I am loving this Mr Met from Super7.com. The thing that bummed me out was that I had pre ordered this over a year ago and it didn't get to me until today. Although it was worth the wait. It is a fun throwback figure to the days of when Star Wars just had the 3 3/4 figures and they were popular as all hell. Five points of articulations, very simple, very sleek. Even the pinstripes look awesome.
Can I just tell you that I have never met a classier player on and off the field before. The things he does for charity, the way he treats the fans, and just the way he played the game. My wife grew up a Yankees "fan" before I met her. Curtis Granderson was her favorite Yankee at the time and with him coming over to the Mets, he was the the gateway to her conversion into becoming a Mets fan.
To see Curtis having a good time on the field with that smile of his was infectious and he brought back to the Mets a feeling that this organization could start the journey of not being a joke anymore. That Free Agents would come to the team. The Mets should grab him and get him into some kind of real role in the organization.
From the NY POST
“As I close out this wonderful chapter in my life and step away from my days on the field, I know that my role in this game is only just getting started,” Granderson, 38, wrote in a statement on Twitter. “I look forward to continuing my work helping to diversify the sport, paving the way for young kids to learn and grow.”
The Yankees acquired Granderson before the 2010 season and he played four seasons in The Bronx, making two of his three All-Star Games there. Granderson then signed a four-year, $60 million deal with the Mets and was a part of the team that lost to the Royals in the 2015 World Series.
Granderson, known as one of the good guys in the sport, was a .249 lifetime hitter with 344 home runs and 937 RBIs. He started his career with the Tigers and also played for the Blue Jays, Brewers and Marlins.
WFAN is reporting that a Houston Astros fan has broken down the noise from the Trash Can hits and which players benefited from them the most. Guess what? Two of them are on the Mets now. JD Davis and Jake Marisnick. Davis says he didn't know anything about the cheating. Do you folks believe him? This is just going to keep getting deeper and deeper isn' it?
Two of the five players who were alerted by trash can bangs at the higest rate percentage-wise, were J.D. Davis (14 bangs, 49 pitches, 28.6%) and Jake Marisnick (83 bangs, 364 pitches, 22.8%), Adams' numbers show.
Cameron Maybin, who played for the Yankees last season, was also on the high end (13 bangs, 56 pitches, 23.2%). The Astros acquired Maybin in a trade with the Angels with a month left in the 2017 regular season.
In terms of "total bangs," Marwin Gonzalez (147), George Springer (139), Carlos Beltran (138) and Alex Bregman (133) were alerted about upcoming pitches the most, according to Adams.
Earlier this month, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred released a report outlining the Astros' cheating during their 2017 World Series-winning season. The scheme consisted of using a camera in center field at Minute Maid Park to zero in on opposing catchers' signs, which were then relayed to batters by having players, who were monitoring the video feed on a computer, bang on a trash can in the tunnel near the team's dugout.
