On Sunday, the Mets have an important game against the Miami Marlins.  Entering this three game set, the Marlins led the Mets by 1.5 games for the Wild Card Spot. Friday night’s win shrunk that lead to 0.5 Depending on the results of today’s game, the Mets could be leaving Miami having surpassed the Marlins for the second Wild Card spot. 

Overall, no matter how much is at stake in what will be the most important game of the season to date, not one Mets fan will be watching that game. 

Instead, they will be watching Mike Piazza join Tom Seaver as the second Met to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. We want to hear the improbable story of just not how a 62nd round draft pick persevered and became not just a major leaguer, but also the greatest hitting catcher. We want to re-live every home run including his post 9/11 home run which means more to New York and Mets fans than anyone could possibly know. We want to remember those 1999 and 2000 years that were among the best in Mets history. And yes, we will enjoy some schadenfreude that it’s Piazza getting inducted and not Roger Clemens. 

We will all watch Piazza and not the Mets game because they are both on at the same time. The Mets game starts at 1:10 and the Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony begins at 1:30. In essence, baseball is making fans choose between watching their favorite team and watching their favorite player be forever immortalized.  You can’t even pray for rain as Marlins Park has the retractable roof. You have to choose between one or the other.  It makes no sense, and it’s something that is an easy fix. 

Major League Baseball and the Baseball Hall of Fame could coordinate this to permit fans to watch both the induction and the games. The induction ceremony could be moved up an hour or so, and/or the games could be pushed back to permit fans to see both without conflict. It makes sense, and by the way, isn’t this what baseball wants?  Don’t they want fans to watch both the induction ceremony and the games?  

To answer the rhetorical question, of course they do. The fans want to watch both as well. With that in mind, baseball needs to fix this situation as soon as possible. It’s too late this year. Hopefully, it won’t be when Carlos Beltran joins Seaver and Piazza in the Hall of Fame.