Mets owner, president weigh in on players’ thumbs-down gesture to booing fans
Infielder Javier Báez came to be beloved by Chicago Cubs fans for playing baseball with joy and energy.
Báez, who was sent to the Mets just ahead of the trade deadline on July 30, has played just 17 games for New York but things have already gone south. Monday morning’s New York Daily News has a large photo of Báez making a thumbs-down gesture with both hands.
The headline: “Mets: Go to Hell, Fans!”
Báez and some of his Mets teammates had taken to flashing a thumbs down after reaching base in response to fans who had been booing the team.
Mets owner Steve Cohen tweeted: “I miss the days when the biggest controversy was the black jerseys.”
Team president Sandy Alderson offered a more forceful response in a statement on the Mets’ official blog.
“Mets fans are understandably frustrated over the team’s recent performance. The players and the organization are equally frustrated, but fans at Citi Field have every right to express their own disappointment. Booing is every fan’s right,” Alderson said in the statement.
“The Mets will not tolerate any player gesture that is unprofessional in its meaning or is directed in a negative way toward our fans. I will be meeting with our players and staff to convey this message directly.”
Things weren’t quite so bad for the other team in New York but it wasn’t a great Sunday night for the Yankees, either.
Tony Kemp hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth inning as the A’s beat the Yankees 3-1 in Oakland.
NFL preseason ends
The exhibitions are over, let the games begin.
The next scheduled NFL contest is Sept. 9 when the Buccaneers take on the Cowboys in the 2021 regular season kickoff game.
The preseason slate ended Sunday night with the Browns defeating the Falcons 19-10 in Atlanta.
Quarterback Baker Mayfield completed 6 of 10 passes for 113 yards and a touchdown for Cleveland, which will face the Chiefs in the regular-season opener Sept. 12 at Arrowhead Stadium.
The game also featured an intercepted punt in the fourth quarter.
A Falcons player called for a fair catch after a Cleveland punt, but before he could catch the ball, Browns special-teamer A.J. Green snatched it out of the air.
“I’ve never seen that,” NBC Sports’ Cris Collinsworth said with a chuckle.
Al Michaels added while also laughing: “Yeah, that’s crazy.”
A flag was thrown for “kick catch interference.”
That seems like a good way to end the preseason.
