Here's some news to perk up fans suffering from Mets Seasonal Affective Disorder: Mr. Met has been named the most beloved mascot in all of sports. Take that, Philly Phanatic.
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Results tagged “mets”
Duh: Mr. Met Is The Consensus Best Mascot In Sports
Video: Do You Suffer From Mets Seasonal Affective Disorder?
The Mets came out strong to start the new season, but have stumbled in their last two games as an injured David Wright has left their offense completely anemic. But just think Mets fans: if the season ended today, we'd be in the playoffs, tied for first place! If that thought isn't enough to prop you up—or even if it is—you may very well be suffering from Mets Seasonal Affective Disorder. But there's a way to stop obsessing about Jose Reyes' free agency and ignore the absurd amount of freak injuries the Mets endure every year—Metsoloft.
Mets Are Literally Giving Tickets Away For Free
The Mets reached "baseball nirvana" with their 1-0 opening day win over the Atlanta Braves yesterday afternoon—and even better for management, they were able to get a record sell out crowd at Citi Field. But there's still a lot of nervousness about selling tickets—and it's now at the point where the Mets are literally giving tickets away for free to anyone who wants.
Shocking! Mets In First Place...For Now
If you're a Mets fan, today is a good day. It's probably the last time you can say your team is in first place (or at least tied for it) in the NL East. It may also be one of the few times the Mets are above .500 this season. The Mets managed to defeat their long-time rivals, the Atlanta Braves, 1-0 at Citi Field this afternoon to open the season. Attendance at the game was reportedly 42,080, a record for Citi Field.
It's Mets' Opening Day And They Haven't Sold Out Citi Field Yet
Today is the Mets' opening day, with a home game at Citi Field against the Atlanta Braves. It's also the 50th anniversary of the team, but with facing various troubles such as their, uh, financial picture (starts with Mad-, ends with -off), plummeting ticket sales, and a Reyes-less team, the team seems desperate. And the Post says the prospect of empty seats today has the Mets freaked out: "The Mets are so terrified by the embarrassing prospect of playing to empty seats at today's opener, they've made an Amazin' 'buy one get one free' pitch. Some 15,000 of their fans have been offered one free seat for Saturday's or Sunday's Atlanta game in exchange for every ticket they buy for today’s opener." Is it no wonder that Mr. Met is looking for comfort from strangers?
Mets Settle With Madoff Trustee For $162 Million
The owners of the New York Mets have decided to avoid going to trial and have settled with the Bernard Madoff trustee by agreeing to pay $162 million. Earlier this month, federal judge Jed Rakoff said that the Mets' owners would have to pay at least $83 million. For what it's worth, the Mets' payroll for the 2012 season is $91 million. Which means their payroll has been cut by three-and-a- half Oliver Perez's since 2009 (Perez was paid $12 million/season in 2009!).
Mets' Owners Could Owe Up To $83 Million In Madoff Profits, Says Judge
More bad news for the Mets: Federal Judge Jed Rakoff ruled that the Mets' owners must go to trial over fake profits earned from Bernard Madoff's huge Ponzi scheme. The NY Times reports that Rakoff "not only rejected a bid by the team’s owners to have the remaining claims of a lawsuit filed by the trustee for the victims of Bernard L. Madoff’s fraud dismissed, but he also decided that the trustee was entitled to collect up to $83 million in fictitious profits from the men. He said the exact amount would be determined in a 'subsequent order.'"
Lenny Dykstra Sentenced To Three Years In Prison For Grand Theft Auto
Lenny Dykstra, the former Mets outfielder who has had financial and legal troubles for the past few years, was sentenced to three years in California state prison today. A Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge refused to allow him to withdraw his no-contest plea to grand theft auto and he was immediately taken into custody.
Sad State Of The Mets Remains Very Sad Indeed
Between cutting coupons, selling off pieces of their outfield, and drastically lowering expectations about the team's immediate future, the Mets really haven't had an inspiring off-season. More recently, Ike Davis has been diagnosed with Valley Fever, David Wright is grumpy about being called an "underdog," and Irving Picard's $386 million lawsuit won't go away. Now according to financial records, Citi Field revenues have dropped more than 30 percent since it opened in 2009, and Mets ticket sales are down by nearly 50 percent in that period. Maybe GM Sandy Alderson wasn't joking about that fundraiser for gas money.
Fred Wilpon Plans To Own Mets "As Long As I Can"
Fred Wilpon, the beleaguered owner of the Mets, spoke to the media in Port St. Lucie today and emphatically said people should stop worrying about the pesky Bernard Madoff-related lawsuit that demands that he and Saul Katz pay over $300 million, "There shouldn't be concern about us owning the franchise…Whether (fans) are happy about that right now or not, I don't know. As long as I can, I plan to be the owner here."
