Mets Morning News: Hat Drama, Duda Going To Winter Ball, Santana GetsAnother Start

If you somehow missed it, Major League Baseball issued an "edict" banning tribute hats from games played on 9/11. That meant the Mets were not allowed to wear hats representing first responders like the FDNY and NYPD during the game. The players had considered wearing the hats anyway, but finally decided to follow the guidelines because the fines would have been too steep. Of course, MLB tried to do the same thing following the attacks on 9/11, but the 2001 Mets squad told the league to shove it. Todd Zeile recalled the following:

"The quote was attributed to me that I said, 'They're going to have to pry them off our heads if they think we're going to take those off.' But the quote was really attributed to me because I was the player rep. It was really a collective feeling from everybody in the clubhouse, and (manager) Bobby (Valentine) included, that, 'Hey, we're wearing these out there as a tribute. This is not some trivial, novel little sign and gesture. This is a tribute. And we're going to wear these hats until we can't wear them anymore, until they're ripped off our heads.' That was the feeling we had toward New York. There was a unity there."

Lucas Duda plans to play winter ball in Venezuela. The team had felt that Duda did not need to go to winter ball because of all the innings he played this season, but Duda wants to continue to learn right field.

Johan Santana will get another rehab start. With Class A affiliate Savannah advancing to the South Atlantic League championship series, Santana will make his fourth rehab start. He is expected to throw at least four innings.