The Wall Street Journal’s pretty cool sports section wrote about the diminishing crowds at Citi and provided more material for my new blog “David Howard is Always Right!” (either that or the A’s Police)

If the TV audience is growing, according to Mr. Howard, it is natural to expect the crowds at games to grow in due time, too. “There’s a lag effect,” he said, and as evidence, he noted that the size of the average attendance at a Mets home game has increased each month since the season began.

Seeing as how today’s attendance was 40,087 (paid, some disguised as umbrellas) it once again proves that DH is always right.

By the way the Mets have won 18 of 26 games at Citi Field following today’s 4-0 victory…The Mets are 28-12 in their last 40 home games, dating to April 22…Overall, they are 32-17

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Warning, adult language follows.

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Over at OnTheBlack, Kerel shows off his fancy video equipment and editing skills. with this video from on the field.

All I have for you is blurry iphone pictures with no zoom and I haven’t even posted them yet.

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Rich may win the “best find” award for this one.   This guy’s name has to actually be Valentin.  Has to be.   Who the heck owns a Valentin jersey?  I even looked it up to make sure Jose Valentin actually wore #22

If you spot an odd Mets jersey send it in….shannon@metspolice.com

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Yep, I still miss the drawings.   I don’t know what other teams did for yearbook covers in this era, but I find these boring.

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The Apple, your source for fake Mets news is reporting that Dwight Gooden is starting Sunday.

I wonder if Pagan will give up the #16…and if the choice were Gooden or Ollie I’d take the 45 year old.

Speaking of Gooden, before the week gets way from me – this was a good article in the WSJ about Doc. I didn’t realize they had signed him to a 1 day’er.

He is 45 now, and he will be at Citi Field on Saturday. The Mets this year are inducting Mr. Gooden, Darryl Strawberry, former manager Davey Johnson and former general manager Frank Cashen into their Hall of Fame, and they are holding a luncheon for the inductees Saturday before a game against the Arizona Diamondbacks. More, because Mr. Gooden ended his playing career with the Yankees in 2000—he went 194-112 in pitching for five teams over his 16-year career—he agreed to sign a one-day contract with the Mets this week so that he could again retire, this time as a member of the team with which he is most identified.

“To me,” he said in a phone interview, “this brings it full circle.”

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As you goof off in the office today enjoy this lineup:

Thursday, July 29

vs. St. Louis

7          Jose Reyes                 SS

16        Angel Pagan              LF

15        Carlos Beltran           CF

29        Ike Davis                   1B

19        Mike Hessman          3B

30       Josh Thole                 C

12        Jeff Francoeur          RF

13        Alex Cora                   2B

43        R.A. Dickey                RHP

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Hey remember that topic that people get mad when I mention? Ceetar (who showed me the Caesar’s club last night – will post pix when I get a chance) has written You Will Go To Citi Field On Sunday.

I hope he has jedi mind tricks.  Ceetar is a very Star Warsian name.

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Angel who has been sharing his yearbook collection with us, also has this in his collection:

Hi, Shannon.

Attached are photos of the twelve Mets who have been immortalized as McFarlane Sports Picks.

Before you start getting bombarded with e-mails-I know that some players such as Piazza, Martinez, and Reyes have been graced with multiple figures. I just thought I’d show one each of the twelve different players.

I originally was just going to photograph them off of my shelves. But thought they might look better in a baseball setting, so I shot them at my local Little League field .

FYI. There is a Nolan Ryan figure in the works with a Mets uniform. For anyone who might not know who the players are, in no particular order, they are as follows:

- Tom Seaver
- Mike Piazza
- Willie Mays
- David Wright
- Jose Reyes
- Roberto Alomar
- Carlos Beltran
- Johan Santana
- Pedro Martinez
- Tom Glavine
- Carlos Delgado
- Billy Wagner

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The Mets Police meteorological department is showing a 10-20% chance of rain in early afternoon.   The game will be played and you’ll be fine.

Besides, it’s Umbrella Day.

Upcoming Mets Promotions Get to Citi Field this week for some great promotion giveaways. Today the first 25,000 fans in attendance at the 12:10pm game will receive a Mets Umbrella courtesy of Toyota. Tomorrow, the first 25,000 fans in attendance at the 7:10pm game will receive a Mets Tshirt presented by EmblemHealth and Sunday the first 25,000 fans in attendance at the afternoon game will receive a Mets Hall of Fame Cap.
Find out more »

Oh yeah, not sure if you heard about this.

This Sunday Cashen, Gooden, Johnson and Strawberry will be inducted into the Mets Hall of Fame during a special pre-game ceremony on the field beginning at 12:30 p.m. prior to the afternoon game against the Diamondbacks.

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As you’ll see as you make the rounds today, the Mets had some bloggers over to the house last night.

Here’s why that matters to you.

The Mets are paying attention to the fan base.

