The Mets Police

People love pictures and this week we chronicled the last days of Shea Stadium with pictures on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday (We will continue with more pictures on Monday and Tuesday - until Shea is no more).

Of course the big story continued to focus Alex Rodriguez and the revelation of his steroid use and the collateral damage that may come from it. Of particular concern was Derek Jeter's non-emphatic denial that he could be on the list of players who tested positive.

As far as A-Rod goes, we asked the hypothetical question if you would do steroids for $27 million a year? And we offered media tips to A-Rod on how to deal with the media in spring training

Meanwhile Bud Selig continues to show his hypocrisy by suggesting he would suspend A-Rod and reinstate pre-steroid records. But if he's going to do that, then he needs to go back over 100 years to the first steroid user in baseball.

And since baseball has become so hypocritical, we here at The Mets Police offered up nominations for our Hall of Infamy.

Lastly, but not forgotten, was the announcement this week that Brett Favre was retiring (again) and that he now joins others who retired in strange uniforms.


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Willie Mays on the Mets

Keith Hernandez on the Indians

Joe Namath on the Rams

Steve Carlton on the Indians/Twins/White Sox

Jerry Rice on the Seahawks (bet you forgot that one)

And now.....Brett Favre on the Jets

Favre joins a list of once good or great players that ended their career with the wrong team, in a bad way... all because their ego was too big.

Does it diminish their achievements? Not at all. But it does stain the memory we have of their career.

Who else would you add to this list?

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Something I wrote for Examiner.com

NY Sports Examiner: Favre retirement gives the Jets their future back

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Looks like playing for the Jets finally made Favre realize his career was over.

According to ESPN Favre has told his agent to let the Jets know he is retiring...

Again

Seriously

It's for good this time

Until August when he will want to play one last time for a winner

I actually do believe he is done. Playing for the Jets (just like rooting for them) can suck the life out of you.

So what did the Jets get for one year of Favre

1. Another typical Jets collapse
2. A fired coach
3. An apparently dysfunctional locker room
4. An opponent who won 1 game last year winning the division with their old QB
5. No clear QB for next season

Yeah - that was really worth it

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Well the Jets got one thing right, they fired the coach the day after a disastrous season.

I still don't understand how the Mets brought Willie back for 2008, after the historic 2007 collapse, only to have Willie dig a huge hole for the team.  

The Jets were smart today to turn the page.  They'd be wise to turn the page on Favre too.  Why let a new coach start a program with a QB who likely will be around for only a year or two.   I'm sure the business of PSL selling and a new stadium will encourage the Jets to find a way to motivate Brett to return for 2009.

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Ah Jets will you never learn?

A missed PAT.

A pick-six from Favre.

A blocked punt.

A loss to Oakland.

A loss to San Francisco.

Oh yeah and the Ravens won anyway.

What do you do now?  Come back next year with Favre?   Head into the Kellen Clemens era?   Hope that Matt  Cassell is a free agent?  Give away the store to get Tom Brady?   Kurt Warner?  Rex Grossman?  Gibran Hamdan?

Do you even want Favre to come back - hope that there's still a gunslinger in there?  Does Brett want to come back?   Do you kind of miss Pennington now?   He'll be on TV next week if you do.

Congratulations to Parcells (He's A Jerk But He Wins) and former Jets QB Chad Pennington (he's the guy you got rid of to get Favre) and the rest of the Sparanos.   Truly a great turnaround from 1-15.

Enjoy the PSL's and enjoy the offseason.  See you in August!

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Ah Jets, how I enjoy your misery (read this if you missed it:  I Hate The Jets ).

Another disastrous Jets season and another lame Jets-pun headline.

Today will be so sweet.

A month ago uppity Jets fans were talking about the Super Bowl and even going as far to ask the NFL what they would do if both the Jets & Giants were hosting conference championship games.   Silly Jets.  (The answer was that one game would be played Monday night by the way).   Everyone buy your tickets for Tampa for the Swampway Super Bowl!

Brett Favre made the Namath on the Rams mistake.  He made the Jerry Rice on the Broncos mistake.   The Unitas on the Chargers mistake.  The Willie Mays on the Mets mistake.  He didn't get off the field with the legend intact and stayed one year too many.  (Props to Mike Mussina for realizing it was a good time to get out.)

