The Look For Less

The 2012 Mets might stink. But they’ll look sweet doing it (like Bob Miller did).

The Mets announced their plans to commemorate 50 seasons as a member of the National League on Wednesday, including new uniforms (which look a lot like old uniforms), classic bobbleheads, and the return of Banner Day. 

“We are confident that Mets fans will be appropriate.” -Dave Howard, Mets executive VP of business operations

Translated: Inappropriate banners will be confiscated and their owners will be taken into the family room to have their fingers smashed with a hammer. Because surely nobody can be confident that people are appropriate about anything in the 21st century. The only downside is that Banner Day will be like Banner Day in the late 80’s, early 90’s, where the festivities take place before the game and not in between games of a doubleheader (thanks a lot Major League Baseball and your allergy to giving fans two games for the price of one.) One of the coolest things about Banner Day in ’84 and ’87 (the ones I participated in) was parading your banner around with a full house in the stands (second only to Bobby Valentine voicing his approval for our banner while merely nodding at the others). Having Banner Day before the game means people can miss the whole show if they just want to see baseball. But like I said, that’s baseball’s fault (no, can’t blame the Mets on this one.) All in all, Banner Day and the uniforms going back to simply blue and orange are wonderful things.

Of course what will matter most of all is who wears the uniforms, and finally we hear some news about potential Mets targets to become the closer. Fun! Matt Capps? Well, not exactly the intimidating sort that you would expect out of a closer (also not the sort of guy who gets people out, which you would also expect out of a closer), but with the scale of low expectation in terms of free agents, why not. Sure. Matt Capps. Hooray.

Then there’s Frank Francisco. You want a closer who intimidates people? Put a ball in this guy’s hand. No, wait … put a chair in this guy’s hand. Now I’m quivering in the batter’s box. Yessir. Sandy Alderson has said he wouldn’t rule out signing two guys with closing experience, so perhaps both these guys come aboard. The last time the Mets got two closers for the back end it didn’t work out so well. And that was Frankie Rodriguez and J.J. Putz. Francisco and Capps are the no-frills version of Frankie and J.J. … without all the fanfare, and hopefully without the cortisone shots and parental assaults too.

Francisco and Capps might not be your idea of fun. I personally would rather see Brad Lidge close (and tutor Bobby Parnell at the same time). But the important thing to remember is that those two guys share the same important trait: They’re both not Jonathan Broxton. That’s a banner that I’d be happy to create and then have confiscated. Who ever said I was appropriate anyway?