Happy (early) Opening Day!
Major League Baseball kicks off its 118th season tomorrow, April 1. Being born and raised in the tristate area, I proudly bleed orange and blue. Here's to hoping that my New York Mets can bring home the World Series trophy this year.
I have fond memories of both Shea Stadium and Citi Field. I remember going to my first Mets game. My dad took me to a Sunday game and we stood down the first base sideline to collect autographs. Tom Glavine came over to where we were standing and handed me a baseball he was using during warmups and signed it for me. I remember sitting in the outfield at Citi Field and catching Travis d'Arnaud's first major league home run. Nothing will ever compare to going to batting practice at spring training in Port St. Lucie, Florida. I have many pictures with Mr. Met from through the years.
Citi Field, June 2014
When I was in grad school, I loved the fact that I got to take classes in not just journalism, but public relations, marketing, social media management, and media ethics. I didn't think I was going to enjoy public relations, but I became very fixated on it. I loved to learn about how that industry works.
When I became fixated on the public relations industry, I threw myself in. I followed a ton of public relations companies on Twitter and Instagram. I tried to find out who was in charge of the PR for some of my favorite brands and teams. That's when I stumbled upon Jay Horwitz, then PR rep for the New York Mets.
Early on in 2021, I found out that Horwitz had a book coming out. I was very excited to get my hands on his book. I love my Mets and I've always wondered what it was like to run the PR team for them. I remember when the Amazon box came in the mail with Horwitz's hardcover. I sat down and immediately started reading.
As you all know by now, I love reading how journalists and media personnel got their start in this crazy field. I wanted to learn more about who Horwitz was and what made him tick. I also wanted to make sure I got the chance to read his book before baseball season got into full swing.
Scrolling through Twitter late at night, I saw a post that Jay had shared about a free virtual book event being hosted by the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Jay was going to be talking about his book and fans were allowed to submit questions. I signed up for the Zoom book talk as fast as I could.
On January 8, I woke up so excited! I finally got the chance to virtually "meet" Jay and hear his inside secrets of the Mets clubhouse. I loved listening to his stories about the inner workings of the blue and orange. He talked so much about different players that I grew up watching both at Shea Stadium and Citi Field.
Zoom with Jay, January 2021
While many of the stories stuck with me from Jay's book talk, there were two that really stuck out to me. The moderator posed the question of what some of the things that being a PR man for the Mets taught him. Jay's answer was exactly what I needed to remind myself today.
"Trust and to know how to laugh at yourself."
We all need to lighten up a bit these days. I know that I take life way too seriously. I'm always worried that I'm not doing enough or I'm spreading myself too thin. I constantly wonder if I take vacation time, what kind of chaos am I going to come back to? I worry about making mistakes. I need to remember that it's all going to be okay.
Jay talked about all the different pranks that members of the team used to play on him. How he walked into his hotel room one night to a horse head statue and ketchup smeared all over his sheets. He talked about the proud memories he shares with David Wright, Keith Hernandez, Wally Backman, and more. You know why he has those memories? Those men trusted him.
The importance of trust in public relations and journalism is huge. If your source doesn't trust you, how can you expect them to ever want to work with you? Jay always had the players know that he trusted them and they could trust him to have their backs. He was always fair to the media, but he stepped in when he needed to.
While 2020 didn't allow me to visit Citi Field, I always hold the memories of my beloved orange and blue in my heart.
Meet the Mets, Meet the Mets, Step Right Up and Greet the Mets.
Play Ball!
Signing off,
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