Author: Shannon Shark @metspolice

Today has been an interesting day…in many ways exactly what I want Mets Police to be. This morning I posted something about the Mets not sending out media guides..and I’m surprised at how involved the topic became.

I’m very glad I started that article with this sentence:

I don’t claim this topic is the biggest deal in the world, and this is not complaining for complaining sake, but Mets Police seems to be the only place where such topics get entertained, so let’s talk about it.

I love that we talked about this all day. I like that Mets fans have a place to go to talk about this stuff. It’s not what WFAN does, it’s not what other sites do. I think that’s a good thing for you, for me, for Mets fans. There’s plenty of other places to talk about the bullpen or who should bad third.

Whether we agree, disagree, get emotional, get it right, get it almost right, or get it wrong, it’s the discussion that matters. Sometimes these topics bubble up and actual change for good takes place. Sometimes it helps us all kill a day at work. At the end of the day we all agree we love the Mets.

At a personal level I enjoy an actual media guide. I never expected a media guide. I don’t demand a guide. The Mets didn’t promise a guide.

In the first post I laid out my emotions…disappointment, and then I started wondering about the cause.

In the second post I compared 2009 and 2010’s fees. Whether the Mets do it or everyone does it, I personally find $65 in miscellaneous fees to be excessive. If shipping fees are how businesses make a profit – I’d rather them be honest. Or give me an option to spend $65 on cabs to get to Citi Field and pick them up myself. Or we could go green and I could use my own printer to print them out and save any shipping cost. Or they could email me a bar code which I could swipe at the turnstile by using my iphone. I don’t believe that would cost them $65 or even $6.50 Personal opinion. Maybe I’m totally off-base. I’m glad we can talk about it.

The third post was Avi’s letter, which was my inspiration this morning – then Avi came back with the updated information. As fans we learned a gift is coming. Information exchange is cool.

I enjoyed the center field wall discussion. I don’t think we really know what’s up, but it’s something at least a section of the fanbase is interested in so let’s talk about it.

On Twitter (@metspolice) someone asked if the green caps were fitted. Plenty of fans don’t care and I didn’t know the answer. Another fan answered. That’s cool.

I got an email today that expressed sadness that many of the premium giveaways are happening on Jewish holidays. I haven’t fact checked or written about it because I was busy today. Discuss!

One fan is frustrated that the open workout is on Easter. If the above topic is valid then so is this one. Maybe there are solutions, maybe not. Discuss!

I think the fees are excessive. I proposed a solution. Discuss!

I learned about the “Phillies system” of offering a voucher for those who want a media guide (unconfirmed). I propose that as a something for the Mets to consider. Are we owed a media guide? Nope. However, I hope they consider it.

Blue caps, black caps, green caps, too much Dodgers, obstructed views, late rain outs, Seaver, Gooden, Buckner, Pratt, called strike 3, thyroids, shakes, and the color of fences – let’s talk about all these things!

Dissenting opinions welcome and encouraged! I enjoy guest articles. I welcome it all and my request is we stay civilized and use nice language. My email is [email protected]

Thank you for reading and participating. I hope to meet you on Opening Day.

From the comments regarding the “white line” on the picture  this post.

It is not a “white” line. It is the same line that has always been there. It is where padding panels meet up. It is just light reflecting.
http://marksheldon.mlblogs.com/citi%20field2%20071009.JPG

Great job by FormerDirtDart!

Jimmy the Mets fan says that the Phillies did not mail a media guide out, but included a voucher where ticket-holders could get a free hard copy at the stadium.  This is unconfirmed but Jimmy has been reliable.

Below is a letter I got from Avi this morning..

My name is Avi, and I’m a loyal Mets fan and gullible season-ticket holder. Or I’m a gullible Mets fan and loyal season ticket-holder. I can never remember which.

I love your web site and appreciate the work you put into it. There’s a wealth of information for the fans, news is kept current, and it’s all done with great writing and a wonderful sense of humor. Kudos!

