Crazy Hat Day IGT, Nats v. Mets, 9/11/2013

[Edgy MD]

In a tactical surrender to good taste, MLB will have her member teams merely wear US flags on the side of their caps , ending an ugly tradition of 10 years of hattery abominations. In a refusal to surrender to good grace, the league continues to forbid the Mets from wearing the caps of the NYC service agencies. And of course, surrender is too strong a word, as nobody particularly cares to press the point. Benny Ayala was right. Nobody wants to rock the boat.

Dan Haren opposes justice this eve. Zack Wheller defends it. It's a matchup that you might think would favor the Mets, if you hadn't seen the offense of the last few days.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Glorious, triumphant return of Ruben Tejada expected.

[G-Fafif]

Penultimate game managed in Queens by winningest manager in Mets history.

[Edgy MD]

No shortage of ancillary storylines this eve.

[Centerfield]

Fuck the Mets for not wearing the city agency hats anyway. Speaking to JCL's post in the FAN thread, there are so many things the Wilpons fucked up, but this city agency hat thing is the biggest fuckup of all.

A real tradition was created. Something we Mets fans actually felt proud about, and they lacked the balls to stand up for it. Fuck the Wilpons.

Fuck the manager too, for not understanding the history and insisting his players wear these hats.

And fuck the players for not picking up on what Todd Zeile said and wearing the hats anyway.

[seawolf17]

Centerfield wrote: Fuck the Mets for not wearing the city agency hats anyway. Speaking to JCL's post in the FAN thread, there are so many things the Wilpons fucked up, but this city agency hat thing is the biggest fuckup of all. A real tradition was created. Something we Mets fans actually felt proud about, and they lacked the balls to stand up for it. Fuck the Wilpons. Fuck the manager too, for not understanding the history and insisting his players wear these hats. And fuck the players for not picking up on what Todd Zeile said and wearing the hats anyway.

This, yet again. I feel like we say this every year. I get tired of this whole organization giving off a "we don't really give a crap" vibe.

[Edgy MD]

Oh, they give a crap. I think they're one of the crap-gvingest organizations there be. They just sublimate the crap they give in the broader, but more bowdlerized message of MLB, because they're good MLB citizens, and they tone-deafly believe this is the stronger move.

And this is the story of MLB in the last 25 years at least, weakly warm cooperation instead of the red hot and dangerous theatrical cultural combat 30 different organizational gladiators tossed into a single arena. Baseball is much better when each team generates it's own distinctive culture and clashes with/challenges the others with it. Is there any doubt that 30 organizations with 30 expressions couldn't do better than the collective expression of them all as one?

Fred loves his country. Fred loves his league office.

But I guess you're right. As the vibe is the vibe.

[Lefty Specialist]

Remember when the teams had their own websites? Bud put an end to that nonsense and made sure that the Red Sox site looked exactly like the Mariners site, which looked exactly like the Pirates site.

MLB prefers patriotic vanilla. That means flag hats instead of personal statements. And Fred is so happy that Bud let him stay owner that he'll do anything up to and including wearing a leash and barking like a dog, so don't look for him to ever stray on this issue.

[ashie62]

lets go Mets

[Edgy MD]

Lefty Specialist wrote: RAnd Fred is so happy that Bud let him stay owner that he'll do anything up to and including wearing a leash and barking like a dog, so don't look for him to ever stray on this issue.

There's another angle that argues the opposite --- that Bud let him stay owner because of his successful leash-wearing. Either way is speculative. The bottom line is that the team has a history of playing nice with others.

[Guest metsguyinmichigan]

seawolf17 wrote: Centerfield wrote: Fuck the Mets for not wearing the city agency hats anyway. Speaking to JCL's post in the FAN thread, there are so many things the Wilpons fucked up, but this city agency hat thing is the biggest fuckup of all. A real tradition was created. Something we Mets fans actually felt proud about, and they lacked the balls to stand up for it. Fuck the Wilpons. Fuck the manager too, for not understanding the history and insisting his players wear these hats. And fuck the players for not picking up on what Todd Zeile said and wearing the hats anyway. This, yet again. I feel like we say this every year. I get tired of this whole organization giving off a "we don't really give a crap" vibe.

It's a contract, guys. New Era no doubt pays MLB stupid amounts of money to be the exclusive provider on on-field caps. MLB, in accepting said money, agrees to this. And players, who likely are very happy to see money flow into the game and into their pockets, probably don't care about this as much as we do.

Could New Era make a grand gesture and waive that part of the deal for a day? Sure. Could MLB, in writing the next contract with New Era include a clause allowing the Mets to do this? Sure.

It's probably a big concession by New Era to let them wear the agency caps on the field prior to the game. Enjoy it, and don't let an issue like this get you too worked up.

[Guest themetfairy]

Why doesn't New Era market MLB sanctioned agency caps, with a portion of the profits going to 9/11-related charities?

Wouldn't that solve the whole damn thing?

[Edgy MD]

Well, half the damn thing. New Era might be sanctioning it, but MLB will then have a nettlesome precedent of a team going off the ranch wearing non-uniform uniform caps and deviating from the pre-written norm.

