Mets Relent on Gooden Autograph

As the red-headed stepchild of New York baseball -- at least, that's how they seem to feel -- the Mets have often been too sensitive to public opinion.

This time, though, the voices on sports talk radio, usually best ignored, seems to have caused the Mets to get it right.

They have decided to preserve Dwight Gooden's impromptu autograph of a wall in their new Citi Field, reversing course from the original insistence that it be erased.

"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 Mets also will cut out a large enough section of the wall for other former stars such as Mike Piazza, Tom Seaver and Jerry Koosman to add their signatures to Gooden's or create other formats for them to do so.

"This is a way for us to honor our past," Horwitz said.

Now, see, that's clever. Instead of overreacting, the Mets turned Gooden's stunt into an opportunity to add some character to their park.

Of course, Seaver will want his autograph displayed a little more prominently. Perhaps on the outfield fence, or permanently etched on the scoreboard.