The NY Post is reporting that what began early yesterday morning after George Willis of the NY Post outed the Mets for insulting our beloved Doctor K, has ended in a complete about-face by the New York Mets.
It all started when George Willis’ column in yesterday’s Post reported that the Mets planned to erase Dwight Gooden’s autograph from a wall at Citi Field — and it induced a public outcry that forced the team to change its mind.
That article was our featured story yesterday morning as we penned our own outrage over the incident and did our part by getting the news out to over 22,000 of our Feedburner subscribers and Myspace friends, urging them to put some pressure on the Mets.
The story captured more steam when Peter Botte of the NY Daily News printed some remarks from Dwight Gooden who was saddened and dismayed by the Mets stance on what was supposed to be a nice gesture for the fans.
“Last year when I came to say goodbye to Shea, the ovation the fans gave me made me want to come around more, but when things like this happen, it makes me feel like maybe the Mets don’t want me around,” Gooden said. “Maybe I shouldn’t be, I don’t know.”
You can read the entire story right here.
Yesterday, we also suggested that the Mets not only keep what they first labeled as graffiti, but have other former Mets sign the wall as well and create a cool attraction for the fans and a fitting tribute to the Mets past.
Thanks to both Botte and Willis and the public outcry they created, the Mets caved in and only hours after saying that Dwight Gooden’s autograph would be erased, Jay Horwitz changed his tune and said the following.
“We got a lot of calls on this and it was a topic on [sports radio] all day, so we’re going to listen to the fans,” Mets PR chief Jay Horwitz said last night.
According to Horwitz, the section of the Ebbets Club wall with Gooden’s autograph will be removed and put behind fiberglass at a to-be-determined spot in the park more accessible to fans.
The Post was quick to report the Mets new found appreciation of Gooden’s autograph yesterday evening when they spoke to Jay Horwitz and finally put the firestorm out for good.
I just love happy endings and I can see the new Mets Wall of Fame becoming almost as big an attraction as the Homerun Apple.
A great job by all Mets bloggers, the media, and Mets fans for getting the Mets to do the right thing, and a big thank you to the NY Post who first brought the issue to all of our attention and kept putting the pressure on until the Mets finally came to their senses and relented.
