There's been a lot said about Fred Wilpon's comments in the New Yorker, but the focus seems to be mostly on his negative comments about the players. Those might not have been the worst things he said in the article.
It may not be a great managerial strategy, but calling players out in the media can be considered a strategy. Obviously, George Steinbrenner felt that he was helping the team by making sure the players knew their pride was on the line when he acted similarly. Old school, maybe, but the method at least shows some thought. If we make sure the player knows we are all waiting on them to perform up to the Yankee brand, then that player will work as hard as humanly possible. They'll show some pride.
So we can talk about how dumb it is to talk about Jose Reyes and his contract demands while Reyes remains unsigned for the future. It does hurt his trade value. It does feel a little like tampering. And alienating David Wright fans doesn't seem like a good idea either. But we don't know Wilpon's motivation, and it might just be that he believes those players could play better and that calling them out in this manner could be constructive. Seems like a long-shot, but it's possible.
But Wilpon dropped bombs that were much worse in the interview.
These few lines right here were Wilpon at his worst:
"Good hitter," Wilpon said. "Shitty team—good hitter." Davis struck out. Angel Pagan flied out to right, ending the Mets’ threat. "Lousy clubs—that’s what happens." Wilpon sighed. The Astros put three runs on the board in the top of the second.
"We’re snakebitten, baby," Wilpon said.