N.Y. Mets: The Four-Headed New World Order

From the desk of:  HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET

LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON

New York Mets: Meet the New Boss, Son of the Old Boss.

Ponder this if you will ...

Fred Wilpon never hired a general manager who he didn't previously know personally well.  Now his son is following in his footsteps.

On very good advice, Fred Wilpon and Nelson Doubleday upon purchasing the team in 1980 hand over their baseball operations to Frank Cashen.  By the end of his tenure in 1991, Cashen cultivates a crop of front office executives (Al Harazin, Joe McIlvaine, Jerry Hunsicker, and junior member Steve Phillips) that at the time become the envy of the league despite their growing reputation as notorious infighters.

Entering the 1992 season, Frank Cashen and Fred Wilpon promote Al Harazin (the least qualified of the lot) to the rank of general manager.  Angered at being passed over, both Hunsicker and McIlvaine leave the organization.  Jerry Hunsicker becomes general manager of the Houston Astros; Joe McIlvaine accepts the San Diego Padres position.  Fred realizes his mistake two years too late, and phones Jerry Hunsicker pleading for his return, but is rebuffed.  Fred then dials-up Joe McIlvaine, who agrees to rejoin the Mets and succeed Harazin as its next general manager.

After McIlvaine is fired, Fred promotes Steve Phillips, who in turn is responsible for bringing into the Mets front office fold Jim Duquette and Omar Minaya.  However, Minaya soon accepts the Montreal Expos' general manager position.  When Fred Wilpon fires Phillips, he turns to his lone remaining in-house front office executive, Jim Duquette.  However, his time in office is short-lived.  Duquette is replaced when Fred reverts to past practice, and dials up old friend Omar Minaya, who gladly returns to the Mets.

The main point to be taken away from all this is, familiarity.  Firing Omar Minaya ends Fred Wilpon's run of in-house general managers.  All Fred's previous hires are selections from house stock furnished by Frank Cashen and Steve Phillips, and he exhausts them all.  For the first time since purchasing the team and handing over operations to Frank Cashen, the Wilpons are forced to seek out a new general manager through their own volition.

After receiving professional consultation, both Fred and Jeff Wilpon conduct a rather ineffectual search that leaves them no closer to hiring a legitimate executive than when they first begin.  Not until Bud Selig intervenes by making Sandy Alderson (working for MLB in Dominican Republic) available do the Mets reconcile their front office.  I would also argue Alderson is more than just a friendly recommendation.  His primary function (IMO) is to keep MLB's National League club in an operational state while ownership attends to their unfolding financial calamity.  In any event, the Mets fruitless search for a general manager ends post haste.  What should have been a joint decision involving Fred Wilpon making his last hire, and Jeff Wilpon making his first general manager hire, turns out being neither.

Sandy Alderson stepping down this past summer due to health reasons puts the Mets back in the same situation they found themselves in 2010, only this time the way is finally clear for what will certainly be Jeff Wilpon's first effectual hire.

Before even formulating a list of potential candidates, Jeff Wilpon in no uncertain terms sets preconditions for the team's next executive.  Both he and Fred want Mickey Callaway back to start the 2019 season.  Jeff, meanwhile, prefers Omar Minaya, J.P. Ricciardi, and John Ricco, be retained as part of a greater front office enterprise.

This makes me wonder what right-minded, confident, and qualified executive of high regard (with a backbone) would accept such preconditions particularly coming from an ownership which promises autonomy, but who's reputation for being overly sensitive, reactive, and meddlesome, precedes them.  I also question Jeff Wilpon's decision regarding John Ricco's involvement through the first round of screening.

It's not unreasonable of me to say being general manager of New York City's National League club should be one of baseball's most highly sought out positions, but it's not.  Once the likes of Ben Cherington, Thad Levine, and Mike Chernoff express little to no interest, I sense the Mets are in big trouble.  The remaining list of candidates itself is not overly impressive: Gary LaRocque; DeJon Watson; Casey Close; Dave Littlefield; Kim Ng; Doug Melvin; Chaim Bloom; Brodie Van Wagenen; etc.

All the while an internal struggle is simmering between Fred and Jeff Wilpon.  Fred wants to hire an old school executive with a traditional background in scouting and development.  However, Jeff wants the Mets veering off in a new direction and catching up with 21st century analytics.  Ben Cherington was my main consideration, but I would have been agreeable with Kim Ng.  Her resume speaks for itself.  However, the list of candidates is whittled down to three finalists: Doug Melvin, Chaim Bloom, and Brodie Van Wagenen.  Melvin initially emerges as the favorite, but then is suddenly declared out of the running. 

That leads me to believe one thing: Jeff wins the tug-o-war with his father.  If you were unsure before, know this now: Jeff Wilpon is firmly in control of the New York Mets.  And I submit to you he is making the same mistake as his father.

At first glance, hiring Brodie Van Wagenen appears out of the box.  I beg to differ.  Above all else, Ben Cherington, Kim Ng, Doug Melvin, Mike Chernoff, Chaim Bloom, et al, are all unknowns.  They all also represent contrarian opinions and ideas.  Outside of Frank Cashen, hiring Van Wagenen is no different than Fred hiring Harazin, McIlvaine, Phillips, Duquette, or Minaya, because they were all friends to Fred first, and executives second.  Likewise, Brodie Van Wagenen and Jeff Wilpon are friends.  They've formed quite a relationship over the years.  That gives Van Wagenen a great personal understanding into Jeff (and his father).  Said another way, Jeff ensures himself of having a compassionate friend by his side.  Chaim Bloom would truly have been thinking outside the box.  But he's a stranger, and a contrarian.  Now we go from a three-headed monster, to a four-headed monster.  Lest we forget Jeff Wilpon's stipulations.

Never once did Fred willingly go out of his comfort zone.  Sandy Alderson was the lone exception.  By hiring Brodie Van Wagenen, Jeff Wilpon gets to remain in his.

Like father, like son.

The organization now moves forward according to Jeff's vision.

N.Y. Mets: Why Life After Sandy Alderson Terrifies Me

From the desk of:  HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET

How To Make The Mets Great Again

New York Mets: We can't make the Wilpons sell the team.  So how about a compromise?

Want to know why the prospect of life after Sandy Alderson terrifies me?  For the same reason that life before Sandy Alderson once terrified me: The Wilpons are no better prepared today for running this organization than when they hired Sandy Alderson eight years ago.

Think about this: Fred Wilpon, nor Jeff Wilpon, have never once been forced to venture out into the unknown and secure a general manager of their own volition.

They tried, once.  But the matter in the end was settled for them.  Otherwise, all the footwork had already been taken care for them previously by Frank Cashen, Steve Phillips, and most recently by former commissioner Bud Selig.

I bring into question the last thirty years in support of my claim.

The late former co-owner of the Mets, Nelson Doubleday, by his own admission believed in hiring good baseball people and staying out of the way.

Fred Wilpon ... not so much.

Partner or no partner, Fred to varying degrees has always exercised managing control of the New York Mets.  A dismayed and betrayed Nelson Doubleday learned that the hard way.  Despite Wilpon and Saul Katz originally buying in as mere two percent owners, since day one and throughout the 1980s and 1990s, and through the 2002 season, Fred Wilpon served as team President (until his partnership with Doubleday reached its acrimonious end, after which he assumed the role of Chairman).  As such, Fred historically has been at the forefront of all matters concerning executive employment, specifically the team's various general managers.

Frank Cashen is easily still the greatest hire either owner ever made, and perhaps goes down as one of the few times Nelson and Fred ever agreed on anything.  Frankie Bow Tie served as general manager from 1980 through the 1991 season.  His job description was understated to say the least.  For he conducted business as the Mets grand mystic high exulted ruler of operations virtually unopposed throughout the 1980s.  Ownership essentially signed off on all things Cashen deemed fit.  Deservedly so as he was a supremely qualified baseball man who long ago proved his prowess as an executive.

With Cashen in place, reports of ownership meddling in baseball affairs were virtually non existent.  On the other hand, Cashen succeeded in transforming the Mets front office featuring Jerry Hunsicker, Joe McIlvaine, and Steve Phillips, that despite becoming the envy of the league, quickly earned a reputation for being notorious infighters (but that's neither here nor there).

By 1992 Cashen was getting up in years and so elevated himself for one season to the position of team COO (after which he continued in a consulting role).  Ponderously, he appointed Al Harazin (assistant general manager since 1986, and perhaps the least qualified of his executive choices) to succeed him as Mets general manager.

Insulted and disrespected, both Hunsicker and McIlvaine understandably flipped their respective lids and bolted from the organization with haste.  Hunsicker left to become general manager of the Houston Astros, and Joe McIlvaine likewise accepted the general manager's position at San Diego.  Only Steve Phillips (brought into the fold in 1990) stayed put.

