Kind of like how all those big, expensive Manhattan brand name stores don’t really pull in enough moeny to pay their expenses. They are there for the advertising.

What if millions of people who don’t care about your games have to pay for the television station you created to air those games because one of your partners has a monopoly in the area?

Sports franchises are not like other businesses. Maybe they should be, but they aren’t.

If you owned a store should you be required to have a couple of million to supplement it because it doesn’t make money?

Or should you just dissolve the business?

Which would you prefer to do if you owned the mets?
Sink all the money from your successful business’ into a losing proposition because some guy who goes to 4 games out of 162 wants you to?

Get real!

The owner of a business should not have to put his own money into keeping it going!
The business should support itself!

And if it doesn’t make enough money they should close the business no one wants to use!

You want to see the NY mets thrive then go to the games.
Then it won’t matter how much money the owner made elsewhere because the business will support itself!

If your not willing to support that business with YOUR hard earned money then you have no right to demand someone else should spend their hard earned money just so you have an option to go see when the feeling hits you!

What about all those scouts?
How about all the money they have to pay to the Minor league affiliates and players under contract there?
It cost roughly $300-400 per person to fly to the west coast round trip.
You have all the staff that runs the website and other marketing needs.

You can’t just look at the $140 mil and say ok snap to pay!
Because there are all these extraneous costs to running a club that are incurred even if only 10 people show up to the game!

clearly, the league wouldn’t let them buy a team at this point, so why should they be allowed to keep one they already own.

i’m sure the league wants a full sale as soon as possible.

however, why would anyone buy today if you know the wilpons are going to get more desperate and lower the asking price in a few weeks.

eventually, they’ll be sold for about $100 million plus assumption of the debt.

So while your slamming them for borrowing money think about what you would say if they balanced their budget and got rid of all the players you guys want them to have because winning now is important to you!

The real problem with the Met finances is the debt aquired to build a stadium and a TV network all at the same time.

The Satadium itself will take close to 10 years to pay off and the TV network will probably take close to 5 before they turn to debt free profitability.

They tried to do too much at once and that is the real issue with their finances right now.

Throw the lack of attendance they need to pay the team bills and it all adds up to financial problems!

I have as you quoted always maintained I am here to talk about baseball but as you well know sometimes here the topic goes slightly beyond baseball like in this case when someone makes a point to call out the Wilpons to sell the team based on their perception of principals. I don’t think it is fair for someone else to judge people’s principals unless they are willing to be judged as well.

If you think me not talking baseball 100% of the time makes me a hypocrite that is your opinion and I can’t help it nor I care. No one ever talks solely baseball 100% of the time here and yet if you ask them they will tell you like me that they are here to talk baseball as well. The difference is unlike you I understand what someone means when they say they are here to talk baseball but sometimes also talk about something else.

I find it interesting how my replying to Bayonne in response to something he said is a weird fascination to you but when I reply to anyone else you don’t find it as fascinating?

Where are you when I reply to all the others in the MMO community?

Why do you only reply to me when I reply to a difference of opinion to Bayonne?

I am sure you are aware this is a public blog that all posts and comments are open to being challenged/debated. Including mine which you just had the courtesy of doing.

Now do yourself a favor and read the comment guidelines.
http://metsmerizedonline.com/comment-guidelines

* I believe in free speech, so you are free to debate and post an opposing point of view in any manner you see fit as long as you do it without insulting another reader, commenter or writer along the way. I will remove any comment that crosses this line.

* I don’t require that you stay on topic. You can talk about whatever you want, as long as what you have to say has some interest for readers of this blog. What I won’t tolerate is personal attacks or comments intended only to antagonize.

* If you’re a fan of another team and don’t like the Mets, you are free to post and join the debate. However, if your idea of a debate is “Mets suck”, your comment will be deleted and you will be banned from this site. Go vent somewhere else. This is a web site by Mets fans for other Mets fans for the purpose of discussing all MLB topics and issues.

* Keep your language clean. I don’t swear here, and I’d appreciate if you didn’t either. I’d like for parents to feel comfortable having their kids read this site. I’m no angel, so if I can express myself without profanity, you can, too. Be creative.

* Please be respectful. We have fun here disagreeing with each other, but we do it with respect. Hate speech against individuals or groups will never be tolerated.

These are the Comment Guidelines set forth by MMO. I suggest you get familiar with them since it seems you already have violated one of them by your choice of language. If you feel I am violating the guidelines I suggest make a formal complaint to MMO and I am sure they will act accordingly.

It’s not likely going to be a celebrity name. or if it is, they will most likely be a figure head for the group.

But let’s remember that we may be in the top of the fifth inning of what may be a very long game. Cheers, my good friend.

Seruously?

Friggin Bloomberg and these stadium deals just keep finding new ways to piss me off.

but I agree, that the way this is going, a very likely (and not far off) end game is that they see a too good to pass up offer and punt the whole thing.
]
the real problem though is that a minority stake could buy them the time to pay back MLB, and make expenses for the near term, but will still have to sell to settle the suit.

and actually, selling a % of the team puts money in the Wilpons pocket, but not actually in the mets coffers (since all they would really be doing is taking shares owned by sterling, and giving them to someone else). Unless you think they will just start pumping their own money in?

so really, is selling 25% just going to keep the wilpons afloat, but not eliminate the mets cash flow shortage?

and if sterling files bankruptcy, won’t the bankruptcy court force the sale of the team almost immediately ?

as an aside, looking at the wikipedia entry on the rangers and i had to laugh at this:

In April 2009, Hicks announced he would be willing to sell a minority interest in the team. Only one month later, Hicks announced he would be willing to sell majority control of the Rangers.[13]

In July, 2009 it was reported that Hicks borrowed money from Major League Baseball to meet the team’s payroll.[14]

… sound familiar ?

not sure about 430mill, but the key problems are 1) they are running way the hell behind in revenue (600K fewer tickets in 2010 vs. 2009, and 2009 was probably less than budgeted), never mind all the tickets not used. and 2) they leveraged the hell out of everything and got way over extended, and probably have staggering debt payments.

would you really have put it past these guys to make a no wiggle room budget that depended on 3.5 mill tixs to break even?