Before you read any further I just want to make it clear that I have never, I repeat never inquired about getting a job with Player Development for the New York Mets.
Yesterday Omar Minaya after what I am sure was an exhausting investigation into the Tony Bernazard situation finally announced that the Mets fired Tony Bernazard. In his press conference yesterday afternoon Omar claimed that the Mets human resources department was already looking into Tony Bernazard’s behavior and an investigation was already being conducted quietly within the organization. Omar then said that Daily News beat writer Adam Rubin, the reporter who last week broke the story about Bernazard taking his shirt off and threatening 17 and 18 year old kids in the minors to a fight had been lobbying for the last few years for a job in player development. Rubin was shocked and rightly so.
Omar Minaya is a liar, pure and simple. Last week when Omar Minaya held his news conference to tell reporters that the Mets were “investigating” Tony Bernazard he gave no indication once so ever that the organization was conducting any sort of investigation into Tony Bernazard before then. Let’s face it, there is no way that the Mets did not know what Tony Bernazard did in Binghamton. Omar and the Mets were trying to sweep this situation under the rug until Adam Rubin dug it up and reported it in the Daily News. Omar knew full well that a few weeks ago Tony Bernazard cursed out an employee at Citi Field in front of people and children because he wanted a seat behind homeplate that was being occupied by a scout for the Arizona Diamondbacks. The public did not know of these unprofessional acts by Bernazard until Adam Rubin broke the story last week. Later in the week the Post reported that Bernazard was in a verbal argument with K-Rod, which in my mind should have been the final nail in his coffin.
Omar said in his press conference yesterday afternoon that he stumbled a little bit when he read Adam Rubin’s column on what happened in Binghamton because Rubin over the years has lobbied for a job in Player Development with the Mets. Rubin denied these charges, saying that he has asked team officials from different teams over the years how to break into that part of the business, Jeff Wilpon according to Rubin even offered more than once to sit down with him and talk to him about breaking into the business as well as a job with SNY but Rubin turned him down everytime.
Yesterday’s press conference should have been a slam dunk, Omar should have told the press that the Mets have decided to part ways with Tony Bernazard, field some questions and wish everyone a good afternoon. This was the perfect chance to wash our hands of this, build on some momentum from the weekend and go out and play baseball in perhaps the most important series so far this season. Unfortunately Omar as usual could not complete an easy task. Much like last year when he fired Willie Randolph at 3AM EST on the road this firing turned into another circus. Attacking Adam Rubin who admittedly has written some tough pieces on Omar and his job performance is like what Adam said “despicable.” It seems to be nothing more than an attempt at getting some payback. Payback for what you ask? It’s no secret that Omar and Tony Bernazard are friends outside of baseball. Bernazard was hired in December of 2004, 3 months after Omar was named the General Manager of the Mets. Had Rubin never reported in what happened in Binghamton, Tony Bernerzard would still be employed by the Mets, taking his shirt off, threatening to beat up kids who are away from the families and in a different part of the world for the 1st time in their lives.
Omar decided to try and ruin Adam Rubin’s credibility, pure and simple by putting this out in the universe. Last week Omar used the word investigate about 100 times during his news conference, I wonder if Omar was investigating Adam Rubin’s past? Did Omar call around the major’s asking for any dirt on Adam Rubin? I think what Omar set out to do was to try and get Rubin off the Mets beat. 2Omar was not being professional, he was being personal. You cannot attack a beat writer because he wrote an article that forced you to fire your best friend.
I think it’s no secret that I have been calling for Omar’s head for months now. I have not agreed with most of his free agent signings the last couple of years, the lack of trades and the horrible way he has built up the farm system. That dislike was against Omar Minaya the General Manager of the New York Mets, the public figure, not Omar the person. I’ve never met Omar Minaya, I don’t know anybody who knows him personally so I had no reason to dislike Omar Minaya the person until yesterday afternoon. Omar showed his true colors yesterday afternoon by attacking Adam Rubin without producing any shred of evidence to support his claims. If Adam Rubin has been lobbying for a job the last few years produce emails of inquiry, text messages or a resume from Rubin to the New York Mets. While Omar has not yet shown any evidence that backup his claims, Omar has showed that as a “man” he’s petty and in my opinion despicable. There is no other word to describe him after yesterday. I wanted Omar fired because I felt he wasn’t doing a good job, it was nothing personal until now. I will smile and maybe even dance a little much like Tony Bernazard did in Anaheim when the Mets fired Willie Randolph.
