The occasion should have been cause for celebration, and that’s how the Mets tried to play it Friday at Citi Field.
Third-round draft choice Matt Allan, an 18-year-old right-handed pitcher from Florida, was being given the red-carpet treatment after signing his professional contract earlier in the day. He buttoned a Mets jersey around a white dress shirt and secured his Mets cap for photos that eventually included general manager Brodie Van Wagenen and the Wilpons, Fred and Jeff.
But no matter how much hoopla they tried to surround Allan with, the Mets couldn’t avoid the elephant in the room, although Van Wagenen gave it a good shot.