Strawberry Finds His Purpose

At Lo Hud they write about Darryl Strawberry and his Foundation for Autism:

Former baseball star Darryl Strawberry says his celebrity, his alcohol and drug addictions, the 11 months he spent in prison and even his bout with cancer and kidney disease were all for a purpose that has brought him to a turning point in his life.

The 45-year-old Strawberry has formed a foundation to get help to families dealing with autism.

He says, "You have to have a purpose for life. For me, it wasn't baseball. God gave me a platform to get a name and be successful and use that for this purpose."

Mets To Wear Tribute Hats Tonight

Adam Rubin at Surfing The Mets writes about the Mets wearing hats from 9/11 in tonight's game:

The Mets will wear hats honoring the NYPD, FDNY, New York State Court Officers, Port Authority Police Department, Office of Emergency Management, Emergency Medical Services, the New York Police Department K-9 Unit and the New York City Bomb Squad during Tuesday night’s game against the Atlanta Braves. The Mets will honor the heroes from 9-11 by wearing hats from city agencies for the seventh straight year.

Mets host blood drive at Shea

Peter Zellen at Mets.com, writes about the blood drive that was hosted at Shea Stadium:

The Diamond Club at Shea Stadium looked like a hospital emergency ward on Monday, with nurses scrambling around attending to the constant flow of patients filling two dozen gurneys.

But instead of bandages, there were cups of apple juice and piles of Oreos, Cheez-It crackers and granola bars, and as soon as Mr. Met came bouncing through the doors -- shaking hands and patting people on the back -- it was easy to tell this stage was not the result of a major accident or natural disaster.

Rather, it was the scene of a few hundred New York Mets fans coming in to donate blood in the first of two blood drives the team will hold this year.

"Not all the drives are as much fun as this," said New York Blood Center director of marketing Harvey Schaffler, surveying the crowd of donors, about a third of them adorned in Mets paraphernalia.

Drawing more than 100 people in the first two hours, the Mets were certainly on pace to top the 200 or so who donated at last year's blood drive -- an increase fueled by the team's successful 2006 campaign and the promise of two free tickets for a home game in April.

Coat drive at Shea

Dan Graziano at NJ.com, writes about the holiday coat drive at Shea Stadium tomorrow:

The Mets are holding a holiday coat drive today and tomorrow at Shea Stadium. Fans who donate "new or gently worn coats" receive two tickets to a select 2007 home game. The coats are donated to Queens-area shelters and may be dropped off at Gate D between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. both days.