Passan absolutely rips Wilpon (and paints an ugly pic for 2012 to boot)

Last half of last graph of a very depressing story:

If Wilpon wanted what was best for the Mets, he’d sell now and give the club a chance to avoid the wrecking ball barreling toward him. Instead, this is about him and his family and their team, and so he olés the wrecking ball, knowing its target is the team onto which he so desperately wants to hold. It’s sad really, this proud franchise sullied by a man whose greed overwhelmed the greater good of the thing he purportedly loved. Sounds a lot, in fact, like someone with whom Fred Wilpon was intimately familiar: Bernie Madoff.

4 months ago cpins 36 comments 0 recs |

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I refuse to read dumb articles like this

Baseball is a business. A profitable business under normal conditions. If the Wilpons believe they can weather the storm- and they seem to have people who are saying they can advising them, currently- they’re going to retain their business (which, being a baseball club, is something that is difficult to obtain in the first place).

The whole “owe the fans” is stupidity, fucking A. It sucks, but they owe only the boardmembers and shareholders, not the people who “use” their product. PR is a part of business management and all, but…no.

"Blinding ignorance does mislead us. O! Wretched mortals, open your eyes!" Gil Hodges IS a Hall of Famer.
Ryder or Riot #WWWYKI

AA Gamethread Embiggening Record Holder- 458 posts (08/24/11)
3rd Place- 2011 AAOP Contest | 1st place- 2012 AAOP Contest

by Brooklyn Dodgers Mets Fan on Jan 16, 2012 9:49 PM EST via mobile reply actions 2 recs

He's not wrong though.

Wilpon is dragging the franchise down with him no matter how much it damages the thing he says he loves.

And I only skimmed it but I didn’t see anything about “owing” anything to the fans – beside maybe putting a decent product on the field.

Save Jenrry Mejia!
2012 Amazin' Avenue Offseason Plan: 2nd place

by Ogre39666 on Jan 16, 2012 9:56 PM EST up reply actions

And, if you were in his shoes, you'd do anything different?

You’d sell an exclusive asset that you and/or your people still believed was a profitable business venture in the long term for the mythical “good of the team”, the “good of the fans”, or whatever else?

"Blinding ignorance does mislead us. O! Wretched mortals, open your eyes!" Gil Hodges IS a Hall of Famer.
Ryder or Riot #WWWYKI

AA Gamethread Embiggening Record Holder- 458 posts (08/24/11)
3rd Place- 2011 AAOP Contest | 1st place- 2012 AAOP Contest

by Brooklyn Dodgers Mets Fan on Jan 16, 2012 10:33 PM EST via mobile up reply actions

Nobody is saying they'd do anything different. You're putting words in people's mouths.

Just that what Pagan said is true; he’s dragging down the team. Just because it’s the smart business move doesn’t mean it’s not dragging the team down

by Ryan_86 on Jan 17, 2012 4:48 PM EST up reply actions

lol@ Pagan

"I dunno. I never smoked any Astroturf. "

– Tug McGraw when asked about his preference for grass or astroturf

by Terry_is_God on Jan 17, 2012 7:24 PM EST up reply actions

Hey, you never know, Pagan could have said it too!

by Ryan_86 on Jan 17, 2012 7:36 PM EST up reply actions

Don't drag Crazy horse into this

And I wonder what Remy thinks of all this

"Let them be stud muffins"
-Tom Seaver
Proud Mets, Jets, Knicks, Islanders fan.

by piazza62 on Jan 17, 2012 7:34 PM EST up reply actions

He's busy blaming #smallmarketsandy

by Ryan_86 on Jan 17, 2012 7:36 PM EST up reply actions

This is a really limited view

Speaking purely in a business sense. There’s a term, “stakeholders,” that encompasses everyone involved in a business, not just the people who profit by owning shares – so, including customers, workers, even neighbors as people who legitimately have an interest in how a business operates. I’m no expert, but I think Canadian business schools are more fully on this train than American schools. (socialists!)

His point is entirely reasonable – the Wilpons purport to love “the team.” So what is it that they love? A collection of contracts? What is a team, in this sort of spiritual sense, that doesn’t include fan interest and fan love as a primary fuel? You’re positing an equation that says team = business interest, which is just an exceedingly blinkered view, any way you look at it.

by SuperT on Jan 16, 2012 10:54 PM EST up reply actions

As the owners, you think they look at it any other way?

Good PR value has it’s own rewards, but if they sold their majority stake in the team, you think they’d give a crap about the team having good PR, or being viewed in a new artificial light by the media, or anything else?

"Blinding ignorance does mislead us. O! Wretched mortals, open your eyes!" Gil Hodges IS a Hall of Famer.
Ryder or Riot #WWWYKI

AA Gamethread Embiggening Record Holder- 458 posts (08/24/11)
3rd Place- 2011 AAOP Contest | 1st place- 2012 AAOP Contest

by Brooklyn Dodgers Mets Fan on Jan 16, 2012 11:21 PM EST via mobile up reply actions

This

They love the team because they own the team. I don’t doubt that they are real Mets fans (spare me the Dodger BS, you know where their fans ended up), but they understandably would rather play this out and have the team rebuilt under them and have it do well then sell it for the good of the “spiritual sense”, which has no real value to them whatsoever.

