Classy or Clueless?

[G-Fafif]

The Mets sent the pitching rubber from which Mariano Rivera quelled them for his 500th career save. It was presented to him at an MFYS III ceremony last night along with a signed letter from Omar and Jeff. Details and some pungent commentary here.

I'd like to find this good sportsmanship. But instead I ask WTF'ingF?

[metirish]

I read the link provided and I still don't believe it, can that be true. Someone with the Mets actually spent some of their work day getting the rubber ready , Omar and Jeff actually spent time writing letters.

Unreal

[Guest Kong76]

Clueless, sounds like an Onion story.

[dgwphotography]

I was talking with my company's CEO this morning in the cafeteria (he's also a big Met fan). We were talking about the problems in Mets management, and he tells me that he knows some of the same people that Jeff knows, and that he's not exactly known for being a brain surgeon.

[metirish]

http://assets.nydailynews.com/img/2008/06/22/amd_jeff-wilpon.jpg

[Guest Kong76]

Looks like he's covering up some brain surgery scars.

[dgwphotography]

maybe we should just call him sniffles for now on...

[ashie62]

I read the link provided and I still don't believe it, can that be true. Someone with the Mets actually spent some of their work day getting the rubber ready , Omar and Jeff actually spent time writing letters.

Unreal[/quote:23mzfkyb]

Letters of resignation would be nice

[Guest Edgy DC]

I guess I'm dense but I don't care. I appreciated the public chill of the Clemens era and the Mets closing the weight room to the Yankees and such, but it's long been clear that the Mets have considered that water under the bridge.

I imagine when league meetings take place, Met and Yankee ownership control a voting bloc together, and they probably did moreso in the Doubleday days.

[MFS62]

One more thing to add to the list of things I'll do when I own the Mets:

Make sure anything sent to a member of the Yankee organization, or to their stadium, or to their beat reporters, should first be rubbed with poison ivy.

Later

[metsmarathon]

i think its both classy and clueless. its classy because its a nice thing to do, in recognition of a great accomplishment by a player who'll probably get into the hall of fame.

its clueless, though, because there are plenty of mets fans who hate the yankees with an unbridled passion, and would look to this as yet another sign that the organization has its collective head lodged well within its own collective ass.

personally, i don't give a shit that they've honored a yankee, but they had to know that there'd be a sizeable element that'd be upset by this. especially after this season.

[Benjamin Grimm]

What would really be classy would be for the Mets to name the clubhouse swimming pool (if there is one) after Mariano Rivera.

[Guest Edgy DC]

I certainly don't mind that other teams congratulate Mets when they accomplish things. We'd appreciate this more if the Mets, you know, accomplished more things.

George Crotchgrabber may be a big dumb bully, but he's always made a point of this sort of gesture. When 17 or so Astros combined for a no-hitter against the Yankees in 2003, he asked that there be champagne waiting for them in thier lockers, courtesy of the Yankees, when they hit the locker room.

Now, the same Steinbrenner is known to react to World Series losses by beating up folks in elevators, so he's no paragon of sportsmanship (or anything), but it's probably a pretty typical gesture in baseball. And if Jose Reyes steals his 500th base (God willing) at Yankee Stadium III, I would hope nobody would be too bitter if the Yankees gave the guy the base.

[Frayed Knot]

I don't have a problem with any of this.

[G-Fafif]

They should've sent him first base while they were at it to commemorate his bases-loaded walk off K-Rod.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Now, the same Steinbrenner is known to react to World Series losses by beating up folks in elevators, so he's no paragon of sportsmanship (or anything), but it's probably a pretty typical gesture in baseball. And if Jose Reyes steals his 500th base (God willing) at Yankee Stadium III, I would hope nobody would be too bitter if the Yankees gave the guy the base.[/quote:2g057cgd]

You think that there's any way the Smelly Muppet Formerly Known as George Steinbrenner does this if it happens in a year when, say, the MFYs don't make the playoffs, or the Mets come close to outdrawing the MFYs?

Send him the rubber in a flaming brown-paper bag, with genuine Iron Triangle guard-dog "infield dirt" rubbed on it.

[Benjamin Grimm]

There's nothing wrong with the Mets being classier than the Yankees are. Or would be.

I have to admit that I wasn't aware of this 500th save. Did it happen at Citi Field this summer? I totally missed it. Why didn't the Mets give him the rubber right after the game? Why are they waiting until now? Is it impossible to replace a pitching rubber during the course of a season?

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

I'm not arguing that there's anything intrinsically wrong with doing this. I'm just arguing that it's the wrong move to make... essentially, I agree with Marathon.

Only, I've gone past good humor about the season, and am back around to "unflattering bile about the MFYs/rooting for Cole Hamels's strangulation-by-popped-collar." So, y'know, fuck them. 26 times.

[Fman99]

I'm sure Jeff "Who Farted?" Wilpon is behind this.

[G-Fafif]

I have to admit that I wasn't aware of this 500th save. Did it happen at Citi Field this summer? I totally missed it. Why didn't the Mets give him the rubber right after the game? Why are they waiting until now? Is it impossible to replace a pitching rubber during the course of a season?[/quote:1tinix7s]

It was the Sunday night game of the Subway Series, the one the Mets lost 4-2 (as opposed to the many Subway Series games they lost this year by other less competitive appearing scores). I'd assume they have more than one lying around. Or, perhaps, a replacement was on back order and it just came in.

[MFS62]

Are they going to send them Castillo's glove too?

Later

[Fman99]

Barf.

[seawolf17]

"We just wanted to honor Mariano's incredible achievement," Wilpon said in a statement. "We were honored that he had the opportunity to reach the milestone here at Citi Field, and we thought it would be nice to pay tribute to him. We look forward to more collaborations with the Yankees; we're introducing Teixeira's 'Teixas' BBQ and CC's 'Hungry Man' Hamburgers to the Excelsior level, which we're renaming Steinbrenner Concourse next April."