Now the Jets are faced with the Dolphins.   The Dolphins led by of all people Chad Pennington.  How great will it be when Pennington clinches the division at the Meadowlands.   Your home-grown QB that you kicked off the street for a hired gun.   That never works out in sports - even Joe Montana couldn't lead the Chiefs to the Super Bowl - but you went for it.   Now your castoff will send you to the off-season, with the help of your former savior Bill Parcells.   I love it, and Parcells rhymes with PSLs so get ready to write Woody Johnson some checks so you can enjoy another 40 years of misery.

Go Dolphins!




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I hate the Jets.

I used to like the Jets.  I lived in Queens and they played in Queens.   They were my team.

My dad got me into the Mets, and Jets sounded like Mets and they played in the same stadium so it made sense to my five year old brain to root for them.   They were my team.

Then one day they left me.   Headed off to some awful place called New Jersey.   They turned on me, so I turned on them.

These days nothing makes me happier than a crushing Jets loss.   Just losing isn't enough, it has to be crushing.

I enjoyed my Richard Todd Jets.   I rooted for them in the AFC Championship game against Miami, where Todd completed 5 passes to guys in teal, and a guy named A.J. Duhe became the greatest Jets receiver of all time (too bad he was playing defense for the Dolphins.)

Then they left.

You leave me, I leave you.

Some guy named Ken O'Brien became the QB.   Ken is the kind of guy that you don't appreciate while he's around.  He "sucked" - but when he left and you got to see what sucking really was you kind of appreciate him.   Nevertheless he played in New Jersey so I rooted against him.

Browning Nagle.   Boomer Esisason.  Bruce Coslet.

Now I really started to hate the Jets.

The Jets were NFL TV jockblockers.   NBC would let us know that "next week most of you will see the greatest game ever, except in New York!"  In New York we'd be stuck watching a crappy Giants game at 1pm and then a crappy Jets-Chargers game at 4.   I got really good at UHF trying to suck in Channel 30 from Connecticut hoping to see anything but a crappy Jets-Chargers game.  The Jets could be down 27-0 and NBC would not switch away from that game (I guess they still had Heidi-phobia).    These were the days before the internet and fantasy football so good luck getting an out of town score.   Finally half-time would come and Channel 4 would stick us with news.   Kill me.

Rick Kotite came to town.  I remember listening to WFAN and hearing all the Philly fans call in to laugh.  People in this area didn't know what was coming.    The Philly crew was right.

Then in 1994 the greatest Jets play of all time happened.  I was at a bar on Queens Blvd. enjoying some beer and wings.    The Jets fans were getting uppity as they do and chanting "Super Bowl!!!!" as the Jets were leading the Dolphins.   Dan Marino walks up to the line as if he's going to spike the ball and instead throws a TD.   I've never seen sports fans so crushed.   To this day I enjoy yelling "Super Bowl!!!" when the Jets are up 3-0 in week one of the preseason.

Bill Parcells came to town.   Jets fans got uppity again.  Bill being Bill ran out on the Jets like he did a handful of other teams.

Bill Belichick became the HC of the NYJ for about 5 minutes longer than I did before he resigned.

Al Groh coached the team for an hour and a half and he ran away too.

Herman Edwards!   It's never Herm's fault, it's yours.   He's the Willie Randolph of football.

Fireman Eddie?  Can't stand him.

And now Brett Favre is here to lead you to the promised land of Super Bowls and PSL's.

I hope Seattle crushes them today, and if you're reading this after the Seattle game and maybe the Jets did win - I really look forward to Chad Pennington returning to the Meadowlands to exact his revenge.    What would be more fitting than Parcells and the old Jets QB ruining your season.

Same Old Jets.





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Same Old Jets.    The Jets are the Road Runner.   You will never win.  It is all a tease.

Maybe Belichick does actually know what he's doing.  I remember when his QB got hurt and he rode a rookie named Tom Brady.

Shanahan is a maniac.  If you missed it, he went for two rather than a tie in the final minute of the game.  Got away with it too.

Martz-Ball kicked in for the 49ers.   J.T. O'Sullivan to Isaac Bruce.   Just like Montana to Rice.  

The Cardinals aren't allowed to be good are they?

Jets fans probably remember a man named Herm Edwards.  He's a lousy coach in KC too.

The Sparano's won't be whacking anyone any time soon.  That's Miami for those of you that don't know coaches.

The Curse of the PSL's has not yet kicked in for the Evil Money Grubbing Giants From New Jersey....but it will.

Dialing around the league:

The Sparano's looked pretty underprepared.  Favre didn't look that good (new system and all) and the Dolphins shoulda made that a game.

