Yesterday the Mets denied Howard Megdals press credentials for 2012 because they "don't like his reporting" which means "we didn't like Wilpon's Folly", the book Megdal wrote (which I reviewed here) that detailed the Mets financial issues over the last few years. Once again the Mets front office have managed to find a new way to alienate fans and make themselves look bad. Denying press credentials to a prominent baseball journalist and author because you don't like his reporting is simply, unamerican.
While the Mets have the right to allow or disallow whomever they wish access to the team, it goes against our expectations of how we expect institutions to act in this country. The 1st amendment only protects from government intervention with the press but as a society, I think we have to come expect that all institutions respect and allow freedom of the press. When faced with crisis I expect an organization to be more open, more honest and try harder to meet the needs and desires of its customers or fans. Trying to silence the people who are critical of you and who do nothing but report facts is never a a viable solution. I hope the Mets decide to reverse this decision, in the meantime I think any Mets fan who has not done so already, should buy Howard's Book and make a decision for themselves about the Mets reaction to it.
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