I’m writing to let you know that my season tickets arrived in the mail today. Yes, despite everything that happened last year, I kept my seats. Or rather, I took advantage of the fact that renewals were down to “move up” in my level of the stadium, which is the Promenade. And when I say “move up” I really mean move up.

Last year I was in section 425 (“Promenade Box,” whatever that meant!), just off third base. Of course, like many Mets fans, I suffered from obstructed views all season long. The metal railing cut off a pizza-slice section of left field, and I could not see David Wright shag pop flies in the foul area by third base, even when I stood up. I don’t go to the ballpark for the new cuisine, or the so-called amenities, or the “fan experience.” I go to watch the games. Period. So the most important thing for me is the field of play, not the humongous video screen, not the new apple, not even the overcrowded Shake Shack miles downstairs.

Despite what the Mets and some fans will tell you, Shea never had these kinds of problems because the design of the stadium was more scooped out (think of a horseshoe) as opposed to the way CitiField was built, where for whatever reason they decided to build a curve using chunks of straight lines, going against basic physics –and logic. It still boggles my mind that they did a better job with the sight lines 50 years ago without sophisticated computers and advanced software. Ah, those old-school architects and engineers…

When the Mets gave their ticket-holders a tour of the stadium last year, I took the opportunity to check out the views from the 500s sections, especially the ones closer to home plate. I realized that, although they were not perfect, these views of the field were much better than the ones I had suffered through in 2009. So afterward, when I spoke to my tickets sales representative, I asked to be “demoted” to the 500s section, but only if I could get seats between the bases. Seemingly, that was not a problem, and I was able to secure a pair of seats in section 518. I am not 100% sure how the view is, and so I will have to hold my breath, figuratively, until Opening Day.

Getting back to the subject of my letter: the tickets arrived via UPS this afternoon. I immediately suspected that something was wrong because instead of getting a box, like in previous years, I received a plastic “Pad Pack.” And I confirmed upon opening it that two things were missing: the annual season-ticket holder gift, and the Media Guide. In the accompanying letter, William Ianniciello made no mention at all of the traditional gift, but he did address the absence of the Media Guide thus (and I quote): “To honor our commitment to MLB’s “going green” initiatives, the Mets 2010 Media Guide will be available to you online. You will receive access instructions from us when the guide is available.”

Well, what a bummer! I’m not pleased at all. I guess with all the CitiField tours and player meet-n-greets the Mets organized in the off-season, us season-ticket holders should not feel entitled to some tchotchke from the organization. Fine. I’m not going to cry over that. But the Media Guide? C’mon! That’s like being a member of a church and not getting their bible. I have a collection of Media Guides from all my faithful years, and a pdf printout of the 2010 Mets version is going to look pathetic sitting there on the shelf next to the stack of real ones.

I wrote to my ticket representative and am awaiting his reply. But I have to tell you one thing: I better not see any official bound Media Guides anywhere this year. Not in the team store, not in the stadium, not even in the hands of Keith or Gary or Ron. Because if it turns out that the Mets did do a print running of this book, then not sending it to the fans comes off as cheap, not “green.”

I apologize for how long-winded this letter has become, but I hope you had the patience to read it. Feel free to quote my email on your web site.

Avi has sent me an update later in the morning:

I got an email back from my Mets representative (to his credit, he always replies quickly), in which he explained that the season ticket-holder gift is shipping separately and should arrive by Opening Day. He also said he would find out if the Media Guide will be available for purchase this season.

I think the Phillies solution is a nice one.  Those who really like having a physical guide can have one, the Mets can reduce shipping costs, and they can print fewer since not everyone will want one.   How about it Mets?  You can just email the voucher with bar-code technology to prevent duplicates.

Thanks to tweeter @citycynic (I’m @metspolice) for steering me toward photos of today’s Mets green caps.   I like this tradition, but wish they’d go all-in and wear green jerseys.  Perhaps it’s not worth the expense.

Today is one of those wonderful days where Metsblog threw me a link, so if you’re new – welcome and I hope you come back.  I’ve been a little uniforms heavy this week, it has been a quiet week, but here’s a link to some of the Most Popular which will catch you up on what goes on around here.  If you’d like to get a daily summary email just click here.