If you’ve been a Mets fan long enough, you’ll remember one of the issues with the Mets obtaining Carlos Delgado was his refusal to stand for “God Bless America.”  There were a number of reasons why from the United States use of the Vieques for bombing runs to the the war in Iraq.  As a Puerto Rican, and as a man, Delgado felt compelled to sit out the singing of “God Bless America.”

With 9/11 still so raw for many New Yorkers, and “God Bless America” being a de facto anthem adopted in the ensuing days, this was a sore point for some Mets fans.  However, it never became an issue because the Mets had a policy their players were to stand for “God Bless America,” and Delgado complied with the policy.

As Delgado put it, “The Mets have a policy that everybody should stand for ‘God Bless America’ and I will be there. I will not cause any distractions to the ballclub…. Just call me Employee Number 21.”  (The Nation).

From that point forward, Delgado would go on to become one of the most beloved Mets to ever wear the uniform.  It wasn’t just his home run hitting ability.  It was the fact he was an actual human being that was fun to root for.  In that first season with the Mets he won the Roberto Clemente Award for his work in helping children’s hospitals.

Reflecting on his time in New York, you wonder what impact his sitting out “God Bless America” would have had on his legacy as a Met and as a ballplayer.  We don’t know because he wasn’t given that opportunity.

I was reminded of the Delgado situation when Terry Collins spoke about how his entire team stood for the National Anthem before the Mets game yesterday:

I’ve got to tell you, I’m not a big political guy, not by any stretch of the imagination.  But I respect — I have been blessed enough to travel the world — and I respect our country immensely. We do have rights here, which other places don’t. I respect that, also.

But I’m proud of my guys that they go line up every night, stand and face the flag. Everybody’s allowed to have their own thoughts and certainly I don’t criticize anybody, I don’t do that stuff. But I’m happy that our guys do what they do.

Given the history with the Mets and Delgado, you have to wonder if the Mets players stand for the National Anthem out of national pride, a sense of civic duty, or because they were ordered by the team.

This is normally something we would not have to ponder, but this has become something more and more players have done across the sports world.  It first came to baseball with Athletics catcher Bruce Maxwell becoming the first Major League player to kneel for the anthem.  It became an issue with some tweets from President Trump over the weekend:

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/911654184918880260

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/911655987857281024

Reading those tweets, you knew it was going to cause people to react.  Many teams and players operated in many different ways.  Some knelt.  Others stood and locked arms.  Then there was the Pittsburgh Steelers who ordered their players to stay in the locker room.  All but one player would heed the order:

Former Army Ranger Alejandro Villanueva stood outside the tunnel alone during the national anthem. pic.twitter.com/6KOZzSJj6q

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 24, 2017

Former Army Ranger and Iraq War veteran Alejandro Villanueva was the lone Steeler to take the field during the National Anthem.  In many circles, the man was lauded.  Really, you’d be hard-pressed to find any detractors for his action, but there was a significant one – his head coach.

Mike Tomlin set forth a direct order to his players, and Villanueva disregarded the order, and instead chose to stand for the National Anthem.  Where many people saw a hero, Tomlin saw a disobedient player.

And you know what?  Tomlin is as right for telling Villanueva to not stand as the Wilpons were in telling Delgado not to sit.

Delgado was a member of the Mets, and Villanueva is a member of the Steelers.  When they take the field, they represent not just themselves, but an entire organization.  Just like you or I when we go to work, we have to listen to our employers when it comes to voicing our politics or protest.  We may not to like it, but ultimately, if we choose to be employed, we have to adhere to the guidelines set forth.  It’s a fact of life.

As for their specific actions?  Well, honestly, that is for each and every single one of us to decide.

Personally, I don’t like it when I see players kneel.  I’ve had relatives fight for this country, and I’ve actually had friends die defending this country.  I have family who are police officers who rushed down to Ground Zero when 9/11 happened.  While standing and removing my cap was something that was once rote for me, something instilled in my by my father, it is actually now a conscious decision.

At the same time, I refuse to condemn those who kneel . . . at least not until hearing them out.

If you’re Delgado, and you grew up with the United States effectively destroying part of your beloved Puerto Rico, you are sure to have a different reaction to the National Anthem and God Bless American than I will.  Same goes for some of the players who have chosen to take a knee during the National Anthem.

Personally, I want to hear from everyone who kneels why they are doing it.  More than that, I want to know how they choose to be a part of the solution.  You’re kneeling to get our attention, and you have it.  Frankly, it’s not enough.  You need to actually do something with it.  You need to let us know why, and what we all can do to try to help you or the people you care enough about to kneel.

Even if these players don’t know exactly why they’re kneeling or what is a real solution, I will still defend their right to kneel.  It’s an exercise of the First Amendment.  If you are of the belief, kneeling disrespects our military and our democratic institutions, you’re wanting to take away an exercise of the First Amendment is equally as a disrespectful . . . perhaps more so.

In the end, instead of the useless shouting back and forth, it’s time for an honest discussion to take place.

That discussion is not for this space.  As was always my goal, this blog was always intended to discuss the Mets and raising little Mets fans.  For the most part, politics really plays no part here.  However, this is a time where sports and politics are converging instead of diverging.  When you have Mets figures like Collins offering statements on the matter, the issue certainly comes within the purview of any Mets related website.  Accordingly, I figured it was long since time I offered by thoughts on the matter.  It is my sincerest intention this will be the last.

Tomorrow, I will get back to the Mets and explaining how the team is mismanaging it’s development of Brandon Nimmo, Dominic Smith, and Amed Rosario.  We can all get back to discussing how to handle David Wright.  Mostly, we can all focus on how to fix this team so they can get back to the team that was in the World Series instead of an injured and broken down team fighting for a top five draft pick.