18
2013
Featured Post: “Ya Gotta Believe” Are More Than Just Words
An article by Andrew O'Brien
Ya Gotta Believe! ~ Tug McGraw
About a week ago, I posted an opinion piece about having hope in the spring. Why? Because there is no reason to be negative and already count your team out just days before or after pitchers and catchers report.
I got a lot of feedback on the post — both good and bad.
As I sit here on Feb. 16 to write a follow-up post, I watch college basketball with my New York Mets hat on with the door wide open in my family room because it’s nice and cool outside here in Florida.
And as we get closer to yet another season, I can’t help but think to myself, “What if?”
What if the Mets surprise people and can grab a Wild Card? What if they stay healthy, play technically sound baseball, and make a run at the division title? Once they get into the playoffs, what if everything clicks and it goes further?
All of those are what ifs, which, essentially, mean nothing. But they are reasons to hope that the losing is over. They are reasons to hope that this team is turning the corner — or, better, turned the corner.
Every year, the beat writers — who, undoubtedly, have the most access to the team/organization — predict wins/losses. Yet again, it appears as if most of them don’t think this year’s Mets team will be much of a contender.
You know what? That’s fine. I’ve always been the kind of person who roots for teams who are underdogs. (I’m a lifelong Jaguars fan, after all.)
On paper, it might not look like the Mets have the most daunting starting rotation or lineup.
Or do they?
On the hill, Matt Harvey can win 15 games this season. So can Jon Niese. And, if healthy, Johan Santana, too. We don’t know what we’re going to get with Marcum or Gee this season, but I’d bet they are consistent.
The bullpen is basically brand new. And can it be any worse than last year? Yes, but not likely.
Ike Davis could hit 30 home runs and more than 90 RBIs. He has the potential to be the best first baseman in the National League, and I expect him to perform. Daniel Murphy knows he is the second baseman, and how many times last season did you say, “Woah, Murph, what a play.” By the way, he should hit over .300
Ruben Tejada is so smooth at shortstop, and I expect to him to consistently get better ash e matures and gets older.
David Wright is at third. Nothing more needs to be said. I think he’ll be even better this year, because he knows how much time he has to win. And this is his team.
In the outfield, Lucas Duda has great power potential, which we all know. I think he finds consistency to go with that power.
Kirk Nieuwenhuis, Collin Cowgill, Mike Baxter are scrappy players. And I think Marlon Byrd will be a huge surprise, because, well, why not?
Oh, and don’t forget, no matter who is behind the plate — John Buck or Travis d’Arnaud — the offensive performance behind home plate won’t even be comparable to last season. They’ll play strong defense, too.
Yes, they are weaknesses to the New York Mets. There are for every team. And I know this is making it sound like they are going to win the World Series, but that’s not what I’m trying to convey. I’m trying to point out the positives this team possesses, not just the negatives, which seems to happen so often.
What do you think, though? What’s your feeling on this year’s team? If you’re just going to say they are going to be awful, don’t even both commenting.
I’ve told you why I think the Mets have a reason to believe in 2013, what are your reasons? I know you have some.
I’ve always been a person of gut feeling, and I don’t know why, but I have had a gut feeling since December that the Mets are turning things around. I have a feeling that 2013 is going to memorable — for many reasons.
About the Author: Andrew O'Brien
Andrew is the associate editor of the Palm Coast Observer, in Palm Coast, Fla. I love the Mets and have a particular fondness for the minors. I look forward to covering them both for MMO. Follow me on Twitter @aobrien7. I love interacting with followers
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NL East Standings
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Braves | 23 | 18 | .561 | - |
| Nationals | 23 | 19 | .548 | 0.5 |
| Phillies | 20 | 22 | .476 | 3.5 |
| Mets | 16 | 24 | .400 | 6.5 |
| Marlins | 11 | 31 | .262 | 12.5 |
Last updated: 05/18/2013
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Fantastic post! I love your optimism and that title you chose is so apropos these days! Too many so-called fans have been busy writing epitaphs and eulogies for the 2013 season, but real Met fans know better than that. LETS GO METS!
