For Richer or Poorer

Let us pretend for a moment that we were losing $70 Million a year because of a business venture we started. We'd all be pretty upset and... justifiably so. I mean, it isn't our fault that the team doesn't get more stadium revenue. Although... in the case of the Wilpons, it sorta IS their fault.

Take the case of Bobby Bonilla. The Mets could have paid off the rest of his contract, $5.9 Million dollars in 2000. Instead they differed the payment. They took a 10 year hiatus and then would pay Bonilla $1 Million dollars for 25 years. They did this because they were getting such large returns from Bernie Madoff that they stood to profit from having that $5.9 Million for the first 10 years... to cover that $25 Million dollar/25 year contract that kicked in this year AND THEN SOME. (Mind you, Bonilla is not the only case)

Now... let us believe in their innocence and that they simply thought that they were actually getting 8-12% returns from their magical friend of finance. If the Wilpons opened the books to the public, I wonder how much of the Met financial situation is caused by the ownership's investments and how much is the teams actual revenue.

Sandy Alderson announced yesterday that the Met payroll in 2012 would be between $100-140 Million dollars. That isn't bad... if it's closer to the 140 end of things, but in New York I shudder to think of the genuinely hateful response to the Wilpons crying pauper.

Should the Mets come close to spending in the 140 range you had better believe that the only name that the Mets should be spending that kind of money on is already on the team. (Do we really think Pujols will play RF?)

SAVE REYES

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.

Public Enemy #1

The early voting for league LVP is in and by a resounding margin the Met ownership has entered into a 2-way tie with the McCourts atop the rankings. The MLB has already freed the Dodgers of the divorcing couple which means that the Wilpons are most likely going to move well ahead in the voting by the all-star break. If you haven't heard, I'll post a link:

Met Fans Sit Down

Basically, Wilpon, in an effort to restore his (potentially wrongfully/rightfully) defamed name decided to torpedo the only part of his empire that the average citizen cares about. Let's tally the damage:

Reyes:

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

So now if the Mets want to TRADE Reyes, they no longer have the trading power of even feigning a desire to retain their talented SS.

Beltran:

"We had some schmuck in New York who paid him based on that one series [his 2004 postseason with the Astros]. He’s sixty-five to seventy per cent of what he was."

Another player we were HOPING to trade this season who we can now expect 30-35% less for. Thanks Fred, I can see how you became a business tycoon. Play the cards as far from your chest as possible right?

Wright:

"He’s pressing. A really good kid. A very good player. Not a superstar."

Come to the Mets, ownership can't wait to throw you under the bus. You think that any top talent wants to take a deal with this TOXIC ownership duo? Sure, the Mets can still pay for talent... oh wait... we don't have money anymore either? Well I guess perhaps treating your best players better might have been financial advice that Fred needed his buddy Madoff for.

Add to this the message to the fans. Hey kids! We don't have any superstars... go watch the Yankees. I suppose, in his defense, not many kids read the New Yorker.

The Mets (By way of Ike Davis):

"Good hitter. Shitty team—good hitter."

Awesome, hey... I just wanted to conclude my diatribe by saying that everyone not named Ike is a scum sucking loser with no right to play baseball. Way to rally the troops.

Let's see... lower the trade value of the two best trade chips Alderson has to work with, alienate the face of your franchise and insult the team. What's next, getting rid of all the team's training equipment? When does Terry Collins whip out the nude cardboard cut-out and start removing pieces with every win?

Mr. Springer, a knowledgeable Met fan put his rose glasses on and sees positives to the situation. He thinks that the ownership is long over-due for telling the players publicly that they don't value them. He sees this as potentially inspiring. So I'll take his inspiration and look at the positives.

The Dodgers don't have an Owner, perhaps we can just TRADE the Wilpons away.

In Short:

DUMP THE WILPONS

SAVE REYES

YOU WANT MORE?!?

For the sake of this analogy Gruel is Jose Reyes and Oliver Twist is the Met fans. Also in this case the fat man with the pot of gruel and the loud voice is Met management crying poverty. Actually... they aren't crying poverty, that's simply what everyone else is saying. What is being said?

"The Mets don't have the MONEY to re-sign Jose Reyes."

Let me be the first to call B.S. on this. If the Mets are going to have a $120 Million dollar payroll they'll have just under $60 Million to spend before the re-sign arbitrate etc... With all arbitration assumed I'd estimate $45 Million still free. Is there no room for Reyes in that money? Wait... maybe they'll be too busy getting pitching.

• Chris Carpenter, 37
• Roy Oswalt, 34
• Ryan Dempster, 35
• C.J. Wilson, 31
• Edwin Jackson, 28
• Mark Buerhle, 33

Above is a small list of some of the BETTER starters available in free agency. All I can help seeing is that the Mets might as well save that $45 Million for 2013 if they want only pitchers... but while they're doing that, maybe they should spend part of it on one of the most popular players on the club.

Jeff Wilpon and company have legal woes and all of that, but they are not exactly going to send out a baseball team with a payroll beneath $100 Million in New York City. The next time you hear Evan Roberts talk about it on WFAN. Call up and call him out on his B.S. Then wait for Steve Somers to come onto the air, he's the only one I like.

Save Reyes!!!

Up This Week:

Let's Be Silly - I'm Gonna Spend Those $60 Million... and Have Some Fun.

