28
2009
Mets Create Conflict Of Interest, Than Use It As A Crutch
An article by 
In responding to a post I read earlier today, I left a comment that I thought was a good stand-alone for a blog post.
If you listened to WFAN this morning, they spent a great deal of time ripping into Adam Rubin if in fact he inquired about a job with the Mets. I also read a couple of articles this morning advocating that Adam Rubin’s actions were inappropriate and a definite conflict of interest.
Here is my rebuttal.
While I appreciate reading a different side to this latest Mets drama, I believe the basis for redirecting blame, or simply faulting Adam Rubin for crossing the proverbial line, is somewhat slanted and flawed.
Lets forget for a moment, whether what Adam Rubin reported was true or not (I absolutely believe that it was true).
A handful of people are implying that there was a breach of objectivity, some impropriety, obvious misconduct, and a conflict of interest where Adam Rubin was concerned. While most are giving little credence to this notion, some are saying that it really is a big deal that shouldn’t be ignored.
I disagree.
In another industry and in another time, that might be true, but welcome to the information age.
The Mets cannot point fingers at journalists who inquire about career choices. The Mets are the majority owners of SNY and one of their top rated shows is Daily News Live, where Adam Rubin is a semi regular guest, as is a dozen other Daily News journalists.
That’s an important fact because the Mets created a gray area where they elected to say, the heck with conflicts of interest, we need to fill our programming schedule, and then hired all these journalists, and pay all these journalists to appear on their network to objectively critique the Mets as they normally would do.
The Mets did this all in the name of advertising revenue and the almighty dollar.
Everyone knows where the newspaper business is going these days as many have already fallen by the wayside.
In this new age we live in, the idea of clarity and objectivity, between sports writers and the teams they cover, have been so blurred, especially in the case of the Mets who did most of the blurring.
Ask Jeff and Omar if they knew of any other journalist who asked for career advice and you’ll hear a dozen other familiar names. They wanted you to think that what Adam did was unheard of and worthy of pointing out, but that was just more distortion and another smokescreen.
How do you think Anthony DiComo and Marty Noble got their gigs on Mets.com? (no offense guys, just a blogger trying to make a point)
Was it objective of them to take money from the team they cover on a daily basis?
I won’t even mention other SNY regulars like David Lennon, Jon Heyman, Bob Klapisch and so many others who appear on SNY on a daily basis.
This is a new world and the rules have been dramatically changed, although not for the better. There’s nothing wrong with a beat writer saying, “So, how does somebody get a job in this place?” In fact it’s more common than you think.
I think it was reprehensible of the Mets to cast some of the negative spotlight away from them and onto Adam Rubin. Their ulterior motive was so blatantly obvious is was almost laughable if it weren’t such a despicable act.
How dare they act in such a manner and attempt to assassinate the character and integrity of Adam Rubin, for simply doing his job and reported about the deplorable acts of a Mets Vice President. His investigative reporting led to the removal of what one source called “a cancer in the Mets organization”, and for that he should be applauded not condemned.
It was the Mets who created this situation, so I find it appalling when they cast aspersions on journalists from the front door, while requesting resumes from them through the back door.
About the Author: Joe DeCaro
Went to my first Mets game, a Mayors Trophy game at Shea, in '73. We beat the Yankees 8-4 and I was hooked. I marched in two Banner Day parades, and before the Grand Slam single, there was the "Hendu Can Do" grand slam - I was there. I've collected Mets memorabilia all my life and started Mets Merized Online to feed my addiction.
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This is the best post I’ve read all morning on this topic. Well done.
Joe. I think I have found my new debate partner. I totally respect your opinions, even if they are wrong. You and I seem to always be on the opposite end of the spectrum, I love it. I submitted a “column,” this morning, never done it before, who knows it if will get posted. One step at a time.
Allow me to respond my friend!
“Lets forget for a moment, whether what Adam Rubin reported was true or not (I absolutely believe that it was true).”
— People involved in the story, BMets coach, Thole, Coronado, all said it didn’t happen in the manner Rubin reported. They all said it was blown out of proportion. So at some point, it was imbelished. If Minaya believes it was done so because Rubin had it out for Bernazard and his organization, then Bravo for calling him out on it.