Technology has advanced and now someone just like you can be heard. I’m just like you, just maybe a little more obsessive.

I’m completely flattered I was invited. I mean, who the heck am I and what the heck is Mets Police? It’s some dope in his basement, no?

Whats really neat is that you and I can change the world.

The Mets responded to cries for more team history. We got a museum. The fan brick was wrong. That got fixed in two days. When you send me a guest column it gets read. In Flushing. Maybe a lot of the things I throw out here are dopey, maybe some are wise. At least now we have a voice.

Again, I am very grateful to the organization for inviting me and will send out private thank yous rather than do it here.

Hopefully this is the beginning of a long relationship with the club and the “new media.” For this boy from Queens it sure was neat. I will post more pictures on the Tumblr as time permits, and I will link to the other blogs as they post their versions of the night.

About the other bloggers…what a neat group. I don’t really “know” any of them and sine I “know” better than others. What I can tell you is everyone is cool. There’s no rivalry, no jealousy, no “my blog is better” crap (I am threatening to start a fake fight with On The Black). Similarly I imagine they would tell you I didn’t show up nitpicking jerseys and pointing out flaws or nagging people to come Sunday.

Jason Fry from Faith and Fear asked me if I could change one off field thing, what would it be? It was surprisingly tough to answer. Much of the team history problems were solved, and it’s the wrong week to complain about Old Timers’ Day.

I gave two answers. The expensive answer was to re-do the Promenade and make all the stairwells recessed the way they are behind home plate. This would cut down the obstructions greatly.

The less expensive solution? You guessed it – go back to the 1962 uniforms. They got it right the first time.

35,000 again last night. Looks like once again Dave Howard is right.

More to come as I catch up. Two late nights have me a little behind but I have lots to get to. Keep the ideas coming: Shannon@metspolice.com This whole effort you and I work on has been noticed.

Thanks again to the Mets. Much appreciated!

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I enjoyed this article about Andre Dawson

These were the Lenny Randle, John Stearns, Doug Flynn, Frank Tavares, Lee Mazzilli and Willie Montanez Mets and they regularly lost in the neighborhood of 100 games a season.

Through the voices of Lindsey Nelson, Ralph Kiner and Bob Murphy, along with my extensive baseball card collection, I first learned of Montreal Expos outfielder Andre Dawson.

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Hi friends. Sharing some excitement not to show off just to let you know how excited a little boy from Roosevelt Avenue is tonight.

Big thanks to the New York Mets who invited me (and a few other folks you “know”) out to Citi tonight.

I was able to hang out on the field for a bit (it’s cool in vibe and hot in temperature) and even got to check out the dugout.

I’m posting pix to the tumblr (orange column on main site or metspolice.tumblr.com)

Much thanks to the folks on the media department for the invite. Truly a thrill.

First pitch. Putting phone away. Keep an eye on tumbr.

Doh, there goes the no hitter

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Reports are that the 2011 season would start on Friday April 1st.

Rumors are that the schedule will have the Mets opening on the road against the Marlins, in San Juan.

That my friends, might make for a convenient awesome vacation.  Take Thursday and Friday off, fly back Sunday night…could be nice.

If I had any brains I’d pair up with a travel company and try and organize a trip but I’m (a) lazy and (b) just gave the idea away.

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Busy day.

The release below confirms the HOF ceremony is Sunday at 12:30pm

Keep an eye on the Tumblr space on the main page’s orange column (or metspolice.tumblr.com if you are reading this via email or Google reader) – I will likely have some goodies galore starting around 5.

Meanwhile…

METS ALUMNI ASSOCIATION AND CITI TEAM UP WITH HABITAT-NYC TO BUILD AFFORDABLE HOMES IN BROOKLYN

Darryl Strawberry and Mookie Wilson Kick Off Mets Hall of Fame Weekend Festivities by Joining Citi Volunteers at Brooklyn Build Affordable Housing Project in Bedford-Stuyvesant Reflects Mets and Citi’s Ongoing Commitment to Serve the Community

FLUSHING, N.Y., July 28, 2010 – The New York Mets Alumni Association Presented by Citi, and Citi today announced that they have teamed up with Habitat for Humanity–New York City (Habitat–NYC) to build affordable housing in Brooklyn for New York City families. The project is part of the Mets and Citi’s “Teammates in the Community” initiative, reflecting their ongoing commitment to serve the community.

Darryl Strawberry and Mookie Wilson today kicked off Mets Hall of Fame Weekend festivities by helping over 20 Citi volunteers build Habitat–

NYC’s four-story affordable condominiums at 512 and 514 Lafayette Avenue in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn. Once completed in 2011, these homes will house eight families.

Strawberry, along with teammate Dwight Gooden, Manager Davey Johnson and General Manager Frank Cashen will be inducted into the Mets Hall of Fame this Sunday, August 1 during a special pre-game, on-field ceremony starting at 12:30 p.m. prior to the Mets-Diamondbacks game. This marks the second straight year the Mets and Citi have celebrated a milestone event in franchise history by working with Habitat-NYC to build affordable housing.