The attack on Adam Rubin shows that with this organization if you say and/or write something negative about the Mets they will fire you and/or try to discredit you. Anybody think it was a coincidence that Matt Yaloff and Lee Mazzilli were very critical last year of the Mets on SNY and are no longer with the channel? It came out during this whole mess with Bernazard that he would threaten the younger kids, telling them that if they didn’t do what he liked he would get them. Adam Rubin said that he has received letter from parents of minor leaguers confirming this and I hope after yesterday and the permission of the parents he will publish those letter in his column. Fear and bullying seems to be something Omar approves of to run this organization.
You have to admire Adam Rubin. He’s not a columnists, he’s a beat writer, he has to be with the team day in and day out. To write a column like he did 2 weeks ago in the Daily News knowing that he would have to see Omar and the rest of the organization on a daily basis he still went ahead and wrote what he felt was wrong with the Mets and Omar.
Last night Omar held yet another press conference, this time with Jeff Wilpon by his side. Omar did not really apologize, he just said basically that he shouldn’t have made the comments he made about Adam in a public forum. In fact Omar seemed angrier than he was in the afternoon. Jeff Wilpon by the way stood next to Omar, basically nodding, sipping a bottle of water. He did say that he gets a lot of phone calls on a weekly basis seeking career advice. The Mets and Omar had a chance to clear the air, to apologize but instead looked worse than before.
Omar Minaya I don’t like you as a GM and now I like you even less as a person and I cannot wait to see you on the unemployment line! Omar showed that he has no class, while Adam Rubin showed a lot of class yesterday, he could have said a lot of things about Omar but decided to not too stoop to that level. I wouldn’t mind having someone like that in the organization working with our younger guys compared to “men” like Tony Bernazard and Omar Minaya. Mets fans it’s obvious that Omar Must Go!
*Mets Merized Online Needs Your Help*
I’m still shell shocked from that press conference. Maybe in the future, the mets can do press releases like the Yankees do. The only time they do press conferences is to put their wares on display after a shopping spree.
Thanx for your excellent blog about this! I cant wait for Omar to be fired too!
I just have one question about your entire article. You say that the Mets don’t allow people to criticize them publicly but the last time i checked. Joe Beningo is still working for SNY and i’ve been a huge fan of his from his days at WFAN overnight. So please tell me how that is really true.
Joe Beningo on WFAN yesterday said he has a de facto ban on him for his critical statements on the Mets and Wilpons. SNY is not operated by the Mets and if anything the network has been trying to make itself not the Mets-version of YES.
So in short, yes Beningo has publically stated he is basically barred from the Mets organization.
Why does it matter if Adam Rubin is insulted about Omar Minaya spilling the beans that he was looking for a job within the organization. Beat writers seem to have no problem in blasting players, managers or front office people without looking at all sides of any particular problem. I am sick and tired of the medias idea that they have carte blanche to say anything without repercussion. They hammered the Mets for making the trade for Jeff Francouer and now they have elevated him to be the savior. Fact is that Jeff had some problems in Atlanta, and a change of scenery for him has been good. He is an energetic player on a team that has suffered through an injury plagued season and has gotten off to a good start. Go back to the first 60 days of 2007 and you will see that newly acquired Ryan Church was CARRYING this team by himself and at the top of the league leaders in hitting stats until he was sidelined. Look at how the media treated Ryan since then! A bunch of egotistical, backstabbing weasels who are able to lead those who can’t think for themselves. The media gets far too many considerations to do their jobs professionally and all too often are delivering tabloid like stories reminiscent of the Hollywood Rags that still sit atop the newsstands.
MetsMerized, Pomes,
Any respect I had for you and your blog is gone.
The Mets organization could have done better here, but the media is the sinister part of this equasion.
You’re delusional. Wake up and smell the incompetence.
Since 68, if you don’t like it then don’t come to this website. Can’t handle the heat, get out of the Mets kitchen.
So you think Bernazard was going to beat up 17 year old kids. And you think Rubin wasn’t looking for a job with the Mets and that there was no conflict of interest. You must also think Mike Piazza is gay. So who needs to wake up?
