* Media Guide Review: New York Mets

Cover: The Mets moved into a new home this year and are rightly proud of it. Citi Field and the logo dominate (the facade also appears at the bottom of every page), with a smattering of almost-microscopic thumbnail pics of some of the Mets personnel. Not very inspiring. C

A detailed description of the new ball park, including construction photos at various stages, leads off the guide. It’s nice, but perhaps somewhere on-line is a time-lapse video; pretty sure I’ve seen it in a commcercial on the Mets’ cable station. B

The front office and administrative staff are well-represented here. Reminds me of high school picture day. Kudos for giving everyone a shout-out. The inside front cover also pays tribute to a member of the Mets’ “family” who dies last year. A

The manager and coaching staff section is standard. There are almost 60 players included in the major league section. Minor league section follows suit. Nice format and color, though, so I give it a B

A 2008 “year in review” features concise and easy-to-read statistical breakdowns. B

A history section begins with a 40th-anniversary celebration of the Mets’ first World Championship, including a poem by Ed Charles, the team’s third-baseman and resident philosopher, and a “where are they now” listing. The section also includes the members of the Mets Hall of Fame, the 1964 All-Star Game (the only one played at Shea), award winners and all-stars, all-time rosters, yearly leaders and highlights, and an all-time breakdown by opponents. A

Post-Season: Box scores and brief reviews of every post-season game with photos. A

Layout, design, and “intangibles”: Nicely done all around. Glossy stock, good use of color and illustrations. There’s even an index to easily locate all the little “filler” items. A

This one weighs in at more than 650 pages. Just as an aside, the media guide is far superior to the team’s yearbook, which goes for $15 and hypes the new stadium on almost every page; players photos are superimposed on and dwarfed by the shots of Citi Field. (I’ve also seen the Yankees’ yearbook, which goes for a whopping $25! These things are starting to look more like the ad journals you’ll find at a charity dinner than the yearbooks of my youth.)

Overall grade: A-