Dear Commissioner Manfred, There has been much public discussion regarding the ongoing negotiations between Major League Baseball (“MLB”) and Minor League Baseball (“MiLB”) with respect to a new Professional Baseball Agreement (“PBA”) that will set the terms for the continuation of affiliated minor league baseball in communities across the country. The MiLB Negotiating Committee is singularly focused on working with MLB to reach an agreement that will best ensure that baseball remains the National Pastime in communities large and small throughout our country. However, it recently has become apparent that the best way to advance negotiations is for us to set forth with clarity in a letter to you the position of MiLB on the key issues that we must resolve in these negotiations. As a threshold matter, we believe that it is our obligation to represent in these negotiations not only the best interests of Minor League owners, but also the best interests of our 160 community partners. These community partners have made major commitments, financial and otherwise, to support both Major League and Major League-affiliated professional baseball teams at all levels. It is our sincere hope that we can reach agreement on a new PBA that not only is mutually beneficial for both MLB and MiLB, but also addresses our shared responsibility to these communities to preserve Major League-affiliated professional baseball to the greatest extent possible. 1. Full Season Minor League Baseball (Triple-A, Double-A, and Single-A) MiLB believes that all full season Minor League games must be played in adequate facilities that protect the health and well-being of players and that players not be subjected to unreasonable travel during the course of a season. We have advanced several ideas to address these objectives, to which your negotiating team has failed to respond. MiLB believes these important objectives can be achieved without preemptively contracting any of the 120 Minor League teams currently playing affiliated full season baseball. MiLB’s negotiating position has been and continues to be that MLB and MiLB should work together to identify teams currently playing in stadiums deemed inadequate and the specific improvements required. These teams, and their communities, should be given an agreed upon amount of time to demonstrate that they have access to sufficient financial resources to make the required improvements and to complete the improvements. In the event that a team fails to meet this requirement, the Player Development Contract (“PDC”) for that team would be transferred to MiLB, which would have the responsibility to reassign the PDC to an ownership group demonstrating an ability to operate in a ballpark that meets agreed-upon facility requirements in a location that does not unacceptably increase player travel. MiLB believes that the PBA should provide for a mutually supported facilities improvement fund to assist teams and communities in meeting the necessary standards in order to minimize any need to relocate a team. MLB and MiLB have the ability to create better facilities, particularly for players and player development personnel, if we work together to express to communities the need for such upgraded facilities.
Commissioner Manfred January 23, 2020 Page 2 of 3 2. Short Season Minor League Baseball (New York-Penn League, Northwest League, and Pioneer League) MiLB understands that MLB wants to reduce the total number of players each MLB team is required to have under contract but believes that the elimination of short season Minor League Baseball is not necessary for MLB to achieve this objective. MiLB’s negotiating position has been, and continues to be, that working cooperatively and creatively, MLB and MiLB can find a solution that allows for the continuation of short season baseball without requiring that every MLB team provides a full roster of players to a short season team. MiLB does not accept as reasonable MLB’s position that it cannot agree to work with MiLB on creative solutions to preserve short season affiliated baseball because these leagues must be eliminated in whole to meet MLB’s “competitive balance” and “cost savings” objectives. It is MiLB’s view that these are insignificant factors, especially when compared with the drastic and negative social, cultural, and economic impacts that elimination of short season baseball will have in many smaller communities throughout the United States. Insofar as there is a “competitive balance” problem confronting MLB, it is related to the staggering difference in payrolls among MLB teams and not whether teams are permitted to choose to continue to have short season affiliates. Moreover, there are other less damaging ways for MLB to regulate the total number of players each Major League club may have under contract and otherwise create a level playing field. For example, there exists significant divergence in the number of players signed, housed, and trained by MLB teams in Mexico, the Dominican Republic, and other locations outside the United States. In addition, MLB permits 10 Major League clubs the significant competitive advantage