Fixing This Amazin’ Mess

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• Metstheory22 August 21, 2012 at 9:14 am

  I like the move of the Mets Hall of Fame into the rotunda. Statues of Seaver, Hodges, Payson and Stengel inside Rotunda or in spots around park. Maybe the Piazza one in CF food court.
  The roster will be what we are allowed to do according to payroll, but we do need upgrades at C, CF, LF, RF. I think Santana will be better next year as he might need a rest from all the rehab and pitching.
  • jessep August 21, 2012 at 12:23 pm

    Thanks for reading and for writing!

    Good point about maybe placing statues around the park rather than just outside. It ties fans closer to the game. I like it.

    I personally do not connect with Stengel which is why I didn’t write about him – but it’s a very valid point
• Amazin August 21, 2012 at 9:22 am

  Sandy feeds the # 1 puppet a book of diversions. The clown does his job again. FAIL FAIL FAIL. The only thing to help is to dump jessup and the puppet master. The rest is all BS, diversions to make slurpers happy. Maybe you and the lord should bring back fredomland. Tear down the fake ball park and rebuild the failed amusement park.
  • jessep August 21, 2012 at 9:29 am

    Amazin – Thanks for being a loyal reader (even if all you do is read the author title). I can always count on you to increase my reader population!
  • Joe D August 21, 2012 at 9:37 am

    I’m sure most of our readers dont even know about Freedomland USA, but there’s something I haven’t heard over 30 years.

    I guess you didn’t get my last reply to you? So let me restate it here for you so there’s no mistake you’ve read my warning.

    I know who you are. For someone so knowledgeable and insightful why do you waste any time attacking a couple of our writers and a few of our readers rather than debating? I dont get it. I was kind enough to let you start posting again when I unbanned you after about a year. I was hoping you would simply go back to talking baseball like you used to on Lohud’s game chats back in the day.

    Why don’t you just let go of that bag of bricks you carry around and continue to be a part of this community rather than taking all that dead weight with you on another year long hiatus?
    • Alex68 August 21, 2012 at 10:06 am

      Joe D, in defense of amazin i will say something, and i’m sure i am saying this on behalf of a lot of people as well. jesseP is a snake, he’s not an easy person to even like, and i know this is a blog not a social media to interact, but it’s hard to even debate with someone who is a jerk most of the time, not only that, but he’s proved to be a baiter, an instigating as$hole who has annoyed a lot of people here. I have no idea what you were thinking in pointing him as the cleanup guy, i know youhave been feeling ill and the last thing you want is complains etc, but how on earth a guy like him gets to warn others about behavior or any form of conduct? most of us were pretty disappointed after he found out he’s the moderator, very disappointed to say the least. He’s the worst guy in this blog imo, and i am sure i am not alone in that thought, just because you don’t curse doesn’t make you a btter person than the next one. he’s proven to be a person you cannot debate with, so i understand why amazin despite the guy, you should look at how he interact and has acted towards others in here. he’s a hypocrite and just because he interacts with you a lot doesn’t mean he’s a good person. you’re getting fooled by his act, he’s a totally different person in here, trust me, if you ever do a survey about him, you will get a lot of negative feedback..

      amazin, i will suggest something, just like most of us, don’t even post on this guy’s article, he’s the worst and he will try to make you look bad, i despise the guy too, but this is pretty much the internet, you probably never gonna see him face to face which is why he acts the way he does.
      • jessep August 21, 2012 at 10:09 am

        Alex68 – Thanks for clicking on my post. I can always count on you to increase my reader population!
      • stick August 21, 2012 at 10:48 am

        I know I will regret tis, but give it a rest already with your incessant nonsense about a couple of the posters on here (as in Jessep of course). It is laughable they you basically stalk someone that in my time here, always seems to be reasonable, rational, knowledgeable, and interested in actually talking about baseball. Even if you you don’t agree with all his opinions (as no one will to anyone), they are well reasoned and pleasantly presented.

        I see an asset to the site, not a “snake”. and SMH about this baiting. what the hell is that? Questioning someone else’s opinion? pointing out a factual error?

        and man, I guarantee, if you want to put a poll up about who the “worst guy on the blog is” and you 2 are the options, Jessep is not going to win.
        • jessep August 21, 2012 at 12:33 pm

          stick – Kinda like a “loser leaves town” old school WWF match haha

          I’d like my odds for sure, thanks.
      • Fonzie13 August 21, 2012 at 2:18 pm

        Actually you’re the worst on this site. Go ahead and take a survey, I guarantee you would score in the high 90′s as the worst on this site. It’s not even close.
    • Joey D. August 21, 2012 at 7:16 pm

      Hi Joe,

      I agree with you but hope you recognize the problem is with more than just one individual. There are a few guilty of insults, attacks and coy remarks to belittle rather than conducting good hearted debates. I have been personally called a bullshitter, liar, condescending due to my age, one who claims to attach non-existent links, the recipient of coy smart alack remarks and I child and crybaby when I bring these issues up. All I have asked is to disagree with my opinion as much as one wants but to just not attack my character. I will admit there have been times when I stooped to the same as gut-reaction.

      So instead of properly addressing this issue to just one individual, I hope you will expand that and address it to all those who are guilty – whether they be anti-Sandy, pro-Sandy, saberist, traditionalist or anything in between. As you might know, Jessep and I don’t agree on practically anything yet not to long ago he was kind enough to mention my name as an example of how cordial we are with each other.

      Since many of those individuals might indeed be parents, I wonder how they would feel hearing their children address others in the same manner.
  • gorgeguy August 21, 2012 at 9:39 am

    It’s quite easy to stab at Sandy and his lack of moves, in addition to his weak statements. However, I don’t get your reason to “kill the messenger” as there is no apologist stance in this article.

    Mets fans fighting each other is yet another weakness that could be addressed by the FO, and Michael’s slogan idea could help. Unfortunately, it may give the disgruntled yet another target at which to mock in the shoutbox.

    I’ve said it since I first got in these chats at the turn of the century: If you are so loaded as to want to fight your allies, you need to find another outlet for your angst, and consistent exercise is a great place to start.
    • srt August 21, 2012 at 10:41 am

      Well said.
• gorgeguy August 21, 2012 at 9:28 am

  This article shows an extensive analysis of everything outside of the players and most of which I rarely consider. Does anyone know if the FO mentions any of the blogs like this? It seems there should be at least 1 paid position that keeps its finger to the “cyber-pulse.”

  You also have to wonder about guys and gals that do get paid by the FO to develop new ideas to bring in the fans. It seems that many of the ideas discussed here, ones that could build the fanbase, are not even on their radar. Does anyone feel especially tied with the “Meet the Mets” song? I’d love to hear a new jingle as that one is lame (maybe all teams have lame songs?).

  Last, I especially like your statue ideas and the slogan for next year. Even if they don’t go with “We’re all in,” it would be nice if we all have a central idea that is part of a “plan.”
• Peter R. August 21, 2012 at 10:20 am

  They will never lower ticket prices to that extreme especially after cutting prices 15% already for 2012 which didnt help sell any additional tickets so it was a total loss of revenue. I do like the ideas of the statues the best. To go to Citi and be able to see 2-3 majestic bronze statues of Seaver and Hodges would be pretty grand. I thought they originally said the plan was to have bronze statues but I guess they ditched that idea.
• K Maxx August 21, 2012 at 10:24 am

  Recently, the most printed story was that the Mets may not raise their payroll next year. When I read this, I said “who cares?”

