Mets Say Old-Timers' Day No Longer Held Due To Lack Of Interest

Howard Says Mets Old-Timers' Day Was Unpopular

Mets Exec VP/Business Operations Dave Howard denied recent reports that a Mets Old-Timers' Day was no longer held due to it being "too much work," according to Jim Luttrell of the N.Y. TIMES. Howard: "That's silly, and that's not the reason. It was particularly unpopular as a promotion. We didn't see an increase in ticket sales or interest from sponsors or even from people who already had tickets. It died of its own unpopularity in the early '90s. We felt we were better served by bringing our alumni back over several days instead of one day." Howard added that the team "plans to bring back every living member of the 1969 World Series championship team" on August 22 to celebrate its 40th anniversary. Howard: "We feel that’s far more effective, far more dignified. A lot of our alumni have no interest in getting back in uniform." Luttrell noted Mets Owners the Wilpon family have "received much criticism for not displaying enough team history at Citi Field," and Howard said that fans would "notice changes in the second half of the season" (N.Y. TIMES, 7/19). In N.Y., Anthony McCarron wrote, "OK, so it's not good business. Make it a one-day loss, then. If you believe that hit-and-giggle baseball is too silly, forget about the uniforms and the game and just have a ceremony. It's another way to connect with fans, the same fans who are pretty fed up with the Mets and their second-rate season so far." McCarron: "The Mets' new ballpark has been criticized for not paying enough attention to the club's history. The least they could do is bring back the players once a summer" (NYDAILYNEWS.com, 7/18). The Yankees held their annual Old-Timer's Day yesterday, and on Long Island, Jim Baumbach asked, "How about the Mets and Yankees each put together their own Old Timers' Day team, and then play a home-and-home series at Yankee Stadium and Citi Field?" (NEWSDAY.com, 7/19).

KEEP HOPE ALIVE: Yankees 3B Alex Rodriguez, P CC Sabathia and 1B Mark Teixeira appeared on NBC's "Today" this morning to promote the Yankees' charitable initiative HOPE Week, which includes five days of community-service efforts this week. The three players wore HOPE Week T-shirts and were interviewed outside of the studio in a makeshift batting cage. Rodriguez said the players were "all very excited" about participating in the initiative. Rodriguez: "Every single guy on our team is doing something in the community." Sabathia added, "Being a new player in New York, (it's important) to come out and try give back to the community as much as possible" ("Today," NBC, 7/20).