SABR 2017 National Convention in New York Metsland features Yoenis Cespedes as an all time New York City player.

I am not a member of SABR (Society for American Baseball Research). This is the first year that I am attending its national convention. I was first exposed to SABR in the early 1990s at regional meetings in New York City organized and hosted by the local chapter, the Casey Stengel Chapter. Unfortunately, that chapter has been dominated by National League fans, specifically New York Mets fans. That dominance and tone deafness to any sense of balance towards the New York Yankees, a team with a much longer and more expansive impact on New York City, was never more obvious than today

SABR's national convention is back in New York for the first time in more than a quarter of a century. I registered and paid to attend months ago. When I checked in today for the first day of presentations I received a canvas bag in the Met orange and Royal blue colors. I threw away the bag and the first item below.

Inside were:
- ID necklace in Met colors with the word METS written all over it
- a copy of the traditional SABR publication, especially designed for the national convention with the inscription:

New York, New York

Baseball in the Big Apple

The cover is as far as I've gotten. It contains photos of:
- Derek Jeter, lifetime Yankee
- Jackie Robinson, lifetime Brooklyn Dodger
- John McGraw, New York Giants manager 1902-1932
- Yoenis Cespedes, active player and Met for 926 of his 3,112 PA
- Tom Seaver, 3,046 of 4,783 innings as a Met
- Casey Stengel (in Yankee hat):
    - of 4,871 PA: 2,704 as a Brooklyn Dodger, 552 as a New York Giant
    - of 25 years managing: Yankees 12, Mets 4, Brooklyn Dodger 3

Jeter was a nice bone thrown to Yankee fans. I guess the decision makers had just enough common sense to not omit a true Yankee completely. And the chapter is named after Stengel. They needed a New York Giant and a Met, so McGraw and Seaver make sense.

But Yoenis Cespedes? If they wanted an active player, why not Aaron Judge, Yankee rookie phenom of 2017 with 27 homers in 74 Games? What, not enough lead time to simply put his photo on the cover? Really?

And how about some prominent players who spent their entire careers with a New York team for that spot wasted on Cespedes? Well, no Mets there. But how about these Yankees: Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle? Yankees Lou Gehrig, Phil Rizzuto and Whitey Ford all were born in New York City, played their entire careers in New York and were elected to the Hall of Fame. New York Giant Mel Ott played his entire career in New York and was elected to the Hall of Fame. Why weren't any of them on the cover instead of Met Cespedes?

Yoenis Cespedes? Color that unacceptably Met.