“The Mets cannot point fingers at journalists who inquire about career choices. The Mets are the majority owners of SNY and one of their top rated shows is Daily News Live, where Adam Rubin is a semi regular guest, as is a dozen other Daily News journalists.”
— Yeah. Actually they can. There is a huge difference between being on television talking about Oliver Perez’s control issues, and whether Carlos Beltran will return this year, and inquiring about a position within the organization you are covering. Jonas Schwartz is conducting discussions on news that already happened on SNY. He’s not digging for dirt, and then putting his own spin on it possibly, while also inquiring about a front office spot.
“How do you think Anthony DiComo and Marty Noble got their gigs on Mets.com? (no offense guys, just a blogger trying to make a point)”
— Probably by being good at what they do? Again, you’re comparing guys furthering their MEDIA career to a guy reporting on a team while trying to further another career in direct correlation to what he is reporting. Marty Noble isn’t answering e-mails about who should start in Left Field and then talking to Jeff Wilpon about how to become an on the field manager.
I’m fine with firing Tony, I thought he should have been gone long ago. But I also think if Omar and the Mets believe that Rubin had a conflict of interest which may have lead to his reporting being imbelished then they have every right to claim that.
If they have proof of Rubin inquiring about a job, specifically one that would be in the same department as Bernazard, then what? Is Omar still to blame? Or do we look at this with a different set of eyes? It’s just interesting to me that Rubin writes a story… makes some pretty serious claims and everybody jumps on it as 100% true. Even when people that were there say it is not 100% true.
Then, Minaya makes a claim about that reporter, and everybody deems it as 100% false.
By the way. During Rubin’s Q&A after the press conference he referred to a reporter who was there and he asked real quick if he could mention this… he said that reporter is studying law and I’m sure he has asked people in the profession for advice on that career path.
So wouldn’t that mean that Rubin actually is trying to get into a front office? If he is, how can he write about the Mets front office objectively because maybe he thinks he can do a better job?
Also… he said that he e-mailed Wilpon, and he “wishes he still had the e-mails”
Let me ask you a silly question…
Let’s say you wanted to one day work in Player Development for a Major League Team.
You have the means to get advice on how to do that from an owner of one of the biggest baseball franchises in MLB… and he writes you back giving you advice
Don’t you keep that e-mail? Wouldn’t that be valuable advice that you’d want to maybe continue to look back on? Not, toss away as if it was some fan’s email about your latest blog? I mean it seems to me that if Wilpon is inviting Rubin to events such as Rubin says, and giving him advice that maybe Rubin would want to keep those e-mails.
“So wouldn’t that mean that Rubin actually is trying to get into a front office? If he is, how can he write about the Mets front office objectively because maybe he thinks he can do a better job?”
No, it doesn’t mean that at all. There is a difference about inquiring about a position and inquiring about career advice. Those are 2 different things and do not imply imply a conflict of interest given the facts as reported by Rubin and confirmed by Jeff Wilpon. Omar’s version is the one that is out of sync and lacking veracity.
There are assumptions to be made on both sides of the issue as you can see in this post and in the comments above mine. But if I remember correctly, it was the mets who issued the apology, not Adam Rubin.
Also, why didn’t the Mets make light of this request about a job, three years ago when it was alleged to have happened?
So for three years, Omar wasn’t bothered by all the many years of Bernazard stories. None of them bothered him, until Omar had to fire his best friend, than all of a sudden he conveniently sneaked it into the press conference. It wreaks of the 3 AM hatchet job on Willie. Same shady tactics. Omar is a devious sort.
Hey jessep, you have Craig Carton of Boomer and Carton on your side. I don’t know if that’s a good thing. As for me, I’ll sit this one out.
Joe – I concur with what you’ve written. I stayed up late last night listening to Tony Paige who vows that he will not go to City Field this summer. I think he had promised to take Jalen, his son, but that’s all off now.
Having some idea of just how the Wilpons act or re-act it’s hard to believe that their ownership will ever really succeed. And, if Jeff thinks he can give people ‘career information’ I should remind him that his ‘career’ began in the Delivery Room. No idea of how the rest of the world lives for Jeffy.
