22
2012
Rich Or Poor, Mets Still Make The Same Mistakes
An article by 
Despite four consecutive years of bad baseball, I think most of us can agree that some things are more frustrating than losses. What I’m talking about is insult to injury. Its having your fandom dragged through the proverbial mud as a result of not just the team’s performance on the field, but their disastrous attempt at public relations off of it.
Some highlights of the franchise’s ineptitude in recent years… There was Omar Minaya’s claim that Adam Rubin was actively politicking for a position within the organization. Then there was the Walter Reed disgrace. How about the “Carl Crawford money” comments by team owner, Fred Wilpon? Its amazing that one organization can make so many massive mistakes. These instances highlight the major faux pas, but ultimately they are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the earth shattering nonsense the average Mets fan must wade through on an annual basis.
Another theme that most Mets fans should be well versed in is the team’s insistence in sugarcoating injuries. This is a notion that is truly endless when looking back at the last decade. Just this week brought about another addition to this list of infamy. Over the past six weeks, and only five starts, Johan Santana has compiled an 0-5 record with a 15.63 ERA. It doesn’t take a four year degree to connect the dots and determine that something is wrong here. No once elite pitcher falls apart at a moments notice. Not on the heals of a solid first half capped off by the franchise’s first ever no-hitter.
Yet the Mets remained adamant… “Nothing is wrong…Johan is healthy!” Everyone involved…Terry Collins, Sandy Alderson..even Johan Santana himself went out of their way to let us know that Santana was okay. In doing so, not only did the organization deny the obvious, but for the umteenth time they’ve insulted our collective intelligence. Yesterday’s news that Johan Santana had an MRI on his back and the resulting news that he will in fact miss his next start should come to the surprise of absolutely no one.
In their latest attempt to lead us askew, the Mets ignored the obvious in the hope of selling a few more tickets. In a division that will see the first place team shut down their ace, Stephen Strasburg, to avoid the risk of injury, the Mets have decided to soak a few more innings out of their once great overinvestment. It appears the more things change, the more they stay the same. A new front office and even newer players have only yielded more smoke and mirrors.
You see, as much as I want the Mets to put together a successful baseball campaign, I want them to figure out that they don’t need to lie to their fans to fill the seats. I realize that a fan base as a whole may be gullible, but they won’t turn a blind eye to the obvious in the midst of what could be a full decade of mediocrity. Its time for the Mets front office, the coaching staff..hell even there players to realize that if they invested as much effort into baseball operations as they do in covering up the organizations flaws, we’d all be better off!
Follow me on twitter at @RobPatterson83.
About the Author: Rob Patterson
Ultimately, I owe nearly thirty years of Mets related torture to my mother, who is the reason I became a fan. I was too young to remember the 86 run, but hope to see one I'll be able to recall much sooner than later. I enjoy writing about the team and welcome your feedback on my posts. Oh..and I am not with 28!
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NL East Standings
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Braves | 24 | 18 | .571 | - |
| Nationals | 23 | 20 | .535 | 1.5 |
| Phillies | 20 | 23 | .465 | 4.5 |
| Mets | 16 | 24 | .400 | 7.0 |
| Marlins | 11 | 32 | .256 | 13.5 |
Last updated: 05/18/2013
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This my friend is why I think they need more changes than just the big league roster. They need better PR, better marketing, and more transparency for simple things like “how hurt is he?”
They make a marketing person like myself shake my head in shame. They rarely do things right it seems.
Hi Jessep,
Glad to know you are in the marketing field and have a professional understanding of how deceptive public relations spin usually backfires.
Do you recall last year when Jose Reyes first got hurt on that Sunday afternoon game – after the game the Mets held a press conference in which Sandy said the doctors concluded it was nothing serious and that Jose would be back in a few days? Then, that Wednesday we find he was put on the disabled list and Sandy told us in the broadcast booth that the doctors had told him a trip to the DL was virtually impossible to avoid?
My own thought was that the Mets were so concerned about fans having second thoughts about buying advanced tickets that they just wanted to staff the announcement for as long as they could. Remember, they did the same downplaying Beltran and Santana’s injuries over the winter in which many perceived was not to lose any season ticket sales.
Being open and upfront would be a small step in winning back the fan base now instead of waiting for new ownership.
Or they could have pretty terrible doctors?
The owners are stupid and can no longer afford to own a professional baseball team.
This.
Is it (a) stupidity, (b) blatant ignorance, (c) gross negligence or (d) purposeful deceit? While no one in the organization would stake claim to those phrases, there is definitely 1of them involved here.
It seems every blanket statement is recounted a day or three after they say it: “We’re buyers” all the way through to “Johan will make his next 2 starts, then we’ll re-evaluate.” Why make these statements?
What’s astounding is that most of their decisions could easily be thought through by any astute fan, and a better decision can be found with hardly any sabermetrics. The best example of these possible 4 phrases is shown by the Mets carrying 1 lefty in the bullpen again. I like what I’ve seen from Josh Edgin, but the Mets must not have long range plans for him, outside of surgery.