Thanks, Tiffany! That means a lot to me!
Nice job Andrew. What year did you start following the Mets?
Thanks! I started watching religiously in 2006. I grew up a soccer player, and so that consumed my entire life. My dad is a lifelong Mets fan. He was at Shea in 1986.
Loved the post and the the shot of Tug. He may be gone, but will always remains with us in spirit through those inspiring words that have defined the Mets throughout the years. It seems like we are the underdog year after year, but if you believe and the rest of the team believes good things can happen. They didn’t call us the Miracle Mets in 1969 for nothing. Tug gets a lot of credit for Ya Gotta believe, but he actually got that mindset from the great Gil Hodges who instilled that in all his players including his best student – Tug.
I think the Mets will be in the race and stay within 7-9 games of the WC race at the least. I think Johan being in the final year is most positive thing im rooting for. I think Johan will be motivated to be healthy and have a big yr. He wants a new contract and is probably shooting for the 215 inn incentive to kick in his 2014 25M option. The Mets will not let that happen but if Johan pitches to his capability then we can trade him for an OF and bring up Wheeler to stop fans from jumping off the ledge. In sure d’Arnaud will called up around the same time or sooner making this a surprisingly exciting year for the organization. IMO if Johan pitches like he did last April/May Sandy should start making phones call and trade him early; even if we must eat half the contract. Im not in favor of trading Flores. I know Murph is clubhouse favorite but hes not the future. d’Arnaud, Ike, Flores,Tejada, Wright, Duda, Ott(Johan trade) Wheeler, Harvey, Niese, Gee & Marcum is exciting. Im MetsHyped, just got my tix for my 15 game pack..
I honestly see this season as a turning point for alot of our younger players. I honestly believe we could finish at exactly .500 or alittle above it(maybe a game or two). But like you said, this would be expecting our younger guys to have grown and matured a little bit into better players.
I <3 METS!!! Can't wait for the season to start!
That’s why they play the games, right? Anything can happen and there’s usually a couple of surprises each season – one way or the other.
Heck, SI hasn’t come close to correct predictions in years.
I just have to ask where was all this optimisim when we were just two games behind the eventual WS winner in July 2011 and were only a game behind the Nationals in July 2012?
http://metsmerizedonline.com/2011/08/mmo-fan-shot-believing-and-quitting-make-strange-bedfellows.html
Andrew nice read and I used to share the same type of enthusiasm as you did and not too long ago. The tragedy here among all the other hopeful posts is that this team should be better prepared for the long haul NOW. Not later. It’s the way they are rebuilding that is extremely agitating. They’re making it last too long when it’s not necessary. This front office inherited a whole lot more than Frank Cashen did so the rebuilding by now, in this case, should already be incorporating veteran players than can help you win ballgames = $$$
What Alderson has allowed to happen to the OF is a tragedy. Sure you can go with Duda in LF and see what he’s about, and sure you can go with Kirk in CF and see what he’s got, but to waste time on the other OF spot by signing a bunch of never-was-beens and backups because these guys think they can turn water into a wine is arrogant and a disservice to the hungry fanbase.
It was an absolute NECESSITY to get this team another impact player, preferably a veteran for this team. They purposely did not do that and ONLY would have done it if it fell in their lap.
Nothing falls in the laps of teams that want to win. They TRY TO MAKE It happen.
Like I said before, Keith Hernandez was acquired in 1983 with a pitching staff of Craig Swan, Mike Torres, an aging Tom Seaver, Ed Lynch, & Walt Terrell and a year before Gooden came up and only a month after Strawberry came up. Let that sink in.
And by the time Gooden came up the rest of the team was slowly starting to come around, Wilson was in his 4th year, Carter & Knight weren’t even here yet, Mitchell was having a cup of coffee by then and John Stearns & Dick Tidrow were still on the team.
