JON RAUCH: THE NEWEST MEMBER OF THE METAL METS???

Last year I tried in earnest to interview New York Mets backup outfielder Jason Pridie about his entrance song, Pantera’s “Cemetery Gates.” That’s not exactly a stock song the stadium scoreboard operator would choose for someone as they step to the plate and Pridie isn’t exactly a marquee name, so I figured it was as good a chance as any to interview one of my beloved Mets after heavy metal. I got as far as contacting his agent, setting up an interview time and even being given his cell number, only to call at the scheduled time and get his voicemail. In my 5+ years with MetalSucks I’ve met and interviewed countless numbers of my personal metal heroes including some very famous ones, but a New York Met??? That would make my day, my week, my YEAR. It never did happen and my spirits were crushed.

So when I read on MetsBlog.com earlier this week that recently acquired 6’11” relief pitcher Jon Rauch had joined Twitter and was actively responding to fans, I decided to give it a shot without getting my hopes up too much. Rauch is heavily (heavily!) tattooed, so I decided to get right to it:

And he responded!!

So the New York Mets remain metal-less once again. With Jason Pridie having signed with Oakland in the offseason, there go my chances to interview a real live New York Met in the guise of metal.

Then I looked a little farther back into Rauch’s Twitter account and discovered this:

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Someone send this guy a Slayer record stat! Rauch did slightly redeem himself by saying he’d probably use Rage Against the Machine’s “Wake Up” as his bullpen entrance music. But let’s be real: as long as he strikes out Jimmy Rollins in a tense 8th inning standoff I really couldn’t give less fucks about what he listens to.

By the way, did you see the first installment of Grand Slams, the brand new MLB column on MetalSucks written by Becoming the Archetype’s Seth Hecox? Check it out; guy knows his stuff.

-VN