Two years ago, on a whim, Mets fan Carlos Rivera emailed team owner Jeff Wilpon over his concerns about his beloved team.
There were fights inside the clubhouse being leaked to the media, and he wanted Wilpon to know he supported him, but that that he had to get the team in order, he explained.
"Wilpon emailed me back," said Rivera, 37, who was shocked by the response. They ended up exchanging numbers and spoke for half an hour about baseball and the team.
"He said, 'I'm here, I get a lot of these emails, I appreciate you reaching out and not being nasty,'" Rivera recounted.
Wilpon also told Rivera, who is from Whitestone, to "be patient."
"He was right," Rivera said.
He retold the story Thursday morning inside the team store at Citi Field, holding a handful of Mets hats bearing the World Series patch.
Carlos Rivera clutches his World Series Mets hats at the team store on Oct. 22, 2015 after the team defeated the Cubs. (DNAinfo/Katie Honan)
The Mets are headed to the World Series for the first time since 2000 after sweeping the Chicago Cubs, closing the series with a resounding 8-3 victory in Chicago on Wednesday night.
They'll play either the Kansas City Royals or the Toronto Blue Jays for the title.
Fans filed into the Mets team store as early as 8 a.m. Thursday to pick up commemorative hats and T-shirts, with buyers like Rivera snagging extras for their collections.
Tommy Schulz and Eric Amend, brothers-in-law from Bayside, brought their sons Jason and Christian to check out the memorabilia.
It was Christian's third birthday, and his dad and uncle hoped to start a tradition of taking him and his cousins to buy whatever they want — so long as it's Mets-related.
Cousins Jason Schulz and Christian Amend hold hands outside Citi Field on Oct. 22 before heading into the team store to buy memorabilia before the World Series. (DNAinfo/Katie Honan)
"I just want them to be Mets fans," Schulz said.
Amend, a fan since he was 6, wouldn't mind if there's a playoff game on his son's birthday in the future.
"I'm hoping to start that tradition," he said.
A graffiti artist created a new "Ya Gotta Believe" mural on the side of an autobody shop in Willets Point on Saturday, workers said. (DNAinfo/Katie Honan)
