Sorry for the tardiness. It was a looooong day yesterday.
I landed at John Wayne Airport at about 12:30 local time yesterday, and got to Angel Stadium in time for Omar Minaya's and Jerry Manuel's news conferences. Here is the column I wrote.
I do think that having Manuel as the Mets' manager makes a rebound more likely, despite last night's ugly result. I liked the way that Manuel dealt with the Jose Reyes situation; when Reyes showed up Manuel when being lifted in the first inning, Manuel went to the clubhouse after the completion of the half-inning and confronted Reyes. Following the game, Reyes was apologetic.
And by the way, if we're going to rip Reyes for looking disinterested too often, we can't go nuts when he passionately argues being removed from the game.
Some more thoughts from the day:
Willie Randolph earned his pink slip because of the team's results, but he expedited his demise by his poor relationships with ownership and the front office. Omar is a vastly superior office politician to both Randolph and Rick Peterson _ who, as I've written here previously, did overall excellent work, but ultimately annoyed too many people with his quirky personality. When the bullpen started to bomb, Peterson's enemies had the necessary ammunition.
I agree with all of you who contend that Minaya is just as much to blame as Randolph for what has happened to the Mets. But Omar will be given a chance to clean up his mess. There won't be any more signings of 40-year-olds, or even 35-year-olds. MInaya will learn from his mistakes. And if you bet on Minaya still being the Mets' general manager when Citi Field opens next April, you'll probably do all right for yourself.
Omar also kept making himself looking meek when he said that the rampant speculation over the weekend made it necessary to fish or cut bait with Willie. Of course, it was Omar's fault that such an environment came to be: The people in whom he confided, spilled the beans.
Now, the Wilpons must be held accountable for Minaya's actions _ and yes, they were obviously in the loop. As Bob T. wrote here, you don't eat over $3 million without ownership's consent. But I don't think this was the Wilpons' playbook.
The Yankees were struggling, and a reporter asked Zim whether he would consider coaching third base as a "slump-buster," the way Tommy Lasorda used to do with the Dodgers. Zim emitted his trademark laugh/growl, and said, "Yeah, Tommy always did that when he had his best starting pitcher going."
Sorry Dennis, Hank Steinbrenner's complaining about the National League rules is pretty dumb. Pitchers are baseball players, too. There's nothing wrong with asking them to do things besides pitch.
Richie G., the Mets did pay for first-class plane tickets for Randolph, Peterson and Nieto. By the way, Richie G., I've been thinking of you the last two nights. You MUST move to Anaheim. Have you watched these games? The Angels play precisely the type of game you love - non-stop hustle, always challenging the defense to make plays. I fully admit, it is fun to watch and even inspiring.
But I still don't think a lack of hustle created The Collapse of '07.
Paul, no, I'm not going to reveal any sources. I was "shocked" by the way Randolph's firing played out, but obviously not by the actual firing. I'm not sure what your point is, although I'm happy to discuss it further.
Jim, two points on which we'll eternally agree to disagree: 1) Joe Torre could not accept a one-year offer to manage the Yankees in 2008. Baseball managers haven't been getting one-year contracts since Lasorda's early days in Los Angeles; and 2) Nelson Doubleday is not someone for whom you should feel pity. But hey, it's the spirit of debate that keeps us going, right?
Comments (35)
Ken, nice job by Santana for spitting the bit. Santana gave up 5 runs, including a homer. If your consider an ace pitrcher, you can't spit the bit like you did last night.
Ken - I still want to know Tony Bernazard's role in this matter, as it relates to this disaster, past disasters and team chemistry.
Does Tony frequently hang around the locker room talking exclusively with the Hispanic players, as he did when he was a special advisor to Don Fehr at the MLBPA? Does this management access cause suspicion/anger among players like Paul LoDuca and Billy Wagner and artifically split the clubhouse?
There are numerous articles today (including Newsday) that get to the point of implying a Jeff Wilpon/Tony B alliance. What gives?
If Omar Minaya is going to include references to the importance of Randolph as first A/A manager in NY sports and his position as first Hispanic GM, the team is defining itself in narrow terms of how they are different and not how they are alike, which is a potential disaster.
As for the managerial change, "meet the new boss, same as the old boss....."
