“Do I have any problem with the Mets’ finances? None.”
More lies, more misinformation, more deviousness. It’s not what any of us want, but it’s what we’ve all become accustomed to whenever the Wilpons or Bud Selig get behind a microphone and their jaws start moving. And Tuesday’s dog and pony show by Bud Selig was only more evidence of that. He brought no relief, only more grief.
The nerve of this traveling vacuum cleaner salesman insulting our intelligence by citing the Baltimore Orioles ($114MM) and the St. Louis Cardinals ($119MM) as evidence that a team can win with a Mets-sized $83 million dollar payroll – a payroll that will not go up in 2015. How dare he come here to a team that’s been ravaged and then try to pull the wool over our eyes with more untruths and bullshit.
But I wouldn’t expect anything less from the person chiefly responsible for allowing this Wilpon debacle to continue for as long as it has. If only his farewell tour had been in 2004 instead of 2014, perhaps a better man with more integrity and a true passion for preserving the best interests of the game would have seen fit to handle the Madoff matter and all its aftermath in a far more befitting way.
Wearing his cheap suit and donning his crooked smile, Selig praised Fred and Jeff Wilpon and told us we should be grateful to have them. Are you freaking kidding me? He chose to dodge questions about the latest Wilpon scandal, choosing instead to say they have always done everything right. It was enough to make me gag.
And yet of course, the Wilpon propaganda machine came out in full force soon afterwards saying ‘who cares about payroll’ and ‘so what if we can’t sign any significant free agents’.
Our patience has been stretched to its sheer limits, and still we watch and we hope for things to get better. But will they? Can they?
Upon arrival, the plan according to Sandy Alderson was to do some belt-tightening, some payroll slashing, and an intense focus on stocking the farm with high-ceiling talent through trades, International signings, and the draft. In a few short seasons when this talent began to make it’s way to the major league team, we’ll spend again to fill in any missing pieces.
With a hoard of young pitching studs already here and the emergence of Travis d’Arnaud, Juan Lagares, Wilmer Flores and others on offense, you would think the time is ripe for a Mets run. But that’s not the case at all.
Sandy Alderson already forewarned that there will be no significant additions this Winter. The top priority for the Mets will be unloading the contracts of lone Mets All Star Daniel Murphy and at least two from a group of Bartolo Colon, Jon Niese and Dillon Gee.
With an $85 million budget and a burgeoning $22 million in raises due in 2015, the Mets are scrambling to clear a minimum of $20 million off the roster before Spring Training arrives. Any improvements will be strictly incidental. Winning be damned.
And knowing all of this, the world’s most famous used car salesman rolls into Citi Field in his limo to tell us everything’s great in Flushing and we should be grateful?
Blow it out your ass, Bud.
