Among the lasting images of the games following the 9/11 attacks 10 years ago were those involving Mets players wearing hats from New York City uniformed service departments. For a brief time yesterday, it appeared the Mets were prepared to make a similar gesture.
“It’s the least we could do,” Josh Thole said after batting practice before the Mets dropped a 10-6 decision to the Cubs in 11 innings last night at Citi Field. “What are they going to do, fine us?”
Actually, yes.
Joe Torre, Major League Baseball’s executive vice president for baseball operations, told the Associated Press by phone before the game he had spoken to the Mets and the league opted to have teams be consistent, without exceptions.
“Certainly it’s not a lack of respect,” Torre said, pointing to his 2001 Yankees, who also wore the hats during batting practice but switched to their regular caps for the games. “We just felt all the major leagues are honoring the same way with the American flag on the uniform and the cap. This is a unanimity thing.”
The issue with the caps brought to mind the Mets’ first game back after the attacks, when they were told by MLB they couldn’t wear the hats from the FDNY, NYPD and other agencies. But Todd Zeile said at the time league officials “are going to have to pry these hats off our heads.”
“I find it ironic that it’s 10 years later and they still can’t get past it for one day of tribute,” Zeile said last night after being part of the pre-game ceremonies. “I guess they feel it’s a slippery slope or something.”
So the Mets decided to only wear the hats before the game and switch to MLB-approved hats with American flags on them for the game.
“MLB came down hard on it,” said Thole, the Mets player representative, after speaking with teammates and manager Terry Collins. “It’s something we just can’t do. As a group, we thought it was the right thing to do, but Baseball contacted the club and there was absolutely no chance. There was nothing we could do.”
That wasn’t what happened in 2001.
“The hats meant more than what they said on them,” Zeile said. “It wasn’t like they came out of a hat box.”
And Zeile believes it was Baseball’s move to try to stop them that made it a bigger deal.
“Nobody expected it to have reaction it did, but the fact MLB wanted to stop us and then we decided to do it anyway made it even more significant,” said Zeile, who added there were no repercussions for their actions. “I’m surprised they won’t allow it today. We were in Pittsburgh and here on the big stage in New York, maybe they’re making a stand. I doubt [commissioner] Bud [Selig] and some MLB staff would come out on the field and yank them off our heads, so I figured we were OK.”
“That’s their decision,” David Wright said. “If we got a vote, I think we’d wear the hats. But MLB makes that call and we’re going to respect that.”
The Mets still managed to bring back a considerable presence from 2001, with John Franco tossing out the first pitch to Mike Piazza, while members of numerous city agencies were honored before the game, along with former manager Bobby Valentine broadcasting the game for ESPN.