Give me today to work on the Tony B. stuff, Bob...I hear you. Your questions are valid.
Ken, how much blame does Tony Bernazard get for helping to firing Willie and for the team's lackluster play? Seems to me that Bernazard back stables Willie any chance he gets whenever the Mets are struggling. If I was running the Mets, Bernazard will be fired for his antics.
Ken - What a world we live in when it's an insult to offer someone at least $5 million to manage a baseball team (with a decent chance to make $3 million more) and provide a mechanism to vest another $8 million for the following season. It's not a rule, but managers must be offered multi-year deals or they are outraged. I'll bet the Mets wish they didn't have to pay Randolph not to manage next year.
I don't have any pity for Nelson Doubleday, who sold his company for $475 million and made at least another $100 million off the sale of the Mets to Wilpon. I just can't stand Fred or Jeff Wilpon and feel the way Doubleday lost half the franchise to Fred was disgraceful. Yes, Fred is a cuthroat businessman, but that move went beyond what even most cuthroats are willing to do to a "friend." Doubleday underwent successful liver transplant surgery and is enjoying retirement, but I am sure he is sick to his stomach at how the Wilpon's have tarnished the Mets in the eyes of the team's fans.
Ken: Do you know why Manuel was fired by the White Sox? Was it solely because they never got past a division title with their (overrated) talent? In any case, I agree with you for the small part of his Q and A that I watched, he came across very well. Unfortunately, right away last night, Reyes' lack of professionalism came right through. I don't care if he came back later joking around, showing up his manager in the first 2 minutes of the guys' first game isn't the way to play the game. I'm beginning to realize Reyes is nothing but a loser. Rebuild and start by getting rid of Jose Reyes for 2 full-timers and a pitcher.
Wilpon paid Doubleday $100 million up front for his share of the franchise and another $31 million over three years. Doubleday will also be receiving another $40 million since the sale agreement called for $20 million to be paid if an agreement to build a new stadium was every signed and another $20 million if the stadium was actually built.
Bud Selig said at the time that “Fred represents the best in ownership and I am confident that the club will move forward in a positive direction under his leadership.”
What did Bud have in mind? Putting Jeff Wilpon in a place of power? Hiring Tony B. to tear the franchise apart from within? Building a new stadium that will dramatically reduce capacity, thereby virtually eliminating an opportunity for most fans to ever get a ticket to a game? Selig doesn’t care about the Mets. He cares about keeping Wilpon’s support so he can keep making an obscene salary of $14 million a year.
Reyes is a petulant jerk, but I submit that his contract has something to do with it. A few days before he signed his $24 mil/4 year deal (or something like that), Omar was telling the media how Reyes was rightfully first to get a multi-year deal before David Wright because he was there a year before Wright, and that Wright's turn would come next year. Of course, whoever represented Reyes is arguably one of the most incompetent agents in sports, because Omar and Jeff "Silver Spoon" Wilpon, seeing how they got Reyes on the cheap, roughly 5 days later (not a year later as Omar claimed) signed Wright to more money and more years ($50 mil/6 year deal I think).
So if you're Reyes, you're pissed. I know I would be. And I'm sure there has to be some animosity in the clubhouse about this. But it's typical Met management.
Oh and despite his RBI total, Wright is having a mediocre year. Very few big moments, endless runners left on base due to pop-outs to the catcher, etc. He's got some Willie blood on his hands too, make no mistake.
Rock
They should have fired Willie "Wednesday Morning 3 A.M."
For I know with the first light of dawn
Ill be leaving,
And tonight will be
All I have left to recall.
Simon and Grafunkel
Jim, I don't understand how you would never think less of a player who wants market value in terms of years (based on your support here of the PA), but for some reason, Torre's demand for more than one year irks you so much. The Yankees' offer was set up for Torre to turn down. Without the safety net of a second year, Torre knew that he would face another year of backstabbing and leaks about his job security. Perhaps someone with less financial success would've sucked it up and accepted the $5 million, but Torre didn't have to do so.
JRock, I really don't think the $ is an issue for Reyes. Besides, he will be a free agent at age 28, so he will be in a position to make a huge score - whereas Wright won't hit free agency until he's 31. See my Mussina/Glavine item for the potential upside of shorter-term contracts for a player.
