Joey's Soapbox: An Interesting Tidbit About The Mets' New Co-Owner

So yesterday as I was sitting down to have some breakfast, I decided to check up on the latest Mets news by reading the morning paper. Sure enough, once I got to the sports pages, it was the same ol' Mets, different day. Someone got hurt (R.A. Dickey), the Wilpons need to raise money (maybe they should have Mr. Met take the discarded Pepsi bottles out of the Citi Field garbage receptacles and return them for the five-cent deposit), blah, blah, blah, second verse, same as the first.

That was it for the sports section. I figured, hey, this paper cost my colleague fifty cents; I might as well read the rest of it, right? So I turned to the opening page and started to read it from the front.

Let's see, Lindsay Lohan started to serve her sentence under house arrest (yawn), Sarah Palin has been giving hints that she might be running for President in 2012 (yawn squared). Sigh. The second verse truly was the same as the first.

Then I got to page five and all things changed. I came across a story called "He's The New Mr. Met" and it was about the Mets' new co-owner who ponied up $200 million for a share of the team, perhaps causing the Wilpons to scrap that five-cent bottle return plan I suggested in my opening paragraph.

In the article by Jeane MacIntosh (as shown in the photo to the right), David Einhorn was depicted as a youthful man who built his fortune on hedge-funds, managing assets worth nearly $8 billion. Although he spent most of his childhood growing up as Bud Selig's next-door neighbor in Milwaukee, he spent his formative years in New Jersey rooting for the Mets, even dressing up in a homemade Dave Kingman costume for Halloween in 1975.

Okay, so he grew up a Mets fan. That's great. So did I. But there was one paragraph in the article that really caught my attention. It was right after the paragraphs where I found myself nodding off reading about his college education and his work with mergers, acquisitions and other things a soon-to-be seven-year-old bear blogger would never understand or have any interest in.

I know some of you don't click on the links for fear that you might be Rick-Rolled, so instead of providing you with one (a link, not a Rick-Roll), here's a photo of the actual paragraph that got my attention.


That's right, Mets fans. Our new co-owner has teddy bears in his office! Imagine my joy when I learned that the Mets finally have a person in the front office who actually has some common sense.

On that note, I have only one thing to say to the Wilpons, and that is...

SELL THE ENTIRE TEAM TO DAVID EINHORN!!

It's clear that Einhorn knows what he's doing. First, he didn't dress up as a Brooklyn Dodger on Halloween; he dressed up as a Met. And it wasn't the obvious choice (Tom Seaver). No, he went as Sky King.

Second, he has money that isn't invested in Ponzi schemes (that we know of). That means Jose Reyes doesn't have to go. That means he also won't be afraid to cut guys who have no trade value and aren't doing what they're being paid to do. (I like you as a person, Jason Bay, but right now, I'd rather have Mike Hampton as our cleanup hitter than you.)

The year after Mike Hampton pitched the Mets into the 2000 World Series, he picked up 7 HR and 16 RBI in 79 at-bats for the Colorado Rockies. This year, Jason Bay has 2 HR and 8 RBI for the Mets in 107 at-bats. 'Nuff said.

Third, and most importantly, he has a fondness for teddy bears! With David Einhorn on board, perhaps we'll finally get those bear-friendly food stands I've been clamoring for, like Cake Shack and Citi Confectioneries.

As Mets fans, we have a right to be interested in how our team is run. After all, it is us who give the owners the money they need to pay the players who entertain us for 162 games a season. But if those owners don't give us what we're paying for, then why should we fatten their wallets?

It is clear to me that David Einhorn is the first step towards having an ownership that cares about its customers. Now it's time to take the next step. To Saul Katz, Fred Wilpon, Little Jeffy Wilpon and the rest of the Family Circus, I beg you to please sell the rest of the team to David Einhorn. You no longer have any business running this team. Let the new blood take over. If you're truly Mets fans first (and not merely using "Mets" as a synonym for Brooklyn Dodgers), then the best interest of the team should be your priority, and that best interest doesn't include your involvement in the day-to-day running of the franchise.

Instead of running the team the right way, the Wilpons have run the team into the ground. It's time to build the team back up to where it belongs and David Einhorn, Mets fan and teddy bear lover, is the man who should be doing it.

Joey's Soapbox: Mets Museum Is Coming, But Where's Cake Shack?

The Mets issued a press release yesterday stating that the Year of The Dodger is over. Next year, Citi Field will feature more Mets-centric imagery and colors. However, upon reading the press release, I noticed one thing was missing from the new additions. Astute Studious Metsimus readers should find it easy to surmise what it is.

First off, I applaud the Mets for making changes to Citi Field both inside and out. Among the new features you will find next season will be:

The VIP entrances near first base, third base and left field will be renamed after Gil Hodges, Tom Seaver and Casey Stengel, respectively.

The bridge in right field will be renamed Shea Bridge in honor of William A. Shea. I am pleased that it will not be renamed the Adam Dunn Bridge after the Washington National who claimed it as his own when he took one small poke for Dunn, one giant blast for everyone else. (In laybear's terms, he became the first player to reach the bridge with a home run.)

The stairwells will be painted in the traditional Mets colors (blue and orange, NOT black) instead of the drab gray that mirrored the feelings of the fans as they exited the stadium after each loss.

Outside Citi Field, full color banners will be visible on the Mets Plaza outside the Jackie Robinson Rotunda and the flowers planted outside the Plaza will be blue and orange.

The main addition to Citi Field in 2010 will be the Mets Hall of Fame and Museum, which will be adjacent to the Jackie Robinson Rotunda. A new Mets Hall of Fame committee, including long-time radio and TV broadcasters Gary Cohen and Howie Rose, will be formed to evaluate Mets Hall of Fame members. No player has been inducted since the late Tommie Agee in 2002.

These new additions will make Citi Field appear more like a Mets stadium and not Dodger Stadium East. That's all fine and dandy, but they seem to have forgotten one thing that this bear blogger just had to get up on his soapbox for.

WHERE IN THE NAME OF JULIO FRANCO IS CAKE SHACK?

Little Jeffy Wilpon and Omar Minaya had no problem getting cake into the tummy of Julio Franco. Why can't the fans have our cake and eat it, too?

We appreciate all you did in 2009 to make Citi Field an eater's paradise. The chicken nachos and cannolis were a welcome addition to an otherwise bland food selection at Shea Stadium. The eclectic selections would make any caterer blue and orange with envy.

If the team is going to cater to all its fans, then one more thing needs to be added. Since the team is renaming many things at Citi Field in time for the 2010 season, I'd like to offer my suggestion.

Ever since I found out about the Shake Shack that debuted at Citi Field this season, I've wanted the team to open up a Cake Shack, which would specialize in my fav'rit food. However, since I want to be known for my blogging ability and not for my penchant for wolfing down cake, I'd like to propose my idea for a new food stand, Citi Confectioneries.

Citi Confectioneries would specialize in candies, cookies and pastries. The cannolis can get special treatment there. They can also sell rainbow cookies, similar to the ones in the picture below. However, instead of the colors in the photo, they can be blue and orange surrounded by chocolatey goodness.

Holy cannolis, Batman! How hard would it be to add a Cake Shack and a Citi Confectioneries? If you can't do anything to improve the team this offseason, at least keep my sweet tooth happy. Then the fans who came to Citi Field dressed as empty seats in September can feast on something new while opposing teams feast on the Mets.

I don't expect any of this to happen at Citi Field next season, but perhaps if our readers could start a petition, it could become a reality eventually. I'd make my voice heard, but it would be rude to talk with my mouth full.