Mets Stitch Dull Logo for New Digs
The New York Mets have mastered the knack of dashing their fans’ hopes for a World Series flag with September swoons in the past two seasons, so it shouldn’t surprise anyone that they’ve found a way to dampen opening day fever about their new ballpark.
Bowing to the aesthetics of Citigroup – the bailed-out bank that’s forking over $400 million over 10 years for naming rights to the Mets’ Citi Field – they’ve unveiled the dullest uniform patch ever conceived by the mind of corporate America. Instead of highlighting the facade of Ebbetts Field that they’re recreating to replace Shea Stadium, the Mets accepted a Citigroup-style patch with “Inaugural Season” in white letters aslant on a blue square with “2009” in horizontal white letters in an orange box across the bottom.
No mention of the ballpark they’re inaugurating, or the legacy the team owes to the Brooklyn Dodgers for the ballpark’s distinctive facade – and the blue shade in its team colors.
Meanwhile, the Mets are getting $550 million in tax-exempt bonds and $66 million in taxable bonds for their $800 million replica of Ebbetts Field while they’re boosting ticket prices beyond reason. The dull patch is a reminder that venal considerations are paramount for the Mets as they send e-mail blasts to boost season ticket sales.
What the organization lacks in success as a baseball club, it doesn’t even attempt to compensate for in community relations.
