NEW YORK _ Jessica Mendoza said she faced some ribbing when visiting teams in spring training about her new role as an advisor for the Mets.
Things along the lines of, "We can't talk to you anymore."
But the recently hired Mets advisor said it strictly was "in a joking way" from people in baseball who do not expect their relationship with her to change now that she has added to her primary job as an ESPN analyst.
On a conference call Thursday to promote ESPN's "Sunday Night Baseball," Mendoza said managers and players already had been careful in what they tell her because most of what they say to her as a TV analyst is on the record.
"They would have the same concern," she said, "whether it be me working for the Mets or me working for the media."
As for being critical of the Mets on television, Mendoza said she does not expect that to be a problem, because the Mets hired her for her honesty, and that whatever critiques she offers on ESPN are likely to be ones that she shared in private as well.
Mark Gross, an ESPN senior vice president, said the network never considered removing Mendoza from the telecast when showing a Mets game or Yankees advisor Alex Rodriguez from the telecast when showing a Yankees game.
"We feel comfortable about having them on the games," Gross said. "We're not looking to fool anybody. We're not looking to trick the viewers into anything. We saw Alex's commentary last year on the Yankees games was no different than it was on any other games.
"We're comfortable with where we're at and that these guys are professional and can be objective. Yes, they're wearing two hats, but there is a way to do it. We'll be up front with viewers off the top of the game, letting people know."
Mendoza said Mets general manager Brodie Van Wagenen first broached the idea of joining the team late last summer, when he was contemplating interviewing to become the general manager and wanted to include her in his presentation to the team.
After getting the job, Van Wagenen asked "a little jokingly" whether Mendoza would be willing to relocate from Southern California to New York, which she was not.
Instead they came up with a more part-time position that would allow her to keep ESPN as her first work priority.
Mendoza said so far she has spent only one full day on the job with the Mets, with most of her winter being dedicated to spring training assignments for ESPN.
She said she has taken a particular interest in technological tools that help players' health and performance.
She said she spent four hours with director of sports performance Jim Cavallini.
"I walk in there and it's just questions; I'm bugging everyone," she said. "Brodie warned everyone. I'm not just there to sit back. I want to learn and know ... just understanding what's behind the curtain."