"Let them be stud muffins"
-Tom Seaver
Proud Mets, Jets, Knicks, Islanders fan.

by piazza62 on Jan 16, 2012 11:34 PM EST up reply actions

But he actually clames to be a fan.

So either A) he’s lying and in it only for the money, or B) willing to kill the thing he loves.

I mean I have no illusions he actually loves this team beyond its influence on his bank account, but either way, his continued ownership is hurting both the franchise and his bottom line.

Save Jenrry Mejia!
2012 Amazin' Avenue Offseason Plan: 2nd place

by Ogre39666 on Jan 16, 2012 11:42 PM EST up reply actions

Bad in the short term

They themselves, people advising them, whoever, think they can weather the storm. The Mets have been a very profitable team more or less the entire time the Wilpons have been majority or minority owners. By virtue of the team being the New York Mets, they’ll be a profitable venture at some point in the future. If they think they can tread water in the short term, to have access to those future profits (which would offset their short-term losses and debts), you know damn well they’re going to latch on. It’s much easier to sell a ballclub than it is to buy one (in theory).

"Blinding ignorance does mislead us. O! Wretched mortals, open your eyes!" Gil Hodges IS a Hall of Famer.
Ryder or Riot #WWWYKI

AA Gamethread Embiggening Record Holder- 458 posts (08/24/11)
3rd Place- 2011 AAOP Contest | 1st place- 2012 AAOP Contest

by Brooklyn Dodgers Mets Fan on Jan 17, 2012 12:24 AM EST via mobile up reply actions

So much stupidity in so few words

It’s absolutely irrelevant that all the Mets free agent signees will earn more than Reyes this year. If Reyes would have agreed to a one-year, 15-million dollar deal, I’m pretty sure the Mets would have offered it. I think they werea little more concerned with the money in years 4-6.

And the idiotic 1962/New York Mess “jokes” are so lame they don’t even deserve a response.

by Bieser's Balk on Jan 16, 2012 10:07 PM EST reply actions

Welcome to the MSM of sports

ESPN, Mike Francesa, NY Post, NY Daily News, Fox Sports = Propaganda
Blue and Orange, Green and White, Red and Black

Twitter: @BlueChill1123

by BlueChill on Jan 16, 2012 10:09 PM EST up reply actions

First ballot LOLMets Hall of Fame column

“#meetthemess”

“Meet the Mess” (in case you missed it the first time)

The nonsense about Reyes costing as much as this offseason’s signings

Madoff!

Two mentions of Vinegar Bend Mizell (LOL!)

And whatever this is:

“Mets in Haiku

Ha ha ha ha ha
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
The Mets are funny"

by James Kannengieser on Jan 16, 2012 10:36 PM EST reply actions

Yeah when I got to the haiku

I pretty much lost all respect I once had for Passan.

by bjk3047 on Jan 17, 2012 12:59 AM EST up reply actions

This might have been the funniest thing I've read all offseason

They managed to mention compare Ike Davis to Marvelous Marv and Bobby Parnell to Vinegar Bend Mizell (twice), claiming that “Jose Reyeses win champtionshits”, saying that the farm system is devoid of talent, criticize the team’s effort to improve an area of weakness, and rides Jose Reyes’ jock for the duration of the article. Notice the claim that the Mets had such a hard time scoring runs, and the countless Michael Kay efforts to compare the team to the 1962 flavor.

It, like every other MSMets article, ends with a “SELL TEH TEAM FERD” plea, claiming how the Mets are a
proud franchise and the Wilpons singlehandedly ran the team into the ground, and not the years and years of general mismanagement in the front office.

In short, it was a combination of Greg Pomes, Mike Francesa, and this GIF

"Let them be stud muffins"
-Tom Seaver
Proud Mets, Jets, Knicks, Islanders fan.

by piazza62 on Jan 16, 2012 10:48 PM EST reply actions 4 recs

Ummm.....

No, it’s not going to be as bad as 1962, though Ike Davis as Marvelous Marv Throneberry, David Wright as Frank Thomas and Bobby Parnell as Vinegar Bend Mizell sounds about right

What? Ike Davis has more talent than the entire ‘62 Mets team combined (the sad part is that’s not much of an exaggeration). The Reyes thing was just hilarious and I love how he criticizes the Mets bullpen signings.

Lock down the starting pitching, fortify the lineup, then bolster the bullpen. The Mets are trying to build from the bottom up, the sort of strategy that works just about never.

Obviously those moves aren’t part of the rebuilding process but an attempt to make the team slightly less terrible over the next two years while they wait for prospects to develop and contracts to come off the books. The Mets are obviously not making those moves because they think that’s all it takes to make the team a world series contender next year. This is so stunningly obvious that I can’t even believe anyone could fail to understand this point.

by joma16 on Jan 16, 2012 10:54 PM EST reply actions 5 recs

I started reading this earlier and then decided against it.