Honestly I don’t think the “we’re buyers” is the worst thing in the world. Maybe they were that day? A GM has to make statements to the media that will also not show his hand to other GMs. I honestly don’t have a problem with the statement. People say he gave up on the team – well he said he was buying and then the team tanked and got him out of having to buy. So I’m not really sure what else he was supposed to do?
Trades don’t happen in the blink of an eye like they do in the movies. Do you think the Reds were buyers? I do. Did they buy anything? No.
Just because you don’t come away with a deal – doesn’t mean you weren’t trying. Just means the right deal wasn’t there for them.
I believe the Reds added Broxton.
Good catch Willis – you’re right. But I hope you get my point. I mean just because you want to buy doesn’t mean you will buy.
Hi Jessup,
Know we disagree about this but at the time Sandy said we were buyers he also said he was already having discussions with other teams. Though looking back now in hindsight it seems nothing was going to save this team, Sandy could have finalized one or two of the discussions he was having as the Mets were starting their slide but still in it. A move in the right direction would have also been a big morale boost to the players as well.
The point your made about marketing and the Mets is why many of us don’t believe him when Sandy said we were buyers. If he was in discussion with other teams, he most certainly was seeking players to fill holes and talking about who he would consider giving up to obtain them. When other clubs started making their moves we were still in it as well. I think he was just giving us another line.
If the “we’re buyers” was the only one he made, I would be fine with it. However, Sandy, and to a certain extent TC, have made too many statements from which they’ve stepped back.
The list of their empty statements seems endless this season, but the We’re buyers” one was the easiest to remember.
Once again, I am in agreement with you. General Managers who want to be buyers need a willing partner…..a GM who wants to sell or trade with him. In so far as the media goes especially in N.Y….the GM is constantly baited with questions that do not necessarily have definitive answers. Truthfully, the press has too much leeway and is all too often the cause of rumors and blatant bullshit to sell papers etc.
Right I mean “we’re buyers” could have meant “we may get heath bell for jason bay”
Does that mean it’s a good idea?
“we’re buyers” could mean we’re looking at trading murphy for the best offer but the best offer was only luke gregerson.
“Maybe they were that day?”
Well all I will say is no manager with a long term plan, conviction of direction and well thought out regarding his team would change his mind in a day!
It took him what 80+ games to decide we were good enough to buy but only 5 days to change his mind?
If you can’t project what the plan will be 5 days from now accuratly then you have no chance to come up with a plan for 4 years from now that will succeed!
We are being flown by the seat of Sandy’s pants!
It’s that time of year we say all the same things, year after year.
I am now having difficulty forming a vision of things to come. There is a need for a complete overhaul where we were rebuilding. Our ace is the knuckleballer, our former ace should be shelved to make a determination come spring, and our rotation next year will feature inexperience. Our infield is only established on the right side and they represent the offense to a large extent. The left side is quizzical and certainly not “locked in”. Catching is shaky at best. I like Thole and Shoppach but both as secondary to a real starter. The outfield is wide open. The bull pen is a disaster. This all seemed to happen in the wink of an eye as prior to the dreaded ASG we were counting our blessings and marveling at our youth. I am beginning to think we have a roster of bench players.
Whether or not GMs and Managers lie to fill seats is irrelevant fans know the deal. There needs to be a big message cut ties with Bay and Santana if need by and import talent to complement the overhaul or rebuild. We are shot for this season and headed for the cellar. Citi Field will feel the decline in cavernous empty seats. I suppose it is difficult to talk about next year with 40 games left. There needs to be one of those pressers with Sandy A that does not let him off the hook for planning. Generalities are so unappealing and a waste of time.
Always wii be a Met fan regardless. Sometimes it’s tough.
As for Santana being injured, there is a fine line between being hurt or injured.
I still play ball…I’m not injured, but my elbow hurts, my shoulder in the front and in the back shoulder blade area is very sore. It causes me to take a long time to warm up before i can even throw a ball more then just a simple lob. My legs hurt, the inside of my hands hurt from batting and sometimes from catching line drives or playing first base.
Lets not forget the 1/2 dollar sized blisters I sometimes get on the bottom of my right foot which makes it very hard to walk. Also, the blisters I can get on my middle finger on my pitching hand. Lets also add the Glut that isn’t 100% after tweaking it back in April. You also have the tender Hamstrings that once pulled, never really heal until after the season ends and the bone bruise i got a few years ago when I got hit by a pitch on the bone of my forearm, I couldn’t turn a door knob, but I still played.
Every player is hurt, the difference between being hurt and being injured is the ability to play.
1/2 dollar sized blisters? Damn. Good point btw.
Yeah, they show up on the big toe and the meaty part of the foot right behind the big toe on my right foot. Sometimes on the heal too, but not so bad there. It’s from pivoting on that part of my foot when pitching. It’s better now that I started wearing two pairs of socks.
If you ever meet a ball player, look at their shows. Pitchers right shoe (or left if their a southpaw) take a lot of abuse. They wear out 10X as fast as the other one.
