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Things the Mets have done right in the Wilpon/Wilpon era

Edgy MD Sep 11 2013 02:59 PM

Sticking generally to off-the-field stuff. 1. Dressed a ringer in the Mrs. Met suit and publicly beat Serena Williams at table tennis. 2. Did that without getting caught. 3. Booked Speedwagon. 4. Replaced Hagin with Lewin. 5. Built a network. 6. Built a top-level broadcast team for the network. 7. Kinda sorta got on board the anti-bullying thing. 8. Autism Awareness --- that's pretty cool of them. ...

batmagadanleadoff Sep 11 2013 03:05 PM Re: Things the Mets have done right in the Wilpon/Wilpon era

They mothballed those hideous black uniforms with the stupid drop shadows and the multi-colored eggplant hue interlocking NY on the stupid black cap with the neon electric blue brim. But not enough points awarded here to offset the penalty points for foisting those uniforms on the world in the first place.

Edgy MD Sep 11 2013 03:15 PM Re: Things the Mets have done right in the Wilpon/Wilpon era

Well, the dawn of the blackies is from the Doubleday/Wilpon era, but demerits go in the other thread.

Ceetar Sep 11 2013 06:20 PM Re: Things the Mets have done right in the Wilpon/Wilpon era

we're talking off the field stuff too? The work they do with City Harvest and Tuesday's Children is certainly nice. As is the Welcome Back Veteran's program. they replaced a soggy uncomfortable stadium with a modern and comfortable one.

metirish Sep 11 2013 06:31 PM Re: Things the Mets have done right in the Wilpon/Wilpon era

Ensured their grandkids trust funds, they really are swell people.

Ashie62 Sep 11 2013 06:53 PM Re: Things the Mets have done right in the Wilpon/Wilpon era

From WSJ.. His civic side showed in 2005, industry participants say, when New York City officials had to scramble to come up with a new stadium proposal for an Olympic bid after a West Side stadium plan flopped. Within days, Mr. Wilpon and city officials had worked out a plan for a proposed Olympic stadium in Queens based on a design that would have temporarily expanded the Mets' new stadium and displaced the team for nearly a month in the middle of a season. While Mr. Wilpon did ultimately receive access to tax-free financing for the stadium, he was lauded for never threatening to move the team out of the city during negotiations....

d'Kong76 Sep 11 2013 07:07 PM Re: Things the Mets have done right in the Wilpon/Wilpon era

They acknowledged the Shea bases in the parking lot.

metsmarathon Sep 11 2013 07:17 PM Re: Things the Mets have done right in the Wilpon/Wilpon era

say what you will about the designs and what not, but the wilpons have been at the fore with the whole americanized baseball hats to benefit the veterans thing. and while it was somewhat wrongheaded in terms of its execution, the jackie robinson thing is a nice and good thing to do. plus, there's baseball in brooklyn, and that's a good thing, right?

d'Kong76 Sep 11 2013 07:27 PM Re: Things the Mets have done right in the Wilpon/Wilpon era

They Metted up the outside a little the second year.

Frayed Knot Sep 11 2013 07:30 PM Re: Things the Mets have done right in the Wilpon/Wilpon era

Kong76 wrote: They Metted up the outside a little the second year. Yup! The moment their cluelessness was pointed out to them they were all over it.

d'Kong76 Sep 11 2013 07:31 PM Re: Things the Mets have done right in the Wilpon/Wilpon era

I left that part out

Zvon Sep 11 2013 07:53 PM Re: Things the Mets have done right in the Wilpon/Wilpon era

Ha. Just got to this.

metsguyinmichigan Sep 11 2013 08:56 PM Re: Things the Mets have done right in the Wilpon/Wilpon era

The Jackie Robinson thing is a little over the top, but I like it.

batmagadanleadoff Sep 11 2013 09:06 PM Re: Things the Mets have done right in the Wilpon/Wilpon era

Edgy MD wrote: Well, the dawn of the blackies is from the Doubleday/Wilpon era ... Only techniclly.

MFS62 Sep 11 2013 09:23 PM Re: Things the Mets have done right in the Wilpon/Wilpon era

Hired Sandy Alderson to re-build the organization from the minors on up. Later

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Sep 11 2013 10:33 PM Re: Things the Mets have done right in the Wilpon/Wilpon era

Actual, Honest-to-Blog Met Hall of Fame, that's almost 1/3 the size of the store next door!

