Mr. Met crosshairs.jpg

A former Mr. Met remembered being warned by the Secret Service about what they would do if he tried to visit President Bill Clinton.

(TIM FARRELL/THE STAR?LEDGER)

A.J. Mass has written "Yes, It's Hot in Here: Adventures in the Weird, Woolly World of Sports Mascots," a look at the sweaty men and women who don costumes for a living (along with the history of the practice).

Mass, however, is also a former Mr. Met. And in an excerpt from the book published by Extra Mustard, he almost got himself into serious trouble in 1997 when searching for President Bill Clinton.

Clinton was at Shea Stadium for the 50th anniversary of Jackie Robinson's first game and Mass decided he wanted to try to visit with him after Jackie's widow was more than happy to see him. "The goal, of course, being the holy grail for all mascots -- a photo op and meet and greet with a sitting president. I have no illusion that this will actually work, but buoyed by my experience with Rachel Robinson, I figure it's worth a try. What do I have to lose?" he wrote.

After passing through a few checkpoints, he noticed a man in a suit hold him up and assumed he was a member of the Secret Service. Well, he was right.

"Mr. Met, here's the deal. You do whatever it is you normally do and go about your business as usual. We won't bother you anymore. I've made it clear that you no longer need to be searched at the checkpoints. Okay?" he told Mass. "Now listen to me very carefully. We have snipers all around the stadium, just in case something were to happen. Like I said, do whatever it is you normally do. Nobody will bother you. But approach the president, and we go for the kill shot. Are we clear?"

The man in the suit repeated it again, slowly: "Approach the president, and we go for the kill shot. ARE-WE-CLEAR?"

We imagine if it were possible for Mr. Met's permanently-affixed smile to drop off his face, it would have at that moment.