Below is the entirety (absent my address) of my letter to Bud Selig regarding the decision not allow the Mets to wear first responder caps on September 11th.
The Office of the Commissioner of Baseball
Allan H. (Bud) Selig, Commissioner
245 Park Avenue, 31st Floor
New York, NY 10167
Dear Mr. Selig,
I consider myself to be a tremendous fan of baseball. I love the history, the records, the intelligence of the game. It is my favorite sport. But, I was sorely disappointed to learn of the decision made to prohibit the New York Mets from wearing caps honoring the Fire Department of New York, the New York Police Department and the Port Authority Police Department during the game on Sunday, September 11, 2011, the 10th anniversary of the worst terror attacks on American soil. I was further disappointed to learn of your own reaction to your decision being publicly disseminated.
The Mets intended to continue wearing these caps after the pre-game ceremony, but Major League Baseball adamantly prohibited this and according to a Mets player, physically confiscated the caps. This decision is unbelievably hard-hearted and oblivious and it speaks to tone-deaf corporatism. Joe Torre, Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations, released a statement that essentially attributed the decision to a desire to maintain consistency amongst teams and minimize the need to choose sides.
I lost no family or friend in the 9/11 attacks, nor do I even know someone who lost someone. But I do know I am an American and every American lost something that day. A decision based on the idea that allowing the Mets to wear these caps would be “choosing sides” is offensive. And frankly, MLB’s desire for consistency is hypocritical. On April 13, 2009, the Pittsburgh Pirates replaced the normal team caps with those displaying “Pittsburgh Police” to honor 3 police officers killed in the line of duty shortly prior to the game. And that was the home opener! They wore them the entire game. The Mets wore first responder caps when baseball resumed approximately one week after the 9/11 attacks.
Then, today, I learned that you called the Mets and personally rebuked the Mets for “leaking” the decision. Mr. Selig, I have to say, that is utterly preposterous. Frankly, you are in charge of running a very public sports league. Every decision you make is subject to public scrutiny. To not have wanted this decision to be released means you wanted no one to know it was made. If you take anything away from this, it should be that if you make a decision and don’t want anyone to know of it, it’s most certainly the wrong decision.
And that’s the final point here. You may claim Mr. Torre made the decision. You may claim it was made by several people after careful consideration. But, you are the Commissioner. Every decision made in MLB is ultimately your own. You could have easily overturned this decision. You did not. I hold you and only you responsible for this crass and impossibly silly decision. I’ve lost a great deal of respect I’ve always held for you in the past. You can regain this respect by apologizing. No “We’re sorry for any offense some may have had” apology. A real “I was completely and utterly wrong. Period.” apology.
A decision to wear the caps would have cost MLB nothing in terms of money or brand equity. It absolutely would set no precedent. (Who would ask for permission to wear “Save the Whales” caps based on a precedent of “You did it on 9/11!”? No one). I urge you to consider the effect your decisions have on people more carefully and recognize that MLB lost a great opportunity to cement its place--one in which people saw baseball as such an important part of recovery after 9/11.
I welcome any contact you may want to make to discuss my concerns or your position. I can be reached by phone at xxx-xxx-xxxx by email at corey.a.heim@hotmail.com or on Twitter at @brewfangrb.
Sincerely yours,
Corey Heim
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