Mets VP/Media Relations JAY HORWITZ in January joined Twitter "at the urging" of COO JEFF WILPON, and after Wilpon gave him no instructions other than to be himself, the account has been "emerging as a pure distillation of his character," according to Andrew Keh of the N.Y. TIMES. Horwitz, who has been with the Mets since '80, was "offered a deal: if he could accrue 10,000 followers before midnight the first day, Wilpon would donate $10,000 to charity." Horwitz, getting "help from the Mets’ players online, reached the number, and Wilpon wrote a check to Hope Shines for Shannon, which benefits" Mets Senior Media Relations Dir SHANNON FORDE, who is battling breast cancer. Horwitz said, "I’m old school, but Jeff has been on me for a long time now to get with the program. I wasn’t quite resisting, but I’m not really mechanical. I didn’t think I could do it. I’m not adept at this type of stuff." Horwitz has "taken Wilpon's directive and run with it" despite his early hesitation. The account at its best has "become a self-referential stream of consciousness, a mixture of untold stories and recurring jokes." Other times, the account "descends into literal nonsense." Horwitz added, "I’ve never been afraid to poke fun at myself, and in my business, you can’t be. For people who know me, that’s just me" (N.Y. TIMES, 3/2).