Meanwhile, Al Harazin's two years as general manager were nothing short of terrible.  The 1993 season in particular goes down as one of the more embarrassing campaigns in all New York Mets history.  This two year episode can certainly be blamed on Frank Cashen.  Not coincidentally, though, this is when Fred Wilpon's tribulations begin.  Because by this juncture in Mets history Cashen is no longer serving as buffer between ownership and baseball operations.

Free to fill the void left behind by Cashen, Mr. Wilpon earnestly begins intervening in baseball affairs.  Acting on his own behalf, he turns to the only people with whom he had previously gained any sense of familiarity: Jerry Hunsicker and Joe McIlvaine.  The former rebuffed outright Wilpon's plea to return.  However, McIlvaine acquiesced and returned to Flushung.

Fast forward through the Generation K years, and Wilpon is growing increasingly perturbed with Joe Mac's many unscheduled and often lengthy scouting trips during which he would routinely fail to return Wilpon's calls in a timely manner ... if at all.  Wilpon ultimately makes Joe Mac's aloof and irreverent behavior an issue, and fires him midway through the 1997 season.

Fred Wilpon turns to the next familiar face.  An in-house hire, Steve Phillips is elevated to the position of general manager.  Phillips in turn is responsible for bringing into the fold both Omar Minaya and Jim Duquette.  But in 2002 Omar Minaya leaves to become general manager of the (then) Montreal Expos.

Steve Phillips earns his pink slip a year later.  Fred Wilpon not surprisingly turns to his lone remaining in-house option, elevating Jim Duquette (whom Wilpon would effectively dictate his day-to-day terms of employment to the point Duquette is literally rendered inconsequential as a team executive.  The freeze placed upon him coincides with Fred Wilpon's efforts towards securing financing for the construction of Citi Field).

By 2003-2004, Mr. Wilpon has seemingly exhausted all internal executive options left behind by Frank Cashen and Steve Phillips.  Or so we thought.  In a bind, Fred Wilpon dials up Omar Minaya begging for his return to Flushing just as he had once before with Joe McIlvaine.  And like McIlvaine, Minaya agreed.  However, in his haste to secure Minaya, Mr. Wilpon failed to relieve Jim Duquette of his duties in a timely and professional manner.  If nothing else, this made for a typically Metsian transition.

With this blog as my witness ... by 2009 and 2010 I began accusing the Mets of being a hopelessly inbred organization, completely bereft of an original idea.  Hardly a hasty conclusion considering for thirty years Fred Wilpon had limited his front office personnel to only those he was familiar with and knew well.  While Jerry Hunsicker goes down as the one that got away, Joe McIlvaine, Steve Phillips, Jim Duquette, and Omar Minaya were all either groomed by or recruited into the organization.  As front office resources, Fred Wilpon exhausted every last one.  As such, this blog began imploring the organization to finally venture off campus for sake of recruiting someone not previously tethered to the Wilpons.

When circumstances turned against Omar Minaya, the future of the organization further terrified me.  I believed then as I do now, the Wilpons do not possess the requisite, acquired, or even applied experience, nor the industry intellect to identify, recruit, and ably secure a learned and aptly qualified baseball executive.

To reiterate, my reason is because they've never before been forced out of their comfort zone where it concerns employing general managers.  Much to my dismay, I was right.  Upon Minaya's dismissal, ownership first sought consultation within the industry before initiating a (farcical) search for a new general manager.  Multiple candidates were interviewed (including in-house executive John Ricco).  Well into the process, however, Fred and Jeff were no closer to hiring a replacement than they were on day one (Jeff Wilpon is now team COO and in control of front office operations, whereas previously and right up until Omar Minaya's hiring this was formerly Fred's domain).

Enter commissioner Bud Selig.  He suddenly makes Sandy Alderson available who at the time was conducting MLB operations in Dominican Republic.  For ownership, a veritable stroke of luck.  Upon Selig's not so subtle insistence, they hire Sandy Alderson Johnny-on-the-spot thus ending their general manager search post haste.  So truth be told, it is purely by default that Jeff Wilpon makes his first general managerial hire.

Fast forward again, and we've now arrived at a point where Sandy Alderson either faces getting fired, or retires on his own terms.

The objective observer might view John Ricco as a natural candidate for general manager considering his time and experience within the organization's front office.  Perhaps best known for performing damage control in 2010 during Omar Minaya's colossal media meltdown, John Ricco not only survived Minaya, but seems as if he may outlast Sandy Alderson as well.

I on the other hand view John Ricco as a worst possible scenario.  He's been tethered to the Mets for at least a decade.  He is too familiar with ownership, and them with him.  He strikes me as just another potential yes man as I refuse to believe Ricco would be granted full autonomy.  J.P. Ricciardi is also still on board.  But I was never impressed with his body of work as GM of the Toronto Blue Jays.  In either scenario, the club would be reverting back to in-house candidates, further inbreeding of the executive pool, and once again insulating the organization from foreign and/or innovative thought.  Re-hiring Omar Minaya would be no different.

Nelson Doubleday warned fans of this looming mismanagement ...

Fairly or unfairly, Jeff Wilpon has long been accused of being a micro-meddler.  The local tabloids are littered with such scuttlebutt.  How many times through the years have you heard the Wilpons trying to maintain a collegial style front office operation?  Isn't that corporate code for meddling?  We know his father is still actively meddling when it was disclosed he sheltered Terry Collins knowing Sandy Alderson wanted him fired.  How more many times have both Jeff and Fred made baseball decisions for the wrong reasons by putting issues of money, attendance, and public perception, ahead of actual winning?  When an organization is run by a reactive (dare I say impetuous) COO, be sure meddling will be order of the day.

We can't make the Wilpons sell the team.  But there is a way of removing their fingerprints from baseball operations.  A strict chain of command has become necessary.  Hire a learned and independent minded President of Baseball Operations.  In the age of general managers basking in the spotlight, I realize employing a Team President seems somewhat archaic.  I understand teams just do not operate that way anymore.  But in this particular case, a buffer between ownership and baseball ops is just what the Wilpons and Mets fans need if they are to continue forward in an agreeable manner towards reestablishing this public trust.

A Team President of Baseball Operations must be someone the Wilpons can trust unconditionally with keeping their best interests front and center at all times, and above all having said interests satisfactorily met.  But ownership must then be willing to completely separate themselves from baseball operations.

In turn, the President of Baseball Operations oversees the entire operation.  He/she hires a general manager and makes sure he/she stays on the straight and narrow, adhering to team objectives, and making sure organizational resources are allocated in the most effective way possible, all the while ensuring the primary focus remains on the agreed upon mission (handed down by the President of Baseball Operations).

The general manager then sets forth on the Team President's mission, and reports directly back to same.  The President then occassionally reports back and assures the owners their interests are still being met.  In this system owners do not speak directly with the general manager where it concerns baseball matters.  In return, the President of Baseball Operations is left to decipher ownership's nonsense before acting upon, and disseminating pertinent information.

All that being said, I believe it's time the Mets instituted a disciplined chain of command.

Sandy Alderson's record is a matter for another discussion.  But as it relates to this narrative, he is likewise tethered.  And this is precisely the organizational condition which must change.

N.Y. Mets ~ The Long Lost Mets Codex

From the desk of:  HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET


NEW YORK METS:  They Have Embarked On Three Official Rebuilding Processes in Their History.  But Since the 1990's, It Seems to Have Become a Dirty Word In Flushing.  And As a Result, They've Lost Their Way.


After the Mets finished toying with other teams' legacies; finishing last every season; and setting records in embarrassing fashion over their first few years of existence, Joe McDonald; Whitey Herzog; Bing Devine; Johnny Murphy; and a host of respected scouts set about on a concerted effort to procure and develop skilled prospects.  Adherence to their plan of minor league development garnered names like Jerry Koosman; Tug McGraw; Bud Harrelson; Cleon Jones; Nolan Ryan; Gary Gentry; and others.  With a little bit of luck landing Tom Seaver and some key acquisitions along the way, the Mets parlayed their efforts into a Championship.


Retooled with some new young players and savvy pick-ups like Felix Millan; Rusty Staub; John Milner; and Jon Matlack; the Mets almost pulled off another World Series victory in 1973; falling short by one game against the A's.


But by 1975-76, the Mets recognized age was creeping up on them.  Newer, younger players, like John Stearns; Lee Mazzilli; Craig Swan; and Mike Vail were starting a transition toward youth.  Then in 1977, Tom Seaver demanded a trade out of New York because he found his bosses insufferable.  This triggered the full blown jettisoning of the last remnants of the Miracle Mets between 1977-1979 and initiated the second rebuilding of the Mets with a total commitment to the farm system.


