“They have a problem they don’t understand: This is not a desirable location. New York is desirable, but this is the wrong borough. I don’t think it has sunk in with Jeff yet that he is running a team that the best people might not want to work for.” ~ An NL Executive
I think Joel Sherman’s article in Sunday’s New York Post pretty much sums up why the next few months for the Mets will make the past few months seem like a walk in the park. It’s no shocker that both Jerry Manuel and Omar Minaya will be gone very soon.
Whether Omar is reassigned or not is pointless since he’s essentially already been emasculated since the end of last season’s debacle. At this point, you might as well say that Jeff Wilpon is running the day to day operations, including GM duties.
It has to be annoying as all hell for Omar Minaya to have junior Wilpon shadowing his every move. Imagine going to work everyday and having your boss pretty much over your shoulder, second and third guessing your every decision. It’s enough to make anyone want to pull an emergency chute grab two beers and call it a day.
Perhaps it would be slightly more palatable if Jeff Wilpon actually had a background in professional baseball other than the blind luck of having his dad own the team. Think of it this way; it’s not as if Minaya has the gaul to advise the Wilpons on what prime real estate ventures they should be embarking on. However it is what it is and like Sherman said in his post, there are 30 GM jobs out there and they all come with their own baggage.
Jeff Wilpon seems to be the baggage that just won’t find it’s way lost on an international flight to Zimbabwe. Unfortunately, he very well may be the stumbling block in the way of hiring any General Manager this offseason.
Can you really see John Hart or Josh Byrnes having the patience to listen to Jeff Wilpon wax poetic on his views of why he signed Kaz Matsui after seeing him play a few times in Japan, dubbing him the future shortstop of the Mets just a few years ago?
Yes, junior Wilpon has had his finger on the pulse of many a decision going back now. You would think that the elder Wilpon would at some point put an end to his son’s embarrassing meddling.
Most of us remember how disjointed the Yankee’s were for many years under Steinbrenner. Now whether he really abdicated authority to the likes of Gene Michaels and later to Brian Cashman – or just toned down his rhetoric- either way, when George Steinbrenner was less vocal – his team finally was able to win and later dominate.
It’s a lesson that Fred Wilpon should really take to heart – that is unless he’s more interested in pleasing his son’s vanity versus putting a winning team on the field.
It’s actually not rocket science for us to assume what people like Fred Wilpon must be thinking. Just because he happens to be a billionaire doesn’t preclude him from being a father who wants to see his son excel. I totally can understand that. However I think it’s safe to say enough is enough.
With all the talk about reassigning Omar Minaya perhaps it’s due time for the elder Wilpon to reassign junior to a lesser role. Give him his fancy title with all the trappings but reign him in for the love of God.
Whoever the Mets hire to run this team, both on the field and in the front office, should be given a fair chance to win (or lose) on their own merits. Any assistance from Jeff Wilpon should be left at Mr. Mets dressing room door.