Mets Owners Were "Hooked On Madoff’s Returns," Says Trustee
In the ongoing saga of the sad-sack Mets and their Bernard Madoff-related financial troubles, the NY Times has a story about how much the Mets owners, Fred Wilpon and Saul Katz, relied upon those fake Madoff profits. And it all surrounds the "vig."
Gary Carter, Beloved Met And Hall Of Fame Catcher, Has Died
Gary Carter, the Mets Hall of Fame catcher who was diagnosed with brain tumors last year, has died today according to Baseball Hall of Fame president Jeff Idelson. He was 57.
Top 20 Saddest #MetsRejectedPromotionalDates Tweets
The Mets have spent their offseason cutting coupons, selling off pieces of their outfield, and generally lowering expectations about the team's immediate future to the point where a healthy Daniel Murphy seems about as good as it could get. The sorry state of the franchise is not lost on its long-suffering fans, who took to Twitter today to mock the organization's decision to bring back homemade Banner Day—for the first time since 1996—by creating the hashtag: #MetsRejectedPromotionalDates. Below, check out twenty of our favorite pathetic, imaginary Mets promotional dates.
Mets Literally Auctioning Off Unwanted Pieces Of Citi Field
While the Yankees have been busy amassing a killer rotation and becoming the most dangerous team in the AL East again, the Mets have spent their winter cutting coupons out of the paper and binging on boxes of chocolate. And now, they're taking their penny-pinching to new levels: the team is literally auctioning off pieces of the discarded outfield wall in Citi Field. Because who wouldn't want to own a giant "Wheat Thins" ad?
For $20 Million, The Mets Should Give You These Perks
The NYTimes has a feature today on some of the incentives being offered to investors willing to give $20 million to the financially struggling Mets. The club is looking for approximately 10 suckers minority share owners—their investments would give them four percent stakes in the team each, while leaving Fred Wilpon and Saul Katz as majority owners. And seeing as how they're not going to attract any Donald Trumps, the organization is sweetening the pot with some added perks, such as access to Mr. Met, an exclusive fantasy camp, and business cards reading "owner." But if someone's gonna help bail out the perpetually-disappointing Mets, we think some better incentives might be in order:
Jose Reyes Wasn't Worth $106 Million Box Of Chocolates To Mets
Though they were unsuccessful in their pursuit of slugger Albert Pujols, who signed with the Los Angeles Angels Of Anaheim today, the Miami Marlins have plenty to be happy about this offseason; yesterday they introduced the keystone of the new team, their $106 million star Jose Reyes. Reyes told reporters that the Marlins really made him feel wanted—they even arranged a midnight meeting the night he became a free agent. Reyes sounded particularly disappointed that the Mets made almost no effort to keep him in town, which general manager Sandy Alderson later addressed: “If you’re asking whether I should have sent him a box of chocolates, perhaps I should have done that. But on the other hand, the box of chocolates would have cost $106 million.”
Mets Officials Reportedly Expect Team To Suck Until At Least 2014
Where to begin? After the Mets lost out on re-signing their star shortstop Jose Reyes, who is reportedly taking a $102 million deal from the Florida Marlins, the local papers are opining about the once-Amazin's prospects. The Post's Joel Sherman explains why the Mets should trade David Wright now and offers others ideas about potential team rosters, and adds this, "Privately Mets officials will say they do not see the likelihood for strong contention before 2014."
Mets Break Fans' Hearts Again: Reyes Signs $102 Million Deal With Marlins
Mets fans are used to bad news, but the scuttlebutt that the team failed to re-sign Jose Reyes, their star shortstop and the only good thing in the organization this past season, seems to be the worst news in a really long time. Sources say Reyes has agreed to a $102 million deal over six years with the Florida Marlins, with a $22 million option for a seventh year plus a guaranteed $4 million. The Marlins had initially offered $90 million over six years, but now the Miami Herald reports, "By increasing their offer to Reyes, they knocked the Mets out of the running to hang on to their shortstop. The Mets were reportedly willing to give Reyes no more than five-year deal worth $75 to $80 million."
Red Sox Hire Charismatic Ex-Mets Skipper Bobby Valentine As New Manager
The Red Sox have hired colorful and controversial former Mets skipper Bobby Valentine as their new manager. Valentine, who managed the Mets for six seasons and led them to the World Series in 2000, will take over for Terry Francona following the Sox's historic collapse at the end of last season. Below, relive our favorite Valentine's moment with the Mets—when he put on a fake mustache to sneak back into the dugout after getting ejected from a game:
More Changes For Citi Field, Where You'll Soon Be Able To Hit A Homer With A Toothpick
Now that we're officially in baseball's off-season, the Mets announced several changes to Citi Field for the 2012 season, making the park a bit friendlier for hitters. Both the left and right field walls are moving in and the height of all walls will be a uniform eight feet. And if you're tired of those slimming black walls, the walls are going back to the glorious blue that graced Shea Stadium when it closed. The new walls are up to 12' closer and the zig-zag-like pattern to right center field will be uniform.
