24
2012
Don’t Appearances Count For Something?
An article by 
I admit, it’s not my money so the Mets can do whatever they want with theirs. Even so, to pay upwards of $3,000 an hour to charter a helicopter to watch the Knicks last night was in poor form.
This is a team in financial distress and they splurge like that? The statement was the funds didn’t come from the team, so Wilpon must have foot the bill. I don’t see Terry Collins or Sandy Alderson paying for it.
Either way, it just looks bad considering their position.
If you want to take a helicopter, fine. But, don’t land it on the field and be so blatant. They could have taken off from a different location. It just looks cheesy when your team is in such a financial mess and did little in the offseason to get better.
Like going to the unemployment office in a Mercedes.
By the way, the judge’s ruling about making a trial decision regarding the Ponzi scandal means little in the grand scheme of things. Whatever happens, there will be further filings and appeals. This won’t end in March with a full resolution. This will drag on and the Mets will have to get by on what they already have beyond this year.
Or get by on that PLUS Scott Kazmir. Their former prospect will throw for them today in camp. The Mets are one of six teams interested. If not him, then somebody else because there’s no guarantees on Johan Santana despite his slow progress.
About the Author: John Delcos
I am an active member of the BBWAA and have covered Major League Baseball in several capacities for over 20 years, including ten in New York working the Mets' and Yankees' beat. I covered the Baltimore Orioles for eight years and the Cleveland Indians before that. I currently serve as an editor and senior staff writer for Mets Merized Online. Follow me on Twitter @jdelcos.
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I do think there is a difference between Mets money and all money.
I think there are not many people in this world who live a life where you pee and $100 bills come out. I can’t claim to understand anything a wealthy person does. Therefore, I don’t really waste my energy worrying about what they spend it on.
If the Wilpon’s donated a million dollars to a charity, would we be like “what about Reyes?!” Absolutely not.
It’s their $, not mine.
if it is there $ and not yours, why did you bash the urinals they built?
Yea this is ignorance at it’s best. Reminds me right before the auto-bailouts where the CEO’s took company funded private planes to congress to ask for money. Working for BOA for many years, I get why they do it, but it demonstrates a disconnection to reality and how most people live. To they didn’t get their money are were scolded and so the next trip they drove U.S. made cars. Better perception and they go their money.
Like you said it’s their personal money and they can do what the want and their money is separate from the teams finances. Let’s just ne a little tactful and drive down the road to a local airport or other heli-pad.
Exactly!
Salty — I respectfully disagree. The admonishment was just another example of our government’s ‘boot on the neck’ approach to the private sector. Yet these same politicians fly jets everywhere. For example, Air Force One – used by Obama – costs $179,750 per flight hour. Yet he recently concluded a three-day, three-state swing when he attended eight fundraisers and just two official events. His wife’s trip to South Africa cost $424 thousand for her family, friends and staff. Who is disconnected?
I think you should stop listening to talk radio, it’s bad for your mental health. Being able to quote the Obama’s vacation and humanitarian trip costs is unnecessary, all presidents and first lady’s incur these types of costs. If you want to hate on them, just stick with the policy decisions, you will be healthier for it.
Gary you know what the difference is between a Democrat and a Republican?
A Democrat wants the government out of our Bedroom and into our Business
A Republican wants government out of our Business and into our Bedroom!
A Democrat thinks they know how to spend your money better than you do
A Republican thinks they know how you should live your life better than you do!
And a Libertarian thinks the Government should not exist at all other than telling foreign governments to leave us alone or we will bomb you!
lol
Haha very true, and that’s why I’m an independent.
That’s why I’m Libertarian!
Been listening to David Bazan of late, and he covered the Randy Newman song “Politcal Science”. The more I hear those lyrics, the more it cracks me up. Randy must have been a Libertarian too! haha.
Ah, but whatever one’s political affiliation is, isn’t it comforting to know our welfare and concerns is really in the hands of those who know best what is best for you and I, the “job creators” – the “great white fathers of the 21st century” (I’m white BTW).
Don’t you love how guys who can’t even open an email or work a cellphone (they have aides to do that) are the same guys who make decisions on the internet and technology?
How rich folks are all experts deciding how to help the poor?
How folks who can only speak english make foreign policy decisions?
Who people who have barely worked a real job in their life or have ever started a business of their own are the ones deciding how bets to create jobs?