However, the decision to totally rebuild the Mets through the farm system for a second time was thwarted by ownership's decision to finally sell the team.  By 1979, the mandate to freeze all expenditures was put in place and Joe McDonald's hands were tied regarding bringing free agents to N.Y. or making trades that would raise payroll.


Before Joe McDonald's work here in Flushing was finished; upon the purchase of the team by the Doubleday/Wilpon group heading into 1980; he drafted and developed a good many number of key components to the 1986 Championship team.  As mentioned, Lee Mazzilli enabled us to get Ron Darling and Walt Terrell.  Terrell in turn got us Howard Johnson.  He drafted Niel Allen who in return brought Kieth Hernandez to Flushing.  He drafted Hubie Brooks who helped land the Mets Gary Carter.  He selected Calvin Schiraldi in 1980 who later was traded for Bobby Ojeda.  He drafted Wally Backman; Mookie Wilson; and Jesse Orosco.  Among those that got away were guys like Mike Scott who was traded for Danny Heep and Jeff Reardon who was traded for Ellis Valentine.


Then, Frank Cashen made his mark with a continued minor league investment and drafted Darryl Strawberry and Dwight Gooden.  And of course, give Frank Cashen credit for utilizing what Joe McDonald left behind.  So in retrospect, the two men, through vigorous minor league development, chipped in and built another Championship team for the Mets.


The third time the Mets officially committed to a minor league focused rebuilding effort came in the mid-1990's when Joe McIlvaine was General Manager.  METroplis was in total agreement with the movement.  It was supposed to have been built with Generation-K as it's foundation.  But the movement failed miserably as we know with few people to blame.  But during that time, players were drafted that inevitably landed us Mike Piazza and some components of the 2000 team.

Since then, Rebuilding has become a dirty word in Flushing.  It's become a like a lost codex burned by Spanish Conquistadors.  So what I described winds up being the complete history of the Mets' rebuilding process over the years in the Homeric oral tradition only. 


No time in between the Steve Phillips years to the present has been classified as a clear cut rebuilding process.  Additionally, after David Wright; Jose Reyes; and Scott Kazmir; the well went dry until the current crop of minor leaguers drafted by Omar Minaya started to be called up to the majors over the last two seasons.


I know what Omar Minaya was trying to do.  He was trying to align a transition of the old to new in the years between 2010 through 2012.  He just didn't get to stick around long enough to realize his plan.  Don't forget, we're still watching his blueprints in action.  Aside of jettisoning some parts of Minaya's team, Sandy Alderson is still babysitting Omar's team and grand scheme.  All Omar's contracts were designed to expire within a year or two of each other as his minor league draftees became ready for the majors.  And that is more or less, where we are now.


Sandy Alderson has had one Winter Meeting; An Amateur Draft; and a Trade Deadline thus far.  And we are still wondering what his plan might be.  Does he consider rebuilding a dirty word also?  Does he have something else in store us?  Or will he return to the ancient but proven Met Scriptures like a true renaissance man and REBUILD the Mets?  Can we finally lift the Dark Age stigma imposed on the word Rebuilding?



Mike.BTB

N.Y. METS ~ Wilpon The Elder Pops Off

From the desk of:  HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET


NEW YORK METS:  The SAUL B. KATZ DILEMMA is also a SCHMUCK.

HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET  101  ~  Refresher Course:

The SAUL B. KATZ DILEMMA =  Proper Noun; -  alternate name for Fred Wilpon, but also refers to his son Jeff Wilpon; and at times, both together. 
Noun;  1) - the state of existence under sole ownership of the Wilpons.  2) - Saul Katz' partnership with the Wilpons.
Adjective; - used to describe the folly of Wilponianism; the state of constant chaos under sole Wilpon Ownership.

WILPONIANISM = the era within which this team exists in the years after Nelson Doubleday sold his half of the team to Fred Wilpon.  We are currently in Met Year 9 A.D. ~ After Doubleday.



Unlike Carlos Beltran in 2006, Fred Wilpon Decided To Go Down Swinging.

I've been a Met Fan since the last time Tug McGraw, Rusty Staub, and Tom Seaver all played at Shea together.   This team was once Amazin' to me.   Now it's just bizarre.

Wilpon the Elder spoke.  And Fred said what?


The owner who banned newspapers from the clubhouse in 2007 because he didn't want his team reading negative articles, just offered up plenty of new reading material for the team to avoid.  For a guy who shunned controversy at every turn, Fred Wilpon just ran towards the fire.  The New York Metropolitan BBC principle owner did a lot of talking about his team to writer Jeffrey Toobin back in April from his Citi Field suite, and apparently had every intention of letting everyone know what was on his mind.

But what did he say? - Nothing we weren't saying ourselves.  But this comes from an owner for whom this seems a bit out of character.  Fred is a reserved guy.  So this is like having Porn-of-the-Mouth for him.  First, some of Fred Wilpon's comments:

On Reyes ~ "He thinks he's going to get Carl Crawford money...  He's had everything wrong with him.  He won't get it."

On Beltran ~ "We had some schmuck in New York who paid him based on that one series.  He's 65 to 70 percent of what he was."

On Wright ~ "Really good kid.  A very good player.  Not a superstar."

On Ike Davis ~ "Good hitter,  ...$h!t team.  Good hitter."

Well, lets' just say I can't wait for the rest of the article to come out because it's fascinating hearing Fred Wilpon speak like this.  Back when Fred Wilpon announced Vince Coleman.., "Will never wear a Mets uniform again!" he got pretty hot about it.  When Doc Gooden tested positive for cocaine the first time, Mr. Wilpon was exceedingly supportive of his pitcher.  Then when Doc Gooden tested positive a second time, Fred Wilpon showed open disgust and effectively banished Gooden from Flushing for a long time.

Fred Wilpon used to complain out loud that he couldn't find his GM when Joe McIlvaine occupied that post, and that Joe didn't return his calls.  And then you'd have to fast-forward to when Fred fired Steve Phillips and Bobby Valentine and tapped into his inner-Leon Hess when he muttered, "I wanna win!" for times he was outwardly expressive.

In thirty years, that's the most we ever got out of Fred Wilpon.  Then the Madoff Scandal broke.  And now today, we were gifted with some very candid comments made by the Mets' embattled owner.


Like I said, Fred Wilpon didn't say anything we weren't already thinking.  Jose Reyes; David Wright; and Ike Davis? - Check, check, and check.  The only question I have regarding his Carlos Beltran assessment is who exactly was Fred calling a schmuck?  Was he talking about himself, or was he calling Omar Minaya a schmuck?  It doesn't really matter because he's right either way.

For the most part, I want to say good for him.  Say what you feel Fred!  We know you care but it's good to say things out loud sometimes. So...., Bravo?

But what's with the timing Dude?  If your current General Manager plans on trading some of these guys because YOU can't afford to retain them, why knock them and disclose your lack of satisfaction with them now?  Number one, - that should have been done years ago when Omar was still here.  Number two, - you just gave teams latitude to stall and skimp on any potential deal.  So based on that alone, I'd have to agree with your assertion that there is indeed a schmuck back in New York.  But again, tell us something we didn't already know Fred.

I get it.  Fred's Empire is in peril and he's frustrated.  Who wouldn't be frustrated?  And what he said didn't exactly cut like a hot knife through butter.  If any of the players mentioned are offended, they need thicker skin then.  David Wright already said there's nothing productive he can say about Fred's comments in light of what he's going through.  It was a good move by David to take that tact.  And hey, sometimes the truth hurts.  All the players are better off leaving this one alone.

This wasn't a George Steinbrenner moment.  That's too strong.  The Boss was different.  I was thinking Leon Hess.  But Fred was always more involved and passionate than Leon was.  To me, this is like a John Mara moment from two years ago when John voiced overt disgust with his team's performance at season's close.  But I don't dare compare the two owners.  There is no comparison.  There is only this moment to speak of.

No one knows yet how the Wilpon's Madoff troubles will end.  Fred Wilpon is now 74 years old and by his own words, owns a $h!t team.  So what are we the fan base supposed to say to that? 

"You're right!" ?

C'mon Fred; - This is all stuff you should have been concerned with in 2008 and yelling at Omar Minaya for instead of having lunch and getting all gonzo with a writer in your Citi Field suite three years later.  It's all in the timimg Dude.  You looked just as bad throwing us all this curve ball today as Carlos Beltran did taking that curve ball in 2006.

Don't get me started about how after Frank Cashen, you fostered in inbred Front Office.  I don't want to have to do that...again!