Members of the Mets Alumni Association Presented by Citi later tonight will present Habitat-NYC volunteer Alex Liberatore with the “Teammates in the Community” award during a pre-game ceremony at Citi Field prior to the Mets hosting the St. Louis Cardinals at 7:10 p.m. Liberatore, a life-long Mets fan, will be honored for his exemplary commitment and dedication to serving and helping others during his five years as a volunteer with Habitat–NYC.  He will be the seventh volunteer the Mets and Citi have honored with the award, which recognizes individuals who have demonstrated extraordinary commitment to giving back to the community.

Led by Citi Community Development (CCD), Citi’s relationship with Habitat-NYC includes much more than funding.  The New York State CCD team provides leadership and guidance to develop opportunities for expanding Habitat-NYC’s impact, and Citi employees are enthusiastic volunteers at Habitat-NYC builds.  In partnership with Habitat-NYC, Citi has participated in more than 15 home-building events in New York, with an average of 15 volunteers per build.  Most recently, work on multi-unit Habitat buildings has helped to produce a total of 30 units of affordable housing in Brooklyn and the South Bronx.

“As part of our continued commitment to New York City and Habitat for Humanity, we are excited to team-up with this all-star lineup and take part in this meaningful and impactful opportunity to provide affordable housing to families in need,” said Ana Duarte-McCarthy, Chief Diversity Officer, Citigroup. “This is another great example of how we are enriching our business and community programs through our relationship with the Mets.”

“We’re proud to begin the celebration of our newest Mets Hall of Famers by going out into the community and helping others,” said Dave Howard, Executive Vice President, Business Operations, New York Mets.  “We’re grateful to our partners at Citi and Habitat–NYC for the opportunity to lend a hand on this important project that will have a lasting impact on so many lives.”

“We are proud to partner with Citi, the Mets and their Alumni as we work together to bring hardworking, low-income New York City families a home they can call their own,” said Josh Lockwood, Executive Director of Habitat for Humanity–New York City. “This is truly an ’Amazin’ Build’ for the families who will finally achieve the American Dream.”

The Lafayette Avenue homes are part of an overall project in the area, started in 2009, to build four row houses, each four stories, with a mix of two– and three–bedroom condominiums, which will eventually house sixteen families when completed in early 2011. The other locations that are part of this plan are single buildings at 544 Lafayette Avenue and 118 Hart Street. Approximately 2,500 volunteers are expected to have worked on this project when finished.

Built to Energy Star standards and incorporating green materials and building techniques, these Habitat–NYC homes will help protect the health – and pocketbooks – of their future inhabitants.

Citi is a long-time supporter and partner of Habitat for Humanity.  Since 2000, Citi and Habitat employees have built and helped create approximately 350 safe, affordable and energy-efficient homes across the United States for families in need.

Last year, the Mets and Citi partnered with Habitat-NYC on a two-day project that coincided with the celebration of the 40th anniversary of the 1969 Mets World Championship.  Tom Seaver and other members of the “Miracle Mets” participated at Habitat builds in Brooklyn and at Citi Field to help create housing for more than 40 low-income families.

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I really enjoyed this piece on Faith & Fear about Davey Johnson.

Really fine writing by Greg Prince. I wish I could just come up with topics and let Greg write the words.

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I kinda miss the kid from the early 60′s, I’m not digging these photo covers at all.

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I’m not going to get into that topic today – the message has spread to other sites and that’s all I can do from here.   The Real Dirty weighed in, and not everyone in their comments section is a fan.

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Thanks to @baymenxpac for this screen-grab…look what the Mets added behind home plate.

Howie would be pleased.  Caught a little Howie last night, he apparently does not like pitchers batting 8th.  Howie has a way of saying things without actually saying them.  Love it.

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Nice crowd last night: 37,479!  Some other notes (courtesy of the Mets, I’m not this good of a reporter…actually not a reporter at all!)

Future Hall of Famer Jon Niese won one of his career 287 wins (lots of tough luck early in his career)and picked up his seventh win of the season with 6.0 innings of one-run ball…Over his last six starts, the lefthander is 3-2 with a 2.09 ERA (nine earned runs/38.2 innings)…It was his ninth start of the season allowing one run or less

R.A. DICKEY: Mets Team Physician Dr Struan Coleman saw R.A. Dickey in the clubhouse during the game. He is symptom free and has full strength of his left leg. He is cleared to pitch

MIKE HESSMAN: Made his Mets debut (last night), fouling out to third base as a pinch hitter in the ninth inning…The Mets selected Hessman’s contract from Buffalo (AAA) of the International League yesterday when catcher Rod Barajas went on the 15-Day Disabled List with a mild left oblique strain.

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