CBS Philly needs to switch away from blowouts.   Pitt was up 35, come on dudes switch the game.  Why not switch to the New England game and the big story of the day?

FOX NYC needs to switch away from blowouts.  The Rams were completely usesless.  Why not switch to Sea-Atl which was at least interesting?

The Browns looked completely useless.  

I didn't think the 49ers looked bad.  There's a lot of new folks there, but Gore looked like it will be a breakout year in a Martz offense.

1.  Dolphins - Tony Sparano won't get whacked by Bill Parcells but when you are starting the Jets discard at QB, you ain't winning.  That being said - they will finish ahead of the Jets.  Yes, Parcells is that smart.

2.  Jets - Brett is 39 running a new offense.  Plus they are the Jets, they have a curse, as done Madden '09.   Look for Brett to have a miserable season playing in about 9 games.

3.  Bills - one foot out the door on their way to Toronto.   Not good for the fans, not good for the team.

Yeah I'm picking the Patriots.  You'd be an idiot not to.

When does Jerry Manuel lose the word "interim" from his title?   He's playing some guys named Evans and Murphy in left.   He never had Willie's MVP Church until this weekend.   Willie's best pitcher John Maine is hurt.   The All-Star closer is gone.   Yet there they are in first place.   He's managed to make up all that ground - what was it, 7.5? - then tack on 1.5 more with guys named Tatis and Argenis.   Plus, it's now a team of guys you can root for and like, and hate to break it to everyone, it wasn't that way around Flushing for quite some time, even when in the playoffs.   Scrappy and homegrown and some castoffs, and not an A-Rod in sight.   Sure they are beating on bad teams but they don't make the schedule, and nobody minded when the Yankees beat up on the Devil Rays.   Give Jerry the keys to the office will ya.

Memo to Luis Castilo:  you aren't part of this team.   Take your time.

I'm still out of my mind about those horribly insulting "Los Mets" jerseys they wore Friday.  Who is that supposed to make feel good about themselves?   Do they really think that attracts even one more fan?  Was it my imagination or was there less or maybe even no black on those?

Meanwhile, Cuba had nice jerseys.  No name on the back.   I guess that only people from Flushing are too stupid to know the names of the guys on the team.

I don't know much about Cuba but I imagine if you are a baseball player and your team wins the gold that your life goes a lot better.  Unfortunately for them they only won the silver.

Pretty sure I saw Carl Pavano pitching yesterday.  I was out walking my unicorn during the total eclipse and thought I caught a glimpse of him on TV.

Will it surprise anyone if tomorrow's paper has some sort of Pavano injury story?

I'm still with ya Rays.   Nice job keeping it together after the injuries.  I do hope the NYY's catch Boston though because it keeps my TV watching more interesting.

Congrats to J.T. O'Sullivan who follows Montana, Young and even Garcia in the long line of great 49ers starting QBs.   Nice to see another Irish guy out there, although having Irish guys never really worked out for the Jets - but what does.

Did anyone have a worse week of reviews than Mike Francesca?   I didn't hear a lick but he got killed in the papers.  Best letter is in today's news that said it was like Bud Abbott without Costello.  Yeah, probably is - but it's not like we've never heard Mike solo before.

It's time for the U.S. Open.   I hate the U.S. Open.    Somehow planes absolutely must flight a certain path (over Shea) all year long, but when some rich snobs want to watch tennis suddenly the FAA can change the landing patterns?  How does that work?

Dinkins gave them a steal on land and a 99 year parking concession.  Why?  Do we really care if the U.S. Open moves to Oklahoma City?

My favorite part of the Open is watching the richies look out the window of the 7 train every two seconds to see if they are there yet.  They think Flushing Meadows is right over the river.   Interesting too that the MTA can create extra service for these folks but not the regular commuter.  

Every year when the Open happens the papers write an article about how expensive the food is.  I just read one.  Interestingly, prices at Shea and Yankee are so high now that I thought the Open was cheap.  $7.50 for a beer, ok!  $4 for a soda, ok!   

Finally, only 50 of you lazy bastards could be bothered to show up at the PSL rally last night.   If you can't be bothered to walk across the parking lot you deserve to write a $20,000 check.   It was a Jets home game, maybe if the organizer can be bothered to try it again the fans of the Evil Money Grubbing Giants will be more motivated.   Stop The PSL's!

Jets PSL's loom this week.  I will not feel bad for most of you now.  Enjoy your QB from GB.