Welcome to MET YEAR 9 A.D. ~ After Doubleday; The Age of Wilponianism continues.

Today Met Fans, we were treated to something I like to call, The SAUL B. KATZ DILEMMA, ...again!

It just never stops.




Mike.BTB

N.Y. METS ~ The Saul B. Katz Dilemma Rides Again

Head-Butting Mr. Met:



The SAUL B. KATZ Dilemma:

 - Refers to the State of Chaos we find our beloved METS in, ever since Nelson Doubleday found his Partner so insufferable, (with even less regard for his Son), ...to the point he felt he had no choice but to sell his half of the Team.
 - Refers to the Age of Wilponianism; as Majority Owner in the MET YEARS 1 through 9 A.D. -
(A.D. = After Doubleday).  We are now entering MET YEAR 9 A.D.

 - The Saul B. Katz Dilemma IS...Fred Wilpon and Jeff Wilpon.
 - Saul's Dilemma is being a Minority Owner under the Wilpons.
 - His Quandary IS - The SAUL B. KATZ Dilemma!

Poor Saul.

And now, The Saul B. Katz Dilemma is - Our Problem!  Again.


After all that hard work William Shea put in, to include being Party to a Body threatening Major League Baseball's grip on the American Game with the creation of a third Professional Baseball League named the Continental League ~ Through all his diligent work, and with the help of an Old New York Giants former season ticket holder's passion for Baseball; Joan Payson...,  The New York Metropolitans were born into the National League of Baseball in 1962.  Joan Payson would be our owner.

In 1980, ownership of the New York Mets was purchased by and transferred to Nelson Doubleday and Fred Wilpon.

From that point, all the way to the year 2003, of all the things we've learned and know about our team, there are three most interesting factoids we should be reminded of because after Frank Cashen retired as our GM, Order was lost.

*Recall how Joe McIlvaine said one of the reasons he fled the Mets to take the S.D. Padres GM job, and why he tired of waiting for the Mets GM position, was because of all the In-Fighting that took place within the Mets' Front Office behind the scenes.

*Of course, remember how badly the Partnership between Doubleday and Wilpon deteriorated, and how little respect Nelson Doubleday had for Fred and Jeff on the way out; saying - almost guaranteeing, Fred Wilpon would run the team into the ground AND how laughable Jeff and his want to be a Baseball Man was; even comparing him once to Pharaoh.

*And then there was Steve Phillips.  What he told us wasn't a complete revelation to us, but what Phillips did was describe in detail, Wilpon's dysfunctional Front Office Business Model and their collegial system.

Those three little tidbits speak of the mayhem that has permeated the hallways of the Front Office for a very long time.  It's a motif that has played out at length, repeatedly; consistently since 1991.

....And now we can pick up the story again after Doubleday, Cashen, Harazin, McIlvaine, (Hunsicker), and Phillips were all gone.  Since 2003, The Wilpons have been operating without a net.  They exhausted the last two vestiges of familiarity within the organization when they hired and fired Jim Duquette and Omar Minaya.

For Met Year 9 A.D., the Mets' Ownership opted for change.  Enter Sandy Alderson as the first executive hire the Mets Organization made that has not been previously familiar with the Wilpons since 1980.   Alderson represents the first time the Club went "OFF CAMPUS" to fill their GM position since they hired Frank Cashen to be their first.  Every GM after Frank Cashen has been a legacy hire.

And Mets Fans said, "FINALLY!"  We thought we had someone who knew a thing or two about running an entire organization, and succeeding at it.

In this Blog I made a Peace with Fred and Jeff.  I laid down my arms.  I thought after a job well done, it was high time I left the Wilpons alone.  I thought 2011 was shaping-up as a season where I wouldn't have to resort back to LiL Jeffery at Mets R Us jokes and Son of 'PON barbs. 

I thought I had finally laid The Saul B. Katz Dilemma to rest.

Shame on me, because I should have known better.

The Wilpons are now looking into relinquishing up to 25% of the team to hedge themselves against the Bernie Madoff related lawsuit, and to ensure the continued operational competitiveness of the team.  In other words, they are looking to get about $250 million dollars to take on a very silent partner because the S.S. Wilpon is going down.


The NEW YORK TIMES reported Fred Wilpon and Saul Katz could be in for as much as
ONE BILLION DOLLARS!

My biggest problem with the Wilpons during the Bernie Madoff scandal was what I perceived to be their lack of forthrightness with the fan base.  In Baseball matters, we just wanted better decisions and a coherent plan to follow.  But we never had one and they were never honest with us to compound matters.
The impact of the Madoff Scandal must have been hampering the Mets since the earliest days of the news initially breaking. New onerous debt on Citi Field was offset somewhat by the Naming Rights fees, but they incurred massive debt none-the-less on construction of the park. Abundant injuries to key players resulting in lower than expected attendance levels must also be affecting their bottom line.  And without a doubt, Omar Minaya hampered the Mets with numerous crippling contracts.  Factor in the obvious ~ their actions spoke much louder than their words, with other signs of impending doom and they may have created the perfect storm from which the S.S. Wilpon "may not last till dawn".  It now seems as if this Madoff matter could be a determining factor that may trigger a selling of the Mets, and not just a minor stake in the team.

I've been one of their toughest critics.  But I never really entertained the thought of the Wilpons selling the team.  Even on my angriest day, I never really considered it.  He's frustrated me often and is responsible for many grey hairs over the years.  But I do have a soft spot for the Big Guy.  I actually like the Family Ownership "thing" they readily confess to.  I just wanted them to make better decisions; That's all.  He's an old Brooklyn Kid, and I guess there's a sense of loyalty there.  He's from my neighborhood.  However, I was as upset as any Mets fan about his Owed-To-the-Brooklyn Dodgers-Park thing, coming at the expense of our Mets, along with other such matters like our Hall of Fame and those stupid uniform combos; etc.

The Wilpons are so down right now, and in a big, bad way.  ONE BILLION DOLLARS?!  If that's the amount this lawsuit is looking to secure from the Wilpons and Mr. Katz, I don't even think Freakin' Sharks with Lasers can help them out of this one.

As far as who they will find to purchase a 20% stake in the team...For What?  What kind of return or what value for their investment will they realize by doing so?  If anyone does step up, will they be doing it for the clout and prestige of it all and not because it will garner appreciative value?  Someone may intercede and do it as a favor to Fred.  After that, the only other candidate I can think of is a SUCKER.  There's one born everyday, so there's always that chance. 

The Mets have said they will remain as majority owners and stay in operational control of the team.  They also said under no circumstances will they sell the team.  When someone says NEVER, the opposite is usually just around the corner.

The shuffling of the Front Office without a doubt, still needed to happen.  We know the Front Office moves were far from being cosmetic and lacking substance.  The fan base voiced wide-spread approval.  And now the Wilpons will have to come through in the clutch again to save, not just their fan base this time, but the entire team.  This isn't the beginning of their troubles.  This has been a calamity in the making.  This small sell-off is a desperate measure.  The revelation is probably quite late coming to our attention regarding just how dire the situation facing the Wilpons really is.  This, if we suspected correctly all along, has been brewing and worsening the whole time.  Then, I'm asking if the Wilpons knew what they were up against, did Sandy Alderson know what they were up against?

But just when we thought improvement was the new order of the day, DOOM decided to tap Fred Wilpon on the shoulder and serve him with papers.  Now our Mets are faced with a precarious situation and an uncertain future.  We are supposed to be a stable franchise and we were supposed to be turning a page this season  Instead, we're getting the book thrown at us.

Even to my own dismay....,

The Saul B. Katz Dilemma Rides Again!





Mike.BTB

The Age of Fred's WILPONianism

These two posts from the past say everything I ever needed to say concerning where I have always stood regarding the Mets, and never ever wavered.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

A Concise Concatenate of Mets GM's and

Life Under WILPONIANISM

Originally posted by me on December 27, 2009

http://thebrooklyntrolleyblogger.blogspot.com/2009/12/concise-concatenate-of-mets-gms-life.html

No need to click it;  It's just to show you the time stamp.

I got it ALL right here; TRUST ME.  The post is as follows:

SHEA STADIUM, 1976

The Metropolitans Baseball Club of New York

Our Matriarch; Mrs. Joan Payson

The partnership group headed by Nelson Doubleday and Fred Wilpon purchased the NY Metropolitan BBC on Jan. 4, 1980 from Charles Shipman Payson, (who took control of the team after his wife Joan passed away 5 years earlier), and their daughter, club president Lorinda de Roulet. The Mets' original and only owner to that point passed away October 4, 1975. We owe everything as Met fans to Mrs. Joan Payson, the New York Baseball Giants fan and season ticket holder at the Polo Grounds, and to Mr. William Shea.