  Why does the payroll matter? Would you rather have a better CF for $4 million or a worse CF for $10 million?

  This is NY and your question is all wrong. I would rather have the best centerfield no matter the cost. Havent you seen enough dumpster diving the last two seasons? Are you suggesting more years like the last two?

  Your question is pretty insulting and quite smug in my opinion. If you’re goal was to structure your question so that you would get a conditioned response, bravo.
  • jessep August 21, 2012 at 10:29 am

    K Maxx: No my goal was to suggest that the amount of money a player makes doesn’t mean they are the right player for the job (See: Jason Bay, Luis Castillo, Oliver Perez.)

    Spending Money doesn’t = wins. Talent does.

    I don’t want the Mets to go looking for players because they have higher salary demands and the average Mets fan just wants them to spend money.

    That doesn’t interest me. I don’t care today what the payroll will be tomorrow. I care what the win totals will be. Don’t talk to me about “Payroll between 90 and 110 million.”

    Talk to me about the roster, the actual talent. Just because you will raise payroll, doesn’t mean you’ll do it right.
    • jessep August 21, 2012 at 10:37 am

      And just to take it further what if somebody comes along and wants Jason Bay? Obviously this is highly unlikely but if Sandy dumped his salary but then didn’t spend $16mil elsewhere – he’s a liar to some because he didn’t keep payroll the same or raise it.

      I just find no use in talking about a payroll before arbitration, contracts etc have occurred. Because A) I find it to just be increasingly hypothetical and B) I see no reason why the Mets would be honest about it.

      If the Mets said “we will increase our payroll by $20 million.”

      All that does is help some fans sleep better at night but more importantly all it does is tell an agent of a free agent that there is more $ to be had. I don’t see how that is in the Mets interest.

      That is all I was trying to say about that – thanks for reading and commenting though!
    • K Maxx August 21, 2012 at 10:38 am

      What are you even talking about?

      Name me one GM with a link who says:

      “I’m going into this offseason with a goal of signing players who have the highest salary demands?”

      If you want talent, the market will dictate what that talent is worth. It always has and it always will.

      At the time we signed Jason Bay, a 35 HR, 120 RBI slugger who had also averaged 25 HR/93 RBI in last six years, was worth a 4 year $66M deal.

      Guess what, shit happens. Nobody could have predicted what happened and using that to strengthen your argument is weak.

      You seem to want the Mets to ignore the market altogether and play it like the Royals. Not in this town.
      • jessep August 21, 2012 at 10:43 am

        Not at all. I want the Mets to spend and spend wisely. To not bid against themselves (see KRod, Ollie P), and to have backup plans when somebody’s demand exceeds their worth to the team.

        You, Me, Alderson, Wilpon have no clue what the market will dictate come December 2012. So talking about payroll now to me – seems pointless.

        I like Torii Hunter through free agency because I feel he’s a veteran talent who can bring a lot to this organization for the short term. Will he be cheap? No. But if you’re telling me in order to sign him you need to give him a 4 year deal for over 8mil a year, then good luck Torii.

        That’s all I’m saying. We don’t know who they like and dislike on an open market. Maybe Sandy really likes a guy and expects he’d want $6 mil and he really wants $5mil. So now Sandy saves $3mil, does he have to spend it? If he doesn’t, then he’s a liar to some.
        • K Maxx August 21, 2012 at 11:00 am

          Not at all. I want the Mets to spend and spend wisely. To not bid against themselves (see KRod, Ollie P), and to have backup plans when somebody’s demand exceeds their worth to the team.

          Guess what, they did spend wisely. At the time Holliday wanted $135 million, Bay $66 million. They needed a slugger in the worst way and they made the wise choice at the time with Bay.

          They didn’t bid against themselves on Bay, it was a negotiation that ultimately they both agreed on. That’s how negotiations work. Plus Bay wanted a fifth year guarantee. He wanted a five year deal, Omar said no way, and offered only an option.
• stick August 21, 2012 at 10:41 am

  well reasoned piece. So, a couple random comments;
  it is very rare for a FO to really come out and lay out “the plan” in detail. Like you say, why show your hand? And when it is done, it is because the plan is so damned obvious you can’t miss it, and it will likely not be well received (or in rare cases, because it will be!)

  and related to that, who cares what they say, since up front that is just a plan, not a guarantee. And depending on what happens along the way, plans can change. So why say we are doing X, just so when Y happens instead people on the internet will scream “liar”?

  if you want the answer to your questions, just look at what they do, and that will be it. Do they really have to say they are going into full rebuild mode if they trade Dickey and Wright? Or that they are drawing the line in the sand and moving forward if they extend both of them?

  and as to payroll, bottom line that right now, the mid-90s seems to be the supportable level. So that is what they are spending. So it is disingenuous to say they are spending 10-15 mill. No, they are spending 90-95mill.

  and this year, they are still spending more than the nats or Braves. so obviously, it is enough to compete! And using that reality of 95ish as the max right now, the FO is nt spending because effectively Omar spent the budget through 2013.
• srt August 21, 2012 at 10:44 am

  ‘There’s no more excuses with regard to money is my eyes.’

  As long as the Wilpons own this team, Met fans should expect more of the same.

  All in for 2013? Not gonna happen……
  I’d say we’re lucky if payroll for 2013 even reaches what it was for 2012. IMO, this team will be in a holding type pattern until Johan/Bay’s contracts come off the books end of 2013.
• Metfan Lou August 21, 2012 at 10:49 am

  When there is a limited budget there are limited options. When you get above the minimum you have good players gettting 2-8 million a year, better players getting 8-12 million a year and elite players 12-24 million a year. This is my breakout. Just getting two good players say at 16 million is a lot of money for a limited budget like the Mets. When a Jason Werth gets over 16 million a year you know the world is out of whack. My gosh Jose Reyes’ salary is ridiculous when you look at his stats this year. more examples, Carl Crawford and Jason Bay and even the Twins have a hard time justifying Mauer’s salary. I think we have some money for Wright and a couple of good players. NOW if you want to take a big gamble and trade a Harvey or Niese for your outfield help then you really have to have some real kahoneys for that. What do you think?
• SaltyGary August 21, 2012 at 10:52 am

  “Why does the payroll matter?”

  I completely get and understand your premise. If it was any other team I would be on the same page with you. Why I have an issue with this is money is such a glaring issue for the team. If they continue to restrict payroll then they are telling fans they are not ready to move forward from the financial issues.