Sandy, the White Sox people still have very high regard for Manuel. As happens so often, the White Sox decided they needed a different voice in the manager's office (and found one, in Ozzie Guillen). I don't think it was any one sin.
Jim: Selig has done nothing but bring in his supporters to baseball. John Henry, a good friend, Jeffrey Soria, a good friend, the new Washington guys, friends. As far as him knowing what constitutes a good owner, he ran his franchise into the ground, forced his city to finance a new stadium for him then sold the team for an obscene price for that area, and has been a joke for the most part as a commissioner. He has no business being commissioner of baseball, it's always been a conflict of interest. He is not there to do what's best for the game, he's there to do what's best for the owners and since baseball is regulatory proof, due to all the favorable laws passed for it, there's pretty much nothing anyone can do about it. Congress really has more important things to worry about than the corruption inside baseball.
Sandy:
The commissioner of baseball is chosen by his peers in order to maximize revenues and profits for his brethren, with no inpuit from either of the two other constituencies invloved - the players and the fans.
He cares not one lick about fans, as long as they show up in sufficient number and pay for licensed products and cable broadcasts.
If Congress would take any action to help, it would be to make MLB teams supply accurate financial information in order to attempt to get municipal funds for stadium construction or improvements. By accurate, I mean to a level that meets Sarbanes-Oxley standards of a real company, as MLB teams accountign standards are minimal - even less that Enron or Global Crossing as they are not publicly held corporations.
You wold see how cable contracts are valued at incredibly low levels to hide inter-corporation profits, how clubs when purchased are able to depreiciate 50% of the purchase price over 5 years under GAAP, etc.
Ken, I admit it. You are right to a point on Torre. I guess I am showing my Freudian distate for him. I would have been horrified if the Yankees had offered him a 2 or 3 year contract. I understand your point as to why he felt the need to reject the offer made. I also continue to believe that this shows just how spoiled those associated with today's game are. Torre didn't want to put up with backstabbing and leaks while having just a one year contract. I'm not sure if too many people can identify with that. Most would be willing to make $5 - $8 million for less than a year's work and deal with any BS since most people have plenty of backstabbing on their jobs and are paid a fraction of what Torre was offered. But, enough on that topic.
I don't begrudge any player for making whatever it is a team wants to pay them and am also vehmently opposed to a salary cap. Torre just gets to me, especially after he was paid like a king for many years and couldn't get out of the first round, but had the nerve to want a huge guaranteed contract.
Ken, you should know I've put out feelers to my Mets fans that watched every game to see if hustle would have gotten them two games last season. And sorry, even if I moved to Anaheim, I can still log on to Newsday.com click on blogs and find you! ;)
As for Reyes, Ken...I want him to have passion, but I dont want him to act like a petulant child. There is a happy medium...and I think there's a guy 7 miles away who plays shortstop that can be a good role model. What Ryes did yesterday was selfish, classless and unfortunately, very believable. It would have been horrible to do that on any night, but given the circumstances of last night....yeesh. Seriously, could you imagine any Yankee in the last 10 years besides Johnson, Sheffield or Rueben Sierra the 1st doing that? I cant. OK maybe Kevin Brown.
Jim: Torre is in a better place and I bet he knew he could find it. Look at his situation out there. The team is way under .500 and nobody is complaining. He has a fat slob CF'der who is on the disabled list and making $17 million dollars a season and no one cares. His new SS is Nomar Garciaparra who probably can't even play the field anymore, and nobody is moaning about it. He just lost 2 pitchers to the DL. And they still draw 40,000/game (even if the place looks half empty) and the owner is a schnook from Boston.
Bob Tufts: I understand completely, but that doesn't make it right.And as we saw last year with the MLB Extra Innings deal to satellite exclusively, once JohnKerry threatened to investigate the anti-trust laws regarding baseball, Selig folded like a cheap tent.
Bob, I agree that Selig doesn't care one bit about the fans. But neither do Fehr and Orza.
Ken:
Any word on the source of the leak from last week? To me it reeks of Jeff Wilpon, which then forced Omar Minaya's hand on the issue. I think Omar's press conference yesterday was indicative of management not being on the same page. I also think that Omar's criticism of the leak was a thinly veiled shot at Jeff Wilpon.
Meanwhile, in actual baseball news, Mets are 4 out in the loss column and Philly has to go West next week!