As far as the team owned sports channels, they have been a bad idea from the word Go. Not every Mets fan lives in Queens, and not every cable system carries team channels – another MLB mess. Oh how I miss Ralph Kiner and his Corner
Too bad there are no real sportsmen vying for the Mets Franchise -
I concur with what you’ve written. I stayed up late last night listening to Tony Paige who vows that he will not go to City Field this summer. I think he had promised to take Jalen, his son, but that’s all off now.
— Just another character in the media who thinks this team and this sport is about them. What are we supposed to follow him in his quest to not go to Citi Field? Awesome. Don’t go. I don’t even listen to Paige, nor have I ever but this is just another classic example of the media thinking the Mets (or any team) have to answer to them. What’s he want, the Wilpon’s to call him and invite him?
“Having some idea of just how the Wilpons act or re-act it’s hard to believe that their ownership will ever really succeed.”
— Yeah stupid Wilpon’s. 1 inning away from a World Series in 06. Damn this franchise will never be good with them owning it!
“And, if Jeff thinks he can give people ‘career information’ I should remind him that his ‘career’ began in the Delivery Room. No idea of how the rest of the world lives for Jeffy.”
— This is 1 of my favorite arguments about Jeff Wilpon. Name 1 person who wouldn’t love to be in his shoes with their father owning a team and then getting a full time baseball job out of it? And what do you think Jeff sits in an office all day reading comics? He’s involved in day to day operations of one of the biggest ballclubs in sports. If you can’t ask him advice on getting somewhere, who can you ask? You don’t think he hires/fires/evaluates people every day?
“As far as the team owned sports channels, they have been a bad idea from the word Go. Not every Mets fan lives in Queens, and not every cable system carries team channels – another MLB mess. Oh how I miss Ralph Kiner and his Corner”
— Yeah stupid SNY and their HD Games. I much prefer the PIX games taking up half my television screen, and boy do I hate off-season Mets reports on SNY and all the good that SNY brings to Mets fans. Not to mention all the $ it brings in that allow us to sign guys like Johan Santana. I live near Hartford, CT… my cable provider Cox refuses to pick up SNY. That’s not SNY’s fault, it’s Cox’s. So I got DirecTv and I get every game now.
I think Omar’a defense of his slow reaction speed to the TB issues is reprehensible. To make an accusation leveled at the reporter is ridiculous. It is equivalent to shooting the messenger instead of fixing the problem. His questioning of Rubin’s veracity is shallow and an implicit attack that Rubin conspired to take Bernazard’s position. That is patently ridiculous. There was no chance that an individual with no prior experience in a baseball front office would immediately enter at a VP position. I find it hard to believe that Rubin would be so naive to think that was possible. What is more likely is that Minaya was simply grasping at straws by attempting to save himself by deflecting blame elsewhere. Even Jeff’s words tends to back that up. Jeff stated he is frequently asked career advice questions. Rubin was not out of line by doing that. Omar certainly was out of line to imply something much more sinister. Let’s not shoot the messenger, but instead fix the problem. That means Omar needs to join TB on the golf course for good. Goodbye and good riddance. There are better baseball minds to run this franchise. The one we currently have in place will only ruin it.
Omar is a piece of garbage.
The only question that anyone should be asking…if everything was rubins fault…why would you fire tony b???
You wouldnt. Clearly the mets organization is a lying disgrace.
Or at least Omar’s nose is growing by the day and about to sprout a bird’s nest.
I’m just asking but is that really you Omar posting as a blog columnist named Jessep? Isn’t that a conflict of interest blogging defending yourself when you messed up and tried to put the attention on Rubin no matter what he asked about or not. That is why Omar “Jessep” is this close, as quoted by Sonny Wilpon, from losing his job in baseball.
Great article Joe D.
The lines have been crossed with interaction between journalists, commentators and others on teams flagships and radio stations. The horse has left the barn. Come on Jessep, I meant Omar, you messed up and then tried to cover for your incompetent friend who has lorded over a minor league system that sucks, big time.
Anyway just kidding Jessep, but you had me concerned about your defense of Omar, using what he said to make Rubin the story not Bernazard and his antics. Everyone in baseball knew what he was like and the results, minor league system, just points to his incompetence, which has not been mentioned.
So Bernazard got busted, Omar tried to cover for his friend, shifted the blame to someone else and now he is on the hot seat, which he should be on for his lack of foresight with this team and his comments. LGM!