of playing a full season Minor League schedule at their Florida Spring Training complexes with the opportunity for those clubs to conduct MLB Player Rehab assignments on Minor League teams playing at those facilities. With specific regard to cost savings, we understand that MLB has projected that the elimination of short season baseball would save each of the 30 MLB teams – all of which are valued at more than one billion dollars – approximately $300,000 to $400,000 in payroll costs per year, which, in the aggregate, translates to less than 1/10th of 1 percent of MLB’s revenues. These reduced employment related “savings” also represent significantly less than the cost to a Major League team of a minimum cost contract for a single Major League player and are also much less than the financial commitments undertaken by many of the potentially impacted communities to attract and provide facilities for Major League-affiliated teams. Surely the nominal prospective cost savings to MLB clubs is far outweighed by the devastating and far reaching impact that contraction of short season MiLB teams would have on their communities across the United States. 3. Appalachian League MiLB acknowledges that MLB owns the 10 Appalachian League (“AL”) teams and that MLB regrettably has theauthority to unilaterally decide the future of the AL. MiLB strongly encourages MLB to work with MiLB, as it has in the past, to allow for the continued operation of the AL as a league with affiliated teams playing professional baseball. 4. Dream League MLB’s position that its “Dream League” concept would save the contracted communities from losing their professional teams is simply wrong. The economic realities of operating affiliated and non-affiliated professional baseball teams are very different. MiLB owners have extensive knowledge and experience in operating teams in both circumstances. There is little doubt that very few currently affiliated short season t
Commissioner Manfred January 23, 2020 Page 3 of 3 franchises would have any realistic hope of surviving under this seriously flawed concept. The actual history of independent franchises in similar markets that were started (and folded) in the modern era emphasizes the point. For these reasons, MiLB believes that MLB should stop promoting this “Dream League” concept, which serves no purpose other than to provide false hope to communities that will most certainly suffer the loss of their professional teams. 5. Minor League Economics and the Question of Subsidies It is simply not true that MLB "heavily subsidizes” MiLB. MLB teams do not pay MiLB owners and their partner communities that supply the facilities and league infrastructure that enable players under contract to MLB teams the opportunity to compete at a high level and establish whether they have the capability to play in the Major Leagues. MLB just pays its OWN player/employees and other costs directly related to their development. MLB does not fund or subsidize MiLB's business operations in any form and, in fact, the amounts funded by MiLB to assist in the development of MLB's players far exceed anything paid by MLB to its players, managers, or coaches at the Minor League level. Through the payment of a ticket tax to MLB, it is arguable that MiLB is paying a subsidy to MLB. Either way, talk about subsidies isn’t helpful or beneficial to the industry. The fact is that we are business partners working together to grow the game, entertain fans, and develop future MLB players. We look forward to the opportunity of re-engaging with your representatives in a constructive manner that reflects both the positive spirit of the partnership relationship we have enjoyed with you and your predecessors for so many years, and our mutual responsibility to ensure the continuation of the game of Baseball, in both small and large communities across the country, as our National Pastime.
"We at the Brooklyn Cyclones want to congratulate Fonzie on going into the Mets HOF even though we fired him 5 mins after winning a title."
From Mets Insider
Alfonzo was one of the most clutch performers in Mets history. He ranks first in team postseason history in hits, runs and RBI. Alfonzo homered in the one-game playoff in 1999 at Cincinnati and then slugged two homers, including a grand slam, in Game 1 of the NLDS at Arizona. He ranks in the Top 10 in franchise history in hits, runs, doubles, RBI, OBP, total bases and batting average. Alfonzo won a Silver Slugger Award in 1999 and was an All-Star in 2000.Edgardo Alfonzo“Getting into the Mets Hall of Fame is a dream come true for me,” said Alfonzo. “The Mets have had so many great players in their history and I’m so proud to receive this honor. This is something I never thought would be possible when I started out. I was never much for individual goals, I just wanted to help us win. For me to get inducted into the Mets Hall of Fame on the 20th anniversary of our NL championship is a special thrill. I would like to congratulate Ron and Jon on their inductions. I’m really glad that Al Jackson is getting honored. He was our pitching coach for two years and was one of my favorites.”