Meanwhile Harvey is already here, the infield is set with Ike Davis, Ruben Tejada, & Wright…and I guess Murphy even though i would still want to improve defense there.
They have 2 supposedly “can’t miss” prospects in Wheeler & d’Arnaud. And if they are the real deal with both expected to be up this season and not long into it either makes it even more of a tragedy and a slap in the face of hungry fans as to why they did not get another solid,veteran major league outfielder who can help teach this young team how to win now.
That was the right thing to do if we had a more traditional front office in place. Unfortunately we do not and now there are even fans that accept this laying down. They support laying down and quitting for one reason – because the GM makes it so. We never used to have that, it was always about how fans felt about the Mets and what’s going to happen this year. Not the GM first.
I don’t want to be completely objective to everything you said, but you cite 1983, But I feel as if you would have been sitting there flipping out for 3 years.. and you probably would have been begging for a trade for a big outfielder before they called strawberry up, which would have blocked him, and your forgetting that they also had players that didn’t work out. Ahem, Billy Beane?
I’m not saying we don’t need to make moves and make stuff happen, but like you said, if Travis and Wheeler are the real deal, which in all respect to them, it looks like they will both at a minimum be service-able major league players. Same with Duda, you say give him a shot, I agree, same with Kirk, and a couple other of our guys. If Duda produces at a somewhat reasonable rate, same with Kirk, we really only have 1 spot that needs to be filled.
There is alot to be optimistic for this team, and as much as you hate him(maybe not him, his deal definitely.) David Wright is a solid corner piece to build an almost completed infield around.
The point your missing is Cashen didn’t get Strawberry and Gooden (both BIG components) via trading away stars the way you got Wheeler and d’Arnaud….
And yes people were screaming bloody muder for 3 years 1977-1980 when we did what Sandy has done the last three offseasons!
Back then his name was Grant (who used McDonald like a robot to purge all the heroes from 69-73) and to this day he remains as the most reviled front office executive in Mets History.
He left Cashen a team that had no where to go but UP and had 5 Top Overall picks out of 9 1st round picks in the first 4 years of cashen’s tenure….
Why did Cashen get the time Sandy appears not to be getting?
Because he was not GRANT who did what Sandy has been doing for the past 3 years!
What I’m saying Bayonne is, I understand you want the team to be improved, but we can’t follow an exact blueprint of the formula you laid out. Different pieces are acquired differently, at different times, when things happen to arise. Who knows, we could be sitting here in July, with a wheeler and D’arnaud callup, 2-3 games out and big time trade brings in an outfielder, and now… we have that team that is ready to go, as early as this year.
No team has ever been rebuilt to last without at least two or three top 10 Picks in the draft to work with….
Now unless you think it’s smart to make your team bad enough to get those picks this plan you think might work will not.
The problem with how long it is taking (and it WILL take longer) is the fact he HAD a better team than Cashen did as far as MLB was concerned.
And a worse team as far as future picks to build with…
As a result Alderson has had to be more like GRANT than Cashen and it’s only now or a year from now where he will have the picks to do what Cashen did.
Rebuilding an MLB team is ALL about the timing!
2011 was not the right time to rebuild you should wait until you know your going to get a good number of top draft picks to build with THEN trade off a few starts to add to them (like Cashen did) and even THEN you still have to go get those major pieces BEFORE the winning starts to have them in place when all those kids you intend to rebuild with actually arrive….
All of the kids Sandy has got will arrive this year and there is no major piece other than Wright to help them.
And lets be honest with each other here.
Talent inlcuded $55-60 million tied into a broken down Sanana. $35 million saddled on Bay. A rebuilding franchise with the chance to greatly overpay at $100 million on Reyes. A chance to pay $30 million to a 38 year old knuckler. An oft -injured older outfielder ending a $120 million contract. A closer well overpaid and in decline…
They had nothing at catcher at any level. Weak bullpen and outfield. Weak position player talent in minors.
Play the hand show us how you roll those dice.