Last Night's Action: Amazing
Evan Longoria hit two home runs, the second to give Tampa a playoff spot as the Rays beat the Yankees 8-7 in 12 innings. Tampa overcame a 7-0 deficit with six runs in the 8th and a game-tying homer in the 9th from Dan Johnson. The Yankees will head home to face the Tigers and Justin Verlander in the ALDS while their hated rival, the Red Sox, will simply head home.
Mets To Newark: No Triple-A Yankees For You!
Clearly, the Mets hate Newark. Rather than let the largest Jersey city enjoy a year of being home to a AAA team, the Mets have exercised their territorial rights and blocked the Yankees' Scranton, Pennsylvania, farm team from spending a year playing in Newark while its Scranton-Wilkes Barre stadium undergoes renovations.
Last Night's Action: Yanks Give Red Sox No Help
With the Rays and Red Sox fighting for the American League's wild card, the Yankees still have a role to play. For the second straight night, they lost to the Rays, dropping a 5-3 game on Tuesday. With Boston's 8-7 win over the Orioles, the Rays and Red Sox remain tied entering the season's final day on Wednesday. The Yankees started Bartolo Colon and used Rafael Soriano, David Robertson and Mariano Rivera in relief. But they still hit into a triple play -- Russell Martin hit a sharp grounder to third with the bases loaded -- and blew a chance to open up their 3-2 lead. Instead, they fell behind to keep some excitement in this season's final stretch. In Wednesday's season finale, they won't be pitching anyone who will be on the postseason roster, so the Rays could very well sweep them. No matter who wins the wild card, the Yankees will open the playoffs Friday at home against either Texas or Detroit.
Last Night's Action: No Wins Here
Other than figuring out a playoff roster, the Yankees don't have anything to play for over the final three games of the year. Tampa, on the other hand, is fighting for its playoff life. That makes Tampa's 5-2 win unsurprising at best. The Rays took advantage of Hector Noesi, who was making the second start of his career. James Shields stymied the Yankees, allowing only six hits and two runs while falling one out short of a complete game. The win by Tampa and a Red Sox loss means the two teams are tied for the final playoff spot in the AL.
Last Night's Action: Giants Over Eagles, Jets Lose in Oakland and Rivalries in Baseball
Giants 29, Eagles 16: Well, it certainly wasn't supposed to end up like this. After the off-season moves by the Eagles, and the lack of them by the Giants, a win on the road by the Giants wasn't expected. Eli Manning managed to pass for four touchdowns with no interceptions (!!!). The Giants also forced the Eagles into three turnovers, with an interception off Michael Vick and two more off his backup, Mike Kafka. Vick left the game after breaking his hand in the 4th quarter.
Last Night's Action: One To Enjoy
In a season with far too few high points, the Mets 8-6 victory over St. Louis was a welcome respite. Trailing 6-1 entering the 8th, New York staged a great comeback with some help from the Cardinals' error-prone defense. New York scored a run in the 8th, thanks to a passed ball. Willie Harris walked to start the 9th and then Nick Evans hit a tailor-made double play ball that Rafael Furcal booted. Instead of two outs and no runners on, the Mets had two runners on and no outs. After a fly out, the Mets drew consecutive walks to force in their third run. Jose Reyes singled in a run and then Ruben Tejada doubled home two more runs to tie the game at 6. David Wright struck out for the second out of the inning, but Willie Harris put the Mets in the lead with a two-run single. Bobby Parnell pitched a perfect 9th for his 6th save.
Last Night's Action: Close To Clinching
Thanks to a 5-0 victory over Tampa on Tuesday, the Yankees can clinch a playoff spot later today if they earn a split of their doubleheader with Tampa. They could also clinch the AL East crown with a sweep in the doubleheader and a Boston loss.
Last Night's Action: A Laugher
The Jets improved to 2-0 by demolishing Jacksonville 32-3. Credit the defense with this win as they recorded a safety, two sacks, four interceptions and missed a defensive touchdown by 1/2 a yard. Mark Sanchez threw two interceptions and two touchdowns. Shonn Greene rushed for only 3.1 yards per carry, but found the end zone. The Jets now head on the road for three-straight weeks, stopping in Oakland and Baltimore before heading to Foxboro for a showdown with New England.
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