Fire Freddy

Ok so I've had a chip on my shoulder about Mets CEO Fred Wilpon for a while now. Maybe the man's just getting old and suffering from senility, but his incompetency is really showing more and more these past few years. Let's put aside for a moment the barrage of pitiful roster moves the man has authorized and focus on one single word: loyalty.

Sports Illustrated came out with an article a few months ago that really pushed my buttons. The article's description reads:

"Love for baseball and loyalty to his friends are two of the defining traits of
the game's longest-standing owner. But his long, unquestioning relationship with
Bernard Madoff could cost the Mets patriarch his fortune, his reputation—and the
team he cherishes."

Loyalty? LOYALTY?? Can someone explain this to me, because maybe I've been using the word wrong all these years. A man's personal traits do not dictate how he acts as a businessman, and this man has shown no loyalty as an owner. I'm going to throw out two names: Mike Piazza, and Heath Bell. Piazza was an icon, and is a man who's name will go down in Mets history. Yet when the time came, did Piazza get re-signed? No, he got dropped and lost the chance to retire in orange and blue. Now Bell is a more subtle case. Bell, who has been a top leader in saves the last few seasons, hates the Mets organization for good reason. When the man was a Met he got none of this mythical "respect" from the Mets organization, and was just tossed back and forth from the minors when needed to cover an injury. Just another example of what could have been (who remembers Nolan Ryan came up as a Met?).

Now one could make the reasonable argument that in many of these decisions that the GM should be held responsible, and Minaya was certainly no one to praise, but who makes the monetary decisions? Who can veto bad ideas? Now as much as I hate the Yankees, The Boss knew how to run a baseball team and they've proven their loyalty. While old and decrepit Posada's at least going to retire in pinstripes, Piazza had to fizzle out with the Padres and A's. In the 70's Billy Martin had plenty of arguments with the Yankees higher ups, but was always hired back because The Boss knew he could run the team. Meanwhile the Mets organization managed to chase Bobby V all the way to Japan!

One final note on that Sports Illustrated article, regarding "the team he cherishes." Now, we're clearly talking about the Dodgers right? I mean the man turned a stadium intended for the Mets into a shrine to his beloved Brooklyn Dodgers. I remember the first time I went to Citi Field in '09. I never would've realized it was a Mets stadium if I didn't know better. A few banners and a Topps lineup thing does not a Mets stadium make.

So clearly Wilpon took whatever money Madoff didn't steal and paid off SI to publish a melodramatic story to draw sympathy. It actually ends with a quote of Wilpon saying, "Why? Why?" Well Freddy I feel as though I must ask you...

Why? WHY?!?