDonald, a man so good at fielding the ball that he still can keep a Major League job at his age, despite being a poor hitter.

I enjoy this debate.  I get my name.  I like to pretend I’m a Met.  I struggle wearing the name of someone who could be my kid.  You can make fun of me, it’s fine.  As for the Yankee thing – yeah that’s lame.  Nothing lamer than a Ruth 3 shirt.

2)       You should really hammer Selig and ESPN for their idiotic Sunday night Opening Day games, which makes it more about the self-serving network and not about tradition.  The Reds, as the oldest team, should always play the first game of the year, as they used to for decades.  Is this really something that needed to change?  This year the Sunday night game is Yankees-Sox, on Easter Sunday – in Boston.  Where do I begin to point out the lunacy of this?

I’m not a fan of Sunday Night Baseball ever.  I don’t care about A’s-Jays and when the Mets or even the Yankees play at night I find I miss their presence on Sunday afternoon.  I know they want the game to have the bigness of Monday Night Football (and in my opinion, that has slipped since the move off ABC) but it just doesn’t.

There’s nothing enjoyable about an 8:05 start on a Sunday night.  Even watching at home it’s not enjoyable.

As for the religious aspect, I think the leagues just have to do what they do.   Sure they could juggle around Christian holidays and Jewish holidays, but at what point does a religion become “important” enough to consider?  I’m sorry if Cap Day falls on a day when you need to stand near the tree of life or sing the praises of The Great Bird of the Galaxy or your mean boss makes you work – there’s no realistic solution to it.   I am Christian, and I would have an easier time explaining an Easter night game than one in the afternoon.

Tom thanks – good discussion.  Next, here’s Joe:

Shannon,

This needs to be on your blog! No more Sweet Caroline and other junk!

-Joe

Joe included a link to The Curly Shuffle.  The urban legend, maybe true, was that the Curly Shuffle guys wanted to be paid – I don’t know how any of that works.  As a fat guy in the uppers, I mean Promenade, yes absolutely Curly Shuffle is the right move.  They dropped Caroline around May 1st, I don’t recall hearing it later in the season.

I’m not a fan of whatever that Lazy Mary thing but I understand others like it so that’s fine.  I love the raggaeton (?) that K-Rod enters with.  I’m not a fan of much of the walk-up music, and I think Citi is more enjoyable when the visitors are up and the noise patrol goes to the bathroom.

Finally, this next one is sure to set people over the edge.   Jimmy the Met fan sent this a week ago, and I have been discussing on the side.  he thinks this is Jeff Wilpon on the cover of the ticket brochure.  The guy looking at his nails.    I don’t think it is.  Click on the image to make it larger.

Jimmy writes:

shannon

why don’t you post it and ask the readers?
it might make for some lively conversation

jim

I suspect it will Jimmy.  Jimmy has great street-cred with me and has sent in all sorts of cool things (oh by the way thanks to Peter for sending me some stuff yesterday) so that’s the only reason I am entertaining this.  Yell at him not me please.

I’m happy to email on the side at [email protected]   Feel encouraged to send things in.  I’m also @metspolice on twitter.