08/31/2004 2:11 PM ET
Republicans visit Shea Stadium
Delegates and guests take BP, meet with players
By Bryan Hoch / Special to MLB.com
NEW YORK -- For one afternoon, the Mets handed over Shea Stadium's keys to the Republican National Convention, which is being held this week at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan.
Several hours before Tuesday's game with the Florida Marlins, over 150 delegates and guests were invited to take batting practice on the field at Shea and meet with Mets players Al Leiter, Tom Glavine and Todd Zeile as part of the city's ongoing "Experience NYC" program.
The New York Host Committee is highlighting special events and places within the city's five boroughs each day this week, and Tuesday was denoted "Sports, Parks and Community Service Day," bringing the delegates and Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg to Flushing.
"I can't think of any better place to celebrate this day than at Shea Stadium," said Bloomberg, who arrived at Shea wearing a black Mets cap over his usual shirt and tie.
When it was pointed out to Bloomberg that Rudy Giuliani, his predecessor and a devoted Yankees fan, would never have felt comfortable wearing an orange and blue Mets logo atop his head, Bloomberg quipped: "The way I see it is that I'm a Matsui fan," a tongue-in-cheek reference to the Mets' Kaz and the Yankees' Hideki.
It soon became evident that the Mets probably would not be unearthing any new talent from the guests who descended upon the batting cage Tuesday afternoon -- weak infield dribblers and popups were the norm, with the rare outfield drive an event to be cheered.
Still, the delegates and their guests, many of whom were a decade or more away from reaching voting age, appeared to savor the opportunity to hold a bat and stand on a Major League diamond.
"I think 'swing' might be a better term," said Larry Doolittle, a Georgia delegate, when asked if he'd be hitting. "Some people asked me if I was going to hit a home run here today, and I told them that expecting that was just setting them up for disappointment."
"This is great," added Michael Hsing, a New Jersey delegate who attended with his 14-year-old son, Brian. "Not a lot of people get this opportunity."
Looking on, Leiter noted that welcoming the delegates to Shea for an afternoon of fun in the sun was an important gesture.
"It's good that the people here can see a part of the city outside of midtown," Leiter said. "You want to make this the best experience for them, because they're only going to be here for a couple of days. You want them to see something other than busy streets and taxi cabs."
Glavine, who was blindsided with lavish praise from a number of Georgia delegates through the course of the afternoon, said that being a part of the event was something to remember.
"It's not often you get asked by the mayor of New York to come out and do something," Glavine said. "That certainly makes it special. The whole process is interesting, when you start paying attention to politics and you see democracy at work."
Leiter's ongoing connection with Mayor Bloomberg was also on display Tuesday. Leiter was a key part of Bloomberg's run for office in 2001, and spoke at the mayor's inauguration ceremony in Times Square on New Year's Eve 2002.
As the pair posed for a frenzy of press photographs, several news reporters asked the Mets pitcher if he would ever consider a run for political office. Leiter, a staunch Republican who often stays up past 4 a.m. watching C-SPAN, denied that he had any such inclinations.
"I enjoy politics," Leiter said. "I enjoy them just like my teammates [Glavine and Zeile] here do. [But] I'm not interested in being in politics."
Leiter paused for a moment, then ran his hand under his cap.
"Maybe when I'm much older, and much grayer," he said.
Bryan Hoch is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