  They need to change the story line that has been haunting them for the last 3 years. I don’t know if making a big splash would necessarily do that and I hope we remember that is part of the reason that got the team where they are, but they need to show the fans they are moving forward and investing in the team. They had a big opportunity to do this at the trade deadline. They didn’t have to bring on many dollars but they did need to demonstrate that they are ready to re-invest in the team. In the end they did squat and allowed the narrative to continue.
  • SaltyGary August 21, 2012 at 10:54 am

    and overall nice well rounded assessment Jessep. Especially the promotional stuff. I imagine the decline in promotional items is directly related in not having enough nickels to buy the stuff. You are right can’t change these prices if you are not going to give a good show. Also as a kid this stuff was awesome to get as a kid, it just adds a little juice to the whole product.
    • K Maxx August 21, 2012 at 11:05 am

      One of the things Jesse mentions that I did agree with was promos that connected fans to the players. I remember as a kid getting and cherishing some of those great giveaways especially the team sets of baseball cards and I remember a poster album day where you got a book with a dozen or so posters of players that you could tear out. I remember decking my bedroom out with them. That was how I got to know the players and their uniform numbers back then when I was only 9 or 10. But it got me hooked on the team as a whole. Now they have lame stuff like a refrigerator magnet with a schedule and the biggest word on it is GEICO.
      • srt August 21, 2012 at 1:05 pm

        As a kid, my family and I would always go to the last game of the season at Shea, which was Fan Appreciation day. They always had some cool giveaways I probably still have packed away some where.
    • jessep August 21, 2012 at 11:06 am

      Salty – Thanks for the comments.

      Re: the promo stuff. As somebody who actually has managed a sports promotion department I can tell you that a select few amount of people come to the game BECAUSE of the promo item. A promo item isn’t meant to get you to the game – it’s meant to enhance the experience and to add branding impressions.

      The Mets have done giveaways. That’s not the problem. They focused so much of their attention on the anniversary bobbles that they left the actual roster in the dust.

      Gloves, Bag, Window cling, Cup, Drawstring Bag, Cap, Visor, Another Cap, Tshirt, Mini Bat, Mr. Met Poster, Truck, License Plate Frame, Travel Case.

      These are all items they gave away this year. So I don’t think it’s fair to say $ was the issue. The issue was what they are using to connect fans to the game.

      I’d bet if you went to every MLB team and picked out their most obvious “star” players, that you’d see giveaway/promo items centered around them.

      Player promotions add personality to the team – they create a connection with the player and fan. I mean heck, the Yankees – the most corporate minded team in the sport had promotions for Granderson, Texiera.

      Last year the Mets had two items, a Reyes banner night (which they tied into Latina night and an Ike Davis Bobblehead. So the excuse of the anniversary doesn’t fly with me.

      Teams like the Giants, Angels, and Phillies get it
      • stick August 21, 2012 at 11:59 am

        just curious, but I know a lot of this stuff is sponsored (I have every sport bag since the first one in about 1980, so I know logos!), but do the sponsors pay for all the cost? Just an advertising fee?

        and you mention the Nats. They do a couple hat giveaways each year (nice ones too, very discrete advertising, and good quality). Fans like it, and it gets a lot more out in the public.
        • jessep August 21, 2012 at 12:04 pm

          srt – I assume not every team is the same but – sponsors pay for impressions along with the advertisement. They are paying because 25,000 people will wear their logo, and for a few weeks SNY will broadcast “sponsored by…” and the website will say it also.

          It’s the promo department’s job actually to get the item at the best rate possible. The team makes $ on the promo item because the sponsor cares more about the fact that you are walking around the supermarket with your mets giveaway cap that has Verizon on it.

          So the fee is based on # of items, what it will cost the team to get, and the impressions a team can promise. A bobblehead costs more to make than a t-shirt, but the impressions would be less so there is a balance there.
• Mr North Jersey August 21, 2012 at 10:58 am

  Good article Jessep. I would especially love to see statues around Citi of great Mets players and moving the Jackie Robinson tribute would most likely please many as well.

  Better promotions and lower ticket prices are always welcome. More transparency in the FO is always welcome but by the same token no FO I believe is ever fully transparent not that that is what your asking for.

  I’m not to keen though on the slogan idea.
• Sane Mets Fan August 21, 2012 at 11:01 am

  http://newyork.mets.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20120225&content_id=26853440&vkey=pr_nym&c_id=nym

  I just wanted to say the Mets have had quite a few giveaways and promotions this year. The bobblehead collection was pretty stellar. I also remember a terrible Verizon t-shirt give away not listed on that link. The fathead giveaway also isn’t listed. Maybe they could have better quality giveaways at times, but they definitely do make an effort in this regard. Certainly more than the one you gave them credit for.

  Other than that I agree with much of what you’ve written.
  • Mr North Jersey August 21, 2012 at 11:07 am

    I would just add that while true it seems it was mostly due to the 50th anniversary I don’t recall past years ever having as good of promotions as they had this season. Now with the ASG at Citi next year they hopefully continue the good promotions but beyond that the hope is they don’t slide back to where they were prior to this season.
  • jessep August 21, 2012 at 11:08 am

    Sane – thanks for the comment! I actually just commented above on the same premise. The idea is not that they have had 0 giveaways/promotions. It’s that they are doing it wrong.

    The anniversary bobbles are fine – no complaints. But last year there was no such collection and they essentially had 1 player giveaway (Ike Bobble), and just slapped Jose Reyes’ name on Latina Fiesta Night.
  • srt August 21, 2012 at 12:45 pm

    I wanted one of those Keith bobbleheads….

    Does anyone know if they’re still doing Tee Shirt Tuesday’s? I saw someone mention they believed they are and that today’s Tee Shirt is a Dickey one? Something else I’d like to have…..
    • jessep August 21, 2012 at 12:48 pm

      they do – and its a perfect example of how they miss the boat on giveaways

      “Be one of the first 350 fans to buy a seat in the Left Field Landing for Tuesday games in 2012 and score a limited edition T-shirt for just $19″
      • srt August 21, 2012 at 12:57 pm

        Ah….didn’t know you had to purchase it. I’d pay for a Dickey tee shirt.

        After the first couple of Tuesdays once they started it, I haven’t seen much on this. Either I’m not looking in the right place or they’re doing a poor job of promoting it.
• Met Maniac August 21, 2012 at 11:16 am

  I thought we had a slogan for next season?

  The 2013 Mets: We’re One Year Closer To 2014

  I say the Mets need all the free stuff they could get, so why not take this generous offering from Mike Francesa?
• Mr North Jersey August 21, 2012 at 11:18 am

  Maybe next year they can run a promotion where they give away Mets themed cereal (shameless plug)

  http://realdirtymets.com/2012/08/21/graphics-new-amazins-cereal-no-mets-fan-should-be-without-fan-art/
• USMF August 21, 2012 at 11:40 am

  Nice post, I agree with some of what you said, but non of these things will really make a difference to the fans the way that a wining would. There is no fan excitement for this team, the aren’t good now and there is no reason to believe that they’ll be better next year.

  I know Jakie didn’t play for the Mets, but he didn’t play for the LA Dodgers either. What Jakie did is bigger than any one team and his legacy needs to be appreciated and respected.

  I think tickets prices need to be cut. Look at what Arther Blank did for Atlanta. The team was struggling and he cut prices down to get fans into the stadium. He know that lower ticket prices would actually bring in more revenue at the end of the day.

  I’d have half prices tickets to every member of the military in uniform, that includes retired Vets as well.

  Also, for every weekday game kids under 18 with an adult should get in for free.

  Statues are nice, but it won’t make people to come out to the game.

  You need a winning team, or at least make a move or two to make fans believe that next year is going to be different. Omar spent money, but in spending money on big names, fans believed that winning is a possibility, that’s what got fans to the park and that’s what allowed him to increase payroll. it wasn’t until after a couple of years of being here that Omar’s budget got inflated.
  • jessep August 21, 2012 at 11:50 am

    Hey USMF – first thanks for reading and writing.