The Jets should retire Brett Favre's number right now.   He is a Hall of Famer.  He is one of the best ever to play his position.   He is the best at his position to ever play for the Jets.

Do you think that's a stupid suggestion?  Then go back to the sentence above and replace Brett Favre and Jets with "Mike Piazza" and Mets.     It's still a bad suggestion.  That's my point.

I'm heading out to the Mr. Mets dash with Mets Police Junior and he dressed himself.  He is wearing a black Mets shirt and the blue/black hybrid hat.  I'm choosing to congratulate him rather than berate him over the organization's marketing scheme.    But if you see us at the game roll your eyes and make fun of our hypocrisy.

Newsday wrote a nice piece about Kelvin Torve, best known for wearing #24 after Willie Mays.  As much as I give Wilpon crap about ignoring the Giants, there is no reason the Mets (who are not the Giants nor are they the Dodgers despite evidence to the contrary at N'Ebbetts Field) - there's no reason the Mets should not issue #24.  They give out 17 to anyone and everyone, and that was worn by the captain who had a ring.

Speaking of captains, can we just give the C to #5 already?

Speaking of captains, will Jerry be shaking Gary Carter's hand?   Will the Mets have Gary Carter back?  Oh yeah he was a Dodger in 1991 so they will.  Then again he was a Giant in 1990 so maybe they won't.

Speaking of Giants, the Football type are evil money grubbers for screwing their fans with PSLs.  I have nothing new to add but I don't like dropping the subject.

Speaking of PSL's - the Jets haven't announced theirs yet.  Something tells me the arrival of Brett Favre just made your seats more expensive.

The Little League World Series is evil.  There is no reason to subject 12 year olds to the pressures of playing on ESPN.   What's wrong with being the champion of your town.  Your county.  Even your state.   Why do we have to have an international tournament.    What does it mean when teams will use a 16 year old to win (I've had that happen to me - it wasn't Danny Almonte - but someone used a 16 year old against my 12's.  Why???)    These aren't even real teams, they are regional all-star compilations.   It's just offensive.  Go win the county championship and let your town have a parade.   Enough.  Done.

It's starting to look like my September 21st Yankee tickets will be quite valuable since there won't be any games in October,   Conversely I was looking to sell my September 7th Mets-Phils tickets so I could watch football that day, and they are going for nine bucks on stubhub.   There's no demand what so ever for Mets tickets even thought they've sold more tickets than ever.  I think it's the old "Howie Rose 40,000" again.  For you newbies, Howie often counts high when estimating the amount of people in the stadium.

At last look $336 gets you into the final game at Yankee.  $127 gets you into Shea on the 28th of September, but as well all know there will be games there in October.  I wonder if Seaver can be bothered to come.

Chris Carrino sounded great doing the (evil) Giants game on WFAN the other day.  Of the young sportscasters named Chris around these parts he's the best and I'll leave it at that.  Hopefully he gets some more chances.

I loved the Olympic bike race yesterday.  6 hours?  150 miles?  Those are real men.  Swimming is cool.   NBC's coverage seems to lack the nauseating 'up close and personal' nonsense and it's more events focused.  Nice.  Now someone tell them there are other countries too.  

Mets Police are big Misty May (sigh -Treanor) fans and so is President Bush!
 

Finally, this has nothing to do with sports but don't clone your dog.  There will be four million dogs "put to sleep" this year.  Your dog might look similar, but it's not the same dog.  Go hit a shelter.

These are available on NFL.com right now.

I assume the zero is a placeholder. 

Is the NFL really afraid to assume Favre will wear #4?

So Favre has a month to learn a new system. Not the same as baseball everyone. You don't just say "go deep and I will throw it to you."

What happens tonight by the way? Does Clemens play three quarters? What's his motivation?

Look Inside >>  August 7, 2008

I can still picture Joe Montana and the Chiefs hugging the Super Bowl trophy.    Juhnny Unitas "Mr. Charger" had one of the great runs of all time.   Who can ever forget Joe Willie Namath guaranteeing the Rams he would play in 4 games!

Brett Favre to the Jets is all that is wrong with sports.   Never mind that Favre takes on the Curse of the Jets and the Madden Curse at the same time (expect him to miss 10 games, that Madden Curse is a tough one).

What's the point?

If the Jets win it all..so what?  You won with the guy from the Packers.  He will always be a Packer.  He will never ever be yours Jet fans.  Don't waste the money on the #4 jersey at Modells.

For Eric Mangini, how long until Favre wants one of his guys to come in and run "his" system not this crazy Jets system you have?