Save Minor League Baseball Task Force Co-Chairs Trahan, McKinley, Rose, and Simpson Lead Introduction of Congressional Resolution Supporting Minor League Baseball WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Representatives Lori Trahan (D-MA), David McKinley (R-WV), Max Rose (D-NY), and Mike Simpson (R-NY) – co-chairs of the Save Minor League Baseball Task Force -- introduced a bipartisan resolution expressing the sense of Congress that Major League Baseball (MLB) should maintain the current minor league structure rather than proceed with its plan to eliminate 42 minor league clubs. “We launched the Save Minor League Baseball Task Force for a simple purpose -- to help ensure a level playing field in the negotiations between MLB and Minor League Baseball so that they yield a fair resolution and protect minor league baseball in communities across the country. Congress has long been a partner to the league in protecting and expanding America’s favorite pastime. We deserve to have our voices heard in any conversation with such potentially devastating consequences. This resolution makes our position clear, and I am grateful to my fellow co-chairs and colleagues for their continued support of this effort,” said Congresswoman Trahan. “Minor League Baseball teams have had a major impact on small communities. These teams provide an enormous cultural and economic benefit to the communities they call home,” Congressman McKinley said. “The goal of our involvement in this fight is to ensure a level playing field in the negotiations between Major League Baseball (MLB) and MiLB. Doing away with 42 teams is not a reasonable solution. We are hopeful that MiLB and MLB can find acompromise that will preserve the 42 MiLB teams and address MLB’s concerns.” “The value that Minor League Baseball adds to our communities goes so far beyond entertainment,” Congressman Max Rose said. “Teams like the Staten Island Yankees offer youth clinics for our kids, donate to local schools and charities, and volunteer countless hours to help those in need. This resolution sends a clear message that we recognize those contributions, and that I’m going to do everything in my power to protect the Staten Island Yankees.
“Minor League Baseball is at the heart of small towns all across rural America,” said Congressman Simpson. “The proposal to cut 42 teams will leave communities like Idaho Falls without affordable and accessible options for families to experience America’s pastime. I am pleased to join my colleagues in introducing this resolution which expresses more than 60 Members of Congress opposition towards eliminating the Chukars and other minor league organizations. I hope Major League Baseball takes the concerns of fans in small-town America seriously when considering the current proposal.” “The proposal to eliminate our Norwich Sea Unicorns and 41 other Minor League teams across the country is a profound mistake,” said Congressman Courtney. “Countless baseball fans of all ages attend MiLB games each season, and for many, it’s their only chance to see our nation’s pastime in a family-friendly, affordable atmosphere. There have been well over half a million statistical errors committed in the MLB since its founding in 1896, but this plan to do away with a quarter of all our Minor League teams ranks among the worst of them – it will cost American communities jobs, and more importantly it will cost us in quality of life. The House is leading the charge to protect our Minor League Baseball teams, and I’m proud to be part of this bipartisan effort. MLB Commissioner Manfred and his team need to take a hard second look at their proposal, and consider what it could mean for the long-term support that Congress has always afforded to the MLB on a variety of issues.” “The Mahoning Valley Scrappers are a pillar of our community and provide an affordable and fun way for families to spend time together. These Minor League teams are an integral part of American baseball. Not only do they offer a pipeline to the MLB, they stand as a cultural cornerstone in communities like mine,” said Congressman Tim Ryan. “I’m 100% with the Scrappers because I know that in the Mahoning Valley, the best days for America’s pastime are yet to come.” “Minor league baseball provides so much to our local communities, bringing family friendly entertainment, job opportunities and a significant economic impact to every city a team calls home. The impact of the Lexington Legends is no exception,” said Congressman Andy Barr. “The 2019 South Atlantic League Champion Legends bring an average economic impact of $47.2 million per year to my community, and in addition, donate an average of $1 million locally. I am committed to doing what I can to support the Legends and ensure that they stay in Lexington for years to come.” “With 5 teams in our region, perhaps no area in America would be more affected by the proposed restructuring of minor league baseball than East Tennessee. Baseball is an integral part of so many communities, and a significant source of community pride and entertainment. I will do everything I can to ensure America’s pastime is preserved for generations to come across East Tennessee. That is why I am proud to join my colleagues in introducing a bipartisan resolution to help preserve Minor League Baseball in 160 communities across the nation,” said Congressman Phil Roe. “Michigan families love spending their summers outside watching baseball and our minor league teams have fans throughout the state. It is my hope that Major League Baseball and its minor league affiliates reach an agreement that is good for teams in Michigan and across the nation,” said Congressman Moolenaar. “The proposal by Major League Baseball to eliminate minor league teams, like New York’s Binghamton Rumble Ponies, is a big swing and a miss. Minor league baseball and the