Joe McDonald had been the General Manager for the previous 5 years under the old ownership. The way I understand it, the new ownership told Mr. McDonald the last few years at Shea weren't his fault but they (Doubleday and Wilpon) wanted to go in a new direction. The club made an offer to Mr. McDonald to stay with the team in a different capacity which he did for one year to help make the new ownership's transition smoother. But by 1981 he was gone from the Mets' employ moving on to other endeavours.

The Mets chose Frank Cashen, architect of the mighty Baltimore Orioles teams of the late 60's and early 70's to be their new General Manager.


But before we get into Frank Cashen these are the things I didn't know about JOE McDONALD in 1978 when I was 11 years:

FIRST ~ He was Director of our Minor League Operations in the 60s busy farming-up Tom Seaver, Jerry Koosman, Gary Gentry, Nolan Ryan, Tug McGraw and a bevy of our positional players that went on to win the World Series in 1969 and a N.L. flag in 1973.

SECOND - One of my favorite seasons EVER was 1976. By then, collecting baseball cards, going to games, watching on TV, listening on the radio, flippin' cards in the schoolyard and playing stick ball on the block all came together for me. It's all I lived for as a nine year old in Brooklyn.

My team for the most part was still in tact. What I didn't understand then was, it was time, unbeknown-st to me, to break that edition of the Mets up. THAT TIME had come for the Mets. Huh? From 1977-1979, one by one, I watched all my beloved Mets disappear. I was stung when they traded Tug McGraw, Cleon Jones and Rusty Staub in '74 and '75, but those were only tremors. The big shake-up started in earnest in '77. Tom Seaver, Koosman, Kingman, Grote, Harrelson, Wayne Garrett, Skip Lockwood, John Matlack, John Milner, Roy Staiger were all gone. Eddie Kranepool retired and ED OTT, catcher of the Pirates, ended Felix Millan's career with a WWE wrestling style body slam. I thought Lee Mazzilli was going to play with these guys. But I watched and thought who's responsible for this? My Dad was a Yankee fan so no help there.

What I didn't understand then about Joe McDonald was, like I said it was time to break the team up, but I certainly didn't know that Lorinda de Roulet ordered every budget in sight slashed and ground up into fine powder. Not even pencils and paper clips were safe. The team was hemorrhaging money and the Mets were looking for a buyer. I was nine, ten and eleven. WHO KNEW?! I didn't and I blamed him for everything back then, to include trading Tom Seaver.


This is what I now know about JOE McDONALD:

FIRST ~ If the choice to replace him was anyone other than Frank Cashen,- It could have gone down as one of the worst decisions the post-Payson Mets ever made. There is more to Joe McDonald's resume no one bothers to address, in part because Frank Cashen is the best executive hire the post-Payson Mets ever made. I will revisit this later and elaborate.

SECOND - Even as bad as it got between '77 and '79, the farm system was working fast and furious. Joe McDonald still had blood pumping through the system. He just was not allowed to make any free agents signings or make trades that would increase payroll. He was operating under a mandate from the Team President. I will elaborate later in this post on what kind of talent he was grooming in those dark years..

C'mon...He's it's part of my grand plan to discredit the Wilpons for my grand finale. There! Cat's outta th'bag OK?




OK...The FRANK CASHEN ERA, 1980-1991 General Manager and Executive Lord of all things METROPOLIS: The first and to date only Mets Executive that came from off the Campus.

He presided over the greatest period of Mets' prosperity. Between 1984-1990 no other team in baseball won more games. I'll spare you all the details. I forget I'm 43yrs old sometimes but you should be pretty up to snuff with 80's Baseball. Mr. Cashen gutted a bad team even further between 1980-1982, refitted an already effective farm system with even more pistons and they were off and running.

Many say under his watch, that team partied too much; - drinking and drugging, getting into on and off field brawls at clubs, and getting arrested. They reveled in their cockiness. Read Darryl Strawberry's recent book for tales of more high jinx. Hindsight says they underachieved. Regardless, the Whole Time, Fred Wilpon was acting like FLOUNDER from ANIMAL HOUSE. Remember at the end of the movie how the Delta Guys wrought havoc on the Home-Coming Parade? - And Flounder, after purchasing 2000 marbles for his part, looked around at the chaos and thought to himself aloud, - "OH BOY, THIS IS GREAT!". Well? That was Fred Wilpon in the 80's!

Throughout Frank Cashen's years, the thriving farm system Joe McDonald left behind continued to thrive pumping out prospects. In addition to the farm system, Frank Cashen procured a lot of executive talent that was at the time, the envy of Baseball. The Wilpon's continued to feed off the buffet into the present day with Omar Minaya (that connection will be tied together later in this post). The next 5 NY Met GM hires would all stem directly or indirectly from Frank Cashen and cover the next 20 years.

When Frank Cashen stepped down as General Manager heading into the 1992 season, he stayed on as a Vice President and Team Consultant into the late 90's. As a matter a fact, he resumed his GM post briefly in 1998 when Steve Phillips was out whoring around and had to take a leave of absence from his GM'ship. GOOD GRIEF!! - More about that dummy later.





Al HARAZIN, METS' GENERAL MANAGER 1992-1993:

First off, I don't know how the hell this guy rose through the ranks faster and higher than Joe McIlvaine within the Mets' executive talent pool. He was the accountant for crying-out-loud. Secondly, I don't know who's decision it was to make him GM and not Joe McIlvaine. Was it Cashen's idea or was that decision lobbied by.., by someone else? How could it be? Did Doubleday/Wilpon have a say? Was that really Cashen's hand picked replacement? I don't really know. What I do know is that he was an unmitigated disaster as GM.

Al Harazin is the genesis of when I believe Fred Wilpon first became gun shy about going out and pursuing free agents with vigor.

Al Harazin, in part because of the overwhelming backlash from the Mets not signing Darryl Strawberry, went out and spent all kinds of' cash on Vince Coleman, Willie Randolph, Bobby Bonilla, Saberhagen et'al. The only professional outta the motley crew Harazin signed was Eddie Murray (I'm sorry, and Willie; but an over-aged Willie). Outside of Eddie Murray, 1992-93 was...FUGGEDABOUDIT Horrendous.! Those were two dark years in Flushing.

Doc Gooden couldn't stay clean, Jeff Kent was always angry with the fans, Bonilla was threatening to show reporters "the Bronx" (as in kick their ass), Vince Coleman was throwing fireworks at L.A. fans in the parking lot, Saberhagen using a super-soaker filled with bleach to spray down reporters and manager Jeff Torborg couldn't keep his foot out of his mouth. Oh my, how the media wrecked Jeff Torborg. *sigh*

Fred Wilpon deserves credit for showing a backbone and in a press conference declaring, "Vince Coleman will never wear a Mets' uniform again" over the fireworks show. But it was from this time on Fred Wilpon began his aversion with free agency until Omar Minaya came back in 2005 and convinced him to up the ante a little.

Things went very wrong for the Mets in 1991-93, and Wilpon seemed proactive in wanting a new direction. Nelson Doubleday didn't say much about anything. He was really backround'ish but he was the Board Chairman. Nelson was the Big Daddy but Fred Wilpon was always the front man. Nelson always knew how to let the Baseball people do their jobs. Fred was always buzzing around. But they were fast becoming Frick and Frack.

The Mets, like I said, had executive talent on the books. Bob Mandt seemed to be in the mix but seemed to top out along the way and slipped. Joe McIlvaine was the rising star. Other teams knew it too. But somehow the Mets GM chair went to Harazin. Because McIlvaine was impatient and tired of waiting for the Mets job he took the S.D. Padres offer in '90.

If Cashen knew he was going to retire in another year.....then..? Why not...? ...nevermind.

That's one the Mets let get away. But not for long. Al Harazin was fired during that infamous 1993 season, not able to complete his second year on the job.

This is lucky break number two for the Mets. The first was getting Frank Cashen in the first place. The Wilpons were lucky McIlvaine came back. Fred Wilpon pretty much begged Joe McLvaine to return to the nest. Joe Mac obliged. I'm omitting all the in-fighting McIlvaine supposedly tired of, that went on behind the Mets' scenes, which was part of the reason for his motivations to accept the San Diego job. But that part of the story just seems too petty for this blog's purpose. I will not leave you hanging however and offer that all the in-fighting previously eluded to was basically between Fred Wilpon and Nelson Doubleday. Yes, at times it was often ugly and public.