    I AGREE that the ideas I listed will do minimal today for the fans. The idea though is to create an environment of fan friendly baseball regardless of the team on the field.

    The ideas I laid out are more meaningful and noticed when times are tough – when times are good they blend in and ADD to the experience.

    I 100% agree with you about Jackie. I just think it’s such a strong focal point of the stadium that there are ways to show respect (more than any other team does) than having the entire rotunda be about him.

    “Also, for every weekday game kids under 18 with an adult should get in for free.”

    They’d never be able to do that. First of all, a 16 year old is a fan – not some kid dragged to a game hopefully. Secondly, you can’t give away inventory like that. Because a) you need to have the seats to give away so in order to do it presale I need to prove to you I have 2 kids under 18. Secondly if you do it on walkup sales – you already have limited options. It sets you up to under deliver.

    I agree there should be some sort of discount for kids at a certain age. 18 is too high, but you need to be careful because there’s nothing stopping me from just buying 1 adult and 1 kid ticket and not having a kid.

    “Statues are nice, but it won’t make people to come out to the game.” – None of these ideas will. They are meant to enhance the experience. The Pirates have been terrible for how long? You can bet those statues enhanced a terrible experience prior to the game.
  • stick August 21, 2012 at 11:56 am

    reagonomics baby!

    actually, they might do fine if they cut all day of game tickets to $5. Hell, give them away to people that are dressed nice. they will spend enough in the park at the beer/food prices to make it all worth while.
• gary s. August 21, 2012 at 12:06 pm

  All the above mentioned problems go away if this team could play meaningful games in September and October.If the clowns who own this team put the effort into winning that they did to make this Ebbets Field the second, we would win a lot more games.Btw, i remember the day they dedicated the JR Rotunda with Mrs. Robinson at the podium and Fred in the background.He was crying his eyes out and said this was the greatest thing he ever did in his life.FORGET ABOUT MOVING HIS BELOVED DODGERS ROTUNDA!!!!Not while he is still breathing.
  • stick August 21, 2012 at 1:11 pm

    the breathing part is key.

    when you go to the stadium, the vast majority of the fans there are younger (20s/30s?), with some into “middle age” (40-50). You really don’t see many “older” people 9say, 60+).

    well, considering anyone alive when the Dodgers left town (1957) is now 55 (so easily over 60 if they watched them play and remember it!), other than Fred, how many people going into the Rotunda even remember or care about the Brooklyn Dodgers?
• sarge69 August 21, 2012 at 12:08 pm

  Agree on statuses outside Ciiti Field.
  Many teams have them so fans can enjoy the great players and take pictures during season or off season.
  The love affair by Wilpons with Jackie is good but this is Mete Stadium.

  The promotions might not generate more attendance but it makes for younger fans to want to attend and receive a hobble head or something else that could provide memorable time that could be reflected in future interest by younger fans.

  Money can not save a team that has no organizational plan.

  What is the plan going forward?

  Example of Nate building through draft.
  Twins have organization that emphazies certain team fundamentals from lowest minor league team all the way to majors.
• Metsie August 21, 2012 at 12:29 pm

  If we want to fix something why not fix the team?

  Fixing the Stadium is not going to solve your problem here.
  Doesn’t matter what the rotunda is called or contains, It’s about the product that lays behind the rotunda that is causing the lack of Attendance!

  To suggest the Rotunda you walk through is a problem is like saying there would be more people coming to the park if the Willets Point station was nicer or decorated better! But more on the rotunda later….

  “The Mets had a payroll of over $130million in 2008, how’d that work out? How did the high payrolls in 02, 03, 04 work out?”

  Worked out great they were all PROFITABLE years! The team didn’t lose a penny and the owners didn’t have to take a loan out to float the bills until they could sell off Mr Met rentals!

  You asked this question: “Tell us how the Mets plan to move forward in CF, RF, LF, C, SP and RP”
  Well lets review here for a moment. When the new FO got here what we needed was:
  LF/Power Hitter
  SP
  C

  Now the list has added RP, RF, and CF.

  Your method seems to be ADDING to the list not filling any of the “Too MANY HOLES” we were all told buying cheap and in quantity was needed to fill. We got lots of players to try but none actually have filled a single hole yet here we go doing the same thing over and over again hoping for a different result. Einstien called that act INSANITY!

  When your TRULY rebuilding you try and fix at least ONE hole a year with a player you are SURE will fill that hole so you can move onto the other EXISTING and soon to be existing holes based on contract expiration. Not just go buy a lot wholesale and hope one of the bulk lesser players does something unexpected and shows he is not a Bulk lesser player!

  Why do we have so many role players? Because thats what we went after in the name of filling all the holes!

  I hear you talk about payroll and how you spend is more important than how much, Yet all the top contract we have purged were the good performers while the bad big money guys remain!

  Slogans:
  Anyone who thinks a slogan is going to turn this team around is fooling themselves.
  Your choice of 2013 slogan I can see the headlines now!

  Mets 2013: We’re all in….LAST PLACE!

  It wasn’t the slogan that helped the Nats it was the Pitching!

  Ticket prices are high but only a small percentage of the cost of going to a baseball game. Could lowering them make more people be able to afford them? Maybe but the real cost to going to a game is in the food! As Mushnick so correctly points out you have to stand under a giant sign that touts $5 footlongs while your in line for subway to buy a $5 footlong that costs $14!

  Look at the prices for the Ranger tickets in MSG. They don’t seem to have problems selling and paying the bills under an ownership far worse than anything you could accuse the Wilpons of! Hell Hockey isn’t even a Major sport yet a ticket is generally in the $100 range and parking costs at least twice what it does at CitiField!

  SO all of these are just excuses and piddling avoidance of what the REAL issue is, No one really wants to see this team. They almost did we had just surpassed last years Per Game Attendance numbers when our GM went in front of the press and said NOPE we are not ready to be good yet!

  And the Fans heard that and said ok I’ll go see something else!

  AS for statues well first off Orosco? Hell no! Piazza swinging a bat wearing a FDNY hat from the 9-11 game would be better no? In either case it won’t generate ticket sales or attendance!

  Now to the rotunda which I saved till last because it’s going to be long, really isn’t baseball related and underscores what I think the issue with Robinson is. The excuse given by the author is so weak that all I will remind him of is that Bill Shea was never a Met either and he had a stadium named after him as well!

  I note it is mostly the younger folks who seem to have the most problems with this rotunda being dedicated to Robinson.
  I would bet most with the issue were born after 1968 and never experienced what living in the world before MLK, JFK ,RFK and Civil Rights was like especially for people of color.

  Before the Civil rights movement, before Political correectness was invented (as a result of Civil Rights movement) It was SOP to use things like the N-Word, and other slang and derogatory terms when relating to people of color. Hell before 1966 (and even for some time after) a person of race had a better chance of being strung up on a tree than they had of getting a job! And some of the Police charged with protecting ALL PEOPLE would help those with the rope!

  It was a time where people of color couldn’t use the same bathroom or sit in the same chair!

  Jackie Robinson is the guy who started the ball rolling to break down those segregational barriers. In the Movie “Mississippi Burning” there was a off color joke told that was more true than funny in the time being portrayed in that flick:
  “Baseball is the only place where a black man can wave a stick at a white guy and live to tell about it!”