First off I don’t get rid of the GOOD Salaries I get rid of the bad ones!
Second Your WRONG saying Beltran is often injured (he missed a total of a YEAR and would have missed LESS if he had the surgery when he first got injured)
Third you think Reyes is not worth 106 Million….But you think Bourn is worth more right? A Position that is a dime a dozen provided your willing to spend more than Minor League money to get it….
and Finally and I will say this for the LAST TIME to all you penny pinching Wilpon fans….
MONEY IS NOT LIMITED! THERE IS NO SALARY CAP!
If the WIlpons can’t afford to field a good team thats THEIR problem not MINE!
And it most certainly is not a GOOD EXCUSE for trading away the guy who was the BEST PLAYER ON YOUR TEAM every year for three years running…and when it wasn’t just your BEST it was your best and SECOND best in a single year!
You think things are better? Well if 79 wins was enough to get a GM fired how long will 74 wins or less keep him employed?
You come back in 2016-2020 when this plan you like wins something!
Then you might get some push on saying things are being done in a smart and winning manner!
How would you have played the hand dealt?
Let us witness your wise skills to create a winning team.
Who would you have kept?
Who would you have dealt (for who)?
What free agents would you have signed?
Kept Reyes…
Resigned Beltran…
Not traded Pagan…
Insisted on Gose as well in the Dickey trade.
And I’m already on record as saying I would have signed Victorino this year barring all the rest of that happening so I didn’t have to try and buy an entire OF in an entire year where there were LESS OF options than there were this year…
Now I answered your question so you tell us who you think your going to BUY next year that makes this team a winner next year?
We will wait….
So a rebuilding team paying $100+ million to a speed player with leg injuries.
Then pay around $50? Million for an OF playing almost bone on bone.
Then resign a hot/cold inconsistent frustrating OF for our cost $45-50 million.
You still trade dickey even though you have reyes, beltran and pagan?
But you want gose rather than syndergaard?
No other trades?
No other signings?
And remember you are adding that $200 million payroll commitment over and on top of $55 million owed to santana and $35 million owed to bay. Plus an impending huge deal $137 million) to wright.
That would be how you build it?
And gose, lets not forget struck out 59 times in 166 at bats.
Thats a crock of crap…Reyes got 106 Mil for the next 6 years….
Beltran got 13 Mil for only TWO!
Victorino got 13 Mil for the next three years….
So I suggest you wait till you pass math before you make statements as the one you made above…
Cause all you proved is your not very good at addition!
So you are all for throwing money in the air and hoping what did not work out the past 5+ years would simply do better and get healtheir as the players got older?
Sounds less like you have a plan, and more like you have anger and complaints.
You would have gone for a win now in one hand but trade dickey at he same time? How does that make any sense?
You would have invested in beltan, pagan, victorino but traded for Gose?
Pitching wins, what is the rotation on your team?
What is the payroll on your team?
You know Mr Jeffy Wilpon….
If you had gone to school and learned something you would not need to get a job ruining your fathers baseball team or have to worry so much about your trust fund drying up…Leaving you poor. You could earn your own money instead and not worry so much about how much Daddy has to pay to make the Mets a good team again….
Spending got you to the playoffs….How many playoffs has NOT spending got you to so far?
Yes I would have spent money! I don’t care if the WIlpons have to eat Mac and Cheese to make a good and winning baseball team….
Only a Wilpon or a fan of his CARES how much money is spent to make the Mets a good team….
You do realize you just traded away a Cy Young winner for a guy with Knee and Back problems and he plays Catcher right?
And you know what else I get for doing all that?
no losses in revenue last year!
And a possible playoff run!
Because the guy you replaced Reyes with missed more games than Reyes did…
And the guy who has bone on bone hit 32 HRs and played 151 games…
That guy you think cost 50 Mil wuld have only cost 5 Mil last year…
How did your guys do?
Torres who you trade Pagan for? How about Ramirez?
