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| Photo Courtesy of The7Line |
So what comes next? A methodical reduction in payroll. First Beltran, then Luis Castillo and good ol' Ollie Perez. Next up was Jose Reyes, Jason Bay and finally, Johan Santana. A big market team which once boasted a payroll in excess of $135MM, has been reduced to a mid-market excuse for a baseball franchise struggling to find the pennies necessary to field a $90MM roster.
The one constant over this half decade long struggle? The Wilpons. Principle owner Fred Wilpon and his silver spooned idiot son, Jeff, have presided over and ridden a once proud franchise directly into the ground. Gone are the big contracts, the playoff runs and for the most part..the ticket sales. The rowdy stands of Shea Stadium have morphed into the sparsely populated bleachers of Citi Field, and I'm not even sure the organization has noticed.
From claims that the franchise is snake bitten to unfathomable statements that money is no obstacle, the Wilpons remain out of touch with the reality of their situation. Yesterday provided the most recent example of the Wilpons' complete disregard for the fan base they depend on. In the early weeks of an offseason of renaissance, with fans clamoring for the first of what they hope will be many acquisitions this winter, ownership dunce Jeff Wilpon took to the mic to scream from the rafters than the Mets were poised to do something big. With several things in the works..an announcement was on the horizon. What could go wrong?
Fast forward two hours and Sandy Alderson is left the pick up the pieces. Not only was no acquisition imminent, but the big news of the day would be next season's summer concert series. Fans were left in disbelief. How could one of the men at the forefront of this organization have no clue that his words would incite the masses? Five lost years..with a shred of hope mixed in with the mirage at the end of the tunnel, and ownership just toys with its line of income.
I can't begin to predict what will happen between now and spring training, but it remains safe to say that the organization's ultimate leadership, its owners, are the root of the problem. I once feared the biggest dilemma we might face would be their bankroll, or lack thereof. However, now it seems their inability to grasp the reality of their situation could be our downfall. Jeff Wilpon's words have once again kicked Mets fans in their proverbial teeth. Now its time to put whatever money he might have left where his mouth is..assuming there is any room left once he removes his foot.
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The Underdog T-shirts Jeff Wilpon wanted the Mets to wear really made me sit up and take notice that he's a dunce. Why would any MLB player want to wear something that brands them as a loser? He's clueless.
ReplyDeleteYour right but since 2002 when he took over a prominet role when Nelson was bought out the writing was on the wall. This is not new news. We can easily blame him but uncle Bud Selig was two faced. He made the Dodgers and Rangers to change bad ownerships but he was buddies with Fred and the fans got the screw from Bud. Friends fine go out to horse racing but he needs to be force out for the best interest of the game. We do not need to spend 135 but at least be able to if we need that extra piece .
ReplyDeletei am tired of spending money on ifs . Like Bryd came out good but he could off been the Bryd of 2012 we luck out. we were scaping the bottom of the wash up pool.
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