I’m moving to China!
Salty — Assuming the facts came from talk radio is really telling me you’re not knowledgeable. The facts are all over the media, especially the internet. Taxpayers are now in the hole for about $24 Billion bucks on the GM stock alone. It’s your money despite your smiles.
http://www.autoblog.com/2012/02/01/gm-stock-price-leads-to-greater-estimate-of-losses-on-bailouts/
My favorite line from Obama
“It’s time that Government start living within it’s means like the rest of the citizens do”
I wonder how many CITIZENS marched into their bosses office and said I need to spend more money so give me more (Raise Taxes)!
Des, the vacation crap is a waste of time. Auto bailout, that is a fair gripe. Stick with those because the other crap will just make your head spin for no reason.
EXCUSE ME; BUT FDR IS LONG DEAD. I SAY THIS BECAUSE HE WAS MOST LIKELY THE LAST PRESIDENT TO ACTUALLY BE “OUT OF TOUCH” DURING A VACATION WITHOUT EVERY MEANS AVAILABLE TO HIM ON THE BEACH OR GOLFCOURSE AS HE HAD IN THE OVAL
ANYONE WHO CRITICIZES THE POTUS FOR SOME SORT OF V A C A T I O N AS IF HIS NAME WAS GRISWALD IS A FOOL. THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A PRESIDENTIAL DECISION REACHED IN THE OVAL OFFICE AS ONE MADE IN CRAWFORD,TX, PLAINS,GA OR THE 19th HOLE OF ANYWHERE. WHY ELSE WOULD THE NATION INSIST ON THAT LAVISH SPENDING TO ENSURE THE PERESIDENT’S TRAVEL OFFICE, AIRFORCE ONE, ACCOMPANY HIM EVERYWHERE, OUTSIDE OF POSSIBLY WHAT LUNCH IS AVAILABLE TO HIM, THE MARGIN OF DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HIS CAPABILITIES IS INDECIPHERABLE. HELL CLINTON WAS LIKELY LESS AVAILABLE WHILE PLAYING “HIDE THE CIGAR” IN HIS PERSONAL ‘OUTHOUSE’ OFF THE OVAL THAN BUSH WOULD’VE BEEN ON HIS TRAIL BIKE IN CRAWFORD.
DON’T BUY IT?
WHO WANTS TO BE THE ONE IGNORING THE DO NOT DISTURB ON SLICK WILLIE?
THE ‘FOOTBALL’ IS ALWAYS WITHIN REACH AS IS THE IDENTICAL COMMUNICATION MATRIX OF 1600! IS THAT A VACATION?
IT MAKES JUST AS MUCH SENSE TO CRITICIZE THE COST DIFFERENTIAL OF JOE AVERAGE’S GETTING A BURGER FOR LUNCH OUT OF HIS OFFICE AS OBAMA’S TRIP TO LOCAL 5 GUYS OR CLINTON’S TO McDONALDS
62, Let me preface by saying your 100% correct!
Then let me remind you that Obama and the Dems made the same criticisms of Bush when HE was president!
It’s stupid, childish, petty, and most of all UNPRODUCTIVE!
Instead of bitching and worrying about what the other guy is doing these politicos should concern themselves with what THEY are NOT doing!
Which is taking this country out of the dumper and getting EVERYONE a job so THEY can take vacations too!
Not the foced upon them unpaid ones they have been subjected to!
METSIE, I THINK U ARE MISCATEGORIZING ME; REST ASSURED IN NOVEMBER I’LL BE VOTING ABO!
A NYONE
B UT
O BAMA
JDK, TO ME WAS THE LAST PALATABLE DDEMOCRAT AS THE LAST ONE TO SUPPORT TAX CUTTING.
NO PARTY WHICH BUILDS IT’S PLATFORM ON A BEDROCK OF TAX INCREASES ARE INEVITABLE & WELCOME. WILL EVER GET MY VOTE WITHOUT RESORTING TO IDENTITY FRAUD!
LOL 62!
Rest assured I wasn’t trying to categorize you at all…
Just pointing out that it doesn’t really seem to matter what party affiliation the politician in office is, They all sound the same depending on if they are incumbent or challenging!