You know how awkward and foolish you looking when trying to walk only using the outside of your foot the next day?
This group doesn’t even pretend to care about its fans. 30 years ago, Frank Cashen laid out the plan and said be patient, but at the same time, by 1982 he had vanquished all remnants of the Seaver trade- getting rid of Henderson, Norman, Flynn, and Zachry. He brought in Foster and brought Dave Kingman back at the same time he grew a farm system with Lou Gorman. He also traded the one gate attraction the Mets had in Lee Mazzilli for two tremendous pitching prospects- one of whom he flipped for Howard Johnson in 1985.
Frank Cashen didn’t sell nonsense- he knew the team wasn’t going to compete in those first few years but went about his business by remaking the team.
But then the owner was Doubleday Publishing, a few minority investors, and a 2 percent owner from the Sterling Equities Group named Fred Wilpon.
yes Doubleday was the majority shareholder…But Fred was the one running the team.
None of the moves being made actually made it to doubleday outside of Fred reporting to the board and saying this is what Frank is planning to do and get…
Just in case anyone doubted what I said…
http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/metropolitan-baseball-club-inc-history/
And there you have the key to it… Frank Cashen was allowed to run the team. Could you imagine the Wilpons allowing Cashen to trade away Lee Mazzilli for two unknown pitchers in this day and age? Jay Horwitz and Dave Howard would have had a heart attack at the same time.
They would have done the expedient team- let him walk away for nothing when he asked for money.
Well I sure see no change in the Wilpons approach since the time of Cashen.
They have always pretty much let whoever was the GM do what they wanted without a lot of meddling and while they wanted to be consulted on big expenditures and possibly trades there is not a single incident that is documented where they said “No you can’t do that!”
Some would even say the problem has been the Wilpons let lesser skilled GMs do pretty much what they wanted which led to the worst team money could buy in the 90′s and Omar’s overspending recently.
I can’t say for certain that WIlpon is the reason why Beltran was traded or Reyes let walk. Many would like to think they are to blame for it but those folks want to because they would prefer not to believe Sandy is to blame despite the fact many of them also agreed with the move at the time they were made!
And while it might seem now that we are more apt to let players walk for nothing in return, again just look at the deals we have made in the last two years. You can count on one hand (with missing fingers) the number of trades that have been made in the last two years.
This GM is not a horse trader. The only deals he seems able to make are for a High Value player where he can get a top prospect for or trades of one teams garbage for one if his piles.
And when it was time to trade Hairston for something towards next year he insisted on a top prospect back yet when he is the one looking for help thinks everyone else’s price is too high!
The value system of the MLB has past this guy by….
He still operates with a 1990′s budget mindset and hasn’t caught onto the way things work in this day and age which is why he has had to sit on his hands, let players walk for draft picks instead of more MLB ready prospects and has done little to improve the team from what it was in 2010!
If this FO was as smart as Cashen in regards to trading high ticket items for promising kids or wanted to do that from the get go, Reyes Wright and Beltran would have all been shipped off over a year ago for kids that would be ready or close to it for 2013.
Instead they are just waiting, Waiting for contracts to expire, Waiting for a team with good players to have a firesale, waiting for the kids he inherited to do something for HIS resume here.
If there is something to blame the Wilpons for it is for NOT getting more involved and saying hey I pay you and your two sub-GMs a lot of money to fix things so whay does the team look as bad as it did two years ago?
Hi Bruce,
And behind the points that you and Metsie have been making, the Mets minor leaguers didn’t really hit the scene until Strawberry came in 1983 followed by Gooden, Darling, Fernadez, Dykstra, McDowell, etc. Yet in 1982 we still added Foster and Valentine to go along with Kingman and Staub who had already returned to the fold under Cashman. The year later we got back Tom Seaver and took a chance of being able to re-sign the soon to be free agent Keith Hernandez to compliment the then young Mookie Wilson, Hubie Brooks, Jessie Orosco and others who we were counting on as our future.
They didn’t sit still and do nothing while waiting for the kids to come up. They tried making us competitive and other than Mazzili did not give up valuable talent in return while doing so. We had hope at least starting off the season. In 1982, we got off to a 26-19 record and even though we fell through the floor after that, nobody was complaining about the front office as much as they were George Foster.
We weren’t happy then, either. I remember going to a Sunday game in September when the upper deck was closed off. But nobody was yelling “sell the team”. We knew the ownership and general manager were trying.
Well try this on for super size, as u can c nothing’s change for the mets, still making the same mistakes, no matter what no changes have been done. It makes me sick that the owners really don’t give a shhhhhhhhhhhit about our team, the fans, everything, I just can’t believe that no mets fans feel the way i do. I just don’t get it. We need new onwers , new blood to breathe new life into the mets, the city, the fans. The wilpons have put us to shame the way they handle our team and everyday operations. It’s time now, just SELL OUR TEAM REALLY NOW DON’T HOLD ON CAUSE YOU HOLD US BACK FOR WINNING THE BIG ONE, JUST SELL.