The Mets Police

Like so many others, I will not be renewing either of my 15 game plans next year. Last week I sent my invoice back to the Mets along with the following letter addressed to Fred Wilpon. I also cc'd several other front office personnel as well as several members of the media. Do I expect a response? Not really, but enough voices and enough protesting - who knows.

Mr. Fred Wilpon

CEO

New York Metropolitan Baseball Club

Citi Field

Roosevelt Avenue

Flushing, NY 11368

Dear Mr. Wilpon

Thank you for sending me my 15 Game Plan renewal invoice. I apologize for not getting back to you sooner but with Thanksgiving falling right after I received the invoice I was a bit too distracted to focus on the Mets. I did want to respond this week though before the main holiday season pushes the team out of my immediate concerns again.

I am writing to tell you that I will not be renewing my plan for the 2010 season. There are a number of reasons I have decided on this action and I wanted to share them with you.

1. What happened to my 20% reduction? Yes I know the official statement was that tickets would be an “average” of 20% less. Well my plan is less than 6% less than last year. I am really curious how you calculated this average of 20%. Assuming there are a lot of people like me with Promenade plans, that must mean that the people down below in the Main level got discounts of over 20%.

A reduction in my ticket cost of 20% really would have meant something. Only a little over 5% really doesn’t mean much.

2. Speaking of discounts and ticket prices, how come the Mets don’t offer any bulk discount for buying into a plan? I checked it out – the cost for the 15 games in my plan is the same whether I buy the tickets individually or in the plan. So where is my incentive? The possibility of playoff tickets? Really?

Just about every other sports franchise in the country offers plan holders a discount for bulk purchasing over the cost of individual games.

3. I noticed you changed the name of some of the plans. The Sunday plan is now the Sunday-Plus Plan. I guess that’s to make it sound that much more special – there’s something extra in there? Seriously, that “Plus” isn’t fooling anyone. I understand that weekday games are harder to sell, but that doesn’t mean you should force them on us. There is a reason I want a “Sunday” plan – it’s because I cannot make it to many games, especially not weekday games. So all of a sudden my 15 game plan is now only 10 games, but I’m paying for those extra 5 games. I really am curious as to why you think I should do this.

4. OK, this is my last point on tickets. Stub-Hub. In case you hadn’t noticed, there is a fairly robust secondary market out there for tickets that is sanctioned by MLB. Yes, I know that a lot of this secondary market will dry up in 2010 because people (like me) won’t be buying as many plans. Regardless, there will still be a market for most games. So why should I worry about buying 15 games when I won’t go to at least 5, when I can pick and choose games I want to see, getting some at below cost?

5. The next two reasons I have decided not to renew deal with the ballpark. Yes, you built a beautiful structure, especially when compared to what they did in the Bronx. But what about all those obstructed seats?

What obstructed seats you ask? I know that Dave Howard has claimed time and time again that there are no truly obstructed seats in New Shea. I would like to ask you and Mr. Howard to come up and sit with me sometime, say in Section 527, Row 1. Try to describe what is happening in the game to me from those seats. Please. Then try to explain to me that there are no obstructed seats.

Again, I understand that no ballpark is perfect, and I am not complaining about sight-line issues (such as not seeing LF from many LF seats – Old Shea had those issues). But when I am paying that much money to see a game – well, honestly I expect to actually see it.

6. This last reason I will say that you have begun to address – making New Shea a Mets ballpark. Is New Shea a nice place to visit? Yes. But as I commented to a friend of mine last season, it felt like we were on the road there was so little Mets related signage and history in the park. I applaud you for taking some steps to address this issue, though from what I have read so far it’s not as far as you could or should go. Acknowledging Mets history is not the same as honoring it – and that is something that still needs to happen. Bring back Old-Timers Day and Banner Day. Put up a Seaver statue in front of the rotunda. Retire 17, 16, 18, and 31.

I was also going to cite as a reason a mediocre team, but then I thought back to so many years of bad Mets teams when I still enjoyed coming to the game. What I realized, and I think this is a lesson that no matter how long you own the Mets I don’t know if you ever will understand, while the quality on the field is important, the atmosphere off the field and the relationship that management and the team has with the fans is far more important. Right now the Mets could have a great team – but there is no connection with your base.

Bottom line Mr. Wilpon, if you want to win me back, show me you care.

I realize that the chances of you actually reading this letter are slim, so I have decided to send copies to the people within your organization that have a direct effect on these issues. And because I feel so strongly about this, I have also sent copies to several members of the media, and will be posting the letter on www.metspolice.com

I don’t expect a response, but it would go a long way if there was one.

Regards,

Daniel Twohig

cc: Jeff Wilpon, Omar Minaya, Dave Howard, David Newman, Craig Marino, Bill Iannicello, Phil Mushnick, Craig Carton, Evan Roberts, Shannon Shark

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Haven't written much in the last few weeks - as Shannon says this is just a dopey blog and sometimes life will get in the way of it. But something I read today brought me right back to the Mets Police Force.

I've been a huge fan of the Brooklyn Cyclones since their inaugural season in 2001. A season ticket holder for the first 5 years, it was great to have baseball back in Brooklyn.

I'm also a huge fan of minor league baseball, having been to about 45 different minor league parks. The minors are a different breed than the majors, with a greater community feel as well as some of the most unusual promotions. I've seen shaves & haircuts given behind home plate (St. Paul Saints), PA announcers up the music level to drown out the cursing of players (Ft. Myers Miracle), a professional wrestler do between-inning announcements (Jerry Lawlor for Lexington Legends), countless dizzy bat spins, mascot races, eating contests....well you get the idea.

