Driving on the L.I.E. on the way to my gig I nearly threw up in my mouth when I noticed a New York Mets billboard with the slogan “We believe in comebacks!” As a fan this was insulting on many levels. First of all it’s condescending. It is as if we, as fans, will not support a team coming off a poor season. Secondly it has the effect of reminding us not only of how bad they were last year, but of the monumental collapses that took place in 07 and 08.
The Mets have no feel for their fans. There is a glib corporatism to the way they present themselves, and they lack a connection to their fan base. It’s been this way for years. Even when they won the World Series 24 years ago they had a buttoned down approach to the celebration, upbraiding Ron Darling and a few of the other players for drinking champagne on the field. The players wanted to share their joy with the fans but management felt that drinking publicly was bad for the Met’s image.
When it comes right down to it this isn’t even an original slogan. It’s pilfered from the 1973 team. And guess what? That slogan was coined by a player — Tug McGraw — not by some corporate hack in the front office.
If the Mets really want to win back some fans I can solve their problem with a billboard of my own:
SEE THE METS @ CITI — TWO FOR ONE ON TUESDAYS!
The World According to Keitho 