Gwreck Sep 12 2013 12:10 AM Re: Things the Mets have done right in the Wilpon/Wilpon era

Edgy MD wrote: 4. Replaced Hagin with Lewin. Partial credit, because it was preceded by four years of yelling "where are the runners, Wayne?" at the radio. But more significantly, moving Howie Rose back to radio after the passing of Bob Murphy. The two years of him and Gary Cohen together were just tremendously good radio. I can see one day him and Josh having a similar rapport.

TheOldMole Sep 12 2013 08:25 AM Re: Things the Mets have done right in the Wilpon/Wilpon era

They've stayed in New York.

Edgy MD Sep 12 2013 08:27 AM Re: Things the Mets have done right in the Wilpon/Wilpon era

Bending over backwards for veterans' causes, despite getting reamed over that Beltran/Perez thing.

Edgy MD Sep 12 2013 08:33 AM Re: Things the Mets have done right in the Wilpon/Wilpon era

batmagadanleadoff wrote: Edgy MD wrote: Well, the dawn of the blackies is from the Doubleday/Wilpon era ... Only techniclly. Do what you want to do and go where you're going to, but you probably don't want to fall into the trap of exonerating Nelson Doubleday from what you didn't like during his senior partnership and crediting him with what you did. That's a dead end.

John Cougar Lunchbucket Sep 12 2013 08:37 AM Re: Things the Mets have done right in the Wilpon/Wilpon era

MFS62 wrote: Hired Sandy Alderson to re-build the organization from the minors on up. I don't think we should count events that were forced upon them by impatient lenders. Perhaps "staying the eff out of the way while the new team does their thing" should count for soemthing but I'm very reluctant to give the Wilpons any credit at all for Alderson or his decisions.

Edgy MD Sep 12 2013 09:00 AM Re: Things the Mets have done right in the Wilpon/Wilpon era

I don't know. If we're going to count Minaya under stupid stuff they did, even if it was apparently under somebody else's initiative, there's got to be some credit for Alderson.

John Cougar Lunchbucket Sep 12 2013 09:38 AM Re: Things the Mets have done right in the Wilpon/Wilpon era

Edgy MD wrote: I don't know. If we're going to count Minaya under stupid stuff they did, even if it was apparently under somebody else's initiative, there's got to be some credit for Alderson. Maybe. I get the impression the Mets embraced Minaya of their own accord in addition to embracing a league directive; I'd say in fact the entire scope of their goal was to make a show of doing what they were asked to do in the sense that it didn't matter since Jeff was the shadow government anyway. Alderson I think is more of being told what do under threat and was installed with instructions not to interfere.

metsmarathon Sep 12 2013 09:52 AM Re: Things the Mets have done right in the Wilpon/Wilpon era

anything and everything that mr. met touches. the apple.

John Cougar Lunchbucket Sep 12 2013 09:59 AM Re: Things the Mets have done right in the Wilpon/Wilpon era

Kong76 wrote: They acknowledged the Shea bases in the parking lot. But can't wait to build a mall on top of them.

metirish Sep 12 2013 10:02 AM Re: Things the Mets have done right in the Wilpon/Wilpon era

I was going to say "kids free in September" but that's not out of goodness.....

metirish Sep 12 2013 10:42 AM Re: Things the Mets have done right in the Wilpon/Wilpon era

Pete Flynn.....and probably a lot of long term employees like him.

seawolf17 Sep 12 2013 10:44 AM Re: Things the Mets have done right in the Wilpon/Wilpon era

metsmarathon wrote: anything and everything that mr. met touches. the apple. This. And charity work in general, I think; they seem to be pretty invested in the community, all things considered. Signing David Wright.

Lefty Specialist Sep 12 2013 10:50 AM Re: Things the Mets have done right in the Wilpon/Wilpon era

Shake Shack and the craft beer kiosk. Outside of that I got nothin'.

batmagadanleadoff Sep 12 2013 10:56 AM Re: Things the Mets have done right in the Wilpon/Wilpon era

Citi Field is soggy free. The seats are numbered accurately. The divider-less urinals flush OK. And the elevators don't get stuck in between levels.

SteveJRogers Sep 12 2013 12:27 PM Re: Things the Mets have done right in the Wilpon/Wilpon era

Ashie62 wrote: While Mr. Wilpon did ultimately receive access to tax-free financing for the stadium, he was lauded for never threatening to move the team out of the city during negotiations.... Of course the flip side is, where else were the Mets going to go? Even in the region there wasn't any choices laid out, to the public anyway as one would assume superficial discussions were had on the private level. Also, FWIW, all the charity and community work and such could be answered with "are we giving them credit for doing things they SHOULD be doing?" That being said, for all the shit they've gotten for not given two shits about team history, they've done well with the creation of an Alumni organization (sponsored by Citi of course, also IIRC it may have been created during the Doubleday/Wilpon years, but it is still going strong today) that does a good share of the community outreach stuff that is done by the organization.