communities that support it are part of the fabric of America and its favorite pastime. I joined my colleagues, from both parties, to call on Major League Baseball to work with Minor League Baseball and preserve affordable, family friendly fun. As a lifelong baseball fan and New Yorker, I am not going to sit on the bench in this fight. We need to keep the Rumble Ponies in Binghamton and help save minor league baseball,” said Congressman Anthony Brindisi. “Minor League Baseball teams are a crucial part of America’s pastime, and they provide affordable entertainment options for working families across our country. Major League Baseball’s plan to cut ties with 42 minor league teams, including Erie’s beloved SeaWolves, would be devastating to millions of baseball loving Americans. I am a proud co-sponsor of this resolution that urges MLB to reconsider. It would be tragic to lose these teams,” said Congressman Mike Kelly. “Minor League Baseball is most appreciative of the bipartisan support we have received from so many members of Congress. The resolution introduced today shows the widespread support for Minor League Baseball and we thank representatives McKinley, Rose, Simpson and Trahan for leading the charge in support of Minor League Baseball,” said Pat O’Conner, President, MiLB. On November 19, 2019, more than 100 members of Congress joined together on a letter to MLB expressing our unified opposition to the MLB plan. This resolution is a further demonstration that minor league clubs – and the communities for which they play – are not without support in Congress. Furthermore, it reflects Congress’s legitimate interest in ensuring fair negotiations between MLB and MiLB. MLB’s plan was offered in spite of the fact that Minor League Baseball (MiLB) just completed its 15th consecutive season with an attendance above 40 million; and it was the ninth-largest single season total in MiLB’s 100-plus year history. Many of the Minor League clubs would fail without a PDC—leaving as many as 1,200 players out of work. The plan is a betrayal of the fans, players, municipalities, stadium vendors and employees who have supported these clubs for decades. Text of the resolution can be found HERE and below: RESOLUTION Supporting Minor League Baseball, and for other purposes. Whereas 40 million plus fans have attended Minor League Baseball games each season for 15 consecutive years; Whereas Minor League Baseball provides wholesome affordable entertainment in 160 communities throughout the country; Whereas, in 2018, Minor League Baseball clubs donated over $45 million in cash and in-kind gifts to their local communities and completed over 15,000 volunteer hours; Whereas the economic stimulus and development provided by Minor League Baseball clubs extends beyond the cities and towns where it is played, to wide and diverse geographic areas comprising 80 percent of the population in the Nation; Whereas Minor League Baseball is committed to promoting diversity and inclusion through its Copa de la Diversio ́n, MiLB Pride, FIELD Program, and Women in Baseball Leadership initiatives; Whereas Minor League Baseball is the first touchpoint of the national pastime for millions of youth and the only touchpoint for those located in communities far from Major League cities;
Whereas Congress has enacted numerous statutory exemptions and immunities to preserve and sustain a system for Minor League Baseball and its relationship with Major League Baseball; Whereas abandonment of 42 Minor League Baseball clubs by Major League Baseball would devastate communities, bond purchasers, and other stakeholders that rely on the economic stimulus these clubs provide; Whereas Minor League Baseball clubs enrich the lives of millions of Americans each year through special economic, social, cultural, and charitable contributions; and Whereas preservation of Minor League Baseball in 160 communities is in the public interest, as it will continue to provide affordable, family friendly entertainment to those communities: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives— (1) supports the preservation of Minor League Baseball in 160 American communities; (2) recognizes the unique social, economic, and historic contributions that Minor League Baseball has made to American life and culture; and (3) encourages continuation of the 117-year foundation of the Minor Leagues in 160 communities through continued affiliations with Major League Baseball. Original co-sponsors (co-leads bolded): Representatives Axne, Banks, Barr, Bishop, Blunt Rochester, Bonamici, Brindisi, Brown, Budd, Burchett, Cisneros, Cline, Comer, Courtney, Cunningham, DeFazio, Escobar, Finkenauer, Fitzpatrick, Fleischmann, Fudge, Gianforte, Griffith, Guthrie, Haaland, Higgins, Horsford, Joyce (OH), Kaptur, Katko, Keating, Keller, Kelly, Kennedy, Lamborn, Larsen, Loebsack, Lynch, Matsui, McCollum, McKinley, Miller, Moolenaar,Morelle, Moulton, Newhouse, Pocan, Price, Raskin, Riggleman, Roe, Rogers, Rose, Ryan, Schrader, Serrano, Simpson, Slotkin, Thompson, Tipton, Trahan, Trone, Turner, Underwood, Wasserman Schultz, and Welch.