JOE McILVAINE, METS' GENERAL MANAGER 1993-1997:

This is the last GM for the Mets who had a clearly defined PLAN and put it into effect, post haste! Joe McIlvaine was coming in to completely rebuild this team. It would be piloted by the firm but fair Dallas Green. I was all for it. I was in total agreement with everything McIlvaine wanted to do. The whole plan was built around Generation-K. It was gonna be great, Man! The new product was to be home grown. From this era comes a member of my very select Mets I call "MY GUYS" - TODD HUNDLEY.

The plan to rebuild the Mets was an utter failure. GENERATION-K never took off due to injury (to all of them). Joe McIlvaine got fired in 1997 because he was a little thick headed. Fred Wilpon always used to get on him for being away from the team too much and not keeping the owners in the loop or returning their calls. McIlvaine just had his own way about him. He was a bit of a Diva. But the truth is he deserved to get fired because he stopped caring. He would literally dissappear for days. When situations demanded his presence, he seemed to always be off scouting somewhere; or so he said. Bobby Valentine, the manager at the time, started complaining out loud about him. Steve Phillips was turning tricks in the back allies of the organization as a young up-comer by this time. Steve Phillips bided his time, waiting for his chance too.

Jerry Hunsicker, another highly prized executive in the Mets' Front Office also tired of sitting around waiting for his chance and by 1996 went to be GM of the ASTROS.

Fred Wilpon's hand was forced by the departure of Hunsicker. He then tapped on the shoulder of Cashen's last available pupil. McLlvaine was out, STEVE PHILLIPS the rising (porn)star was in.






STEVE PHILLIPS METS' GENERAL MANAGER 1997-2003:

This is where it all goes awry for Fred-A-Licious (Wilpon), my fellow Brooklynite, the Dodger fan, - the man who went to high school in my neighborhood, like Lee Mazzilli and John Franco before him...; my team's owner who pitched for Lafayette H.S. in Bensonhurst while Sandy Koufax played first base.

Whatever assessment you have concerning the years 1997 through 2000 (2001-2003 LOL!!!) if they're positive, attribute them to Bobby Valentine; do yourself that favor.

Steve Phillips had been a part of the Mets executive pool since 1990. He was the last of the personnel brought in under Cashen to work for the Mets. Besides being horny, here's Steve Phillip's major achievment ~ Steve Phillips was the beneficiary of a Florida Marlins' fire sale. The inability of the Marlins to retain their talent was the biggest reason behind the acquisitions of Mike Piazza and Al Leiter and Dennis Cook. After the Florida fire sale and the 2000 season, his acquisitions were incredible failures and that includes the Melvin Mora trade. You know the names. Don't make me do it.

Steve Phillips did draft David Wright, whom would turn out to be the compensation for losing Mike Hampton to free agency. He also drafted Jose Reyes and Scott Kazmir. That's not bad work right there!

But Steve Phillips obliterated any respect he built for himself leading up to the 2000 season. He ignited his reputation with the acquisitions made between 2001-2003 in a great ball of fire stoked by Wilpon's cash, shell shocking Fred Wilpon even further. For the second time, Fred Wilpon was stuck with one of the highest payrolls in baseball with nothing to show for it but shame, like in 1993.

Fred always had a delicate psyche. He doesn't like bad press and contoversy. A guy named Steinbrenner loved it; not Fred though.

Back to Mike Piazza, only Nelson Doubleday knew enough to sign Piazza for his worth. Fred didn't want to write that check and that kind of thinking drove Nelson crazy. Fred Wilpon's partnership with Nelson Doubleday was falling apart like wet toilet paper during this time.

STEVE PHILLIPS also had to take a leave of absence from the team because he was out and about being a slut. No this isn't 2009 and ESPN I'm talking about. He was an adulterous whore back in 1998 too. Frank Cashen had to come in from the BULLPEN and temporarily take over while the Mets dealt with the Phillips Scandal (Pt.1).

Moving forward ~ After sitting by while Roberto Alomar, Mo Vaughn, Kevin Appier, Mike Bordick, Jeremy Burnitz and company stole his money, Wilpon, sporting the second highest payroll in baseball, was kicking around with a last place 2003 team, a bickering GM and a rabbid manager.

Fred Wilpon backed Phillips in his blood feud with Bobby Valentine and the manager was out. It was a bad move and definitely the easier choice to make. Valentine didn't hesitate venting frustration with the organization, and with Wilpon that's a no-no. So, Valentine basically got to fill-out his own pink slip. But Phillips also read the writing on the wall and knew Wilpon was tired of his act too. The Wilpons fired Steve Phillips shortly after.

By the time Fred limped into the offseason after 2003, all direct remnants of Frank Cashen were gone and the resources he left behind were suddenly exhausted.

Nelson Doubleday couldn't deal with his partnership with Wilpon anymore. The sentiment was Nelson found Fred Wilpon insufferable. Nelson and Fred finally worked out a deal and Doubleday's half of the team would be bought by the Wilpons. "FLOUNDER" has now lost BLUTO, D-DAY, OTTER and HOOVER.

The S.S. Wilpon officially became rudderless.

Doubleday left with the team's fortitude to gamble and dream big in tow. Frank Cashen took away all the team's brains and know-how. FLOUNDER was about to find out things can and would get worse....and more tretcherous. Fred Wilpon and the Mets made their first 10 degree turn towards the ICEBERG.

But what's a Wilpon to do?

Omar Minaya was previously brought into the fold by Steve Phillips via the Texas Rangers. He was the Mets Assistant GM and Lord over minor league and international developement since Sept.1997. He left to take a precarious Expos GM job in 2002. So with Frank Cashen's influence a distant memory, Wilpon turned to another Phillips appointment, Jim Duquette. It would be Fred Wilpon's first decision as a solo artist. He had no choice. He was the only one around. And well, Wilpon was UNPLUGGED now.

Minority Partner Saul Katz was kicked up a notch from his position of obscurity within the ownership group. And we were all left thinking what the Son of 'Pon, Wilpon the Younger, Lil Jeff, really knew about Baseball? So, at this point the Mets' fan base is about to be thrown to the whims of two Steve Phillips' imports; Jim Duquette and Omar Minaya.





Big Jim...cousin of Dan Duquette. *sigh*
JIM DUQUETTE, METS' GENERAL MANAGER 2003-2004:

Ya have to feel sorry for this guy. Fate cut him a little slack by bringing in Art Howe to manage and getting the era named after him (i.e. the Art Howe years). Howe only bought Jim a little time, for Jim was determined to put his ineptitude on display for all to ridicule. Somehow, pitching coach Rick Petersen got into the right ears and polluted his/Jim's, and Jeff Wilpon's judgement. It cost us Scott Kazmir, because Petersen thought he'd be able to get more out of Victor Zambrano. Really? Between Art Howe, Duquette trading Kazmir, poor play on the field and no indication things were going to get better in the era of Wilpon's sole ownership, Met fans were stewing.

Shea Spoke!

Wilpon sensed it and before even firing Duquette, he hired Omar Minaya. No..., the Wilpons begged Omar to come back and work for the Mets in effect creating a two-headed GM for the latter part of 2004. The appointment making Omar the official GM, and Duquette's formal dismissal from his position didn't occur officially till the 2004 season was over. It just wreaked of desparation by the Wilpons. But they had their man most Met fans were content with.

During Jim Duquette's very brief tenure, in a quite publicly known secret, he was ordered to freeze payroll. The new Mission Statement called for Met Mediocrity. Band-aids would plug the team's needs just fine, and buy the Wilpons a little more time to see if they could come up with a clue.

Ever since Fred Wilpon had to pay down the 2003 disaster of a season, his mandate became to do things second rate, second city and from a mindset shackled with timidity. It's hard to argue against paying up for Piazza and Ventura and that over-achieving team of 2000 but it was the Alomar's, Mo Vaughn's and Baerga's that made Freddie break out in a rash, just like Vince Coleman and Bobby Bonilla made him schizoid before that.

Wilpon is always monitoring what we're saying because he's that paranoid, not because he's that in touch with the fan base. But with our increasing decibles of discontent, an idea was born. "I know - Let's ask Omar Minaya to come back ~ Because the bottom line here is, I don't know anybody else. Where's Frank Cashen when you really need him?"

Jim Duquette, since day one never had a chance. He was manipulated by Wilpon like a Jim Henson Muppet the entire short time he was GM.

Scott Kazmir?! Good Grief.

Fred Wilpon used his third and last "Lucky Break" card. Omar was someone who Fred Wilpon was familiar with. Fear of the unknown is paralyzing for some..(Fred). Wilpon had a comfort level with Minaya. Omar had a good reputation. But c'mon, the truth is Wilpon just couldn't pool together a well educated baseball braintrust since Frank Cashen left. This organization is at the mercy of Steve Phillips' proteges now. I do not believe the Wilpons have the industry insight to hire someone better than Omar. So yea, here in this instance, Fred Wilpon lucks out; again. Omar came back like Joe McIlvaine did once befor him, both at Fred Wilpon's behest.