[Frayed Knot]

"League Think" was a slogan within the corridors of the NFL for a while, one which basically meant that all the individual owners should shelve whatever their particular wishes were in favor of whatever was consider for the good of the league as a whole. It was Al Davis's hobby of constantly flaunting that edict which got him branded a pariah.

With the success of the NFL came the temptation to copy such a strategy and Bud's tenure as commish, for better or for worse, has been one of steadily steering baseball towards more of a single entity as opposed to 30 different fiefdoms. The hats on 9/11 (and on Memorial Day, and on July 4th) are, like the websites, a league-wide thing in which everyone is on board with and in which everyone shares in the profits and/or goodwill. Such cooperation surely promote the brand as a whole but just as surely stifle creativity.

Could/should the Wilpons tell Bud to take a walk on this particular issue and go ahead with the service hats instead? Sure.
Will they? .. Of course not.

[Lefty Specialist]

themetfairy wrote: Why doesn't New Era market MLB sanctioned agency caps, with a portion of the profits going to 9/11-related charities? Wouldn't that solve the whole damn thing?

I see Titleist golf hats with the Titleist logo on the front and the Mets logo on the side, Yankees, too.


Here's one, even resting on a patriotic golf towel, no less. (Now you can wipe the mud off your ball with Old Glory.)

They could do the same thing with agency caps if they wanted to.

[Zvon]

Lefty Specialist wrote: themetfairy wrote: Why doesn't New Era market MLB sanctioned agency caps, with a portion of the profits going to 9/11-related charities? Wouldn't that solve the whole damn thing? I see Titleist golf hats with the Titleist logo on the front and the Mets logo on the side, Yankees, too. Here's one, even resting on a patriotic golf towel, no less. (Now you can wipe the mud off your ball with Old Glory.) They could do the same thing with agency caps if they wanted to.

And they would sell. I'd buy a NYFD one in a snap. Id buy 5, four for my bros and I and one for my dad, who was a NYC fireman for 21 years.

It continues to be disgraceful that the tradition has been under-minded.

[Centerfield]

What would New Era do? Sue? Sure, they'd win, but imagine the brutal backlash they'd take in the media.

What if MLB fined the Mets? If I were Fred I'd make a show of writing the check and state "I hope MLB will donate this to 9/11 charities."

Contracts may be what they are. If the Mets wore those hats, there is nothing anyone could do about it. And eventually no one would give it a second thought.

[G-Fafif]

The visitors:

Denard Span, cf
Ryan Zimmerman, 3b
Jayson Werth, rf
Bryce Harper, lf
Ian Desmond, ss
Adam LaRoche, 1b
Wilson Ramos, c
Anthony Rendon, 2b
Dan Haren, rhp

[G-Fafif]

The hosts:

Eric Young Jr., lf
Juan Lagares, rf
Daniel Murphy, 2b
Lucas Duda, 1b
Josh Satin, 3b
Matt den Dekker, cf
Travis d'Arnaud, c
Ruben Tejada, ss
Zack Wheeler, rhp

[G-Fafif]

Zack makes trouble for self, overcomes it in first.

[ashie62]

G-Fafif wrote: The hosts: Eric Young Jr., lf Juan Lagares, rf Daniel Murphy, 2b Lucas Duda, 1b Josh Satin, 3b Matt den Dekker, cf Travis d'Arnaud, c Ruben Tejada, ss Zack Wheeler, rhp

Its the the Vegas 51's!!!!!

[Frayed Knot]

Have NYM batters even had any good swings yet tonight?

[Zvon]

Centerfield wrote: What if MLB fined the Mets? If I were Fred I'd make a show of writing the check and state "I hope MLB will donate this to 9/11 charities."

Ha. That^. Imagine being proud of the Wilpons.

Contracts may be what they are. If the Mets wore those hats, there is nothing anyone could do about it. And eventually no one would give it a second thought.

And separately that^

[Frayed Knot]

This series has been like playing the Yanx over the last few years -- most of their runs coming via HRs.
At least we made them wait six innings for their first one tonight. Last two nights they've gotten their first by about the sixth pitch.

[Zvon]

Bad timing, huh? Young had time to climb that wall and order a hot dog and then make the grab. I saw him earlier too, with that one over his head. Those ones right over his head.....but that one was hit like a rocket.

Zimmyips clears the wall. 1-0

Oh, Tejedas back.

[Frayed Knot]

Does Young have any successful bunts this year?

Wheeler's line-out was the best swing by a NYM batter all night.

[Frayed Knot]

den Dekker has the second good swing of the night but the result is an at'em ball.

12 hits now in this series over 25 innings and 11 of them are singles.

[Frayed Knot]

Rendon's two-out/two-run double makes it 3-1, but really, the one run deficit was pretty much insurmountable anyway.

[Frayed Knot]

Baxter continues the impressive NYM display of warning track power.

[Zvon]

So the 9 hits yesterday was a fluke I guess.
Wow, Citi is empty.