Dear Commissioner Selig:

Your actions at last night’s Mets-Cubs game at Citi Field on 9/11/11 were reprehensible. Not allowing the Mets players to wear the NYPD and other First Responder hats – at a meaningless game you co-opted as a platform to grandstand MLB’s relevancy – was inexcusable.

Learning that you not only denied the Mets’ official request to wear the hats, but that a MLB representative went the extra yard to confiscate them from the team at the conclusion of the pre-game ceremonies, so that no one could defy your order and do the right thing and wear them anyway, makes me ashamed to be a fan of Major League Baseball.

As a result, I will not purchase one new item of MLB clothing, whether a New Era hat, a Majestic Athletic shirt or jersey, or any other officially sanctioned MLB item, for the duration of 2011 and for the entire 2012 season, and very likely beyond that. My household could previously be counted on spending significant dollars in MLB merchandise every year; I can assure you that will no longer be the case.

Sincerely,

Caryn Rose

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NOW WRITE YOUR OWN LETTER. You have the address. Don’t email, don’t tweet, don’t just blog about it, don’t comment, don’t sign a petition – write your own letter and put it in the mail. That will count. That will make a difference.

There are other offerings, like “Meet Me In The Dugout,” “Caught Looking,” and “I’m A Great Catch,” the latter slogan cleverly and strategically located!

Seriously? No, seriously?

• “mostly i’m mad they make them for teams that don’t even use a DH. they should have “the pitcher can kiss for himself” panties.” from @cryingbaseball
• “they had the option to make things that weren’t offensive and they didn’t take them.” from @1863_project
• “I think the feminist movement just got set back 20 years with that.” from @katiestars
• “Why can’t they just do team logos? Why do they have to be degrading?” again from @1863_project
• “it’s just completely offensive.” from @norunsupport

I know lots of women like the “Pink” line because it is comfortable and more affordable than Touch, avoiding the whole “I ONLY KISS [TEAM] FANS” issue. This latest offering is just going for the lowest common denominator. The undergarments with just team logos? It’s not for me, but, you know, go for it. The slogans, though? Pandering, dumb, unnecessary, insulting.

This will not make women like baseball more, MLB, and just demonstrates that you continue to be way, way, way out of touch with 45% of your fan base.

(We also hate the new Gameday, but that’s not just us girls, and that’s another post.)

Right. Because when I think Opening Day, the first thing I think of is, “Gosh, I wonder what a professional underwear model thinks about the 2011 baseball season.” It’s too bad there are no women working in the industry you could ask. Next time you have this problem, I’ve compiled a list you can start with.

• Kim Ng, Senior Vice President of Baseball Operations, Major League Baseball
• Alyson Footer, Astros Sr. Director of Social Media
• Carrie Muskat, MLB
• Amy K. Nelson, ESPN
• Molly Knight, ESPN
• Amanda Rykoff, ESPNw
• Emma Span (Author of “90% of the Game Is Half-Mental” and writer at Baseball Prospectus
• Christina Kahrl, co-founder, Baseball Prospectus
• Julie Di Caro, CEO of Aerys Sports, the first all-woman sports network
• Lisa Winston, Former MLB, veteran baseball writer
• Lizzy Nielsen, Associate Sports Editor at The Daily
• Jane Lee, MLB
• Brittany Ghiroli, MLB

And that’s just off the top of my head. I’m sure my readers can add more (so please do).

This kind of catering to the lowest common denominator doesn’t get more baseball fans, MLB. It gets more idiotic, fairweather, bandwagon jumper fans. It insults your male fans, too, but it plain old alienates that paltry 45% of the fan base which is female.

I know other women are angry that the two winners were men. We don’t know who entered and what the quality of the entries were, so I can’t take on that fight. But this? This is just uncalled for in 2011.

MLB, you are missing out on marketing, sales and monetization opportunities every time you pull a stunt like this. Think about it.

Before we all go jump on the Mets, this is clearly the brainchild of someone at MLB, because other fans have gotten similar emails – Indians fans being encouraged to go to Detroit, Mets fans in Florida being encouraged to go to Mets/Marlins, in Chicago for Mets/Cubs, and a NC fan getting a note to go to Atlanta or Cincinnati.

In this case, however, someone forgot the asterisk: “…and get your car keyed.” “…and watch the Phanatic go through those old tired routines of smashing the helmet of the opposing team.” “…and spend three hours waiting on line for a cheesesteak.”

Sure, MLB, in this economy, the way to fill the ballpark isn’t discounts and reductions of service charges, it’s encouraging fans to TRAVEL! Bud Selig, Genius!