Apparently Felix Unger is now in charge of stadium operations at CitiField. Hey, it's a brand new stadium! Don't write on the walls! Even if you've won a Cy Young Award and your name is Doc Gooden.
Gooden signed his name to a blank spot on a wall near one of the restaurants inside the stadium last week, at the behest of a restaurant employee. But the former Mets pitcher was later informed by stadium officials that his graffiti would be erased. He is not pleased.
"One of the guys that worked there asked me to sign one of the walls, so I did it. It wasn't like I was walking around with a sharpie in my pocket," Gooden told the Daily News on Monday. "They asked me to sign the wall as a favor, as something for the fans to see. I was in there watching batting practice and they had fans taking pictures with me by my signature and I thought it was a fun idea."
Said the Mets:
"It's a brand new building, whether it's Doc or any other player, it wasn't meant to write all over the walls," public relations director Jay Horwitz said. "We are going to do things to celebrate our history, but this wasn't the right way to get that started. If we allow this precedent, people will be writing all over the stadium."
Also, please wipe your feet before entering CitiField. And for God's sake, haven't you ever heard of a coaster?
Over Signature Scrub, Dwight Gooden Wonders If Mets Want Him At Citi Field [New York Daily News]