  Jackie Robinson was that guy with the stick and he waved it pretty damn good!
  But we all know now he almost didn’t live to tell about it!
  Went through hell and massive racist taunts, Had death threats made daily and weekly, and through it all played some damn inspired baseball.

  New Yorkers should take great pride in being the city that made that historic event possible.
  No matter WHAT team you root for!

  Someone needs to honor a gy like that and I will say I’m damn proud it is the team I love thats doing it!

  If your not, if his memory being heralded by the NY team that was meant to replace the Dodgers and Giants is a problem for you I can only come to a few conclusions:

  1 – Your too young to know what the significance of the guy was not only as a baseball player, a New York Sports figure or as a NATIONAL HERO!
  2 – Your actually racist either conciously or unconciously and prefer we didn’t celebrate NY’s major contribution to the breaking down of racial barroers
  3 – your just ignorant and really don’t grasp the importance of the man!

  In either case (and I’m not suggesting who fits what here) the bottomline on all of this is it’s not the rotunda, not the ticket prices, Not the slogan, and not how much they spent that is the problem here.

  It’s what your going to see with that high priced ticket, What lay beyond those statues, What your going to experience once you get past the rotunda, What we have spent on as opposed to how much we spent that is the problem with this team!

  A slogan is not going to help sell tickets when your GM goes on the air and says this team isn’t ready to be added to or doesn’t have a shot whenever July rolls around.

  And going and getting 10 no names to try and fill 10 holes is not going to work better than taking all that money and filling at least one hole for a three year (or more) period so you can say ob done and move onto the next targeted hole!

  Signing guys to one years deals solves nothing! If they aren’t good enough to sign for more than a year then they aren’t worth having for a year! and won’t be until such time as you don’t really need that guy the year you signed him because then at least he provides depth to a good team not just try and fill the hole of a bad one!

  If they are cheap then double and triple up so when they succeed like a Hairston or Capuano you have GOOD AND CHEAP for more than just one year!
  That means less holes to fill so we don’t have to say year after year ALL THESE HOLES TO FILL in which the list seems to grow because we create more holes trying to fill the existing ones as we did with the Pagan trade!

  Bottomline here is you get what you pay for! Pay little you get little, Pay a little more you get a little more, Commit to filling holes more than you commit to a ledger and you don’t have so many holes to fill eventually!

  None of what you spend impacts your ability to draft and build from within.

  You want to fix the team stop trying to fix it with window dressing on a window that is cloudy and has a bad view once you get close enough to look at it!
  All the landscaping and Curtains in the world won’t make a shack look like a castle you would want to live in.
  Unless there was something inside worth excusing the outside appearance worth seeing.

  THATS the problem here!
  • SaltyGary August 21, 2012 at 3:24 pm

    I’m on the same page with you regarding being proud of the JR rotunda being there. I am more on the younger side (I hope) started watching in mid-eighties and feel the importance of JR needs to be remembered and displayed at Citi. Yea it didn’t happen in the Mets organization but the Mets grew out of the ashes of the Dodgers and Giants and the history needs to be told and remembered. Also the first time they had JR day it was officially handled at Shea with president Clinton for a reason. I actually wanted to see the staduim named after him but they probably couldn’t score 20m a year from that.
    • Metsie August 21, 2012 at 3:54 pm

      Well there young and then there is ignorant young.
      The ones who think History is passe and not worth knowing or even paying attention to.

      You started watching in the Mid eighties then you know what a good team looks like.
      There are many here who were still on the nipple back in 86. And while they have heard of Seaver, Hodges and Robinson they have no real emotional connection to what they were and what they meant because they have no point of reference.

      If we won a WS this year Collins would be on the same level to them as Hodges and Seaver are to me.

      I’m just 3 or 4 months younger than the Mets. White as Rice and Wonder bread.
      Old enough to appreciate the notion that you never give up because anything can happen and other team collapse,
      Old enough to remember when a spade was a not just something in a deck of playing cards to the general public. And old enough to have guys like Cleon Jones, Tommy Agee and Don Clendonon be the names I loved and wouldn’t have if not for Robinson breaking that barrier!

      Without him there is also no Strawberry and Mookie and without them there is no 86 WS win.

      I can forgive the ignorant for being such but I can’t forgive them if they refuse to acknowledge that ignorance and significance especially in the name of being a Met fan!

      And thats basically what I’m trying to get accross to them regarding Robinson and our Rotunda.

      As for the rest of it I saw how the 86 Mets and the 69 team as well.

      They didn’t just throw 100 pounds of crap up on a wall and hope one pound stuck.
      They didn’t keep creting holes to fill others and play Whack a Mole with the roster.
      The only really WEAK player on that 86 team was Santana and it didn’t matter because we filled every other hole with a REAL superstar or someone good enough to be remembered as a MET superstar!

      Wally Backman was no Hall of Famer and neither was Dykstra or Mookie!
      But we loved them then and love them still.

      And they didn’t do a tenth as much for the world they live in as Robinson did!
  • jessep August 21, 2012 at 4:04 pm

    I think you badly missed the point of the post.

    There isn’t a Mets fan alive who thinks the roster doesn’t need to be fixed. Nobody thinks the things I mention will BRING you to the park – that doesn’t mean they do not need fixing.

    There’s more to a franchise than 25 guys on a roster. There’s building a fan experience, and when times are bad – giving the fans something rather than just charging high prices for a bad product.

    Why do teams like the Giants have a strong fan base? Answer: They are competitive and treat their fans well. In 2008 after Bonds retired, they still managed an 85% capacity and the team was terrible for the 4th straight year.

    You can be competitive for a few years and treat your fans like crap, it won’t do much for you.

    I won’t touch too depply on the Jackie thing because I feel the direction you want to go with it is not one i’m willing to get into. I am merely pointing out that at the end of the day its a Mets stadium, and you don’t know it until you go up an escalator. There are ways to honor the past of a great man and also recognizing where you are.

    If they built an entire room for Jackie with pictures, videos, interviews, letters, equipment etc. It’d have the same significance it has today except it’d be a Mets park first and a museum/honor 2nd.

    There’s nothing wrong with that at all.

    Still at the end of the debate – my point was it’s obvious to everybody the roster needs fixing. I think the discussions that take place daily here make that clear. My point was there are other ways to IMPROVE the FRANCHISE of the Mets.

    Winning is great, but there is more to a brand than 1 season.
    • Metsie August 21, 2012 at 4:15 pm

      And you are missing my point….

      FOCUS! Do not DISTRACT from what needs fixing!
      Stop PROCRASTINATING!

      Stop Beating around the bush and try to fix the problem by looking for any solution but the one that fixes the problem!

      You know what the fan experience is going to be like if they do everything you want them to do but don’t fix the team?

      It will be akn to the experience they have in thier Living room which is where they will be watching the games drinking a Beer that cost them less than 50 cents and a hnd made sandwhich that cost them a dollar!

      The only thing that will fix the problem here is to fix the tam not the ledger, not the ancillary crap around the problem!

      An you do that by fixing the team!

      A Stadium with no team will NEVER draw!
      So building that does not mean they will come.
      Build the team however and they wll come!