What is not seen though, are cheerleading squads - or as they are now known, dance teams.

Oh sure, a few of the major league teams (three that I know - Cincinnati, Florida, & Milwaukee) have tried to incorporate this football/basketball tradition. Shockingly none have succeeded.

So back to the Cyclones who this week announced the Beach Bum Dance Team. I don't know how they will be used, but the blog does talk about choreography.

Choreography?

With apologies to Tom Hanks, there's no choreography in baseball!

The Wilpons have one of the most successful franchises in minor league baseball (of course Fred would own the team in Brooklyn). Despite poor ownership (don't even get me started on how season ticketholders were treated during the first few years), the Cyclones have been enjoyable to watch. I don't think I can deal with a cheerleadin...um, I mean a "dance team."

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@metspolice

I've been a fan of the Cyclones from day 1. I was a season ticket holder for many years. Brooklyn's first professional sports team since the Dodgers went west- it was a proud day for all Brooklynites when we could see our borough's name on that uniform. It really stirred a sense of pride in the community. So what have the Wilpons done? They've bastardized the name of my hometown.

Yesterday the Cyclones sent an email blast alerting people that they were renaming the team "Baracklyn Cyclones" on June 23rd.


Baracklyn? Seriously?

According to their website - "Can a minor league team change the name of baseball's most legendary borough? YES WE CAN!"

Oh please!

OK, so it's a 1-day promotion - but come on, that has got to be the worst play on the name Brooklyn. Hell, as much as I hate it, Crooklyn was even better.

Minor league teams come up with great promotions all the time (see St. Paul Siants, Hudson Valley Renegades). But this just sounds so bad.

Of course there will be special jerseys that the players will wear that day (and you can bet that the Wilpons will sell those jerseys in the Baracklyn Team Store).

www.metspolice.com

SPORTS / BASEBALL

Wilpon’s Losses in Fraud Case May Affect Mets 

By MICHAEL S. SCHMIDT

Published: December 14, 2008

The Mets’ owner, Fred Wilpon, had invested hundreds of millions of dollars with Bernard L. Madoff, who has been charged with running a $50 billion Ponzi scheme.

Interviews Saturday with several people with knowledge of Wilpon’s business dealings revealed concern about significant problems that Wilpon and the Mets could encounter because of the reported fraud. Although it is unclear how much money Wilpon may recoup, any significant financial loss by a team owner raises questions about how those losses may affect the franchise.

Perhaps most troubling is the possibility that losses incurred by Sterling Equities could put pressure on Wilpon to raise money by selling other assets. Because Sterling invested money directly with Madoff, Wilpon may have to come up with money to reimburse some of his own investors for losses. That may cause him to sell valuable assets, including a portion of his ownership in the Mets.

Read the entire piece in The Times
www.metspolice.com

Brad Penny didn't have his best stuff as Fred Wilpon's Brooklyn Dodgers lost to the crosstown Manhattan Mets 12-1.


The Wilpon family has owned the Dodgers since the 1940's, and this marks their 50th and final season at Shea Stadium before they move into the new Citi Field which will honor the history of the Dodgers and the great Jackie Robinson.


Wilpon was sad that the Dodgers lost to the team from the Polo Grounds but was consoled that Dem Bums took two of three.


After the game someone tried to tell Wilpon that the Dodgers skipped town 50 years ago and the Mets have their own history (and that Jackie Robinson never played for the Mets) but he would have none of it.

The fans continued to let the Mets down last night as the fans were unable to hold onto an early 4-1 lead. Jose Overreyes (now batting .260) had a chance to blow the game open early, but fear of being blogged about led him to make the third out.

Even Willie Randolph agreed that cranky bloggers need to do better than 2 for 14 with runners in scoring position:

"Way too many missed opportunities. You set yourself up for a fall when you get that many opportunities early and don't take advantage of it. It's no secret. We've got to start swinging the bats better."

Owner Fred Wilpon was not displeased because the Mets loss did result in yet another victory for Jackie Robinson's Brooklyn Dodgers.

In other game notes, hideously ugly black jerseys were worn for the third straight game, and manager of the future Lee Mazzilli was in no way responsible for the loss.

Today's matinee looks promising since one of the following words will appear in the boxscore: Santana, Maine, rain.

Another in a long series of ignoring another baseball team ever played in New York City.

"The love of the game and this city is in my DNA," Wilpon said. "I've lived here all my life. People have asked me why I am building a smaller stadium . I didn't build a smaller stadium to make money. I'm doing it because that is the way to give fans the best experience of being close, like in Ebbets Field."

The rest in today's Newsday
http://www.newsday.com/services/newspaper/printedition/sunday/sports/ny-spwilpon045673509may04,0,3897483.story

Hey Mets - this is why you need a Director of Franchise Integrity. Did you speak with anyone with children before scheduling this? Kids have this thing called school that takes place on April Wednesdays.

From mets.com

FLUSHING -- CYBERCHASE, the Emmy award-winning math mystery cartoon series on PBS KIDS GO! and the New York Mets today announced the second CYBERCHASE Day at Shea, Wednesday, April 30, when the Mets host the Pirates. Harry, host of CYBERCHASE For Real, and his wacky cyberbird pal Digit will join Mr. Met to kick things off live on the diamond at 11:00 a.m. followed by special kids' programming before the game which starts at 1:10 p.m.


http://newyork.mets.mlb.com/news/press_releases/press_release.jsp?ymd=20080428&content_id=2603768&vkey=pr_nym&fext=.jsp&c_id=nym