Do you really think we can compete now? As for the future, when does that start? 2014? 2016? Sorry if that doesn’t excite me.

Believe it or not Donal, I don’t feel the need to be arch-enemies with you. I just hate last place. I wish I cared more about saving the Wilpons’ money, but I don’t. I’d like my team to win, and when we make moves that render us to last place, I get mad.

As for this whole building from within, it’s not like spending money on the MLB roster STOPS you from letting the kids in the minors develop. See that’s my disappointment with Sandy. I honestly think you can spend and build the minors at the same time. It doesn’t have to be mutually exclusive.

and for the record, if all goes well, I think Alderson will be here for the length of his deal, move on, and hand the reins to either Ricco or Ricciardi.

“…So really it’s live gate. If you just take the average price of a ticket and the average amount spent on food and beverage and multiply that by several hundred thousand based on the attendance going up or down, you can see what the difference is.”

The Mets drew 2.4 million fans to Citi Field in 2011, down from 2.6 million the year before and 3.2 million in 2009, the ballpark’s inaugural year. In 2008, the team attracted four million ticket buyers to Shea Stadium.”

Link: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/mets/sandy-alderson-terry-collins-put-spin-jose-reyes-exit-mets-face-money-crunch-article-1.987344

So, it boils down to what direction the Mets, as an organization, is heading. They either invest and put a competative team on the field and rake in the money when the fans come to the ballpark – or they do what they’re doing – cut the budget and put a lousy team out there and watch how they lose even more money next season.

What he doesn’t make clear is why.

The Mets lost $70 million this year because most Mets fans realized at the beginning of the year that ownership was not going to fix the holes the Mets had and that we would not be competitive by the end of the season. Hell, I predicted 76 wins in March on this forum (they won 77).

Forget the attendance figures that they announced each night. That was for tickets already sold. The actual amount of fans showing up was much less. People who had season tickets stayed away when they realized that the team was an uncompetitive sub-500 team.

Without actual rear ends in the seats, the other stadium related income – the overpriced food, the souvenirs, the parking, went way down. And the individual ticket sales dropped drastically as the season progressed.

It boils down to this – the Mets had a pretty good team in March that desperately needed some holes to fill. Starting pitching and bullpen – catching and second base among other things. Mets management did little to fix these holes. If they had fixed the holes and the Mets were a playoff team then the Mets would have had more fans and, in turn, a hell of a lot more revenue.

It takes money to make money. (yes – smart money to make money).

For the past couple of years we were all told that with the big contracts coming off the books, the team will have tens of millions of dollars to re-invest for 2012 – so – we were told – be patient with the team – next year will be much better.

So, they lose $70 million (or so they like to say) and are now saying that they not only can’t re-invest but have to take a very dull axe and cut the budget even more.

So, they will lose more money next year because most fans are fed up.

Who wants to take their family of four to see the Mets and spend $300 in the process when management and ownership treat the number one market team like this.

I’m personally fed up with us fans having to suffer because Fred got greedy on a “too good to be true” investment scam and got hoodwinked.

Let him sell the team and good riddance to him and Jeff.

No.

“Too bad people don’t seem to use that information.”

I used that information to find out that we don’t have to buy what they’re selling. As much as Sandy wants us to believe we have too much money tied up, truth is no one’s guaranteed past 2013. And the majority of his MLB team are on pre-arb contracts (like 17 of the projected 25 man roster right now).

“Ya, use that winning Philips-Minaya formula. Enough of this Cashen garbage.”

High praise to call Sandy Cashen after one season. I know Cashen took six years to win a championship, but Sandy will be gone way before then. I’ll be shocked if he doesn’t quit on us in 1-2 years, and swear we’re better off.

All I’m saying is that when you play in a big market, you should be able to keep building your minors while competing on the free agent market. Also, I wa sonly 3 when the Mets won in 1986, but here’s that whole interne information thing again…Cashen’s resume pre-Mets…I like. Alderson’s….I’ll pass.

Cashen – two championships before Mets, and one with the Mets
Alderson – two division titles…oh my.

Sandy is no Cashen. He’s your future MLB Commish doing a favor for Selig to keep the Mets with the Wilpons, so Selig can recommend him for the job.