Ceetar Sep 12 2013 12:31 PM Re: Things the Mets have done right in the Wilpon/Wilpon era

batmagadanleadoff wrote: Citi Field is soggy free. The seats are numbered accurately. The divider-less urinals flush OK. And the elevators don't get stuck in between levels. only divider-less in the cheap sections. I don't think they should get credit for the flushless urinals flushing okay though. Yes, the urinals in Flushing don't actually flush. Actually, since we're criticizing them for initial mistakes, the back row of the Promenade were NOT numbered correctly. They reversed the order of the seat numbers and had little labels over the numbers all season. Of course, that's probably a NY contractor/laborer error, not the Mets.

SteveJRogers Sep 12 2013 12:33 PM Re: Things the Mets have done right in the Wilpon/Wilpon era

metirish wrote: Pete Flynn.....and probably a lot of long term employees like him. Speaking of which, since the Hall has been reinvigorated, they have been giving out awards to such long time employees who don't fit whatever criteria the Met HOF voting committee has of candidates. So far it's been given to Flynn and the late Bob Mandt.

Edgy MD Sep 13 2013 09:34 AM Re: Things the Mets have done right in the Wilpon/Wilpon era

Those Met-of-the-past/Met-of-the-Present-and-Future posters. Too bad sharing a frame with Keith Hernandez doomed Ike Davis forever, but that was an accident.

G-Fafif Sep 13 2013 09:40 AM Re: Things the Mets have done right in the Wilpon/Wilpon era

batmagadanleadoff wrote: Citi Field is soggy free. The seats are numbered accurately. The divider-less urinals flush OK. And the elevators don't get stuck in between levels. Puddles form and sit like crazy in the front rows of Promenade well after a decent rain. Gotta be careful on some of those staircases that lead to the seats behind home plate on that level. Less soggy than good old Shea, to be sure, but not sogless by any means. How much would have dividers in the proletariat men's rooms cost anyway? Not installing them was a subtle dismissive "eff you" to the people who couldn't buy seats in the fancier sections.

Ceetar Sep 13 2013 10:03 AM Re: Things the Mets have done right in the Wilpon/Wilpon era

G-Fafif wrote: batmagadanleadoff wrote: Citi Field is soggy free. The seats are numbered accurately. The divider-less urinals flush OK. And the elevators don't get stuck in between levels. Puddles form and sit like crazy in the front rows of Promenade well after a decent rain. Gotta be careful on some of those staircases that lead to the seats behind home plate on that level. Less soggy than good old Shea, to be sure, but not sogless by any means. How much would have dividers in the proletariat men's rooms cost anyway? Not installing them was a subtle dismissive "eff you" to the people who couldn't buy seats in the fancier sections. The way I understand it is they do have drainage holes and what not, but I imagine they get clogged up with slime pretty easily (not to mention the elevation of the land there is always going to make drainage a concern). Shea had these too. I'm sure Citi's are a little more modern, but the real test comes in another decade or two after all that stuff and other problems have built up. That's the whole private/public thing about maintenance. Will they keep up on it, or will they leave rusty nasty beams inbetween parts of the levels like at Shea?

John Cougar Lunchbucket Sep 13 2013 10:08 AM Re: Things the Mets have done right in the Wilpon/Wilpon era

I really love that they play "New York New York" by Ryan Adams for the recessional.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Sep 13 2013 11:01 AM Re: Things the Mets have done right in the Wilpon/Wilpon era

G-Fafif wrote: How much would have dividers in the proletariat men's rooms cost anyway? Not installing them was a subtle dismissive "eff you" to the people who couldn't buy seats in the fancier sections. Or maybe-- just maybe-- it was a subtle welcome to make everything in the new place into a communal, convivial experience.

batmagadanleadoff Sep 13 2013 11:08 AM Re: Things the Mets have done right in the Wilpon/Wilpon era

G-Fafif wrote: batmagadanleadoff wrote: Citi Field is soggy free. The seats are numbered accurately. The divider-less urinals flush OK. And the elevators don't get stuck in between levels. Puddles form and sit like crazy in the front rows of Promenade well after a decent rain. Gotta be careful on some of those staircases that lead to the seats behind home plate on that level. Less soggy than good old Shea, to be sure, but not sogless by any means.... Well then they were too cheap too put a retractable roof on the joint. MODS!! Please move this post to the Done Wrong thread.

