Does ten Gary Cohens equal a Lee Mazzilli?

Why is it that every baseball game has to come with a promotional giveaway, even when the giveaway sucks? I pose this question after attending last night's Mets vs. Braves game at Shea Stadium (Mets win on a solo shot by Moises Alou ... yeah!). The giveaway—and I can't believe trees had to die for this—was a pack of cards, not of baseball players, but of the commentators for SNY, the official cable net of the Mets. Thus, we were treated not only to cards touting play-by-play guy Gary Cohen (at right), but to former Mets first baseman Keith Hernandez—a color commentator for SNY—in a suit and tie holding a microphone. (Similar treatments were given to ex-pitcher Ron Darling, and Met/Yankee Lee Mazzilli.) Oy. Late in the game, as the Mets rallied, the inevitable happened. People began to rip up the cards and use them as confetti, which caused the P.A. announcer to ask the fans to stop it since a few cards had dribbled onto the field. Well, given the "value" of the giveaway, which was all about promoting SNY and not at all about what fans want, such behavior is understandable. Picture via Mets.com.