Pass The Buck

We have all heard the saying that the "Buck Stops Here." Some president built a campaign around that slogan and it was pretty successful. It meant that HE would be taking ownership for the problems the country would be faced with. Not blaming crooked businessmen or insulting his employees.

What we as fans sometimes forget is that the Buck... starts here...

Fred Wilpon pays for the players salaries, the operations costs for the stadiums and training facilities. He even pays the bills for SNY. He does all of this with the knowledge that the buck will be passed and as it does... it should make friends.

The Wilpons pay for the team and all the costs that surround them. They pay for advertising and promotion of players who... they apparently don't even like. Who pays them?

• Television: Proceeds from sales of commercials during Met games is profitable. It's even more profitable when you own the network the game is televised on. When another network broadcasts a Met game... guess what, the Wilpons make money there too.
• Merchandise: Those Reyes jerseys that will soon be hitting the discount rack as well as those Beltran bobble heads and David Wright posters all make the Wilpons money.
• Stadium: Let's talk about that stadium...

The Mets must be in trouble... right? The stadium looks barren with so few people attending the games. Let us say you did go to that game. How much money did you pay for your beer and those nachos and the souvenir sundae for your kid? The team makes money whether or not the team has fans in the seats. SURE, the more people come to the games, the better, but the Wilpons money comes FIRST from television, SECOND from merchandising and THIRD from people actually going to games.

So... the Wilpons can complain all they want about the team's struggles and the players being "over-payed". The buck might start with them, but they aren't running a charity. The buck ends with them and I'm willing to bet that with all the struggles, the Mets are not the reason the Wilpon's are tight for cash.

SAVE REYES

Let Fred and Jeffy know that you love the team and the players DESPITE them and not BECAUSE of them. Join the SAVE REYES campaign and help save the final scraps of dignity for the franchise. Don't do it for me... do it to spite Mike Francessa.

Take Me Out To The Game (Your Treat)

The Mets are not the hottest Ticket in town. They shouldn't be. I mean, Book of Mormon is supposed to be really good. If you want tickets under $100 to see it, you need to wait until November or go to a Tuesday show. You want to go to a Met game? You will likely spend more at a New York deli at lunch to get tickets.

Friday, May 6th (vs. Los Angeles Dodgers)

The Dodgers are a former New York team so there is some history there. Plus Donny Baseball is the Manager and they are pretty good team in general. Watching the Kemp/Ethier connection might be worth the price of admission. How much IS the price of admission?

Tickets Range Between: $6.95 and $115

• Best $10 > : 2nd Row of the Left Field Promenade Reserved ($8.50)
• Best $25 > : 3rd Row of the Left Field Reserved ($24.00)
• Best $50 > : 1st Row of the Pepsi Porch ($44.00)
• Best $100 > : 6th Row of the Champion's Club ($97.00)
• Best Ticket: 1st Row of Left Field Field Box ($111.00)

Sounds like going to a game is pretty cheap... right?

Sorry... not so much.

Want to drive to the game? Parking will cost you upwards of $19.00. You want to eat? Prepare to spend at least $20 per person and more if you are going to be drinking or eating one of the more gourmet options. How about a souvenir for your kid? $30 for a hat? Yes, $30 for a hat and more for everything else. The fact is, tickets could be free and going to a game would still be a little to pricey for some. For my money, it might be better to watch the game at Pub 101 and get $.25 Sunset Grill Wings.