An academic conference on the Mets, for those of you who like that kind of thing. Actually, seems perfect for a lot of you here. Proposals by Dec. 1, 2011; Conference April 26-28, 2012. From the web site: April 2012 will mark the 50th anniversary of the New York Mets, one of the most popular and culturally significant baseball franchises. On Thursday through Sunday, April 26-28, 2012, Hofstra University will host a conference to consider all aspects of the history and culture of the team. This will be the first multidisciplinary conference to consider every aspect of a Major League Baseball franchise. Expected participants at the conference will include current and former members of the Mets' organization; baseball executives, journalists, broadcasters, and analysts; baseball scholars, historians, and cultural critics; and writers, artists, filmmakers, cartoonists, bloggers, collectors, and fans. Presentations will be accepted on the basis of 300-500 word abstracts submitted by December 1, 2011.