Shame on you, MLB

Photo credit: AP

So tonight the Mets wanted to wear caps representing local public safety agencies as their 2001 predecessors did following the World Trade Center attacks.  MLB, in its infinite wisdom, denied the request, citing a desire to not show bias to any one team and maintain uniformity throughout the game.

Yeah, right.  Surely, it has nothing to do with MLB's promotion of the special edition flag-patch caps that the Mets wore instead along with the rest of baseball to mark the date.

Since, as explained in the product description, a portion of the profits go to 9/11 memorials in New York, at the Pentagon, and the site of the United Flight 93 crash, maybe the directive isn't all just MLB playing Scrooge.  However, if it were about the charities, why not a) say so, and/or b) give the team or individual players the option of wearing the fire, police, EMT, Port Authority, etc. caps in exchange for a donation to make up for the supposed money that might be lost if the team didn't actually wear the caps on TV?

No, I'm afraid common sense tells us that the charitable "portion" of the profit on a $37 (seriously, that's what 5950s go for now?) baseball cap probably wasn't the issue.

While I'm wagging my finger at MLB, though, I'll add I'm a little disappointed but not at all surprised by the team's obedient compliance and that the best protest they could muster was David Wright wearing an NYPD cap in the dugout for a half-inning.  The 2001 Mets were given the very same order 10 years ago and simply thumbed their nose at it.  Heaven forbid this era of Mets display one fraction of the heart and stones of the Valentine-era group under this or any other circumstance.

Credit where credit is due, though:

I salute the Mets organization for the pre-game ceremony, which was very classy and a great tribute.  If the Mets ran a ball club as well as they put on commemorative ceremonies, they'd be annual World Series contenders.