Cry For Help

[Frayed Knot]

I'm betting that a lot of this is a (over) reaction to that Facebook stuff.
They probably don't believe that Met fans are out-numbered--at least not in as large a ratio and in certain areas--as that survey shows, but that fewer of them are willing to publicly announce their fandom. So they trot out some hastily thrown together letter complete with the stamp of approval from past heroes spanning several eras in an attempt to buck up the troops and get some of them out from hiding.

And, as usual, NYM mgmt retains a unique talent for looking worse pr-wise after their pr move then they did beforehand.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Frayed Knot wrote: I'm betting that [crossout]a lot[/crossout] all of this is a (over) reaction to that Facebook stuff.

Fixed.

[Ceetar]

batmagadanleadoff wrote: Frayed Knot wrote: I'm betting that [crossout]a lot[/crossout] all of this is a (over) reaction to that Facebook stuff. Fixed.

In the sense that it's their own click-bait in response to that click-bait? yes.

[batmagadanleadoff]

[fimg=733]http://mlb.mlb.com/nym/images/fan_forum/y2014/1070x1456_true_ny_letter.png[/fimg]

Here's the reaction from the NY Yankees front office.




[fimg=433]https://31.media.tumblr.com/be3d42678483d6eb1f11915d12c53056/tumblr_inline_n1ickge8VU1rn347n.gif[/fimg]

[fimg=332]http://img2.timeinc.net/people/i/2009/specials/emmys/party-gallery/john-krasinski-660.jpg[/fimg] [fimg=333]http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/02/24/article-2283784-183FAB57000005DC-504_634x603.jpg[/fimg]
[fimg=333]http://s3-ec.buzzfed.com/static/2014-01/enhanced/webdr06/7/23/anigif_enhanced-buzz-5546-1389156780-6.gif[/fimg] [fimg=333]http://lovelynat.free.fr/NatRireChamp.jpg#uncontrollable%20laughter%20559x669[/fimg]

[fimg=333]http://www.nocturnar.com/imagenes/ha-ha-nelson-nelson_haha.gif[/fimg]

[Ceetar]

How can they laugh when they're on their knees in front of Derek?

[Benjamin Grimm]

It's bad enough that people laugh at the Mets, but now even dogs are laughing at the Mets?

When I first got the e-mail from the Mets, the 14-year-old in me was about to unthinkingly sign up. But then this seemed too similar to the recent stories about Jews being forced to register in the Ukraine. Sure that turned out to be a hoax (I hope!), but it sounded scary and nefarious. So after giving this a quick second thought, I saw this as more desperate and creepy than "patriotic." So, no, I'm not going to "register" as a Mets fan.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Meanwhile, don't look now but if the season ended today, the Mets would be hosting the Rockies in the single elimination Wild Card play-in game.

[Guest Mets Guy in Michigan]

I don't have a problem with it. Nothing wrong with a little "rally around the troops" kind of thing. They're using former stars and not the current guys, which is interesting because the team is forever being accused of not recognizing its own history.

Bleep Rubin and his "the Yankees wouldn't wear seven jerseys" crap. They can't even get the NY on the jersey to match the NY on the cap. We're not the Yankees and their boatload of former and current roiaded and otherwise rule-breaking players. (Anybody heard from their third baseman in a while? When was the last time a Mets player was suspended for applying a substance to the ball?)

A Yankee version of this would start out with "BOW DOWN TO YOUR GODS" and get worse from there, and charge you $10 for the honor of reading it.

Seriously, I don't care if they laugh. They're going to laugh at us no matter what we do. Bleep them and their billion dollar Death Star bandbox ballpark with its billboard-sized plaque that pays tribute to a guy suspended for trying to screw over his biggest star.

Hey, Cleon, Jerry, Ed, Keith, Ron and Doc: I got your back and I signed your petition. (Some true New Yorkers can live in Michigan.)

[stevejrogers]

Vaccaro calls it an affront to Real Met Fans and calls out the revisionist labeling the 108 regular season game winning 1986ers as gritty underdogs.

http://nypost.com/2014/04/30/clueless-mets-loyalty-letter-is-an-affront-to-real-fans/

[Guest d'Kong76]

Don't they have some young internet/social media guy now
that's running some of this stuff? If he is, uh .. this episode
has kinda backfired.