Outside it’s cold, misty, and it’s raining. We’ve got a FanFest; who right here’s complaining? Not anybody who thinks it’s sexy that the Mets opened Citi Field on the last Saturday in January for as much baseball as they could possibly produce without benefit of a baseball game.
It was the first hopefully annual FanFest in Mets history. Mets history goes back a ways, yet they never before did this. They ran modest caravans and arranged diffuse appearances, half-heartedly and intermittently currying winter goodwill if it wasn’t too much trouble. A full-fledged FanFest, however, was some other sucker’s parade. Cubs Convention. Cardinals Winter Warm-Up. Red Sox Weekend. And whoever heard of those teams? The Mets were content to maintain a low hot stove profile. It’s not like folks wouldn’t turn out on Opening Day.
For much of the 2010s, if you wanted a Mets FanFest, you did it yourself. Queens Baseball Convention, or QBC, was as DIY as it got. We, the fans, did that, though I use “we” broadly. In recent years, these original LGM Meetings were largely the work of two dedicated Mets fans, Keith Blacknick and Dan Twohig, with dozens of volunteers and contributors (I was among the latter) pitching in to put on a show, and hundreds of Mets fans investing in tickets just so we could all be in one place for a few hours between seasons. It was a great time wherever it was held, which was usually in a spot where the seams all but burst out into the frigid streets. QBC was an Off Broadway production, but it had heart.
Thing is, QBC, its miles and miles of heart notwithstanding, shouldn’t have existed. Fans shouldn’t have to put on their own FanFest. Fans want to rally around the flag, even when the flag never got higher than fourth place the previous year and wasn’t projected to fly much higher the next year. We want to revel in our thing. The Mets have been our thing collectively since 1962. We don’t go on hiatus after Game 162. We embrace the Mets 365 days most years, 366 days this year. But ya got meet us halfway one day. We’ll come to you, but ya gotta open the door and let us in. Do that, and the reveling and embracing will flow.
And so it did on Saturday. The first hopefully annual Mets FanFest clicked. At least I think it did. I was there, but I was officially in media mode, kindly credentialed by the club’s communications department, which meant tamping down my natural inclination toward the first-person plural and foregoing the myriad selfie lines that gripped and grinned with most every Met in creation.
READ MORE FROM GREG HERE.
Thanks for the kind words Greg. And he is right. We never should have had to have done this, but because we did, we proved to the Mets the fans wanted a fan fest.
You know me as “the other guy” besides Keith who runs the QBC.Other than tweets, I generally don’t post
publicly but given the last 2 weeks I wanted to put a few words down.
For me the QBC started as a lark, a fun side project I could
do with my buddy Shannon and this Keith guy I had never met.That first year we had no idea what kind of
response we would get.All we knew was
that we had Ronnie Darling, Ed Kranepool, Mr. Met, and a dunk tank (ok, not the
best idea).Well, several hundred of you
showed up, we got coverage in the local papers, and even SNY showed an interest
in us.Seemed we had tapped into
something.
Over the next few years Shannon dropped out and Keith and I
became partners and good friends.Along
the way we brought in over a dozen players, held many many panels, had SNY as a
sponsor, was covered by Sports Illustrated and Deadspin, hosted Mets executives,
and sold a few thousand tickets.Most
importantly, we never lost sight of our motto – “for the fans, by fans.”