They have one set of negative ads they recycle every election year and merely change the names of the targets each year! LOL
As an example: Obama blamed the high price of Gas on Bush and this year he says there is nothing any president can do about Gas prices! LOL
IMAGINE THE EFFECT OF AN EXECUTIVE ORDER SUSPENDING FED GASOLINE TAXES FOR A MONTH? DUH!
WHAT IF, IN A MORE LOGICAL SCENERIO EACH PASSENGER KICKED IN OUT OF THEIR PERSONAL POCKET, SURELY EVEN PLAYERS ON MLB MINIMUMS COULD EASILY AFFORD IT PROBABLY BEATS EACH DRIVING THEIR PERSONAL BENTLEY(lol)
THIS SHOULDN’T BE ROCKET SCIENCE THE NY MICROSCOPE GETS REDICULOUS AT TIMES LIKE THESE!
John, other than creating the media buzz it did do you really think this showed something most already didn’t know? The Wilpons are not without means. I can see the argument that if it was in their best interest regarding the press and it’s coverage of it but you have to believe they were fully aware that it would get exactly the coverage it got which leaves the question that maybe they wanted to be seen or simply just did not care if they were.
When you get down to it though when you have an ownership fighting over hundreds of millions of dollars in a court case I think most knew that the Wipons had the means to charter a chopper from St Lucie to a Miami for a Heats game. I mean think of all the traffic they averted.
You make a good point about having the means. Maybe this was their way to show some of those media people who said Wilpon would be filing bankruptcy before the summer, that they were wrong? Maybe this was planned this way for a reason?
I am really bother with this pic. The Wilpons saying that they don’t have the money to run the team and not getting big free agents. Plus killing the St. Lucie Mets along with entry level employees. Might as well sell the team in my opinion.
Well, at least it wasn’t Air Force One. Imagine, if you dare, what the good ol US of A would be like if the Wilpons occupied 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington DC. We would be owned by the banks of Greece for crying out loud! So, really things could be worse.
LOL…is that a little like ‘let ‘em eat cake’?
I have to say, I really don’t care. It’s not like they siphoned that money from the Mets for their night out. It’s not like that estimated $10K for the evening would mean a drop in the bucket towards bailing out the Mets financial problems.
If their personal assets are such that allow for this type of what you and I would probably call extravagance, I guess they earned it. From what I’m reading they do give plenty to charity so what they do with their pocket change is their choice.
My world history kids are always so upset to find out she never said that line. I half thought about not telling them just to let their dreams live on.
Ha! I guess you can’t believe everything you read in history books.
Wait, the entire team flew in one helicopter to a basketball game? Or did the Wilpons?
We all Got bills to pay, but that doesn’t mean one should stop enjoying life.. they’re rich, they can spend their money however they want… who cares.. plus, it was sweet see the knicks get destroyed!!!!!
Agreed, besides the TEAM being broke is much more of an issue than the WILPONS being broke. Only difference is when the team started to struggle financially the Wilpons didn’t have the money to bail it out.
Like I have said, rich people didn’t get rich by peeing money away. Owners don’t throw unlimited personal funds to fund a losing team.
I think it was bad form, but agree, at least they saw the team with the most bandwagon fans lose!
From the CHEATER himself, making a mockery of MLB:
http://espn.go.com/boston/mlb/story/_/id/7611600/2012-spring-training-ryan-braun-milwaukee-brewers-says-system-failed?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter
he was handed a gift from heaven to weasel out of the suspension. he should shut the H up about it and not push his luck.
I’m sure I don’t know all the details on this but I’m in agreement here so far.
He had his say, now he really should just keep quiet.
I see it as MLB blowing it big time. Not that Braun was necessarily vindicated as not guilty.
Seriously, He sounds just like O.J Simpson after being found not guilty..
i know Ryan Braun plays the game hard and all but i was never a fan of his and seeing how he is now after this makes it even better than Jose Reyes won the battle title.
Looking back, baseball got lucky when Jose Reyes won the batting title instead of this bum
Absolutely! Bad enough he won the MVP. I wonder who wrote his speech and if it cost $20K or more? The MLBPA know plenty of good speech writers they learned from the best, Marvin Miller.
Bayonne, to me he’s a phony, now that MLB screwed the pooch he’s out there pumping his chest.. i’m innoncent blah blah blah.. and to think there were fans of the new york mets actually rooting for this guy to overtake our own jose reyes. pathetic…
Would that be like Mets fans who say they are going to root for the Marlins and want to root against anyone Sandy signs?