      And you can’t do that by buying 10 guys no one wants to see hoping to replace the guy you let go because he cost more but people DID go to see!

      This is the point you missed in the Reyes discussions, The point you missed on going after Beltran, The point you missed when you thought some scrap heap Bullpen arms who cost less combined as Wright himself gets paid was a good thing!

      This team has not filled a single hole yet and it looks likemore holes will need fixing before a singlehole DOES actually get filled!

      Fix that problem and no one will care who is featured in a rotunda or what statue is outside the stadium!

      Because they won’t even notice those thngs as they are busy racing to thier seats to see their team give them a good competitive game with a chance to see them win!

      Give the fans HOPE, Give them a TEAM
      Not baubles and Golf Games, Statues and new decorations.

      Cause not a single person has ever bought a baseball ticket based non those things!

      EVER!
      • gary s. August 21, 2012 at 7:58 pm

        I like to read your stuff Metsie but you are becoming a one trick pony.No offense but imho less is better.Time to come down from the soapbox.We get it pal.
        • Metsie August 21, 2012 at 8:17 pm

          Well Gary if someone was getting it then we would not have posts about statues, ticket prices and rotundas as solutions to why no one goes to the games and there is no money to spend….

          You can;t complain that your favortie GM has no money to spend and then look for answers to chage it that don’t actually have one inch of influence on why people are not attending.

          No one says the Mets suck but lets go anyway to see if they added a statue or two.
          No one stays away because they have to see a jackie Robinson tribute when they first walk in the door!
          People aren’t declining to buy Tickets because they are too confused when they walk in about which team they are about to see and if they are confused about it they are too stupid for big met logos being displayed to help them.

          I don’t think anyone is getting it around here!
          And I’ll keep posting it until they do!
          • jessep August 21, 2012 at 8:34 pm

            You’re right Metsie. Next time I will write an original idea. We need a catcher, right fielder, left fielder, center fielder, bullpen, and 2 starting pitchers.

            And then you can go back and read the same discussions that take place every. single. day.

            Building statues outside Citi Field doesn’t mean “well we couldn’t get a CF because we were building statues.”

            They are enhancements. Enhancements that I feel since times are tough right now, add a little to the fan experience while you’re busying rebuilding the roster.

            It’s not that difficult to understand. It’s not a distraction, it’s an addition. It’s while you’re fixing this you might as well fix that also.

            What you FAIL to read is multiple times I have said – this won’t make somebody buy a ticket. It ADDS to the experience though. If you’re telling me the Mets are a few years away then adding to the experience of going to a game is a no brainer. Because it will start to make Citi Field feel like HOME.

            Simple.

            Not everything has to be a pounding fist on a podium moment for you.
            • Metsie August 21, 2012 at 9:22 pm

              Well we all thought it was a piece about fixing the Amazins…

              Not just a puff piece for Better Homes and Gardens about Interior Decoration!

              Pray tell how does all your interior decorating help the Amazin’s huh?

              Is it going to draw fans to the seats?

              Really how many tickets have you bought to see a Statue in YOUR short lifetime?
              • jessep August 21, 2012 at 9:30 pm

                37 so far.
                • Metsie August 21, 2012 at 9:37 pm

                  Going to see Lucas Duda in RF doesn’t count dude!
                  • XtreemIcon August 21, 2012 at 10:05 pm

                    Hilarious. Well played.
                  • jessep August 21, 2012 at 10:14 pm

                    Oh. Then 36.
          • gary s. August 22, 2012 at 12:53 am

            Cool.You are right on target as far as i am concerned.I thought some good points were made about the ballpark by Jessep.I have been raliling about bad ownership for years (Wilponzis).Hopefully if no one shows up or buys anymore of their overpriced crap they might think of selling
• XtreemIcon August 21, 2012 at 1:26 pm

  You think outside of the box a lot, and I like that about you. I’ve had an idea since 2009 that might actually kill two of your birds with one stone. There should be three separate sections of seats around the stadium named after Seaver, Stengel and Gil. The Seaver Seats should cost $41 a ticket and should be what the $60 baseline seats are now. Stengel’s Section should be $37 and should be the $50 seats along the OF and Hodges ________ or Gil’s _______ (forgive me, alliteration is not my strong suit) should be $14 seats and take the place of the $20 Prom seats (the $15 seats should drop to $10). This would of course mean all other seating sections would drop in price, as well.
  • Sane Mets Fan August 22, 2012 at 10:42 pm

    Hodges’ Haven?
• alan August 21, 2012 at 4:34 pm

  This was the BEST blog I have ever seen on this website…..

  Unfortunately, I have never been to Citi Field as I moved to Arizona in 2006. Because, I am still one of the “faithful” I know all about the ballpark and it’s Brooklyn Dodger themes etc.

  No disrespect to Jackie Robinson or his family but this ballpark is for Mets fans. I want to see the statues mentioned honoring our greatest players….

  Just thinking about a statue out front of Tom Seaver’s famous delivery or Piazza’s launching of that homer in the first game after 9/11 would send chills down the spines for most Met fans and joyous tears for all….These are Kodak moments and memories of things we lived through and will never forget!

  Are you listening, Fred Wilpon?
  • jessep August 21, 2012 at 8:27 pm

    thank you alan!
• Joey D. August 21, 2012 at 7:30 pm

  Hi Jessep,

  I like many of your ideas regarding Citi Field and so glad you pointed out the price discrepancies compared to other teams. I don’t know if anything could be done to rectify that for Citi Field was built with the idea that less patrons paying more would result in more profit than more patrons paying less.

  You are right – it would have been best had the Rotunda been originally planned to honor the franchise with a special Jackie Robinson Museum where the Met Hall of Fame was built – a year later in response to fan outrage about the lack of Met history in their own ballpark. But to do so now would be disrespectful to Jackie Robinson by diminishing what was indeed originally built in tribute.
• PaulyMETS August 21, 2012 at 8:14 pm

  I really enjoyed reading your post “jessep”. It’s great to dream because at least you depict a portrait of your goals. If it’s not a bother, can I put in my 2 cents (I warn you now, once I type/write/speak one word I find it very difficult to stop? Well I’ll just pretend you said yes (haha).

  (I will start my comment (extremely long comment most likely) by stating, everything I type from this point forward is in the shoes of Fred Wilpon.)

