Mets tangled in Kosher food dispute

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NEW YORK, Feb. 26 (UPI) -- A federal judge in New York is dealing with a case of rabbinical law -- whether a vendor can sell kosher food during Mets games on the Jewish Sabbath.

Kosher Sports Inc. says its contract allows it to offer its food at every game, the New York Daily News reported. The New Jersey-based company blames Mets' management for the ban on sales between sundown Friday and sundown Saturday.

The team says Aramark Food Service Corp., which holds the concession at Citi Field, makes the rules.

A hearing Friday resolved nothing.

Leo Klein, a lawyer for Kosher Foods, was nervous about possible prejudice from Magistrate Judge Andrew Carter. He said he saw the judge wearing a Mets cap during the lunch break and then enter the courtroom with a blue-and-orange tie, the team colors.

"There's no need for concern about that," Carter said.

Avery Mehlman, representing the Mets, said the owners, Fred Wilpon and Saul Katz, have bigger worries at the moment, possibly referring to a $300 million lawsuit filed by the trustee trying to deal with the aftermath of Bernard Madoff's multibillion-dollar Ponzi scheme.

"The Mets can litigate many things right now and this is not the most important thing," Mehlman said. "The season is coming up ... . Let's settle the matter."