OMAR MINAYA, METS' GENERAL MANAGER Sept. 2004-present:

Omar's record since 2005 is 427-383. However, 2006, as the years pass seems to be the abberation. The win totals each year are 83, 97, 88, 89 and 70 in 2009. Ninety seven wins in 2006 seems to be standing alone. Ever since Carlos Beltran watched that curve ball fall in during the '06 NLCS, it seems like this team put it's tail between it's legs and has been heading in the opposite direction since. I'll be fair and take last year off Omar's docket. Injuries crippled the team. But from 2005 to 2008 the team is a plus six. The '08 team was six games better than the '05 edition. You decide. The book is still open with Omar. We're all watching. I wouldn't be telling you anything you don't already know.

But if Fred Wilpon fires Omar Minaya because he can't turn the S.S. Wilpon around, this team will be in a world of hurt, more-so moving forward than at the present time, and we'll head into the uncharted depths of Tartaros. I mean it. Duquette didn't leave any hand picked executives behind. He was here for a cup of coffee really. He was like a front office version of Stump Merrill. DOH ! SO who else is there?

One of Omar Minaya's closest lieutenants, Tony Bernazard sizzled up in a blaze of Binghampton MMA Bravado and then there was Omar's own Flubbering Flushing Meltdown at the press conference announcing the termination of said Tony Bernazard. It truly was BIZARRO WORLD wasn't it? Another Minaya guy, Manny Acta took a managers job with the Nationals. So who do the Wilpons look to if they relieve Omar?

Here's another concurrent problem folks. Our minor league system has come to a grinding halt pretty much for the first time since 1965. I've watched for 9 years now, my graduating Brooklyn Cyclones of NYPL sent to Binghampton AA and get stuck in the mud. Additionally, there are no more prospective executives the Wilpons can tap into anymore. They are all done. Cashen started a line of executive hires that were all in-house. At present they've all been exhausted by the Wilpons.

Fred Wilpon is at a crucible. This is his most important year of his enire time owning the Metropolitan BBC.

If he fires Omar Minaya, the next decision he makes could have cataclysmic and far reaching ramifications. The dark ages are looming for this franchise. I am a little thin on confidence the Wilpons will get this right. I fear ICEBERG DEAD AHEAD. There is still time to save this however. There's plenty of time to prevent panic. This operation is very salvagable. Fred is not an imbecile. Mawkish? Perhaps. Ignorant and dumb? Certainly not. Lacking baseball acumen, timid and paranoid? You betcha.

And finally, I'd like to bring Joe McDonald back into the conversation. Even though the Mets were miserable on the field between '77-'79 under Joe, the farm sytem was busy. Get your knife and forks Met fans and dig into this.

Wally Backman, Jesse Oroscoe, Neil Allen, Mookie Wilson, Hubie Brooks, *Mike Scott, *Jeff Reardon were all getting farmed-up during that time. Hubie Brooks allowed us to acquire Gary Carter. Neil Allen allowed us to acquire Kieth Hernandez and Lee Mazzilli got us Ron Darling in return; and we reacquired him. Honorable mention goes out to Ed Lynch; he deserves credit too. Is it fair of me to say that Joe McDonald directly and indirectly deserves credit for..oh...28% of the World Champion New York Mets of 1986? Am I way off on that? The only reason I point that out is if we're going to truley assess the body of work of this ownership group, it's imperative we know how they got to this very moment, attribute the credit where it's due examined what needs explaining.

Joe McDonald has truley been the gem of the Mets organization. He gets a bad rap for those late 70's teams. What was closer to the truth of the Mets demise back then was the dynamic between Joan Payson's husband and daughters, and an infamous Boris Kolaff of an executive, M. Donald Grant; Board Chairman. He was the real reason Tom Seaver got traded. He is where my childhood rage should have been directed towards. He was the Mets' true Phantom Manace of that ERA. But that's for another day.

Today, I'm worried for the future of the Mets franchise under Wilpon/Katz control moving foward. If the last 6 years of Wilponianism UNPLUGGED is any indication, I wanna get put back in the Matrix.

This is the way I see it. I'm not saying I'm right or wrong. It's just how I see life going into Met Year 8 A.D.

"After Doubleday"

end.

It's really an excersize in insanity complaining about the same things over and over again.

Let's please fast foward to August 31, 2010 when I penned this post 8 months later and one month left in season.

http://thebrooklyntrolleyblogger.blogspot.com/2010/08/son-of-pon-saul-b-katz-dilemma.html

No, no; you don't need to click.  It's all here.  Just giving you a time stamp.  Post is as follows:

SON of 'PON ~ The SAUL B. KATZ Dilemma


Met Year 8 A.D. ~ Year 8 AFTER DOUBLEDAY.


OR

The Age of WILPONianism.

Welcome.

Back in 2003 Nelson Doubleday sold his half of the New York Metropolitan Baseball Club to his partner Fred Wilpon, ending a very acrimonious relationship between the two.  I'm not going "there" because the Mets only won one World Series while he was still half owner.  No, I only bring that to your attention because I'd like to remind Met Fans about the parting shots Nelson Doubleday took at the Wilpon's and more specifically, Jeff Wilpon ~ Son of PON....Fred Wilpon's son that is ~ Lil' Jeff, C.O.O. of Mets R Us.

Harsh of me?  Read what Mr. Doubleday had to say to ESPN about Jeff Wilpon HERE.

The quote I'd like to extract for your reading pleasure is this little screwgie from ESPN Archives as Nelson Doubleday said what he really felt.  He was working without a filter.  There was a lot of disdain for his "Partner and Son" of which he kept no secrets about such feelings. 

** (picking up mid-article...) Doubleday especially had some harsh words for Jeff Wilpon, Fred's son, who is heavily involved in the daily operation of the franchise.

"Mr. Jeff Wilpon has decided that he's going to learn how to run a baseball team and take over at the end of the year," Doubleday told the newspaper. "Run for the hills, boys. I think probably all those baseball people will bail."

In fact, Doubleday still owns box seats at Shea Stadium, but apparently does not attend games partly due to the presence of the younger Wilpon.

"Jeff sits there by himself like he's King Tut waiting for his camel," Doubleday told the paper. "Hump one. Hump two. They like that, two for the price of one."

That ESPN article was as of July 2003.

So let us fast-forward now to September 1st, 2010 and omit everything I've been screaming about regarding this club since winter past and beyond..  September 1st, for all intent and purposes should be, symbolically or real, Day One of the Beginning of the END of the current Met Era.


The Failure in Flushing must be corrected. The Misery in METropolis must end.


FIRST ITEM OF CONTENTION: OWNERSHIP ~ Fred Wilpon, Saul Katz, Jeff Wilpon. OR as I like to sometimes call this administration....The SAUL B. KATZ Dilemma

"Meaningful Games In SEPTEMBER" will elude the Mets in this 2010 season.  Mr. Fred Wilpon's stated goal to have his club play meaningful games in September has been denied by his uniformed employees and mid-level management....again.  Barring a "Miracle" the Mets will not participate in this year's post-season just as they have missed the playoffs for 7 out of the 8 years Fred Wilpon is the sole principle owner of the Mets.

In 1992-93 both Nelson Doubleday and Fred Wilpon were stuck with an onerous bill for an embarrassing last place team assembled by Al Harazin.  In 2003 Steve Phillips masterfully crafted the worst team money could buy and Fred Wilpon, who by then was the sole principle owner, got stuck with another payroll albatross and a last place club.  I empathize with the Wilpons in so far as I know they do care.  Fred Wilpon has never been cheap per se.  The Mets have always maintained a higher end payroll for players.  So that's not up for debate.

What is up for debate is how the Wilpons maintain a blurred line of demarcation separating Ownership and Baseball Operations.  The well publicized and criticized "collegial" structure the Wilpons promote in their front office is nothing more than a nursery for Chaos.

As Nelson Doubleday declared in 2003, and as we've witnessed with our very own Met Eyes, Jeff Wilpon really does want to be a Baseball Man.  While Omar Minaya perhaps wielded a lot more influence and operated with more autonomy back in 2005 and 2006, let's be clear, Jeff Wilpon is calling the shots.  Today Omar is a completely watered down version of the man the Mets re-employed by asking him to become GM of the club at the end of the 2004 season.  I do not want to get ahead of myself, but Omar's power has been diminished somewhat by his own machinations also.  But back to the point about Jeff, he has taken the line of demarcation between Ownership and Baseball Operations and knocked it completely out of focus.  As a matter of fact, there is no line and there never has been one.