The QBC stopped being a lark and became a labor of love.Would we have liked to have made money?Of course.Did we?Honestly, not to get into
details but not really.Money was never
our goal with the QBC.We really tried
to keep prices as low as we could to make sure as many average, real fans could
attend and experience meeting guys like Strawberry, Backman, Nimmo, etc.I think most people understood that too.
And then this past year happened.Last year’s QBC was the biggest and best
yet.Then Yahoo tried to sneak in and
take our acronym.We invoked out trademark
and fought them off.Next, the Mets
announced they were finally going to run a FanFest (which we had been telling
them to do for almost 10 years). They wanted to partner with us, then they didn’t.We tried to coexist but realistically it was
too much.
So now the Mets have a successful FanFest.I really hope they understand what they have
and make this the first of many years.I
don’t begrudge them, tho I do wish they had involved Keith and I, but so be
it.The fans won and that was always our
goal.
When we started the QBC I was living outside Philadelphia,
my daughter was 3 and my son was a week from being born.She is now 9, he just turned 6, and we now
live outside Boston.A lot has changed
in the last 7 years but the one thing that has remained constant was the
passion of the fans who attended the QBC.
It’s those fans I will miss the most.Over the years this annual event was a chance
to see people like us, people that bleed orange and blue.I’d recognize faces from year to year, and
people came to know me.We were a Mets
family.
So what now?As Keith
has said, the QBC is not dead.We have
put way too much of our heart and soul (and money) into this just to let it die.What form it will take, we still have to
decide.But we will be around somehow.
For now I want to thank you for supporting us the last 7
years.Without you, the QBC would have never
taken off.
Thanks also to all those who have supported us, from our vendors,
our advertisers, SNY, and yes even the Mets, who probably could have shut us
down year 1 if they really wanted to.
I also want to thank all of our amazing volunteers who over
the years have become friends.As I told
you guys recently, the QBC was the one time each year I was guaranteed to see
you, and I will miss that.
Most of all though I want to thank my partner in all of
this, Keith.I had no idea who he was
when we started, but over the years we’ve become Irish brothers in this
venture.
It’s been a fun ride and I look forward to the next chapter.
I was just informed that the Mets did plan their fan fest internally and did not use anyone from the outside. That makes it even more impressive that they pulled it off considering how tone deaf that they have been to the fans in the past. I just want to put it out there. They did a great job, need some tweaking of things but overall folks were very happy.
I am sure Dan will eventually want to post something too about this. While it is fresh in my mind I wanted to thank all our fellow Mets fans that have supported the QBC over the years. When we originally started the QBC it was an idea between Shannon Shark of Metspolice.com and myself to try to bluff the Mets into doing a Fan Fest. They shrugged us off. We decided since we mouthed off we have to put our money where out mouths were and we pressed on with our plan. Darren from the7line.com joined in with us and was in the initial planning of the first QBC. He had to pull out of it because of business reasons and Dan Twohig joined in. The three of us were able to pull off the First QBC. While we knew Mets Fans wanted a fan fest, we didn't expect the QBC to have such a good response to how we ran it. We started planning the second QBC after that. The clamoring for the QBC was great and we couldn't believe that the three of us were able to pull off something great two years in a row. Our third year got snowed out. It was also the year that Shannon decided he didn't want to run the QBC anymore. I went from being the guy behind the scenes that was doing all the creative/technical stuff to the guy that had to become the face of the QBC. Shannon was the one footing the bills for the first two QBCs and to his credit, even thought he didn't want to be involved in the planning and running of the QBC he still wanted to help Dan and me in whatever capacity he needed. The duties then became Dan booking the talent, dealing with the vendors, mascots, and the paperwork. I was the one who came up with trying to find the venues, the setup, advertising, coming up with the concepts for the commercials and filming them and logistics. We both had to foot the bill for the events. We have become a pretty well oiled machine even with some bumps along the way.