How many HRs did Kirk, Valde, Baxter hit combined compared to Beltran?
How many stolen bases did Tejada have?
If you did it the way I would you wouldn’t be talking abut 2016 as the next year worth watching a met game…
You might even be talking about REPEATING for the WS!
Because we would have had a 4 or 5 game lead in July if we kept Reyes and re-sign Beltran…
And that in itself would have made enough money to not LOSE 23 Mil like we did dioing things YOUR WAY!
You aren’t getting it though my friend, not every team is built with the exact same process, different pieces are acquired at different times.
It’s that simple, we have a solid group of players coming up from the minors right now, and we could literally be one decent trade away for an outfielder from being pretty competitive THIS year.
We are going to have a starting rotation sporting Harvey, Niese, Gee, and Wheeler(I put him last since he’s still in the minors, and hes not a “lock”) With a solid lineup, including Wright, Davis, Murphy, hopefully Duda swings it around, and D’arnaud(once again listed last, since hes still in the minors and isnt a “lock”)
This team is easily one move from being competitive. Sorry that I’m going to have some faith in this team.
No random it’s you that isn’t getting it….
No matter WHAT proccess you think is used it all REQUIRES top draft picks to succeed.
If you think not then name the team who rebuilt without them…..
You won’t find ANY!
You’re missing the point of the original post my replies were even too, you went off on a tangent. You keep saying top drifts this, top draft picks that.
Our top prospect are on the cusp of the major leagues. That’s what matters, a lot can happen when one trade goes through, and those 3/4 players we have on the ready, make the turn. That’s the point I’m getting too.
You keep saying draft picks.. but it’s the development of those draft picks that really matters, and what eventually equates to top prospects. So it doesn’t necessarily be top draft picks, but yet top talent.
Our top kids are on the cusp of playing on a MLB team without an MLB Outfield if you hadn’t noticed….
And neither of them solve that problem do they?
Neither do they make up for the Cy Young performance we lost to get half of them or the MVP stats we lost to get the other that has YET to be replaced!
Two Prospects coming up is not enough to fix the team we have…MIGHT have been enough to fix the 2011 team if kept in tact.
You didn’t fix ANY HOLES all you did was whack a mole one hole and created another….
We needed an OFer some Bullpen a Catcher and an Ace Pitcher in 2011….
We now need THREE OFers, a Closer, Might have a catcher if he can stay healthy, and still need an Ace pitcher since Wheeler at best will replace Dickey and Santana is gone next year. And thats only true if Wheeler is an Ace!
You filled two holes at the expense of a downgrade from an All star at SS, complete LOSS of OF Including a team MVP and an All Star, an ALL star closer and an All Star Cy Young Winner.
Talk about overpaying for a Maybe Ace and an upgrade of Thole….Thats ALL you got for all of that you lost.
Ah Spring Training is here and hope spring eternal.
This post has got me pumped for 2013! Let’s get this show on the road and play some real baseball again. LGM!
Hi Andrew,
There is very important factor you are overlooking. The words “Ya Gotta Believe” came first from M. Donald Grant and were repeated by Tug.
Grant spoke to the players to stress the front office believed in them. That is quite different than a general manager making a team feel he has no faith in them one year, kicked them in the teeth the following and joked “what outfield?” approaching the next.
As of August 26, 1973, the NL East standings were:
Tm W L W-L% GB
STL 65 64 .504
PIT 62 64 .492 1.5
CHC 63 66 .488 2.0
MON 60 68 .469 4.5
PHI 59 70 .457 6.0
NYM 58 70 .453 6.5 (six in loss column)
On July 8, 2011, before KRod was traded these were the standings of the NL Wild Card:
ATL 53 37 .589
ARI 49 41 .544 4.0
MIL 48 42 .533 5.0
PIT 46 42 .523 6.0
STL 47 43 .522 7.0
NYM 46 43 .517 7.5 (six in loss column)
Both had five teams to climb over. Both were six back in the loss column. One team had 34 games left in the season, the other had 73. After their first 19 games through that point, one team had a record of 41-62 while the other went 41-29. For those who say the Mets were out it in 2011, I will say that on August 30, 1973 we felt the same way and that is a why one should not put business ahead of competitive integrity.
