Note: One of the challenges of this project has been dealing with a lack of appropriate terminology and notation. What I’ve come up with seems complex on the surface, so I’ll be explaining things as I go. This week, it’s a detailed listing of requirements for inclusion in the collection for this site. If requirements documents are your thing, you’ll enjoy this. If not, well, your brain is going to hurt.
What is the most important component of any collection? Money? Storage space? A Holy Grail? An understanding significant other? No, the most important component is the line that determines whether something belongs in the collection or doesn’t. Without that line, a collection can grow like a cancer, burning through all available storage space and your significant other’s patience. Having clear requirements may seem a bit overly pedantic, but it is essential for any large collection.
I learned this lesson through baseball cards. When there were only a few thousand cards produced every year, it was easy to build a complete set and be done with it. When the market exploded with sets and inserts, collecting all cards of a single team or player was still possible. By 2000 though, all bets were off. Without serious rules governing your collection, it was all too easy to end up with a mess of random cards with no obvious theme filling up a closet.
Since this collection is focused on game-used material and other things in and/or on cards, there is no need to have every qualifying card of every type; only one example of each type of material is needed for each player. With that in mind, here is the requirements specification for this collection.
Collect the Mets Collection Requirements Specification
Section 0: Mets Players
0-1. A Qualifying Player shall be defined as any player who has appeared in an official MLB regular-season or postseason game as a fielder, batter, or runner for the New York Mets. Appearing on a minor league team, in a spring training game, in an exhibition game, on the 40-man or 25-man rosters, in the dugout during a game, or in the on-deck circle are not sufficient to meet this requirement. Members of the Mets Hall of Fame shall be considered Qualifying Players regardless of their playing history (Ralph Kiner Clause).
0-2. Managers shall be considered Qualifying players if one of the following conditions is met:
The Manager has been featured in a New York Mets uniform on a card featuring an autograph or Game-Used Material (Casey Stengel Clause).
The Manager has had distinguishable New York Mets Game-Used Material released in a card.
Managers not meeting either of these conditions are ineligible for inclusion in this collection (Art Howe Clause). This section may be extended to uniformed coaching staff if I ever find any that actually meet this requirement.
0-3. Radio and television commentators, while an integral part of the game experience, do not count as Qualifying Players by virtue of broadcasting alone (Kiner’s Klause). Commentators who were enjoyable in the ’80s may be way past their prime today and should seriously consider retirement (McCarver’s McCorollary).
Section 1: Game-Used Material
1-1. Game-Used Material shall be defined as any item worn and/or used by a specific player in a game or other specified baseball event. For items not tied to a specific player, see Section 2: Game Equipment.
1-2. Recognized types of Game-Used Material shall be limited to the following:
1-2-1. Jerseys
Jerseys shall be defined as any structural component of a baseball uniform, including the jersey proper, pants, and undershirt, regardless of the material(s) or color(s) of the material. Color and material variants shall be counted as separate pieces for the purposes of this collection except where covered under the 1975 Astros Clause. Patches and Piping from Jerseys are to be counted separately.
1-2-2. Patches
Patches shall be defined as non-structural uniform components attached to a uniform or other type of material by stitching for the purpose of identification of the player or team or commemoration of people, places, or events. Laundry tags, MLB Logos, and other errata, while nice to look at, do not count as patches.
1-2-3. Piping
Piping shall be defined as a non-structural strip of material attached to a uniform or other type of material by stitching for decorative purposes.
1-2-4. Bats
Bats shall be defined as baseball bats. Really, do you need any further clarification?
1-2-5. Jackets
Jackets shall be defined as any structural component of a team jacket, regardless of the material(s) or color(s) of the material. Color and material variants shall be counted as separate pieces for the purposes of this collection except where covered under the 1975 Astros Clause. Patches from Jackets are to be counted separately.
1-2-6. Other
All other recognized material shall be limited to team hats, shoes, fielding gloves, batting gloves, and catcher’s equipment. Variations in the style, material, and color of pieces from each of these classes of material shall not be considered unique for the purposes of this collection.
1-2. Qualifying Material shall be defined as any Game-Used Material that meets one of the following conditions:
The Material is from a Qualifying Player for the New York Mets (Rey Ordonez Clause).
The Material is from a player other than a Qualifying Player who wore/used the Material while affiliated with the New York Mets organization (Justin Huber Clause).
The Material is from a player other than a Qualifying Player who was depicted on the card in a uniform from the New York Mets organization (Phil Seibel Clause).
1-3. Each player instance of Qualifying Material shall be represented by a minimum of one card in the Collection. Multiple pieces of Qualifying Material may be on the same card, either from the same player or different players, though separate cards are preferred.
Section 2: Autographs
2-1. Autograph cards shall be defined as cards that feature an autograph in ink on a structural component of the card (On-Card Autograph), on a piece of Game-Used Material (Material Autograph), on a piece of Manufactured Material (Manufactured Material Autograph), or on a sticker applied to the card by the manufacturer prior to release (Sticker Autograph) and has been certified as authentic by the card’s manufacturer.
2-2. Qualifying Autographs shall be defined as any Autographs that meet one of the following conditions:
The Autograph is from a Qualifying Player for the New York Mets.
The Autograph is from a player other than a Qualifying Player who was depicted on the card in a uniform from the New York Mets organization.
2-4. Each player instance of a Qualifying Autograph shall be represented by a minimum of one card in the Collection. Multiple Qualifying Autographs may be on the same card, either from the same player or different players, and/or may include Game-Used Material, though separate cards without Material are preferred. On-Card Autographs are preferred over Material Autographs, Manufactured Material Autographs, and Sticker Autographs, in that order.
Section 3: Game Equipment
3-1. Game Equipment shall be defined as any element of the stadium, field, or game that is not player-specific, including, but not limited to, balls, bases, seats, outfield wall padding, and foul poles. Dirt is right out.
3-2. Game Equipment from Qualifying Players or New York Mets facilities or events may be included in this collection as additional cards but will not be required.
Section 4: Manufactured Material
4-1. Manufactured Material shall be defined as any replica of material from a Jersey, Patch, Bat, Glove, Ball, or other typical type of Game Used Material that has not been used in a game or otherwise associated with the depicted player.
4-2. Manufactured Material from Qualifying Players or players depicted as Mets may be included in this collection as additional cards but will not be required.
These Requirements are subject to change without notice.
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