David Puddy once said something that has resonated throughout history: “Hey man, I’m just trying to support the team.” Puddy was showing how much he was supporting his Devils as they played in the 1994 NHL Eastern Conference Finals on an episode of Seinfeld.
The Mets on Tuesday evening sent a letter, signed by franchise legends Keith Hernandez, Ron Darling, Cleon Jones, Ed Charles, Jerry Koosman, and Doc Gooden, asking fans to support the team a little bit more.
To True New Yorkers –
The victory you earn is sweeter than the victory you’re given.
When we won in ’69 and ’86, we, the players, didn’t do it on our own. We made history together — players and fans — through a gritty, even stubborn, belief in this club against all the odds.
When we’ve won, we’ve proved through the way we did it that true New Yorkers are Mets fans.
So today we’re issuing a call to all Mets fans: Show your New York Mets pride — stand up and say you’re a true New Yorker.
As players, we can tell you that what happens in the clubhouse and what happens in the stands — players and fans together, believing in each other — makes a tremendous difference with what happens on the field.
Your support matters; we wouldn’t have won without you. So we’re calling on you to give today’s club the same chance we had.
If you agree that the fans have a role to play in making amazing things happen, add your name to this letter:
Mets.com/TrueNewYorker
One fan — maybe you — will present the signatures on this letter and the messages from fans to the team, before the Mets’ first Subway Series game at Citi Field. If you add your name, it could be you.
We’ll see you there. Let’s Go Mets!
— Keith Hernandez, Ron Darling, Cleon Jones, Ed Charles, Jerry Koosman, and Doc Gooden
This seems to be a response to a recent article in the New York Times which states that the Mets were not the #1 preferred team of anyone living in a certain zip code in the entire United States.
Not even in Queens were the Mets preferred…
So now the Mets are asking fans to sign this letter, which also allows you to enter for a chance to hand a copy of the letter to the 2014 Mets at the Subway Series in a few weeks, to show that they are “True New Yorkers.”
What genius in the public relations department thought that this was a good idea?
It just smacks of a franchise that has dealt with so much bad publicity over the years and is desperate to show to the world that people actually still like them.
This team and it’s public relations department have really done some silly things over the years and this one ranks right up there.
It is, to me at least, to be an amateur thing that you might see from a team that is on the verge of moving or plays in the minor leagues.
This franchise has lost it’s luster because the owners have screwed up financially and combining that with five years of losing records, you will obviously have a fan base that is non existent or upset.
Instead of asking us to sign some letter to show you how much we care, how bout you show us how much you care about us by getting a team on the field where a 14-11 record is not a reason to dream about finishing over .500.
The Mets P.R. department has once again tried too hard to be clever and once again its a swing and a miss.
