The New York Mets donned FDNY and NYPD hats prior to Sunday's nationally televised game against the Cubs. But the Mets weren't permitted to wear the hats during the actual game, which prompted outrage from the Mets, which then, in turn, sparked outrage from Selig — who was reportedly upset that the Mets went public with their displeasure and threw the league "under the bus."
It's been a vicious cycle. Vicious. Unfortunate. And very much avoidable.
With so many touching moments and tributes from the sports world this past weekend, it's ridiculous — and borderline insane — to think that something controversial could possibly arise from it all. The weekend went from honoring those whose jobs often involve life or death scenarios to sitting here arguing about hats — HATS!
First of all, it's stupid — for lack of a better word — that the Mets weren't allowed to wear the hats they wore for pregame ceremonies during Sunday's game. MLB executive vice president of baseball operations Joe Torre has insisted that the issue wasn't a lack of respect and that all teams were honoring in the same way, but there's some problems with that school of thought.
Not every team plays a subway ride away from Ground Zero. Not every team plays every game in front of fans who had their city and lives turned upside down on that September morning in '01. Not every team is the beloved franchise of many of those firefighters and police officers who were honored on Sunday.
The Mets do and are one of those teams.
If there's a time for exceptions, which there undoubtedly should be, this situation was one such time — and any sensible person would agree.
If Major League Baseball really wanted to pay tribute to those first responders of 9/11, they would have improvised upon the wishes of the Mets organization, much like those responders were forced to improvise when their city and country came under attack on 9/11.
Not only is what hat someone wears so minute in the grand scheme of life, but to restrict a team from spontaneously paying tribute because it diverts from the original plan (or, more likely, goes against some marketing plan), is just insulting. It's insulting to those who want to pay tribute, and more importantly, it's insulting to those whom the Mets wanted to pay tribute to.
But as incomprehensible as not allowing the Mets to sport the hats is, the lingering bitterness and back-and-forth finger-pointing is what needs to stop. That, more than anything, contradicts the selflessness that those first responders displayed and continue to display. It's truly a slap in the face to those whose jobs require more pressing decisions than what hat to wear to continue harping on Major League Baseball's idiocy.
The news that Mr. Selig reportedly contacted the Mets because he was irate about the situation only makes his unfortunate flub worse. Mets manager Terry Collins has even said that the situation has become a major distraction.
So enough already. Let's move on. The firefighters and police officers of the world certainly have.
There's no doubt the whole situation is a bit disheartening for Major League Baseball, which is supposed to be "America's Pastime," and that the Mets had the right intentions on Sunday. But it's time for everyone to agree that those brave responders have our support — Hat or no hat.