An email response to all the backfire would be LOADS of fun!!!

[Zvon]

d'Kong76 wrote: Don't they have some young internet/social media guy now that's running some of this stuff? If he is, uh .. this episode has kinda backfired. An email response to all the backfire would be LOADS of fun!!!

I feel for that guy. That's a tuff gig these days. Almost a no-win situation. It would have had to be perfect to cover all current Mets fans.

Can anyone here come up with what would have been the perfect message?

[stevejrogers]

Zvon wrote: d'Kong76 wrote: Don't they have some young internet/social media guy now that's running some of this stuff? If he is, uh .. this episode has kinda backfired. An email response to all the backfire would be LOADS of fun!!! I feel for that guy. That's a tuff gig these days. Almost a no-win situation. It would have had to be perfect to cover all current Mets fans. Can anyone here come up with what would have been the perfect message?

I wouldn't have, and let the "organic" nature of The7Line and such do that for me.

I'd emphasize all that the franchise does in community outreach programs as our way of building a fanbase and brand loyalty as the team is grossly underachieving and causing much apathy among those who go to games or like an official social media page/account.

[Ceetar]

Zvon wrote: d'Kong76 wrote: Don't they have some young internet/social media guy now that's running some of this stuff? If he is, uh .. this episode has kinda backfired. An email response to all the backfire would be LOADS of fun!!! I feel for that guy. That's a tuff gig these days. Almost a no-win situation. It would have had to be perfect to cover all current Mets fans. Can anyone here come up with what would have been the perfect message?

The 'perfect' message, and really the only message, is "It's September 17th and we've just clinched the NL East."

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

I really think the heart of it is that between the incompetence and inattention when they had money and the ineffectual results now that they're broke, just about any and all efforts to look better are going to be met with skepticism. The owners in particular haven't any equity with the fans at all so all the fruit is rotten.

I think this particular stunt is a little patronizing and probably, intended more to sell tickets and collect emails and demographics than an honest attempt to define themselves. That said as always people overreact. It's just another sales pitch. There will be more.

[Gwreck]

Ceetar wrote: In the sense that it's their own click-bait in response to that click-bait? yes.

I think you are not accurately using the term "click-bait."

It was a New York Times story and map. That's not "click-bait." It's an interesting story with actual data to support it.

[Lefty Specialist]

Zvon wrote: Can anyone here come up with what would have been the perfect message?

"You know, we've sucked for the last few years. We'll admit it. But we're working hard and getting better. Come out and see."

Or some variant thereof.

[MFS62]

Referring to that other thread, did the Mets really fire their long-time PR Director?
Was it because of this campaign (it was too late to pull the plug on it) or is this an example of their attempts at PR after he's gone?
This wasn't shooting themselves in the foot. It was shooting themselves 2 feet higher.

Later

[Edgy MD]

Lefty Specialist wrote: Zvon wrote: Can anyone here come up with what would have been the perfect message? "You know, we've sucked for the last few years. We'll admit it. But we're working hard and getting better. Come out and see." Or some variant thereof.

[fimg=400]http://thumbs.dreamstime.com/z/no-people-angry-ceo-8564040.jpg[/fimg]

[Guest d'Kong76]

Zvon wrote: I feel for that guy. That's a tuff gig these days. Almost a no-win situation. It would have had to be perfect to cover all current Mets fans. Can anyone here come up with what would have been the perfect message?

Come on out to Citifield this Thursday night as the Mets
take on the Fishsticks. First 25,000 fans in attendance will
receive a Mets Microwave Fishsticks tee shirt courtesy of
Mrs. Paul's and cranepoolforum.net? That works!

I don't mind the advertising emails, but this one was over-the-
top and they deserve the interflufferflack they got over it.

[Guest themetfairy]

It was the equivalent of those emotionally manipulative Facebook posts that say things like, "Cancer is horrible and we all hate it, but most of you are too cruel and unfeeling to post this as your status."

I don't need to sign a loyalty oath in order to be a Mets fan. But the fact that they asked is annoying.

[Lefty Specialist]

Edgy MD wrote: Lefty Specialist wrote: Zvon wrote: Can anyone here come up with what would have been the perfect message? "You know, we've sucked for the last few years. We'll admit it. But we're working hard and getting better. Come out and see." Or some variant thereof. [fimg=400]http://thumbs.dreamstime.com/z/no-people-angry-ceo-8564040.jpg[/fimg]

Okay, then free beer for the rest of the season.