I don't know if you guys realized this or not, but I have always been a guy that prefers to be behind the scenes. I have never liked being in front of folks talking or doing interviews or even being in front of cameras. The QBC has forced me to deal with and I have become more confident with dealing with folks in general because of it. I can't believe it when people wanted to take selfies with me because I am the QBC guy.
Back to our original goal. Force the Mets to have a fanfest. It took years for it to happen but it happened. So we won. Even though we had to cancel the QBC this year, we got our original goal. I went to the Fan Fest over the weekend and was expecting a car wreck. The Mets pulled off a well run event instead(I did hear that the Mets brought someone in to run it, even though it wasn't me and Dan, I am glad they realized they needed outside help for this, if this is true).
Here's some comments from QBC fans-
As someone who works in sports and tries to focus on the guest experience-I want to say Congratulations 2 the @Mets on a great &well run #FanFest.However it is also important 2 recognize @QBConvention@Mediagoon & @dtwohig for paving the way for this amazing day for #Mets fans 👏
Knowing that we were able to pull this off and have our fellow fans telling us we did a good job makes all the stress and hard work over the years pay off. We are working on something. Don't know when we are going to do it but we are going to something. Thank you to everyone. You along with us, showed the Mets that we wanted a fan fest and because of all of us with the QBC( the folks who ran it and the folks who attended it) there is one now. If the Mets drop the ball with it in the future. We will rise like the Phoenix from the ashes.
One more thing. I want to thank all of our QBC family. Starting with my our family of volunteers.
Should also say, the photos I’ve posted are just a small amount of the cars in accessible spots or access/loading lanes. Most cars were parked crooked as well. 🤬
I saw the cop turn from in the foxwoods club when you tried to bring it up to him. Supervisor looked cool to diffuse situation. But that’s just wrong. I’m park them in regular spots.
The cop kept trying to tell me to call the local precinct and I told him that’s not my job, it’s his, and they’re breaking the law so he should care. He didn’t. The supervisor apparently reported it to his bosses, but as of an hour ago when I left nothing had been done.
I’m also lucky enough that me and my disabled dad got an accessible spot. I met many other disabled fans at #MetsFanFest who also said they saw the cops parked in accessible spots and were stuck parking even farther away. Despicable.
Here is a another "negative" tweet about the Mets Fan Fast
Also closed things down early at 5:40 so if you went to autograph session then you had about an hour to walk around. I recommend to never do the 4-6 session in the future unless players stay, things are open until 6:00 and they clear people out after earlier sessions.@Mediagoonhttps://t.co/hJXwkmK3N2
Was at the Fanfest yesterday for the 4-6 pm session. We arrived early hoping we can get into the team store but they wouldn’t allow us access until we entered the building. They did let us in early but they could’ve let us in immediately considering it was a monsoon outside. They kept us in rain for at least 30 mins, they weren’t helpful at all. There were lots of older people and young children which I pointed out to the supervisor and she lectured me that I should’ve dressed warmer. After finding out I wasn’t a season ticket holder she told me I wouldn’t be allowed in until 4pm with a smirk on her face and walked away from me. Horrible hospitality.
Then when we entered the lines to all the fun stuff were very long because there were still people there from the 12pm session and the 2pm session. I also heard tickets for 12pm were available on stub hub. The Mets should’ve put a cap on how many tickets can be sold at 1 time so it doesn’t get sold out to scalpers. I hope next year they make 1 start time for the whole day. Especially since the 12-2 pm session was really an all day event. Also the autograph session was poorly designed. They put the athletes in a corner and lined the people up like cattle in a narrow hallway. They wrapped the line around 3 times instead of using all the space they have in the hallway and have 1 line. It was clearly oversold and poorly managed. We weren’t given any special items really. We were given an empty Fanfest bag. No t shirt, no mug no pen or schedule. NOTHING. With so much to offer they did so little for the fans.