TRS86, other than saying that the marlins will win the WS this year i will actually take a week off if you find ANYWHERE where i said i was gonna root for the marlins… if you do, i will be out of this site for a week.. i don’t get why it’s ok for others to root HARD for the braves and theor prospects but it’s not for me, and as soon as i say the HANRAM is better than wright and that the marlins will win the WS then i am a marlin fan… whatever, doesn’t bother me..
So you are saying you did not say that you think about rooting against the players Sandy brings in?
that’s OK, there isn’t anyone on here rooting hard for the Braves either.
then again, I don’t count Agee as being a braves fan because he (correctly) points out that the Braves have done a remarkable job of pumping out winning teams for a mid level payroll, and that just possibly their business model would be a good one to follow!
I think that one was more about Alex and his hate/hate relationship with Jessup. Something about how Jessup likes Kimbrel or something. Other than maybe the Yankees who wouldn’t want him as their closer? Kid is a stud.
was that Jseeup, not Agee? Yeah, I remember the “debate” about someone calling the Braves closer the best in the NL (which at the time, statistically, he was).
anyway, by that logic, there will be a few new marlin fans here when they say good things about reyes!
Alex How about going and finding where I said I was rooting for the Braves and their prospects.
You called me a “Braves fan” numerous times when I never once said I was rooting for them or their prospects. Not even once.
Explain to me, how saying a guy was a good pitcher makes that guy rooting hard for the Braves any different from your comments about the Marlins?
“Sources also told Munson that there was doubt over whose urine was actually being tested. Braun offered to take a DNA test to confirm whose urine was in the sample, but Major League Baseball declined. However, an MLB source told ESPN’s Mike Golic that Braun’s side backed off of the offer to take a DNA test”
I’m innocent, i’ll do it, then, no no.. it’s ok..
Most likely he backed off the pursuit of the DNA testing when his lawyers found out the goof in the collection process.
Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight!!!!!!!! LOL, amazing.. buster olney is writing an article about some players who he spoke with that are MAD AS HELL about how pathetic of a job MLB did with this … i will keep an eye out to post it.. stay tuned..
How do you back off an offer the other side declined?
Yup, history books are always written by the winners. Marie wasn’t around to tell her side of the story, lol.
That was in reply to SRT, sorry
Another knock at the Wilpons that isn’t really news but is made out to be! (Kind of like the tejada rantings!
The Mets are BROKE because we did not buy tickets!
Not because the Wilpons don’t have money!
They cut Salary because WE cut going!
Any Fan who doesn’t get that is merely looking for a scapegoat!
Hi Metsi,
Agree with you – this is totally a non-news story.
But disagree about the team being broke and having to cut salaries because the fans stopped buying tickets. If anything, the fans didn’t buy tickets so not to go broke themselves.
The cutting back on all operations across the board has actually little to do with the economic instability of the team itself. The team is just one of many holdings owned by Sterling Equities. Sterling is mired in tremendous economic hardship due to a combination of their other diversifications losing money (especially in the real estate market), bad investments leading to a tremendous amount of debt and, of course, loss of capital from the Madoff scandal. Now, the Met organization itself can lose $70 million but the indirect revenue it generates for other Sterling holdings (Citi Field, SNY, merchandising, etc.) more than makes up for that financial loss suffered by the team. This is common for sports franchises in general – the team is the centerpiece for which the other business interests depend upon.
The Mets trouble is a result of Sterling Equities as a whole suffering so much financial loss that can no longer be offset by the holdings that feeds off the team. So even the Mets have to suffer at the chopping board.
first let me just get it out of the way…
I wasn’t suggesting the Fans didn’t have a good reason (whatever it was) for not going.
But the bottomline here the Wilpons didn’t bankrupt us. It’s not like the Dodgers where the Owner looted the Team Bank Accounts!
They found themselves in a situation where they couldn’t subsidize the team and it’s losses!
No owner should have to throw his own money into the team! If you owned Verizon Stock they shouldn’t be calling you up and say “Hey we lost money and need you to kick in some more bucks so we can pay the bills we have and improve service!”
You say “sounds like a personal problem that you need to deal with!”