It is important that players know they have a supporter rather than a thorn in the front office. It is almost as important for the fans to know that as well. With all his faults, that was indeed Grant’s one shining moment.
So, when comparing the circumstances of 40 years ago to those of today, remember the differences between the two organizations. Tug came out screaming, repeating the front office’s “Ya Gotta Believe”. After the trading of both their closer and top hitter R.A. Dickey came out saying the front office felt “we don’t believe this is our year”.
Sorry it all sounds nice until this team hits the field. I believe this is the year we hit rock bottom and we begin to rise in 2013.
Nobody ever talks about the other teams in the NL East and how much better they got, except the Marlins. The Nationals are loaded and the Braves are ready to challenge.
We might have the worst outfield every assembled in basball. Santanna will not win more than 7 games as he will be traded ASAP. Our manager is a lme duck manage. Do I need to continue?
I see us as battling the Marlins for the basement again and finishing our usual 4th place and out of it before the All Star game.
My father used to say wish in one hand and s – - t in the other and see which one fills up first.
sorry Ike Davis will never be the best first baseman in a league that Joey Votto plays in.
Metsie,
Why do you hurl insults and hyperbole rather than answer direct questions?
Why would you bandaid a team that did not win, rather than build sustainable, repeatable success?
What is the payroll under your “bandaid” plan?
And as pitching wins, who is the rotation on your bandaid team?
Metties and Beer
I aswered your question directly Jeffy….
I DO NOT CARE ABOUT YOUR TRUST FUND!
HOW MUCH IS SPENT IS YOUR PROBLEM NOT MINE!
And if you want to know why you would bandaid a team that did not win well I suggest you ask your friend Sandy that question….
He has done nothing but trade our BEST players for maybes and creating gashing wounds on the roster who he patched up by signing CHEAP INEFFECTIVE BANDAIDS to replace them.
So ask him why you bandaid a team that did not win, not me….
Reyes and Beltran are NOT Bandaids they are both TOP PERFORMERS in the MLB!
It is easier to answer quesrtions than call names, hurl insults. You would hope moderators would discourage yor type of behavior. It truly serves no place here.
I did answer your questions, You just didn’t like the answer or maybe it was the fact that i HAD an answer and the only thing you could say against my answer was something about WIlpon’s money which you seem to care about more than the Mets winning ballgames….
Only one person who should care about that…Jeff Wilpon…
If that is insulting to you well that sounds like you might have a personal problem that needs some attention!
Question – who will be the pitching staff on this magical team you built (no answer)
Question – what is your payroll (in $$$) – no number provided
You hurl insults, call people names, and everyone else is wrong and you must be right.
Provide player names and overall payroll to this magical team you built. Otherwise, no you have not answered the questions.
Sam as the pitching staff you have PLUS Dickey!
Remember I said RESIGN Beltran I didn’t say we never traded him for Wheeler did i?
Your Move!
Wait you said get gose in the dickey trade, now you say no dickey trade. You are losing me with your inconsitencies.
And you still are missing a payroll figure.
Team now minus buck, add reyes, beltran, pagan, victorino, bay, dickey, krod?
Plus 60 million in payroll over what we have now? And you take away flexibility and youth for commitments to older players. No wheeler, no d’arnaud, no syndergaard. So you have left the farm system barron.
Not a winning formula metsie.
Yes I did…My mistake…Ok I got the same Rotation as you then….
Now what will you ask?
How would you build sustainable success if you don’t restock the farm system?
Your bringing in or keeping players to pay them significant dollars past their prime.
Look at how much time beltran missed towards the end of his met deal. He was at risk of not being able to play ever again. And he is a single play from that happening now.