metsmarathon Sep 13 2013 11:27 AM Re: Things the Mets have done right in the Wilpon/Wilpon era

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: G-Fafif wrote: How much would have dividers in the proletariat men's rooms cost anyway? Not installing them was a subtle dismissive "eff you" to the people who couldn't buy seats in the fancier sections. Or maybe-- just maybe-- it was a subtle welcome to make everything in the new place into a communal, convivial experience. i thought everybody likes to see the dicks of the people whizzing next to them. is... is that just me...?

dgwphotography Sep 13 2013 11:32 AM Re: Things the Mets have done right in the Wilpon/Wilpon era

G-Fafif wrote: How much would have dividers in the proletariat men's rooms cost anyway? Not installing them was a subtle dismissive "eff you" to the people who couldn't buy seats in the fancier sections. The entire stadium is a not so subtle study in classism.

Ceetar Sep 13 2013 11:40 AM Re: Things the Mets have done right in the Wilpon/Wilpon era

metsmarathon wrote: LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: G-Fafif wrote: How much would have dividers in the proletariat men's rooms cost anyway? Not installing them was a subtle dismissive "eff you" to the people who couldn't buy seats in the fancier sections. Or maybe-- just maybe-- it was a subtle welcome to make everything in the new place into a communal, convivial experience. i thought everybody likes to see the dicks of the people whizzing next to them. is... is that just me...? you and the entirety of Europe.

G-Fafif Sep 13 2013 11:46 AM Re: Things the Mets have done right in the Wilpon/Wilpon era

They have this nifty little program where if someone is attending their first game at Citi Field, you give the Fan Assistance booth near the Shea Bridge your name and they prepare you a certificate welcoming you. Probably more for kids but Mrs. Fafif and I did this for one of her coworkers the other night on a group outing and it was much appreciate. (I also did this on behalf of a friend from out of town after the fact -- we were supposed to go to his first game together but circumstances intervened -- and though it took multiple episodes of straightening out, he eventually got it in the mail, along with some leftover giveaways, which was their way of saying sorry for the initial screwup. He was very happy with it, too.) They instituted a free ticket for your birthday thing. Show up at a day of game ticket window, show your ID and you're in, and not in the last row either (depending on availability, one supposes). They carved out a bunch of low-demand dates for people whose birthdays don't fall on Mets home dates (Opening Day and the once-popular Subway Series not included). Two good examples of positives that the Mets themselves suck at publicizing. I'm never not impressed by how much community goodwill type stuff they do. Post-Sandy they were all over the place (just ask Bobby Valentine about it in twelve years) but practically every week they're visiting kids, seniors, food banks, literacy programs, VA hospitals and so on. Almost every night is a night when the pregame is devoted to those dealing with some medical condition. The Tuesday's Children sponsorship has been unstinting. Festooning Shea Bridge's walkway in team colors and adding the commemorative logo was a nice, unforeseen touch this year.

John Cougar Lunchbucket Sep 13 2013 11:49 AM Re: Things the Mets have done right in the Wilpon/Wilpon era

metsmarathon wrote: LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: G-Fafif wrote: How much would have dividers in the proletariat men's rooms cost anyway? Not installing them was a subtle dismissive "eff you" to the people who couldn't buy seats in the fancier sections. Or maybe-- just maybe-- it was a subtle welcome to make everything in the new place into a communal, convivial experience. i thought everybody likes to see the dicks of the people whizzing next to them. is... is that just me...? Prom was so empty the other night that I was the only guy in the mens room peeing. Maybe that's why they didn't bother.

Ceetar Sep 13 2013 11:58 AM Re: Things the Mets have done right in the Wilpon/Wilpon era

