After baseball resumed in New York City following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the New York Mets players and coaches honored first responders by wearing special hats despite Major League Baseball asking them not to.
With another chance to honor the heroes of that tragic day in the same way on national TV, the New York Mets are tentatively planning to pass on that opportunity. Why? Because MLB once again is telling them not to.
The Mets issued a statement before Sunday night's game about the league's policy.
"MLB set a league-wide policy as it related to caps and uniforms for September 11 and we followed the guidelines."
To simply throw their arms up and follow a silly policy would be a huge mistake by a franchise that has found ways to do nothing but make mistakes in recent history. The team needs to stand up and do what's right the way they did so often those days immediately following the cowardly attacks in New York City, Washington, DC and Shanksville, PA.
Mets player representative Josh Thole said before the game there was a discussion about defying the "edict" from MLB. There is nothing to discuss.
Wear those caps to honor the proud men and women that literally ran into the fire to try and save lives. Major League Baseball wants to stand in the way?
Let them try.
I'd love to see Bud Selig try to word a press release announcing fines, suspensions or any other sort of punishment without putting a clown suit on himself. It's just not possible.
The New York Mets should wear those hats and wear them with pride until someone from Major League Baseball comes to Citi Field and makes them take them off. Failing to do so would be an insult to those that gave so much on that day 10 years ago.