Mr. Met lost his mind on Wednesday night. On Thursday, the man in the costume lost his job. He deserved to, considering the events that unfolded at Citi Field the night before. The New York Mets were embarrassed as an organization and the name of one of the most famous mascots in the world was tarnished. Surprisingly enough, however, the team will roll Mr. Met back out on the field for Thursday afternoon's game.
Goodbye Mr. Met
ESPN's Darren Rovell reported on Thursday that there would be a changing of the guard behind the Mr. Met costume. The team has stated that more than one person dons the costume every season, so the transition to a different employee shouldn't be drastic.
It became necessary, however, after the latest faux pas in a season full of them for the New York Mets.
At some point during Wednesday's game, Mr. Met walked down the tunnel to leave the stands of Citi Field. A fan must have said something to the mascot, because he turned around and gave the finger -- or what resembled the finger, since Mr. Met only has four digits on each hand -- to the fan. Video of the incident quickly spread on social media, leading to the admonishment of the mascot and jokes at the expense of the team. Normally, mascots are jovial and bouncy with positive energy. It probably goes against the rules to make an obscene gesture in the direction of a paying customer.
Hello again, Mr. Met?
Anybody expecting Mr. Met to get benched was wrong. On the contrary, he was back doing his normal mascot duties for Thursday afternoon's series-closer with the Milwaukee Brewers. Guess there's no reason to bench a mascot when somebody else is controlling his actions. The team simply had to be prepared for the ridicule they and their mascot would receive.
For instance, people began accusing Mets pitcher Matt Harvey -- known for his surly disposition and occasionally antagonistic relationship with his team and fans -- of being behind the Mr. Met costume on Wednesday. Others claimed the mascot may have had a fight with the missus earlier in the day. When a weird instance of bat boy interference occurred during the game -- going against the Mets -- more on Twitter accused the dastardly mascot of being behind the unfair call.
Needless to say, the jokes are going to keep coming from everywhere as the New York Mets continue to play out a season that has become more comically embarrassing than any season in recent baseball history.