Platoon - Visiting Turner and Murphy and Giving the New Platoon a Grade.

Re-Alignment - Like Any Good Mechanic I Have to Check the Rotation.

Minor Qualms - Let's Take the Rose Colored Specs Off, Shall We?

The Perfect Owner

With Jeff and Fred being forced to pay for their friendship with a crook, the Mets are facing a change in ownership. I decided to nominate some of my own candidates for the position.

The Monopoly Guy:

Experience: Real Estate Tycoon

Finances: Collects $200 Just For Passing Go

Pitfalls: Winds Up In Jail

Random Fact: Won $10 In A Beauty Pageant AND Landed On Free Parking On Same Turn (Rolled Doubles).

The Monopoly Guy, with his top hat and suit would clearly bring some class to the Mets. He'd also bring Chance and Community Chest... so... pretty spiffy. If he were to buy the Mets:

• We'd first see changes as small green homes would crop up at Citi Field
• These would eventually be replaced by large red hotels
• Ron Darling and Keith Hernandez would be replaced by a thimble and a shoe and a shoe
• Team moved to Atlantic City

Lady Ga Ga:

Experience: Wore Meat To Award Show

Finances: Music Millions

Pitfalls: Trapped Inside An Egg

Secret Plans: Re-Design the Mets uniforms to include prosthetic horns and scales.

Ms. Ga Ga is not what everyone would like an owner to be. However, she might bring a youthful female element to games and boost attendance. If she were to take over the team:

• Agents would have difficulty with her poker face
• Players would get bonuses for exposing themselves publicly
• Elton John hired as manager

Mr. Magoo:

Experience: Survivor Of Countless Blind Gage

Finances: Millions Of Cartoon Dollars

Pitfalls: Would Have No Clue What Was Going On

Random Fact: Without glasses looks quite a bit like my grandfather.

Mr. Magoo was just a bumbling old man who refused to admit he couldn't see anything. He happily walked through life, narrowly escaping death. If he were to buy the Mets:

• He'd probably end up walking onto the field during a game
• He'd probably end up playing in said game
• He'd probably win the Mets the World Series
• All while thinking he was online for Shake Shack
  

The Millionaire:

Experience: Managed To Create A Class System On Remote Island

Finances: Wealthy Enough Not To Have Skills

Pitfalls: Trapped On Island With Gilligan

Random Fact: Is played by the same actor as Mr. Magoo.

Mr. Howell would be an excellent owner. He's loaded... and he's somewhat trapped on an island... so he can't interfere with baseball operations. If the Millionaire owned the team:

• Smoking jackets become mandatory
• All concession drinks include little pink umbrellas

Darth Vader:

Experience: Dark Lord Of The Sith

Finances: Limitless Coffers Of Galactic Empire

Pitfalls: Hand Frequently Cut Off

Secret Plans: Stolen by rebels and currently stored on droids lost on Tatooine.

Darth... how I miss when you were not played by Hayden Christensen... ANYWAY! Darth Vader is the muscle and force behind Emperor Palpatine. He's also a hideously disfigured man with a breathing apparatus... like a portable iron lung. If Darth bought the club:

• David Wrights specially designed helmet will look small in comparison
  
• Agents mysteriously strangled during negotiations
• Jawas massacred
• Jose Reyes convinced that together they can rule the galaxy as father and son
  

Zombie George:

Experience: Ran The Yankees

Finances: He's Loaded

Pitfalls: Decomposition

Secret Plans: Other than, Brains... he doesn't say much, but my bet is that George Costanza's part of the picture.

George may have passed away, but he might still have more baseball sense than the Wilpons. So... we'll dig him up, dust him off and cast some voodoo magic on him. What's the worst that could happen?

• Mass death
• Zombie-Pocalypse
• Mets Win World Series
  

2011 Mets: A New Hope

Somewhere in a galaxy only a borough away my favorite franchise is under attack. However as I am not exactly of the opinion that anyone as wealthy as the Wilpons are worthy of sympathy (at least when it comes to money) I am not THAT worried. Let me re-state that. I'm not worried as long as they sell the team to anyone but Jim Dolan.

Instead I wanted to focus on the positive. The upcoming season and the upcoming Spring training. The Mets have a number of intriguing story lines and a number of competitions in the works.

Who will play second? Luis Castillo Daniel Murphy, Brad Emaus and Justin Turner all have legitimate chances of impress this spring and win the starting job.

Oliver Perez, Luis Castillo and the 18 Million Dollar Black Hole: Will Perez and Castillo FINALLY be cut? Met fans have been itching for this for a while. Should they be cut? Will they be cut? Equally interesting quandaries.

How will the bench shake out? The Mets brought on Ronny Paulino, Scott Hairston and Chin-Lung Hu. Does this mean that Lucas Duda, Justin Turner, Nick Evans and others will need to be sent to the minors?

Despite critics, the Mets farm looks like they'll be good (at hitting): I will look at the Mets AAA, AA, A+ and A league rosters and evaluate the talent there in.

What happens to Jose? Does he get traded? Does he come back?

A look at 2012 and beyond: What lies ahead for the fiscally responsible Sandy Alderson and the Mets?

This is Phlavio Phega and, if it relates to the Mets, I have an opinion.