The Mr. Met mascot last night "reached a breaking point" and "flipped the bird at some fans" during a 7-1 loss to the Brewers at Citi Field, according to Healy & Popper of the N.Y. DAILY NEWS. A video posted by a fan on Twitter "captured the moment when Mr. Met gave the finger to a group of shouting fans as the mascot appeared to walk toward a tunnel." There is "inaudible shouting in the video," but the person who posted it "told several people on Twitter that he and the rest of the fans were just trying to get a high-five" from the mascot. The Mets late last night "tweeted out an official statement condemning the actions of their popular mascot." Healy notes the incident is "yet another blemish on an otherwise disappointing season" for the club, "filled with unusual and cringe-worthy moments." The Mets in early May "inadvertently tweeted out a picture" of 1B T.J. Rivera with a "sex toy lingering in the background" of another player's locker. The club then "deleted the tweet and re-sent it with the photo cropped." Mets P Matt Harvey the next day "failed to show up for a game after admittedly staying out past curfew on Cinco de Mayo" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 6/1). In N.Y., Ryan Lazo writes it has been a "troublesome season for the Mets both on the field and off it after entering the year with high expectations." Injuries to LF Yoenis Cespedes and Ps Steven Matz and Noah Syndergaard have "hindered the Mets while below-average performances from veterans" such as RF Curtis Granderson and SS Asdrubal Cabrera have "weighed on fans during the season’s first two months" (N.Y. POST, 6/1).
MASCOT REAX: ESPN’s Linda Cohn said of the Mr. Met incident, “I'm thinking, ‘What did that fan say?’ But you know how fans are. It doesn't matter how bad this team is. … You just cannot do that. No mascot can do that. I don't care what the fan said." But Scott Van Pelt jokingly pointed out the mascot "has but four fingers which means there's really no middle finger at all." Van Pelt: "There’s two in the middle and we’re blurring this out, which is ridiculous because it’s a muppet” (“SportsCenter,” ESPN, 6/1). FS1’s Chris Myers said, "I don't know what could have been said to him for him to do that. Also, it looks silly when you look like that with a baseball as a head. It just doesn’t go well." FS1’s Mark Sweeney said, "You’re not going to get that from the Phillie Phanatic, there’s no chance” (“MLB Whiparound,” FS1, 5/31). More Van Pelt: "This is the Mets' season in a nutshell." ESPN’s Nicole Briscoe: “When a man dressed as a giant baseball head gives an obscene gesture to a fan, it’s going to lead ‘SportsCenter’ every time” (“SportsCenter,” ESPN, 6/1). ESPN’s Adnan Virk asked, “Any chance Matt Harvey dressed up as Mr. Met?” (“Mike & Mike,” ESPN Radio, 6/1).
TWITTER REAX: Most Twitter commentators brought a lighthearted tone to the incident. The AP's Tim Reynolds: "You guys, covfefe is what Mr. Met says when he's flipping off fans." Newsday's Laura Albanese: "Hi, I'm Laura and I'm waiting in a press box at 11:30 to see if Mets release a statement on Mr. Met. This is my life. These are my choices." MLB Network's Peter Gammons: "Could Sean Spicer's replacement have been found in Mr. Met?" "The Dan Patrick Show" Producer Paul Pabst: "They gave Mr. Met four fingers to prevent just this type of incident. Still happened." Cincinnati Enquirer's Zach Buchanan: "Y'all all angry about Mr. Met when Clark the Cub is walking around out here with no goddamn pants on." CBS Sports Radio's Brandon Tierney: "Yeah, let's fire #MrMet but employ both Reyes and Familia. That seems logical." Even the Mets' Syndergaard got in on the act: "As an old friend used to say.... 'Oh No.'"
