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The Mets Are Baseball's Rodney Dangerfield
By
Ben Yakas
Published Apr 16, 2011
Modified Apr 16, 2011
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By
Ben Yakas
Published Apr 16, 2011
Modified Apr 16, 2011
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We jest about the Mets because we care...but man, that ball club is messed up on every level right now. And no matter what they do, they really can't get any respect. Team attendance over its first six home dates is averaging 30,738, down 9.5 percent compared to last year. So this week, the team sent out an email to fans to come to the park...inadvertently encouraging students to "play hooky" to attend a ball game, which obviously didn't go over so well with parents: "The Mets have acknowledged that using the word "hooky" was a mistake and they did not intend to encourage students to skip school. We understand that this was a miscommunication and I am sure that the Mets will continue to be great community partners who encourage education," said NYC Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez.
The Mets added in a statement, "The Council Member brought to our attention the choice of words in today's email, which was targeted at adults. We will refrain from using that language going forward." That's not the only way the team has felt misunderstood and disrespected recently: because of rainouts, they were saddled with two doubleheaders this week, depleting their already shaky pitching staff, and prompting them to call MLB offices and complain...not that it changed anything.
Meanwhile, they have played the worst defense in the league so far this year, their TV network is openly mocking them on air, and there's that little matter of the $1 billion Madoff lawsuit in the background at all times. They can't give away a share of the team: two of the three groups considered leading contenders to buy a minority stake in the team have bowed out of the competition!
Hell, even a restaurant co-owned by Carlos Beltran can't escape the Mets umbrella of disrespect; it's being sued by two former workers who say they were short-changed on wages and tips. Next thing you know, maybe the Mets will be releasing the Mets to try to get fans back on their side.
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baseball
mets
mlb
respect
rodney dangerfield
Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
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