Jeff/Fred Wilpon has the whole "OUR GANG" involved in the decision processes of the club. The philosophy was fostered by his Pop and Saul Katz.  Jeff, John Ricco, Omar, the invisible man, Bob Melvin from the shadows, before his dismissal *Tony Bernazard, and a small list of others comprise(d*) The Brain of this organization.

Before moving forward, let's revisit this clubs finances for a second because we still do not know the motivations for some moves made and the motivations for a lack of transactions made.  The Wilpons have stated the club's financial health is strong in spite of the Madoff Scandal.  There's speculation Fred has lost a very substantial sum.  There are also reports Fred Wilpon may have even made money in the process.  But while they say the team's financial health is good, they behave in a very contradictory manner.  Fred Wilpon has said nothing to silence the wild speculations consuming print, on-air and electronic media.  So that's where we are with that.  We just don't know how much the Wilpon's finances influence their, Jeff's, Jeff's dictates to Omar('s)..., decisions.

Moving forward now, Jeff Wilpon is what he is; the Owner's son.  He's the Owner's son and he wants to be a Baseball Man; The Baseball Man.  That's a problem.

Omar may have precipitated Jeff's increasing involvement in Baseball Operations, however I do not think anything would have prevented Jeff's encroachment upon Baseball Operations. 

George Steinbrenner was consumed with Baseball Operations but he was transparent in such dealings.  His word had a high credit rating with the Fans in that regard.  When George made decisions there were no secrets.  If he wanted to fire someone, he told you why.  If he wanted to sign someone, he told you why.  We do know George operated his club at a financial paper loss in his last few actively participating years.  He didn't tell us that; the newspapers did.  But what he told his fan base was that he would do what was necessary to... and don't worry about....... and he followed through.  He dipped into his own pockets to deliver on his word.  And here is one of the few if any times, I compare Met and Yankee business.  My point is, as stated earlier, the Wilpons say one thing and behave another way, in part because I feel they, the Wilpons aren't being truthful with their fan base about the Owner's ability to financially afford or manage the team.  So, what translates into the Baseball Operations side strikes us as being somewhat conflicting and confusing as Fans, and perhaps to the media also.

So let's just say, Omar remains on-board as the GM.  If that be the case, a dramatic change in the relationship/structure between Omar and Jeff must take place. If Omar is retained as the General Manager, I suggest the Mets need to hire a bona-fide, Baseball experienced Team President to separate Omar and Jeff. If Jeff wants to be a Baseball Man, let him buzz the ear of the President; not Omar's.  A Team President must assure the Wilpon's financial interests in the club are being met in return for full autonomy.  A Team President then turns and delegates autonomy to his General Manager to implement the Organizations will concerning Baseball Operations.  Omar is accountable to, and answers to said Team President.  A Team President then delivers a state of Baseball Operations report to the Owners.  Yes, this entails Jeff Wilpon relinquishing baseball concerns to said President.  If you're Jeff, this is a rather large pill to swallow.  But the homogenized duties of the front office....pffft ~ the direct connect between Omar and Jeff must be severed.  If Omar is to be retained, he must be handed a clear budget parameter and be left to make decisions autonomously.  Jeff always retains the right to question and inspect his club of course.  But as things stand right now, Omar has been rendered impotent because Jeff engages in baseball operations with an owners mind and his Father's wallet in his heart, and secondly, Omar helped create the condition due largely to diminished effectiveness on the major league level, besetting the club with paralyzing contracts and an inability to seize the moment in matters of crisis management.

All of which I said is IF Omar is retained as General Manager of the Mets.  But Omar is a later topic of discussion.  Jeff is still topic one for now.  And to summarize, if Omar is indeed retained in his present capacity, of which I am not opposed to, the direct pipeline between Jeff and Omar must cease and a Team President must be found.  A Team President is the only one who can have a Team Owner's, a General Manager's, and the over-all best interest of an organization as his primary interest all at the same time without bias.  Anything else is just hands in the cookie jar or too many chiefs and not enough Indians.  You choose. But the overlapping of ideas, interests and concerns is just creating standing water spawning mosquitoes.  The ramifications of the inbred thought process by this front office has been clearly evidenced and we've watched it bleed onto the field of play.

Regardless if Omar or whom-ever is General Manager of the Mets, something has got to give; that something is Jeff Wilpon. If he wants to be a Baseball Man so badly, I'm afraid he'll have to do it vicariously through a Team President.  Jeff Wilpon and his on-the-job-training is the Phantom Menace at work here.  If part of the reason I think what I think is because they, the Wilpons haven't exactly been truthful with us....isn't that his fault and not my misinterpretation?

There's another side of me that actually likes Jeff.  I'll just quickly make use of his trip to Atlanta back in May, when he addressed the angst surrounding the team.  He's pretty darn good speaking his way through crisis management and Atlanta wasn't the only display, unfortunately.  He comes, speaks to the media very plainly/frankly but effectively, and gives Met fans a sense as if he said, "All is well. There's nothing more to see here. Go back to your homes". He's good at that.  Maybe there-in lies his niche on this team.  If Omar is still the GM next year, I'm sure Jeff will have more opportunities to smoke screen us.  But I still hold firm in my belief one of the ways to go about solving Saul B. Katz' Dilemma is with a good Team President. The Son of PON must be contained.

A Team President is needed within the New York Mets Front Office regardless whether Omar is retained as the General Manager or not.  How else can we keep nepotism from ruining this club?  If Jeff is the one who hires the next GM..., is Jeff really hiring the next GM or someone who just plays one on TV?

The Saul B. Katz Dilemma continues.




WELCOME, finally to October 7, 2010 ~ THE DAY METropoliS STOOD STILL.

This will be quick.

Welcome to the day Mets fans have clamoured for.  Omar Minaya and Jerry Manuel have been relieved from their respective duties.  Jerry Manuel's club option will not be picked up and Omar's remaining two years owed him under terms of his contract will be made whole.  Omar was asked by the Wilpons about a re-assignment within the organization, but both Omar and Jeff agreed it would have to be the new GM's decision to maintain such an employment agreement.  I honestly do not see that happening.  Omar will most likely move on and in all likelyhood do very well somewhere else.

Let's  understand this will be the third General Manager the Wilpons will be hiring since they became sole owners.  Remember, this will be the first GM hired from off-campus.  Jeff Wilpon said very plainly there are no in-house candidates for the position at this time.  The office of GM will be filled by an outside entity for the first time since Frank Cashen himself.  The Wilpons will not be dealing with a Frank Cashen or Steve Phillips disciple this time around.  Jeff and Fred both seemed to re-emphasize and even champion themselves for running their organization in a very uncorporate-like manner.  They proudly repeated they, the club, more resemebles a Family Operation, during today's press conference.  And that's all OK for me.  Besides, we know all that already.

Here's the dilemma.  Is Jeff hiring this GM?  Jeff said he and John Ricco will brainstorm together  to formulate a plan to move forward with.

Jeff and John Ricco?  See?  Here's the problem regarding Jeff Wilpon thinking he's a Baseball man.  I'd prefer Jeff did something prudent like bring in a consultant and assemble a think tank and move forward towards a GM from there.  All Jeff has is on-the-job training on his resume.  Do we not see an inherent problem here?

Is Jeff going to hire a General Manger or someone who just plays one on TV? 

Does Jeff even have enough Baseball acumen to conduct interviews?  After all,  this will be a whole new process for the Wilpons.  These are uncharted waters for the S.S. Wilpon.

If the Mets really want to get this right, they should be seeking professional consultaion, or at minimum creating a think tank to brainstorm ideas.  Jeff nor Fred, just do not have the practical experience, in my humble opinion, to conduct the interviews that will land us our best option for the future success of the Mets.
They'v never had to scour the country side for an executive before.

Separation between Jeff Wilpon and the office of GM is something I'd really like to have ironed out.  A Baseball qualified Team President is needed by this team because Jeff and a GM must be separated.  If Jeff insists on keeping his thumb prints all over Baseball Operations, then it's into the ICEBERG we go.

...And that's the way I see things in Flushing.

Thanks a lot!

Mike.BTB

Steve Phillips speaks about his Sex Addiction

I have no particular want to pick on Steve Phillips right now. He has is own troubles with having to innovate a new image in light of his sex-scapades. What I do want to point out is that some of that behavior was acted out while he served as GM of the Mets. How much Fred Wilpon was clued into how much of an office trickster Phillips was is stricly speculative before Phillips took his his leave from the team that is.. However, we do know Joe McIlvaine did leave the NY Mets in part because of all the back-scene mayhem within the Mets' front office. You can look that up. I'm just sayin'. You make the connections.

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