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- The New York Mets head into the offseason with more questions than answers.
- Despite this, reports indicate they’re considering bringing live comedy to home games.
- The live comedy will be separate from the routine already performed on the field by the team.
The New York Mets 2021 was like a Greatest Hits album of Mets classic screw-ups. On-the-field underperformance, off-the-field drama, and a chaser of embarrassment to wash it all down: the night they were officially eliminated from playoff contention, it marked their 33rd loss in 50 games since the end of July. Prior to that, they were in first place in the N.L. East for 103 days, making them the first team in MLB history to spend as much time as they did in 1st and finish with a losing record, according to beat writer Anthony DiComo.
I have seen this statistic in several places today, and there is no better summation of the 2021 Mets:
No team in Major League history has spent as much time (103 days) in first place and finished with a losing record. The Mets are mathematically guaranteed to become the first.
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) September 27, 2021
What makes it worse for Mets fans is that this season, the first under the ownership of Steven Cohen, was supposed to be different: not only were they supposed to have the spending power that the New York City market has long deserved, but the team was widely touted by professional sportswriters and analysts far more knowledgeable than myself to win their division. Instead, the Mets now head into the offseason with more questions than answers. Half of the line-up could barely hit their way out of a paper bag, if and when they were healthy. The front office needs an entirely new leadership group. The list goes on and on.
And yet, despite that ever-growing list of problems, the news out of Metsland this week is about comedy. And not just the comedy that is the actual team, but actual stand-up comedy at Citi Field.
Cohen… has set out to log more wins, not only on the scoreboard, but in the hearts and minds of casual and prospective fans.
He and his wife Alexandra Cohen have prescribed a marketing overhaul that will include an update to the team’s brand design, including customized fonts in marketing materials like photography, signage and ads, as well as new experiences and features at its stadium meant to give the Mets more cultural credibility.
The initiative remains in development, but ideas include offering live comedy throughout games, updating existing spaces in the stadium where people can gather, adding more screens throughout the baseball park and making other technology upgrades. [via The Wall Street Journal]
Here’s my advice: start pumping SNY’s broadcast into the stadium. Other than that, there’s only one way to end this article…