I keep hearing that Bobby V, is not returning to Japan to coach. Why don’t the Mets do this…..
Fire Manuel, make a phone call to Bobby V NOW and get him back to coach this team, fire Omar Minaya, and name Ron Darling as the new GM. That would be purely heaven!!!
Greg –
Please get your facts straight. B-Met players present during Bernazard’s alleged clubhouse tirade state that it was anything but that. The manager, Josh Thole, Jose Coronado & others are on record and confirm that TB took off his button-down shirt and left his t-shirt on, as one would do at the end of the day, and ripped into a few players for underage drinking and lackluster play.
I seriously wonder whether any of the beat writers ever played the game of baseball or spent legitimate time in a lockerroom. One thing is for sure, Adam Rubin failed to empty his closet of skeletons before he commissioned himself to throw TB under the bus. He’ll think twice next time.
I respect Omar for calling him out, warts and all.
Further, Rubin’s own published account of the incident should be dismissed as a self-serving and amature plea to the mediaa and fan base. It was similar to Greg Jefferies plea to the fan base – one that was so widely ridiculed by the media – that ironically Rubin now pleads to.
Rubin needs to work a few months as a day laborer and contemplate the value of journalistic integrity. Rubin was far more reckless with the pen than Omar was with the mouth, and that ain’t easy, Pal.
Rubin was doing his job by reporting the facts. Omar was trying to throw up a smoke screen for his buddy the Buzzard. Even Jeff Wilpon saw Omar got himself in way too deep and made Omar do the second press meeting. If Omar had a problem with Rubin, it should have been addressed years, if not months ago when Rubin first asked to career advice. To bring it up now makes Omar look like the fool he is.
You write “The manager, Josh Thole, Jose Coronado & others are on record and confirm that TB took off his button-down shirt and left his t-shirt on…”
So a bunch of kids on the AA team and their manager are tried to downplay that their boss did something inappropriate. Tony B has told more than 1 person on more than 1 occasion that he would “get” them if they cross him, perhaps they were scared? Perhaps the organization asked them to downplay the incident? Also we all know that the Mets organization is so honest and forthcoming with the media (note sarcasm).
Omar needs to go. During this season of adversity, he has done nothing to pick up this team. He has played wait and see all too long. All the inuries are more serious than originally announced and the return of the players delayed. We will likely not see some of them at all this year. In the face of all that, the only thing Omar has done is shuffle the roster with players of marginal value from AAA. His one trade of Francoeur for Chuch was very late in coming and Church had his confidence destroyed by the Mets (thanks Jerry). He has been collecting a healthy paycheck and providing very little for it. On top of that he has gotten totally distracted by the Bernazards issues and is in disarray. He needs to go and the sooner the better.
I was listening to the press confrence on my ipod riding home from work and I think my jaw must have bisibly dropped when Omar began his outspoken nonsense about Ruben. I think it will not be long before Omar follows Tonys steps out the door. He gives the organization a bad name, not to mention he can spend a whole press confrence and say practically nothing.
I see the situation as Omar being pissed that that dogged good solid reporting from a beat writer forced his hand and dictated how he(Omar) dealt with a very close colleagues job performance issues. We all know Tony B. has been with Omar for years and followed him to New York from The Montreal organization. The issue isn’t if Tony B. is a jerk. There are plenty of “jerks” working in baseball now and in the past. Just ask ex St. Louis Cardinal coaches and players what they think of our beloved Keith Hernandez and you’ll get some interesting answers I am sure. It’s not our place to determine who Omar hires to work on his team.
The media did “blow up” and mis-reported the facts when Tony B. gave his clubhouse speech to the Bing. players we know that now.
No one is fired for being a jerk. I stand by my earlier comments that Tony. B. had value.
Omar got stung by a beat writer and he’s pissed about it. That’s all this episode tells me. Yes, Omar should have no mentioned Rubin in the press conference, but he did. Its over. Toy B. is gone. Rubin is covering the Mets. Omar is still the GM albeit now without his “hacket” “kick ass for me guy” Tony B. DO people expect President Obama to invite Omar and Rubin to the White House for a beer, or what? It’s over.
LETS GO METS!
Can anything else go wrong for this organization?