IT AIN’T WRITE! Dwight Gooden (right, in his heyday with the Mets), autographed a wall at the Citi Field opener last week, giving the Dodgers-centric new ballpark a much-needed Amazin’ touch. But Mets VP Jay Horwitz (left) says the team considers Gooden’s penmanship mere graffiti, and insists, “It’s going to be erased.”
When Dwight “Doc” Gooden attended the Mets’ Opening Day ceremonies at Citi Field last week, he stopped by the Ebbets Club along the first-base line and mingled with fans who cheered him during his Met career. He shook hands, took pictures and signed autographs.
Someone thought it would be a nice idea if one of the greatest pitchers in franchise history signed a blank gray wall next to the bar. Gooden obliged, taking a black Sharpie and writing in script “Doc Gooden 84 R.O.Y., 85 Cy Young, 86 W.S. Champs.”
Gooden took a picture next to the signature, and so did countless fans lucky enough to afford the price of a ticket that allows them access to the club.
But now the Mets, who have been criticized for not showcasing enough of their history in their new ballpark, plan to erase Gooden’s signature from the wall, treating it as if it were unwanted graffiti.
“It’s a brand-new building,” said Jay Horwitz, the Mets’ VP of media relations. “No one is supposed to write on the wall. It’s going to be erased.”
Lou DiBella, a Manhattan-based boxing promoter and devoted Met fan, was in the Ebbets Club on Opening Day when Gooden signed the wall, and he was there yesterday as the Mets lost 4-2 to the Brewers in the final game of a three-game series.
He’s among a number of fans angry Gooden’s signature likely will be gone when the team returns from a short trip to St. Louis.
“That’s the same spirit that caused them to build a new ballpark that doesn’t have any semblance of Mets history,” DiBella said. “They charge $240 a ticket, and when your greatest pitcher tries to do something to reach out to the fans, the Mets make it seem like he did something wrong. It’s so stupid.”
Citi Field is a beautiful ballpark, but the absence of Met nostalgia is glaring. The Ebbets Club is a prime example. It has a serving station for food and a nice bar for fans to grab drinks during game. But except for a picture of the old Ebbets Field, there’s nothing on the walls other than televisions.
Gooden’s signature was a nice, personal touch, something that could have been commemorated. Anyone with some vision might see into the future, when the wall might be decorated with the personal signatures of a number of Met greats.
What better name to start it with than Gooden’s? In a few years, even decades, it could be one of the more special spots in the building. Instead, all the Mets see is graffiti.
“I know a lot of good people put a lot of thought into this ballpark, but if you’re a Mets fans this is supposed to feel like home,” DiBella said. “To have a stadium sanitized to the point where they’re going to erase Doc Gooden’s signature is disgusting.”
Gooden’s signature seemingly went from nostalgic to a nuisance on Saturday, when fans noticed it had been covered by a felt cloth held up by four tacks. Though the covering was removed during yesterday’s game, a source said a number of Met officials were in and out of the club looking at the signature as if deciding what to do.
When approached by The Post, Horwitz confirmed the organization planned to remove the signature.
“That’s insulting to the people who care about this team and care about its history,” DiBella said. “Doc did that with the best intentions, and the idea they’re going to cover that up is sickening.”
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