Mets use CougarLife.com to get David Wright votes into this year's All Star Game

As a Mets fan and season ticket holder, I couldn't resist blogging about this news that I heard over the weekend.  Apparently, someone in the Mets organization attempted to garner All Star votes for David Wright through the Web on CougarLife.com, a dating Web site that "pairs women in their prime with younger men."  As this USA Today article notes, this was short lived as it seems the employee that attempted to do this did not have the authority to start such a campaign, and while I understand the Mets have many things to consider in making such marketing decisions, when it comes to getting votes, this was not such a bad idea.  Apparently Wright was named "Hottest Cub" on Cougar Life a few weeks ago and the employee figured if Wright can get votes in that poll, maybe he could also squeeze the women to vote for Wright some more in the All Star voting.

While this is a funny article, it is also representative of how social media is changing how the world works in some ways.  Up until a few years ago, All Star votes could only be cast on paper.  Paper ballots were available to pick up, punch, and submit only at ball parks.  Now they're still available at the parks but a significant number are submitted through the Web.

It does not surprise me that the Mets are reaching to such "desperate" levels for votes on the year that game is being held at the Mets' home, Citi Field.  Last year someone in the organization told me that the reason the San Francisco Giants have brought so many players to the All Star Game over the past few years is that the Giants have done a better job at garnering votes through social media.  I personally think it also has a lot to do with the fact that the Giants have been good and the Mets, well, not as good, but I think my source's theory also holds some water.

This article, Giants get out All-Star vote on 'Super Tuesday', discusses at least one of the tactics employed by the Giants organization to produce votes for their players last season.  They actually invited 15 of their biggest Twitter supporters to come to the park during a game just before voting ended, put them in a conference room, gave them computers, and asked them to vote as many times as possible throughout the game.

As the USA Today article notes (first article I referenced), this season, Pablo Sandoval, third baseman for the Giants, has not had as good a season as Wright, is injured, and plays in a smaller market, but he still leads Wright in votes for the third base position on the National League team.

Maybe the Mets should have let this Cougar Life thing play out.  I'll do my part to get Wright the starting job this year...

#VoteWrightNow