Morgan writes…
I think you were way to quick to say you were “moving on” from the Mets payroll discussion just based on a one-year deal to Yoenis Cespedes, which quite frankly they were forced to do to prevent rioting at Citi Field if he had signed with the Washington Nationals. For someone I admired for continuously holding the Wilpons’ feet to the fire over the last 6-7 years, I’ve gotta say I was disappointed to see you take such a stance. You should know better than most that you never give the Wilpons a free pass which is essentially what you did. Does okaying a one-year deal for Cespedes and raising payroll to $140 million following a year in which they had a $100 million windfall make the Mets owners any less unethical and dysfunctional than they they were in December when you defined them as such? I think you know the answer to that, Joe.
Joe D. replies…
First of all, I never said I would stop holding the Wilpons’ feet to the fire, and I certainly am not giving them a free pass or even forgiving them for how they’ve run this team after buying out Nelson Doubleday Jr.
You are making far too many assumptions based on my decision to enjoy the season rather than complain about payroll, billboards, protests and boycotts. This was all I wrote:
“I don’t know about you guys, but as for me, I’m going to tone down my rhetoric against the Wilpons moving forward. The truth is that they pledged to spend accordingly once the fans returned to Citi Field and they did exactly that.”
“The Mets are now exactly where I want them to be as an organization and are on the verge of great things, and that’s what I’m choosing to focus on in 2016. It’s time to drop that heavy, burdening sack of bricks and move on. LGM”
Look, I get your anger. I get your disdain for ownership. I get your unwillingness to forgive. I totally respect all that. But as a passionate Met fan and coming off a World Series appearance and an offseason that saw payroll rise over 50 percent – at what point are you going to ease up on the accelerator and enjoy what’s happening with our team?
At what point do you stop focusing on the owners and instead devote your time and energy to what could possibly be a golden era of Mets baseball? These are very exciting times for us.
At least for this one offseason, we spent like a big market team and more importantly we spent wisely. That’s good enough for me. So why not take some solace and encouragement from that? That’s all I’m guilty of… Wanting to watch and experience the 2016 season without any distractions.
After the season, I will reassess and see how things stand. But right now, I’m going to enjoy and relish every moment of the 2016 season – a season that promises to be fun, exciting and memorable. Sorry to disappoint you.