  With that said, I shall start bantering my 2 cents. Many Mets fans such as myself and most of my fellow Mets fans in “MMO” had a special bond with Shea Stadium. It wasn’t a house that a single man built with a legendary career but a sanctuary that we as a whole constructed and placed are dreams in. We dreamed for a championship team, a dominant force of a team that even with a stare had it’s opposition shivering in fear and a memory that will last forever. Our first World Series win was in Shea (hence ” Amazin’ “), the 1986 Metropolitans of New York was the team that carried a city to the top in it’s moments of struggles and established the “New York attitude”; the type of attitude that demands respect and takes (not ask) what it demands one way or another. Last but not least the home run that the best offensive Catcher in my Mets eyes that ever lived hit on the first game since the tragedy that was 9/11. Mike Piazza’s home run was the real “Shot Heard ‘Round the World” during New York’s dire straits. Why am I bringing this up you might ask? Well simple, matter of fact, it’s elementary my dear Watson (who doesn’t love Holmes). Shea Stadium is where all these amazin’ memories happened and the best way to commemorate and celebrate all of these “Magic Carpet Rides” (ok I’ll stop with the witty humor, I just thought since Gary Cohen does it all the time, why can’t I?) is by putting Shea Stadium in Citi Field. Mr. “Jessep” said it best, “Jackie Robinson was never a Met” so why do we have a whole rotunda to his name and his accomplishments? Last I remember, every team in MLB has his number retired and framed inside their stadiums; might I add, the only active player still wearing his number is unarguably the best closer ever in baseball, Mariano Rivera. Heck you don’t see Alexander Cartwright Jr.’s face everywhere in MLB parks and he made baseball what it is now. I say sell that rotunda to Magic Johnson, I’m pretty sure it fits in his backyard and then some. I would love to see a William Shea rotunda which includes a huge blue and orange artistic portrait of the grand opening of Shea Stadium hanging above a bronze statue of Mr. Met with his arm around William Shea. Also at the top where those Jackie achievements are, replace that with a timeline with large colored pictures of all the important dates in Mets history (62-present) and have the time line finish with the words “Present Day – You, The New York Mets Fan”, I believe it would be welcoming to all the fans as if Citi Field is a tribute to the Met fans not just another baseball stadium.

  I love the idea of the Seaver, Piazza and Jesse statues but I would also love to see another statue. A statue of Doc and Straw together in their rookie year. Imagine Doc with his arms crossed and Straws forearm hanging on Docs shoulder, with Straws bat hanging on his left shoulder. I would really like this statue because these two great Met teammates revolutionized this franchise as a whole. They were New York itself. They were claimed to be HOF players before everything was all said and done. Also you can’t forget Cleon on one knee which changed this franchise forever with it’s first World Series championship in it’s history. I would really like to see a statue of Cleon on one knee waiting for the ball. The locations I would place these statues would be in separated parts within the Citi. I would put a statue of Seaver’s delivery in front of Citi, parallel to the apple so all the fans, young and old can remember what man represented the Mets franchise the absolute best. I would place the statue of Piazza by the Shake Shack because the old symbol that was above the diamond vision screen is there and it is also one of the most popular sections in Citi. The Doc and Straw statue I would put by the kids section (I’m drawing blanks on the exact title of that section but I hope you guys understand where I’m talking about) because most Met fans know Doc and Straw were kids at heart and was the real youth of the team in the 80′s. Now here is where it gets tricky; I would put the 69′ World Series flag on the left side of the Pepsi Porch (towards where the apple is if you guys are wondering what left I’m talking about) and place the Cleon statue underneath the 69′ World Series flag and the 86′ World Series flag to the right of the Pepsi Porch and locate the Jesse statue there.

  This other change is going to be short. Change the Citi Field seats blue and orange. I’m sorry but the dark green seats are extremely dull. Blue and orange seats in my opinion is vibrant and looks alive. Almost hits home wouldn’t you say? How I would do this is by having 3 rows blue and the following 3 rows orange all around the stadium.

  Now to the financial aspect. “Jessep” said that the ticket pricing is expensive and I agree with him without a doubt. Lets face facts folks, the Mets have had 3 straight years of below .500 baseball and most likely by the end of this season it would 4 straight years of under .500. Where you play doesn’t make a difference on how much your tickets should cost. Mets have been a horrible ball club since 2007 and there really is no two ways around it. The ticket pricing for Outfield Promenade would even make a rich man flinch because you are paying $25+ to see a bad team from the worst seats. Until the Mets are in the thick of it in September I would lower all the tickets by 15% and then 20% in September. If I want to make money from this team I would have a small booth around every section selling Mets merchandise such as caps, jerseys, shirts, wristbands, necklaces, wallets, glasses, beer holders, so on and so fourth. The way this would work though is let’s say Mets are down 1 run in the 9th against the Phillies, 2 outs, man on first and Ike is up and Papelbon is pitching. Ike hits a bomb and a walk-off. When people are overwhelmed with joy they feel filled with jubilation and excitement, and when people feel these certain feelings of joy they don’t think with their heads but with their hearts; so a young Met fan decides to buy Ike jerseys and shirts and now you just made up some money. Another way to make up money would be host a lottery once a month (on the 10th of a month, e.g. 4/10, 5/10, etc.) where only 10 selected of all the participants are permitted to join their favorite players on the field for 10 minutes all at once and a ballot number is $10. This lottery is started the 11th of every month and ends the 1st day of every month. You can call it “The Lucky Minute”. “$10 is too much” you might be suggesting but I prefer to differ for the sole fact being that $10 isn’t a whole much because most people spend a $10 minimum collectively a day on various objects (coffee and lunch alone for the working man/woman is around $10) and with Citi field constantly having around 20K fans a game, just multiply 500-1K or so in every home game, which would average around 10-11 home games through that span of eligibility and plus the additional fans that can enter via the Mets website, which can be around 200 a day or more; now do the math, 200 online participants X 20 days minimum during the span of 11th-1st of the months = 4000; 1000 home game participants X 10 days = 10,000; 14000 X $10 = $140000 made in a month. These are all minimum amounts of participants each day, now just imagine the potential at it’s full.

  Promotions, I have a couple of Ideas I would love to share. I was thinking “Poster Appreciation Day”. “P.A.D” (take your mind out the gutter guys, we’re all adults…I hope) is a promotion that carries once in every home stand where fans can bring creative posters to Citi Field and for the people who do bring their posters get prizes varying on how creative their posters are. Varying the creativity of a poster, the prizes can be winning a Mets baseball card to winning 2 free Pepsi Porch tickets for selected games (and no it doesn’t have to be against the Cubs, maybe the subway series). Another promotion can be “Dogging Dingers”. The D-Backs have this promotion where if 6 runs are scored everyone in the game gets free tacos, so why can’t the Mets do the same thing but with a little New York flavor into it? Whenever the Mets hit 3 home runs everyone in the crowd gets free hot dogs. Also this promotion “Dogging Dingers” is carried every home game. My last promotion can be “Wacky Wednesday”. Since A’s fans are as hardcore as they get with all those costumes they wear to the games why can’t the Mets reward their fans who do this? “Wacky Wednesday” would be a day where Mets fans dress wacky for the Mets and they get to appear on the big screen with Mr. Met during the 7th inning stretch singing “take me out to the ball game” in harmony every home game on a Wednesday. Mr. “Jessep” said it best, we aren’t the Yankees so why fool the fans into thinking we are.

