Not cool!

Anyone reading this blog on Monday morning may be expecting me to say something about the Mets' somewhat redemptive but altogether sort-of hollow series win over the Braves this weekend. Considering the fact that the Mets could well come out of this Braves series and lose 2 of 3 to the Pirates these next few nights, I think I'd rather hold off until I can put two pretty good games in context.

But I'll tell you what I am angry about: SNY is sleeping with the devil. More accurately, the devil across town.

Has anyone else seen the new spots Derek Jeter is doing for Ford? One features about 30 seconds of people across the city of New York finding different ways of complimenting Derek Jeter and affirming that "that guy's got an edge." It's funny, right, because they could just be talking about the Yankee captain's legendary ice-cold nerves in clutch situations (thought not as much in the Yankees' consecutive first round playoff exits the past three years). Or it could be a deodorant commercial, right? Oh man, I was on the edge - no pun - of my seat the first time I saw that ad. What is this guy endorsing? Lending his "edge" to?

But wait, of course! They're all talking about his car! Ford's newest mid-size SUV, the Edge.

How could I be so remiss?

There's another commercial where Jeter plays himself playing it off as a coy sales associate while some Haley Joel Osmond looking little kid can't believe his parents aren't being sold a new family-size automobile by his pro baseball hero. "Jeter" drops several hints as talks up the Edge and its panoramic vista roof, showing off the Air Jordan wristbands under his dress shirt and the cleats he's chosen to wear instead of regular dress shoes. Finally the jig is up when Jeter makes an all-star play to catch a stray pair of Ford Edge keys and flip them into the hands of the perfect family's eager father. The commercial ends with a magnanimous Derek Jeter giving the wise kid an autographed baseball.

I'm sure Jeter is loving the extra millions he's currently earning through his latest media whore-out - he's signed on as the poster boy for Ford, specifically for the Edge SUVs. I hope he likes the free Ford Edge he surely drives to Yankee Stadium every now and again.

But let me be clear: that crap has no place on the METS television network. I understand that Sterling Mets owns only a third of Sportsnet New York, and that it does purport to be the network of New York Sports; unlike YES - the Yankee Entertainment Station, or whatever, the network with its Yankeeography segments, Michael Kay sit-downs, and homer announcers, dishing out propaganda that the Russian political regime would surely admire.

Still, the TV home of the Mets can't run some other ads? And it would be one thing if I only had to see Derek Jeter's face plastered over my team's television network like, once a game. That's not the case though. I'm seeing one of the Jeter ads at least once every break between innings.

I know the money, class, and Yankee image thing appeals to the Wilpons. Always has. But the mere fact that our well-spoken, good-looking young star would rather spend more time working on his swing than his endorsement pitches doesn't make it okay for us to repeatedly run lame ads on our station featuring the arguable face of our crosstown rivals.

Our guy's better than that

Is nothing sacred?

(Photos courtesy carbodydesign.com, davidwrightfoundation.com)