#MetsBoycott And Some Unsolicited Suggestions

If you are a Mets fan, you’re angry.  Really, there is a myriad of purely justifiable reasons why.

The Mets let Daniel Murphy walk.  They haven’t sufficiently spent to put a team that finished just short in 2015 over the top.  The handling of medical issues is a mess leading to the team constantly playing with a short roster.  They sold part of their future to build a bench and bullpen, something they refuse to do in the offseason.  This is why you have to acquire Kelly Johnson in the midseason not once but twice.

The team has not extended one pitcher, but during Sandy Alderson’s tenure, he has found a way to extend Juan Lagares, Jon Niese, and David WrightSpeaking of Wright, they have continuously played Russian Roulette with his ability to play leaving the Mets having the worst possible third base situation for two years running.

Even better, the Mets don’t have sufficient funds to add the type of players it needs to get the team back to the 2015 level – you know a middling and injured team who sold the farm to make one run and let it fizzle out.  Even better, the team doesn’t have the farm system to supplement the roster to keep the competitive.

Sad part is this is just the tip of the iceberg.  We all have reasons to be angry with the Mets.  It makes you want to do something.

In year’s past, we had the billboard.  While derided in some circles, it did have some effect.  Arguably, if not for the billboards and the display of fan anger, the Mets may not make the moves they made, including but not limited to trading for Yoenis Cespedes and re-signing him multiple times.

With that in mind, there is another movement afoot.  This one is being led by the Good Fundies guys:

(EDITOR’S NOTE: with baby number two expected any minute, this was written in advance of a podcast where details were released)

Boycotts are dicey things because they tend to either get trivialized, don’t have the physical support to match the vocal support, and/or don’t go to the extent they need to go.

On a personal front, I have greatly reduced the amount of money I have spent on Mets tickets.  I used to have multiple plans.  The reason for that is I had different factions of Mets fans, and I enjoyed going to games with those people.  It was an amazing way to experience a season.

Between Madoff, changes to ticket plans, and just the utter horseshit we get from the Mets organization, I’m down to none.  Guess what the Mets response has been to that?  They call me to ask me to buy a ticket plan numerous times each offseason.  That’s it.  If you’re like me, it’s probably the same.

Still, I can’t stay away.  I love baseball, and my son does as well.  I want to bring him to games, which he enjoys.  This season, I tried bringing him to road games instead, but it wasn’t good enough for him.  He wanted to go to Citi Field to see Mr. Met, play the Home Run Derby, and watch the game.  He’s a little boy.  I’m not going to punish him because the Wilpons suck.

There’s the other matter about my Dad and brother.  I have been going to games with my Dad since 1983 and my brother a couple of years after that.  No matter what, we have found at least one game to go to each season.  If the Mets didn’t operate the way they do, we’d probably still have a Sunday Plan – you know the plan they greedily eliminated/altered when they moved from Shea Stadium to Citi Field.

Point is, I can’t stay away, but I do want something to happen.

Getting something organized is problematic.  You have to encourage people to do something, but what?  Purchase tickets and not enter the stadium?   Organize in front of Citi Field and be ushered away before you can gain any traction?  A social media campaign that may hit the newspapers once?

The end result of these might be a giant “Meh!’ from the Met organization.

Still, you have to do something like a billboard.  Something the Mets both get embarrassed by and yet can’t ignore.

No matter what it is, all I know is I’m onboard if only because I want things to get better.  To that end, here are my unsolicited suggestions:

  • Have fans see the Mets on the road in group outings carrying signs such as #MetsBoycott or clever signs delineating fan outrage
  • If not road trips, organized fan outings at different locations such as Foley’s, which is a well known sports and baseball bar in the area
  • Another billboard or other visible sign outside Citi Field
  • Advertising spot on WFAN
  • A good old fashioned letter writing campaign.  While you can ignore emails by setting up spam folders, the Mets aren’t going to stop the mail just because they are getting waves of fan letters.  For an example of this effectiveness, look at John Mara responding to fan letters and his firing of Reese and McAdoo in-season.

If you do one, some combination of these things, or something all together different, it should gain some traction.  Whether it’s enough to get what all Mets fans what they want, it remains to be seen.

In the end, the goal needs to just be not being marginalized, which is something the Mets are great at under Sandy Alderson’s regime (“Panic Citi”).  It’s a difficult line to tread, and I’m not particularly sure it can be successful.

However, given the state of affairs, it’s certainly worth a try.