Wilpons spent plenty when the money was there and at it’s highest salary point there was STILL money left over but two chokes and two injury plagued seasons made the fans lose faith and the economy made that lack of faith not worth investing money into!
So we stopped going as often, Stopped buying season tickets for awhile and as a result there is no money left to pay what we had, Had to cut and until attendance picks up nothing is really going to change!
If you like the team as it’s being built, Go and buy some tickets!
If you think they need to spend more on players then you really have to go and buy tickets to get that!
And if you don’t care either way then you were probably not going to buy more than 3 or 4 tickets a season anyway!
And the truth is there is no evidence that the Wilpons have lost a penny here!
Any worth lost in realestate is not on paper it’s in worth. If the real estate was worth more they wouldn’t have a single dime more than they have now, All they would have is more collateral to borrow with and something to see if they DID need cash!
I once met a guy who when we started talking was worth 6 Billion (Internet guy) By the end of the day he was worth 3 Billion and he basically said it’s not real worth it’s all just paper not real money!
Same for the real estate holdings!
They aren’t hurting at all!
Hi Metsi,
It’s really the opposite way around – the team subsidizes the parent company even if suffers $70 million in losses for without the team as its center, those other holdings dependent on the Mets to generate way more revenue than the team loses, would not exist and thus there would be no money to be made at all.
The Yankees make the bulk of their fortune through YES, not ticket sales. Same with the Red Sox with NESPN – a small ballpark filled to capacity each night and high ticket prices, etc. cannot realistically generate enough revenue to where the owners would make more than Carl Crawford and company. The Angels signed Albert Puljos to that ludicrious contract because of the deal regarding television rights. In a big market like the tri-state area, the Mets have SNY to do the same – and notice SNY is one holding the Wilpons (i.e, Sterling Equities absolutely refuses to part with. SNY has to be worth a small fortune if they won’t even part with a small portion of it – and without the Mets, there would be no SNY.
If the Sterling Equities losses were more paper than with cash-flow, I don’t know why they would then need to strip down the Mets in such a manner as they are. The Mets are not independent of Sterling Equities, just one of many diversifications. I suspect the overall losses of the parent company are a lot more serious. The Wilpons would not water down the source of so much inter-dependent revenue for any other reason.
Again, the Mets could be in the red which in itself matters little if it enables the parent company to be much more in the black than they would be without it.
The point I think your getting caught up in though is that Sterling doesn’t sell anything.
They own companies that sell things but the value to them is only in regards to how much those holdings are worth! Wilpons are worth what they hold not whatever cash is available at the companies they hold.
In fact what seems to have gotten them into this whole mess was taking cash that wasn’t really theirs, throwing it into Madoff and making a quick buck off that short investment.
Thats why Picard is all over their use of Madoff as their own private bank account.
They were taking cash they got from their businesses and turning it into cash they could spend!
Sterling may sell off buildings from time to time and yes the mets sell tickets and SNY sells advertising but that money stays in those accounts and the benefit to Sterling is merely the value of the asset they own, they don’t get cash! No one divies up all the money that was left over at the end of the year just as it’s not usual to have all the folks who own stock kick in more money to pay for bills when there is a loss either.They may get dividends but they can’t go and take 10 Mil from the Mets and go buy something with it!
They can however Borrow against the Met Assets because the value of the mets raises or lowers the value of those who hold the stock!
But there is no real cash transfer between the two!
SNY money given to the Mets is just as much Wilpon money as it is Time Warner and the other partners!
And the truth is part of the deal to get the network was the promise that these exorbitant Right fees your seeing now would not be incurred until the company was profitable.
It’s what they are calling an OLD GEN rights package and only recently with the extreme hike networks are getting from the MSOs (Cable operators) are these deals like the Dodgers and Angels being made.
Yes Network makes much more than SNY because it also has the Net games by the way.
Metsi,
I think we’re looking at the same thing but from different angles.
Do you really think that the Nets make more money for YES than repeated airings of David Cone striking out 19 on the last day of the season does for SNY?
Well maybe not as much now but when they were in Jersey yep those rights fees were huge!
The Fact is they have a revenue stream Summer AND Winter!
SNY has Summer and the rest of the time it’s pretty much college and their cobbled together studio!
Why do you think Beer Money and Daily News is on every day and repeats often! LOL
Hi Metsi,
LMAO. “Beer Money” – that was a great one!