It is nice to have some names to root for, but to bring in those bodies or keep those bodies to simply make it so you win 83 games instead of 74 and still do not make the playoffs, do not bring in potential all star young talent and not draft top talent simply shows you don’t get it.
You dont propose a winning strategy. You dont bring a championship strategy. You suggest a formula to spend a lot of payroll on a middle team that doesnt once or ever.
If you want to win you need dominant young pitchers. Mets are building that now.
Say way Sandy didn’t THE DRAFT!
I would have Hawkins in the farm not a SS I can’t use…
Name the guys you think Sandy has restocked the farm with…..
Wheeler and d’Arnaud are both going down for a few cups of coffee before they come back up…
So name all these guys you think he has restocked….
Amuse us with all you know….
I guess sustainable success comes from consistently winning ballgames whether the players are from the farm, traded for, or signed as free agents.
But then again, I don’t know what any Met fan knows about sustainable success. No Met fan does. The last 2 times the Mets had sustained anything, those GMs are largely hated here. Go figure. So I guess Mets fans being that they haven’t experienced much success in the past now only want success………………under conditions.
Yeah, right.
If you’re a Mets fan then yes, the Wilpons’ financial situation is indeed your problem. Unless you are planning to buy the team and open your own wallet.
You got it backwards….
I’m the CUSTOMER!!!!
If they want thier financial picture to get better they had better do something to get me to go back to shopping at thier store and buying thier product!
Just because you have a store doesn’t mean I have to buy there if you do not have anything I like!
I don’t care if the Wilpons are broke or not….No more than I care how much Spielberg has to spend to make a movie…
If the movie is good I go see it…If it sucks I don’t see it.
And I don’t care what the reason for his making a bad movie is…
How you can call youself a Met Fan and be more concerned about the Wilpons financial being and put it ahead of the TEAM’s WINNING makes you a fan of the WIlpons more than a fan of the mets…Because your more concerned about the owners and thier finances than you are with the BASEBALL!
No, you don’t have to shop at the Mets store. None of us do. But most of us will or we wouldn’t be sitting on a Mets blog in the middle of February discussing the state of the team. You spend as much time here as anyone so you are really wasting a lot of time and energy about a store you claim to care little about.
You also need to stop making arguments with strawmen. Saying I care more about the Wilpons’ finances than I do about winning or that I am a Sandy lover is childish and not supported by any facts. In fact, I wouldn’t give a damn about the Wilpons or their finances were they not owners of the team I do care about, the Mets, and wishing they weren’t or stamping my feet and screaming about it isn’t going to change that. The Wilpons do own the team and it appears they will for the foreseeable future. Not caring about the financial stability of the people who own the team would be stupid.
You also make the silly assumption that people who don’t come on here to whine every waking minute of every day and don’t agree with all of your arguments either don’t know as much about baseball or don’t want to win as much as you. You shouldn’t mistake adult behavior and acceptance of reality as lack of passion for winning and you should also learn a little humility as believe it or not, you aren’t always right.
Not sure you have noticed but the attendance figurs say you are WRONG….
Most of us WON’T!
So tell us how many tickets have you bought already?
My guess…ZERO!
They lost 23 Million last year and then traded away thier biggest attendance draw….
Attendance is going down not up my friend just as it did when I predicted it going down for letting Reyes go!
They have 316,935 customers since 2010, 109,793 customers last year alone!
And that was with a Cy Young Pitcher having his historical season to bring them out.
They have lost about 100K for every all star we have let go or traded away.
And we just traded another….Prediction for this year? 2.1 Million in attendance this year….
Payroll is the same as last year where we lost 23 Million…
Add another 100K of Attendance loss and add another 15-20 Million to that loss column!
38-43 Million estimated losses!
You are not solving a thing regarding Wilpon’s finances which seems to be so important to you…
And you sure won’t be going on any buying spree next year if those losses happen.
SO you had better buy more tickets for this plan you like so much to work. And fix the issue you seem to use as an excuse for the way this team is being run.