You know what Jet fans get?  The right to pay $20,000 personal seat licenses.   Get ready for "blah blah increased expenses blah blah commitment to winning blah blah."  This is all about the new stadium.   Get your wallet out, you get to see 39 year old Brett Favre learn a new system!

Brett, welcome to the Jets.  I hope you enjoy going 6 and 10 and getting crucified on WFAN every day.

Invite him to training camp. 

Let him be the #3 QB and sit there and rot until he gives up and retires.

Let his streak snap Week 1 when he's the #3 QB.   Don't even put him in for one snap.

That was easy wasn't it?

After my head exploded over the Citi Field ticket prices (go down one post) I decided to jump on www.mets.com and learn even more about Citi Field and I found this which makes me laugh because the featured politician is Eliot Spitzer.    I'm a big fan of Mr. Spitzer back from his days as Attorney General when he would let Cablevision charge whatever they wanted for Sportschannel, and let them keep YES off their systems for a year.  Spitzer always had the little guy's interest in mind.   I do like that the new governor Paterson is an honest to goodness Mets fan.



So Yankee Stadiun as come and gone twice, and yet the Red Sox can somehow survive in Fenway Park.   Apparently it's possible to win the World Series in the 21st Century, something the Yankees haven't done, without a new ballpark.  Without skyboxes.  Without moving across the street from your history.   Interesting.



I was in Fenway the day Mickey Mantle died.   I was sitting in the rooftop seats which are literally in the roof next to the light stand.   They gave us a survey that day which basically said "not that we ever would, but if we did build a new stadium what would you want to be part of it."  They were fishing for New Fenway, and seeing if people would want a big green wall (duh).   Fortunately that never came to be.   I can't stick up for Shea (wasn't that a slogan circa 1993 "Stick Up For Shea!") but I think the NYY's are crazy moving across the street.    Steinbrenner (George I mean) stopped talking about it when four million people started showing up, but it really is a lousy neighborhood for a stadium. 



A whole generation of Bosox fans is being raised to think of the Red Sox as winners.   Say you're 15 years old.  You've never known your team to suck, and you've enjoyed two World Championships.  Amazing.



Fantastic job out of the Yankees catching the Sox in the loss column.   I like having both the Mets and Yankees in the playoffs in October, it makes for a fun month of TV.



Isn't it nice that the Mets can lose a game and we don't all lose our minds?   They lost to Pujols in 14.  It happens.  I was excited that once again Jerry's team (unlike Willie's team) didn't roll over and die.  They had plenty of opportunities.



Jose Reyes got married Friday.   Mets Police wish a long and happy marriage to Mr. & Mrs. Reyes.



Nascar is really cool until Memorial Day.  Then, up in these parts at least, it's really challenging to make time for.   In the dead sports period of February & March it's really cool.   Daytona, Talladega - races on FOX with their excellent coverage.   A steady diet of Saturday Nationwide Series and Sunday Cup.



Then in the northeast the sun comes out, baseball starts, the races move to TNT and tracks like Pocono, and lame road courses.    Now the races are on ABC/ESPN but it's 85 and sunny out until 9pm, no thanks.    Come the fall they race against the NFL.   No thanks.



Nascar is a great sport, and like hockey you really need to see it in person, but the season is way too long, and doesn't work on a Sunday afternoon.    Maybe they could race on Thursday night?  Friday night?   that would change some of the tailgating culture - but is anyone really tailgating at Pocono anyway?



Finally, Metsradamus seems like he is channeling The Mets Police today.

Look, I know this is the last season of Shea Stadium. Fine. You want to preserve your memories. Fine. You want a picture of yourself in the House That Kranepool Built. Fine. But it's bad enough you stand at the entrance of the section between innings and block everyone from getting to the bathroom or the snack line before it fills up. Tonight, you took to standing at the entrance of the section while the play was going on and blocking our view of the game!

Read the whole thing here.

I just got an email saying:

Caller just said he was going to not renew his tix, but if favre comes, he will dip into his savings to cover his tix and psl's...

So now fans are volunteering for PSLs?!

Jets fans, believe me, you might want to root for oh and 32 until the new stadium. Ask the Giants fans how long the Super Bowl high is lasting.

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Would Brett Favre be man enough to take on both the Madden Curse (he's on the cover) AND the curse of the Jets?

I feel like there is some other franchise that grabs players closely associated with other teams - usually at the end of their career - trying to win a championship. Can't quite think of the name right now....Zets, Rets? Something like that.

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