A stake in the Mets? A passionate fan's dream

Even though it's improbable he will ever own the Mets, it would be a dream come true for mustard and horseradish maker Marc Gold.

The 63-year-old executive has been rooting for the baseball team since its first season in 1962. He was 14 and started the first fan club and monthly newsletter, Met Maze.

Though his mother made him give up the fan club after two years because his schoolwork was suffering, Gold's enthusiasm has endured decades of disappointment over the team's performance on the field.

In 1998, his family's business, Gold Pure Food Products Co. in Hempstead Village, became a Mets sponsor. Gold's creamy mustard and horseradish are official condiments of the team. The 79-year-old company also has underwritten the yearly giveaway of bobblehead dolls of Mets players since 2002.

"It would be incredible to say, 'We're owners of the Mets,' " Gold said this week when asked if he was interested in a minority stake. "Of course, it would have to be a number we could handle. There's only so much money in horseradish and mustard."

Gold's business, which he owns with his brother and two cousins, couldn't muster the $200 million or more being sought by the Wilpon family for a minority stake in the Mets. The privately held company doesn't disclose its sales, but a Dun & Bradstreet report pegged them at $11.4 million last year.

Gold said this week he would be willing to join other investors in purchasing Mets' shares. However, Gold said he had not been approached by the Wilpons. They are seeking a cash infusion after being sued for investment gains made with disgraced financier Bernard Madoff.

While Gold would love to be a partial owner, he said, he wants a say in team operations in return for his cash. "I want to change the whole system of relief pitchers," he said. "I want to bring in your best guy when you're in a tough situation."

Gold's increased involvement with the Mets came at the team's behest. Paul Danforth, a Mets vice president, called Gold about sponsorships for the 1998 season. "He said, 'We're using your mustard at Shea [Stadium]. You should be a sponsor,' " Gold said. "I couldn't believe I was going to the Mets' front office to talk business."

But Gold had to convince his skeptical business partners. They eventually agreed to buy advertising in the team yearbook, then game programs, and in 2001 a promotional day with a bat-bag giveaway to little leaguers.

Gold attributed yearly increases in mustard sales of 8 percent to 10 percent to backing the Mets: "Fans use our mustard on hot dogs at the stadium and then buy it in the supermarket."

Gold's Hempstead office is a team shrine, filled with memorabilia from the losing early years and the 2006 division championship.

A Mets spokesman lauded Gold, saying, "There's no person who probably knows more about the history of the Mets. . . . His passion for the team is obvious when you meet him."