Mel Brooks has made a small fortune – no make that a large fortune – on his movie, then play, then movie of THE PRODUCERS. As you must know it involved a scam wherein his protagonists planned to make a fortune by overfunding a Broadway show that goes bust almost immediately.
Wayne Huizenga owned the Florida Marlins for a few years, poured tons of money into a team that won a championship in 1997, then completely dismantled it since it didn’t make him any (or enough) money to justify a very high payroll with a fanbase that wasn’t filling his stadium.
What does all this have to do with anything?
I sometimes wonder what a Mets fan should be wanting at this point.
In simple terms one would think that an improving entertaining team, especially one that can compete for a playoff spot would be all that a fan should be wishing for.
But might that be shortsighted?
There’s a growing core of the Mets’ fanbase that has determined that the team can not be anything approaching a sustained winner as long as team ownership is in the hands of Fred Wilpon, Jeff Wilpon, and Saul Katz. This core believes that the red ink that they are swimming in will continue to flow in perpetuity – or at least until they are saved by some Willets Point real estate coup.
If the true goal of a fan is to get the Mets to be a legitimately funded large market team then is it really in its interest to see an 85 to 89 win season, a modest bump in attendance, and higher ratings on SNY?
And is it ownership’s goal to field a quality ballclub or just to survive until the real estate deal comes to fruition?
Now I’m the first to admit that if a few big things go right the Mets could be quite good in 2015. If Matt Harvey 2015 is anything like Matt Harvey 2013 and if David Wright bounces back to form the team could well be on its way. The entire atmosphere surrounding the club would be improved.
We have seen some small market teams, most notably Oakland and Tampa Bay, have a modicum of success on a light budget. It has happened and for some teams it will happen again. Of course, the GMs of those teams were proactive legends named Billy Beane and Andrew Friedman. And these gentlemen were allowed to do their thing without meddling from their respective ownership groups.
Does the present day Sandy Alderson (and his lieutenants) seem to be anything like that? Is Jeff Wilpon the hands-off type of owner that would sit by idly while his GM moves parts around as needed? I think not.
While I am enthused about the prospect of a top grade starting staff with some very promising arms percolating at AAA I am constantly sobered by the thoughts of (A) what happens when Harvey, then Wheeler, then the others reach their arbitration years or God forbid (B) free agency.
If the team smarts at paying Daniel Murphy $8 million in arbitration what will it do when the top starters are putting in for well more than that? A debt consumed ownership group will have to jettison these home grown favorites just to stay afloat.
So I wonder what should we really be pulling for in 2015 if the ultimate goal is to see the team ownership change?
Reading the above one might wonder whether I am “rooting” for the team to lose. In a micro sense the answer is definitely not but in a macro sense one could make a case. Let’s look at three examples.
I would wager that at least two-thirds of the people reading this believe Terry Collins is a subpar manager and would want him replaced (many want his replacement to have the initials WB). Ask yourself in which scenario the Mets bring Collins back for 2016. If the team wins 78 games I think we all know he’s a goner. If they win 85 and either make the playoffs or vie for them in September then he likely returns. So if you want Terry gone what should you be rooting for?
My two least favorite Mets the past few years were Scott Rice and Eric Young, Jr. I strongly believed and continue to believe that these are replacement level players who could not possibly help a team towards real success.
So when Rice was on the mound was I “rooting” for him to fail? I was not. “Expecting” is more the operative term. And when he did inevitably fail – because the opponent had the temerity to bring a right-handed batter to the plate I saw an upside to the failure reasoning that this might help get him released or, at least, demoted. There was never an upside to a Daniel Murphy flyout or a Lucas Duda strikeout but when Rice screwed up there was a consolation prize.
And yes I know the Mets have in their infinite wisdom re-signed Mr. Rice. It was a four Advil day for me when it happened.
Similarly I would not root for Eric Young, Jr. to fail at the plate but took solace from his many failures that this would grease the slide for his ultimate release or demotion.
The micro sense I alluded to is that NO Mets fan should view a game and hope that the team loses.
The macro sense is the big picture. If you said to me the Mets can finish with exactly 78 wins or 85 and it’s strictly my choice, I really don’t know what I’d prefer. The 85 wins means more Terry Collins and is more likely to keep the Wilpons limping along. The 78 wins means a new (and hopefully better) manager, more empty seats, and a louder clamor for ownership change. It would be a real tough call.