[Ceetar]

Gwreck wrote: Ceetar wrote: In the sense that it's their own click-bait in response to that click-bait? yes. I think you are not accurately using the term "click-bait." It was a New York Times story and map. That's not "click-bait." It's an interesting story with actual data to support it.

no it wasn't. it was click bait. The New York Times is not above that. it was 'actual data' only in the the sense that it involved numbers. It was about as factual as asking tailgaters at MetLife stadium what their favorite sport is and then claiming baseball is dying. (And yes, I'm aware plenty of places basically do that too)

It's Facebook likes grouped by arbitrary boundaries. It's not a secret that the Yankees have been better in the Facebook era. You don't need to break it out by zipcode.

The Yankees have 7.46 million likes.
The Mets have 911,895 likes.

It's not particularly meaningful data.

This is not a sample of X New Yorkers and studying who likes who. This is a sample of X people who are engaged with their team, and clearly Yankees fans are more engaged. But this isn't measuring '% of fans' or anything like that.

Other reason for this include people liking both teams because A. They're really Mets fans first but prefer to root for good teams, B. Keeping tabs on the 'little brother', C. Red Sox fans in the area liking the Yankees for things like ticket giveaways (they do play the Sox 9 times at home..)

Mets blogs are generally accepted to be much better and more prolific. Maybe Mets fans don't feel the need to like the Mets on Facebook.


Nothing the Mets do, PR wise, is going to be 'a hit', but they've gotten everyone talking about them, and beyond criticism about how it was done, there isn't really anything embarrassing about it. Oh no, they want you to give them your email to enter a contest? big whoop, that's PR 101.

No one's walking away from the team because they wrote a silly email. But some fans will engage. some will be curious about the letter and it's presentation, and it certainly seems like the media is going to cover it. This was really a no-lose situation for the team. I'd be surprised if anyone's opinion of the team really changed. This email didn't put anyone that previously didn't think the Mets were poorly run over the edge, and everyone else is just chirping 'business as usual'.


Really, it boils down to one thing. winning. The Yankees have done it, and the Mets have not. Therefore perception reflects that. Give the Mets a playoff berth and a competitive winning team next year and the Yankees missing the playoffs again and this will change so fast you'll have tens of thousands of Mets fans at Citi Field saying things like "Jose Reyes? Did he play for the Mets?"

[Guest Mets � Willets Point]

You all know this is just a sweepstakes to win tickets to a game versus the Yankees, right?

[Zvon]

If they want to know what kind of a fan I am all they have to do is google "Zvon Mets".

And as loyal as I am to the team, that does not make me loyal to the owners. Ever since Fred's crack about Wright not being up to snuff with other all-star caliber players, they have gotten the minimal amount of $$ support from me.

And I will continue my own personal stand until the owners make me feel otherwise (I am more than willing to forgive). If everyone did this for an extended period of time I imagine they would have to sell the team.

I personally don't demand for them to sell. I don't hate them because I really don't know them. I just want them to be better owners. And time is telling me they may never be.

[seawolf17]

metsguyinmichigan wrote: Hey, Cleon, Jerry, Ed, Keith, Ron and Doc: I got your back and I signed your petition. (Some true New Yorkers can live in Michigan.)

I'm glad to know I'm not the only one here who signed on immediately.

[Guest Mets � Willets Point]

seawolf17 wrote: Hey, Cleon, Jerry, Ed, Keith, Ron and Doc: I got your back and I signed your petition. (Some true New Yorkers can live in Michigan.) I'm glad to know I'm not the only one here who signed on immediately.

I did too, and I've never even lived in New York.

[metsmarathon]

i'm a true new jerseyan and am therefore ineligible to sign the letter.

[Ceetar]

metsmarathon wrote: i'm a true new jerseyan and am therefore ineligible to sign the letter.

many New Jerseyians are truer New Yorkers than many New Yorkers.

[Edgy MD]

I'm a true New Yorker, therefore I resent being marketed to! I demand the team change its colors to gray and grayer, choose as next year's slogan "Come on out! Or don't... whatever... ," and change all giveaway days to "What? The Game Isn't Enough for You?" days!

[Guest d'Kong76]

I just got a personal email from John Franco!!