Last night was our appearance at Last Licks Armonk with Oliver Perez and Fernando Tatis. It was an interesting event considering Ollie started yesterday's game (not his finest of the season but kept us in the game...the ironic thing is a line like he had is practically Cy Young worthy in the AL..but that is a discussion for another time). I don't think, in all my years doing this, I have ever had an appearance with a pitcher right after a start. Perez and Tatis arrived together about two hours after the game. One quick note- when we have a signing with current players after a game, despite what the tentative time says on this site, generally players show up somewhere between an hour and two hours after the game. Most guys ice up or have treatment or media obligations after a game ... so it isn't like they hop into a car in uniform as soon as they leave the field. We are going to try to address this better when we announce these appearances but figured I would give a little insight into this. Anyway , both guys were great (and I am not just saying that). While I have met Ollie before (and he is undoubtedly my favorite Mets pitcher..I even wear a Perez authentic road jersey to games) this was my first time meeting Tatis. I must say he is one of the most geniune athletes I have ever met. After talking to him for awhile towards the end of the signing it is clear that he is just so happy to be playing baseball (after being out of the game) and truly does appreciate every day on the field...it is not an act whatsoever and was really nice to see. Both Ollie and Fernando were amazing with the fans. They took photos with everyone were happy to talk with the excited fans. After the public portion both guys signed some resplendent product (new adjective) including MLB baseballs, Shea Stadium commemorative balls and a handful of photos. Check out the site for images of these must-have Mets pieces.
We are about to embark on another exciting week so try to check back daily for update. I know I say that every week but, with the Red Sox in town, this will definitely be a busy one. Also, we are having a hard time uploading photos so sometime in the next few days (when the problem is fixed) I will post all the photos from the past week.