I’d rather be repeatedly kicked in the balls then read this schlock.

Chamption of the R.A. Dickey Face contest and "Cromulent Photoshopper Extraordinaire" of Amazin' Avenue!
You might know me as mistermet.

by Steve Schreiber on Jan 16, 2012 11:39 PM EST reply actions 1 recs

Just by seeing the name

Passan, I knew this was gonna be some foolishness. I’m not gonna bother reading his dreck since it’s just gonna piss me off.

And if not, I turn around & say forget it.

by Brian. on Jan 17, 2012 12:05 AM EST reply actions 1 recs

Funny actually.

I just wrote him an email, and used the word dreck.

As if there’s a different word that should’ve been used…

by bjk3047 on Jan 17, 2012 1:19 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs

Shite? Crap? Waste of pixels?

"And that's why anybody who invested with Lenny Dykstra should really call that number. Lawyers are standing by."

by BobbyV_Incognito on Jan 17, 2012 10:51 PM EST up reply actions

Ahh an early entry into the worst column of 2012

Guys like Lupica, Kernan, King, Matthews, Sherman, Heyman and Madden have their work cut out for them.

by graves9 on Jan 17, 2012 12:38 AM EST reply actions 2 recs

I'm 100% sure

At least Matthews, Sherman and Heyman will be able to top this. At least Passan knows the Wilpons have to sell in order for the team to be good, regardless of how poorly-researched and obnoxious this column is.

"F***ing shocker." -Billy Wagner

by nymgb44 on Jan 17, 2012 1:30 AM EST up reply actions

No one will upstage Matthews! No one.

__________________________________________________________________
Really good kid.A very good player.Not a superstar. #BlameWilponz. Never Forget

by ScottfromPeekskill on Jan 17, 2012 6:02 PM EST up reply actions

I have a feeling that this is going to be a great year for awful sports journalism

by joma16 on Jan 17, 2012 1:46 AM EST up reply actions

But wait!

Looks like Matthews already submitted his entry. I’ve thought about Jeter plenty, but “respect and admiration” rarely come up.

"Let them be stud muffins"
-Tom Seaver
Proud Mets, Jets, Knicks, Islanders fan.

by piazza62 on Jan 17, 2012 2:14 AM EST up reply actions

Ugh, the link

here

"Let them be stud muffins"
-Tom Seaver
Proud Mets, Jets, Knicks, Islanders fan.

by piazza62 on Jan 17, 2012 2:14 AM EST up reply actions

Ugh is the right word.

I should have just taken your word for it and not tried to find out for myself.

"And that's why anybody who invested with Lenny Dykstra should really call that number. Lawyers are standing by."

by BobbyV_Incognito on Jan 17, 2012 10:58 PM EST up reply actions

This should give every aspiring writer hope

No matter how little you know about sports, you can always get a job at Yahoo. At least, that’s what I can infer from reading Jeff Passan. Fucking idiot.

"F***ing shocker." -Billy Wagner

by nymgb44 on Jan 17, 2012 1:29 AM EST reply actions

well

here is hoping the Mets stay healthy, play up to individual expectations and shock the mother fucking dumbass MSM, and the rest of the baseball world too. If only so this asshole can’t say he was right in a year

2012 New York Mets, World Series Champions!

by astromets on Jan 17, 2012 1:34 AM EST reply actions 2 recs

Piss on that pissant Passan!

Read the first two paragraphs but had to stop. Smarmy little prick.

by JamesU on Jan 17, 2012 6:41 AM EST reply actions

He's half right

He’s right that the Mets aren’t going to be good in 2012, that losing Reyes to the Marlins is pretty sad, and that ownership deserves a fair share of blame for that.

He’s wrong to criticize the bullpen moves. Without those guys, out pen would be even worse than last year. Even if you could sign Reyes instead with the same money, if you didn’t address the pen, you might well lose even more games. Jeff seems to have the typical naive fan’s “star theory” of team building, where only the stars matter. But anyone watching the Mets in recent years has certianly seen teams with enough star players being dragged down by an inferior supporting cast, including bench and bullpen players.

Moreover, why not recognie that this is a rebuilding team? And that a rebuild was likely going to be needed here regardless of Madoff or the ownership situation? Signing bench and pen guys on cheap one year deals, who aren’t blocking any young talent coming off the farm, is part of the right way to rebuild.

He’s also completely backwards on the lineup vs. rotation. The lineup is probably still a bit above average. The rotation is the main thing that needs to be addressed. However, they were better in 2010; I think maybe the front office just didn’t want to sell low on these guys. I think Niese, Pelfrey, and Gee are all potential trade chips, but will need to pitch a little better than last year to be worth much as such.

by acerimusdux on Jan 17, 2012 10:26 AM EST reply actions