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: metsmarathon wrote: LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: G-Fafif wrote: How much would have dividers in the proletariat men's rooms cost anyway? Not installing them was a subtle dismissive "eff you" to the people who couldn't buy seats in the fancier sections. Or maybe-- just maybe-- it was a subtle welcome to make everything in the new place into a communal, convivial experience. i thought everybody likes to see the dicks of the people whizzing next to them. is... is that just me...? Prom was so empty the other night that I was the only guy in the mens room peeing. Maybe that's why they didn't bother. I guess we were on alternate schedules. no one in there either time I went either. G-Fafif wrote: They instituted a free ticket for your birthday thing. Show up at a day of game ticket window, show your ID and you're in, and not in the last row either (depending on availability, one supposes). They carved out a bunch of low-demand dates for people whose birthdays don't fall on Mets home dates (Opening Day and the once-popular Subway Series not included). Two good examples of positives that the Mets themselves suck at publicizing. I'm never not impressed by how much community goodwill type stuff they do. Post-Sandy they were all over the place (just ask Bobby Valentine about it in twelve years) but practically every week they're visiting kids, seniors, food banks, literacy programs, VA hospitals and so on. Almost every night is a night when the pregame is devoted to those dealing with some medical condition. The Tuesday's Children sponsorship has been unstinting. Festooning Shea Bridge's walkway in team colors and adding the commemorative logo was a nice, unforeseen touch this year. Yeah, they've subtly done some decorating year after year. It started poorly, but It was probably always a work in progress and I think they were more concerned with just getting the building functional than putting up Mets stuff at first. The error was one of not realizing how important it was to fans, not an active desire to leave it out. Painted the stairwells out blue and orange too. I utilized the birthday ticket early on in April (birthday's in March, never a Mets game on my birthday. Something that's always bothered me.) was seated in Metropolitan Box I think it was called. 20ish rows back on the field level behind the ballboy seat area in LF.

Ceetar Sep 13 2013 12:00 PM Re: Things the Mets have done right in the Wilpon/Wilpon era

Each child that attends the game will receive a specialized boy/girl gift bag. In addition, the birthday boy or girl will receive an extra birthday item! Both children and adults will receive a voucher redeemable in Citi Field for a hot dog, hamburger or slice of pizza, fries and a soft drink. Individual tickets start at $30. Good timing actually. Want to go to a game this weekend? (Note they assert that it won't apply to the playoffs) Go to the Mets box office on your birthday and receive a free ticket to that day's game. Fans can show a valid form of identification (birth certificate, driver's license, passport, etc.) at the Citi Field Ticket Windows on their birthday to receive a ticket, subject to availability. Offer does not apply for games after September 29. For those celebrating their birthday when the Mets are on the road, on an off day, in the off-season or on non-eligible games, their complimentary ticket can be redeemed for games on September 13-15.

G-Fafif Sep 13 2013 12:03 PM Re: Things the Mets have done right in the Wilpon/Wilpon era

The bobbleheads have gotten better and more plentiful in the last two years. Love that they ditched the face of the moment (like Jason Bay) in favor of all-timers. They could do more with it, but they could always do more.

metsguyinmichigan Sep 16 2013 01:08 PM Re: Things the Mets have done right in the Wilpon/Wilpon era

I like that they kept the Home Run Apple -- not just added it to the new stadium, but kept the original one instead of selling it. It's a nice focal point an place for people to pose.

metsmarathon Sep 16 2013 02:05 PM Re: Things the Mets have done right in the Wilpon/Wilpon era

metsguyinmichigan wrote: I like that they kept the Home Run Apple -- not just added it to the new stadium, but kept the original one instead of selling it. It's a nice focal point an place for people to pose. yes! this! home run apple all the way!

metsmarathon Sep 16 2013 02:06 PM Re: Things the Mets have done right in the Wilpon/Wilpon era

the all star game being in citi field is a nice thing that happened on their watch.

metsguyinmichigan Sep 16 2013 02:27 PM Re: Things the Mets have done right in the Wilpon/Wilpon era

I know it's something that gets done my groups everywhere, but I like having a brink on the Fan Walk -- and I especially like that they create a separate brick for you to keep. My friend has a brick at the Reds ballpark, and all the team did was send a Photoshopped photo of a brick with his wording on it. I love my brick. It's on display in the house. And I love knowing that there's one just like it outside of Citi. I thought the Seaver-Piazza closing pitch and opening pitch were nice touches.

John Cougar Lunchbucket Sep 16 2013 02:38 PM Re: Things the Mets have done right in the Wilpon/Wilpon era

I initially thought the brick was a terrible waste of $$$, but if your dad dies and requests no burial (or, you know, if I die), a brick is a very economical alternative to a tombstone.

Ceetar Sep 16 2013 02:51 PM Re: Things the Mets have done right in the Wilpon/Wilpon era

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: I initially thought the brick was a terrible waste of $$$, but if your dad dies and requests no burial (or, you know, if I die), a brick is a very economical alternative to a tombstone. and the whole fanwalk with the bricks surrounding plaques of memorable moments is a nice touch.

Ashie62 Sep 16 2013 04:41 PM Re: Things the Mets have done right in the Wilpon/Wilpon era

The Doors Mr. Mojo Risin soundtrack after each 1999 Mets win....