  Last but not least, the real reason people watch baseball, the team. The Mets are now a punchline for Yankee fans and an embarrassment for NY media. It’s tough to win games when the talent isn’t there to support your young core. In 1986 Doc had Bobby O and Jesse while Straw had Keith and Kid, 2000 Fonz had Piazza and Ventura while Hampton had Lieter and Armando had Franco, 2006 Wright and Reyes had Beltran and Delgado while Maine had Glavine and Feliciano had Wagner. You get where I’m going? Talent in baseball isn’t cheap because it doesn’t only help your odds for a championship but it compliments the players they surround themselves by and at times it’s even more expensive to obtain in NY, just ask the Yankees how O’Neill, Cone, Clemens and Tino worked out for them because I’m pretty sure they would love to tell you. I like to look at baseball as life, it’s a complete puzzle and by the time you start to figure it out it’s too late because life was on the express 7 train while you were waiting for an empty wagon. This free agency is way more deeper and younger than last years off season. Some Mets fans would like to obtain Napoli while others are looking for the white lion in the bunch, Josh Hamilton. I respect peoples opinions but I’m sorry, I believe those guys are out of the question. Both are very streaky players but i can’t deny that when their hot their worth every penny that will come their way but Hamilton is a left bat with virtually no speed and Napoli is just way to inconsistent to be depended on so the last thing we need are ailing players who 4 years down the stretch would have us missing Castillo. I say dream high but start slow. Jason Bay has to leave and he should understand the cause for that action. I like Bay the human being but the hitter I just can’t bare to watch. I know 16MM is a lot to eat but to move forward you have to cut ties with whats holding you back. Good luck in life and I mean this with all my heart, I really hope he gets back to his old form with another team and finds great success. Now the signings; BJ Upton is popular in Mets discussion for various reasons and understandably so. BJ is great friends (from what we know) with Wright and Wright has stated that he wants to win in the near future preferably with Flushing but if he doesn’t see winning card in Fred’s hand then he will leave and when I say leave I mean quicker than you can flush your toilet because that’s what the Mets will need as soon as Wright leaves so they can flush their crap. I believe 4 years – 32MM (13′ – 5MM, 14′ – 8MM, 15′ – 9MM, 16′ – 10MM) would be a range BJ wouldn’t mind looking into with the Mets. I would like BJ on the Mets because his ceiling is great. He hasn’t quite reached it yet but he basically has it all, very good bat, great speed, very good glove and a nice arm but only flaw is that he is lazy. I believe playing with Wright will do nothing but compliment this guy, also he bats right and if you think right handed bats isn’t important for this team just count how many right handed bats there are in the outfield and you tell me which is a starter in 80% of every MLB teams. I would also offer Victorino a 3 year – 21MM (13′ – 4MM, 14′ – 8MM, 15′ – 9MM). Before you guys light the torches and let the leashes loose on your german shepherds I really believe this guy can help this team immediately and fill our empty voids as soon as he puts on the blue and orange.The contract I would offer him figures to be possible to obtain him for the fact being that he is having a bad season but Victorino fits what we need with the black holes we have in speed and a switch hitter. Victorino as we know is a tiger on the base paths, he’s clutch, very passionate, great clubhouse guy, can hit you 15HR consistently, can be depended on to hit around .275ish, amazing defense, great arm, gets on base a lot, lead-off? But most importantly stays relatively healthy through a season so 142 games can be depended on and I would place him in Right Field because of his arm. I would also sign 1 more OFer for depth purposes, Jonny Gomes to 2 year – 3.5MM (13′ – 1.5MM, 14′ – 2MM) contract. Gomes is just an OBP guy, I mean literally amazing OBP number but what I like about him is that he is a great guy in the club house and mashes lefties (at this point I’m letting Hairston go because I believe he might have priced himself out of his role) also this guy has a knack of coming up big and one more thing, did I mention he’s a right handed bat?. Also call up Duda again and place him in Left Field permanently. For the Bullpen I would sign Pelfrey to a 1 year – 1MM contract, Joel Peralta to a 1 year – 2.5MM, Mike Adams to a 2 year – 9MM (13′ – 4MM, 14′ – 5MM) and J.P. Howell to a 2 year – 4.5MM (13′ – 2.25MM, 14′ – 2.25MM). Peralta has been very reliable through the recent years of his career, Howell is a 2nd lefty that can give Edgin some tutelage, also Howell is very good as of late entering his prime and Adams is as solid as a set-up man can get but what all these signings for the Bullpen arms, intrigues me is that they are all coming from hard hitting divisions in the AL (Howell & Peralta – T.B., Adams – Texas). Also my decision on signing Pelfrey is because I look at him as nothing more but depth in starter pitching in case Gee struggles. Now the catcher position. Thole just doesn’t deserve to be a starting catcher, maybe a platoon at best but that’s it. What I would do is trade Mejia and possibly Kirk just in case Mejia doesn’t get the deal done for Jarrod Saltalamacchia. From all that I read about him, the Red Sox were willing to trade him this deadline and are still willing to move him this off season and with this trade the Red Sox get a major league ready starter to help their ailing rotation and a OFer with potential to help contribute to them once Ellsbury leaves. Jarrod in my opinon is a typical old school catcher, hits for power, drives in runs, good behind the plate and can throw runners out but can’t hit .280 to save their career. Now save the best for last, give David Wright a 6 year – 110MM extension and Dickey a 3 year – 25MM extension. With all that said. these acquisitions should have an opening day active roster that would be the following:

  CATCHERS – Jarrod Saltalamacchia & Josh Thole

  INFIELDERS – Ike Davis, Daniel Murphy, Ruben Tejada, David Wright, Justin Turner & Jordany Valdespin

  OUTFIELDERS – Lucan Duda, B.J. Upton, Shane Victorino, Mike Baxter & Jonny Gomes

  STARTERS – R.A. Dickey, Johan Santana, Jon Niese, Matt Harvey & Dillon Gee

  BULLPEN – Mike Pelfrey, Josh Edgin, Bobby Parnell, Joel Peralta, J.P. Howell, Mike Adams & Frank Francisco

  LINE-UP: RF – Victorino (S), 2B – Murphy (L), 3B – Wright (R), 1B – Davis (L), CF – Upton (R), LF – Duda (L), SS – Tejada (R), C – Saltalamacchia (S) & Pitcher.

  BULLPEN ROLES: Long Man – Pelfrey, RH Specialist – Parnell, LH Specialists – Edgin & Howell, 7th Man – Peralta, Set-Up Man – Adams & Closer – Francisco.

  I know you guys are killing me right now for sticking with Frankie as the closer but he is the only BP arm that has any real experience.

  Now if all these moves were to come to fruition then the Mets payroll for 2013 would be around the lines of $103.4MM. The only 3 players that have double digit salaries for 2013 is Santana (25.5MM), Bay (16MM) and Wright’s option (16MM). Currently the Mets payroll is $93,353,983 for 2012. Fred Wilpon will have to invest roughly around $10.05 and I’m pretty sure that even in Wilpon’s terms $10.05 is not a huge stretch. So now I believe Sandy should ask Fred for an extra $10.05MM to invest into team that can possibly contend in 2013.

  (Deep breath) Ok now I’m done. I spent a lot of time on this but it was fun. So what are your thoughts on my opinion?
  • jessep August 21, 2012 at 8:27 pm

    There’s a whole lot there PaulyMets – so I will just be quick and say thank you very much for reading and adding to the piece and I look forward to your replies in the future!
  • gary s. August 22, 2012 at 12:59 am

    Wow, This guy makes you look like a writer of short stories Metise..Lol!
• mitch petanick August 21, 2012 at 8:58 pm

  A couple of things:
  1) in a recent post I wrote, I stated that the Mets should rebuild the organization from the ground up which you seemed to refute in your comment asking me “isn’t that what they’re already doing?” But now you seem to have changed views on that. Glad you finally came around
  2) love the 9-11 statue idea…don’t forget they do have the original homerun apple in front of the stadium too which draws fans over to take a look and snap some pictures
  • jessep August 21, 2012 at 9:15 pm

    ha – yours was in reference to the roster and minors. I was trying to avoid that