Riche G - Fehr and Orza are bound by NLRB law to negotiate on behalf of a federally certified union. They don't claim to represent all of baseball - owners, players and fans - but Bud Selig does.
What the hell has Selig ever done for the fans?
Has the union changed a game time on fans at the last minute?
Has a union rep ever used government funds to build a park?
Has a MLBPA official ever committed a felony like Steinbrenner?
Did MLB get fined $ 280 million colluding in violation of labor law?
Did Selig lie in Congressional testimony regarding contraction?
You hate the union because you cannot enjoy the game the way you want at a price you want. Welcome to capitalism 101....I'd rather argue about the price of gas than the costs of tickets to something that is entertainment.
Bob, please find me the comment where it said Richie G. (Lynbrook) loves Bud Selig and thinks the owners care one iota about the fans. I'd be very interested in reading that post. You wont find it because its not there. Just because I am anti-union doesn't mean I am pro-owners!! It doesn't have to work that way!
I think the owners are weak and pathetic. They always lose to your boys. I also think they are greedy and wouldn't bother giving a choking fan a glass of water, unless they paid for the cup.
Of course I think Fehr and Orza would be outraged by the owners for not giving the union the proper % of the cup used on said fan.
In other words, they both dont care about the fans. But at least the Mets admit it. I mean when you go the games Bob Murphy used to blare out of the speakers, "And remember to drive home safely. We want you safe, because we want you back."
So I guess if we weren't planning to come back they wouldn't care. I always found that funny, yet true.
As for gas, you would be a hypocrite if you were angry at the oil prices going up. Supply and demand remember?
Ritchie: How about this: the owners always lose to the players because they don't have the business smarts to beat them and fight them on things they couldn't possibly win on if they were regulated properly. Yes, they are greedy, that's why they lose. As Bob Tufts says, it's not the union's job to care about the fans, they are employed by the players to do what is best for them.
I know there isn't an owner who gives a crap about me. When I had NY Rangers' season tickets (ie: their most loyal fans) they showed me how much they cared by giving me ultimatums about my tickets, deadlines to pay, no incentives to keep them etc. So, I smartened up and dropped the tickets. From then on I watched on TV.
Richie G:
I'm sorry that you bear such an antipathy towards unionization.
I mentioned gas because we need it to do our daily duties. We should be discussing this important topic and doing what we can to insure adequate supply that meets demand in order for our economy to function. And the oil market is not a free market, as OPEC demonstrates
High priced baseball tickets are not threatening to ruin the world economy. If so, the construction of the new stadia in NY are terrible, as they reduce capacity.
MLB is, like OPEC a legal cartel that restricts supply - in their case the number of franchises More franchises would mean more players, lower salaries and lower ticket prices.
Sandy and Bob (I'm assuming you forgot to sign in and are Anonymous) I agree with you. Individual owners are to blame for the salary mess. Fehr and Orza are doing a great job in sucking out every dollar they can for their union and sticking it to the owners and fans. I get it that its their job to stick it to us, but I dont have to be their Bitch.
As for the gas prices...I'm not sure of the legalities of it all, but there's no reason some rich Saudi Shiek shouldn't suck out all of our money as well. That's his job, to make money. I'm not his Bitch either and today I bought a bycicle and am planning on riding it to work 4 out of 5 days.
I know a lot of you think I'm just bitching and moaning, but at least I'm taking action...even if its just me.
Rchie G - It was me - sorry about that malfunction!
I am still waiting for an owner to say "Damn, a player made me draw up and sign a contract. I didn't want to do it!" There are restrictions (minimum salary, maximum amount a player cam be cut, arbitration (boy the owners blew it on that one!) that were negotiated unto the CBA, but if an owner doesn't want to re-sign a player or go after a free agent they don't have to do so.
I don't even own a car now as, I sold them both when I moved to NYC in 1982. Fight the power!
Richie: I had to come back online and post because I finally figuered out who you should really be pissed at for the escalating prices--the player agents! When the union started negotiating for basic employment rights for the players and beat them in court to get it, there were no agents representing players. Players still negotiated on their own. It was only when lawyers realized the owners were their own worst enemies and started offering their services to players to negotiate contracts for them that salaries truly escalated and owners started to compensate for their stupidity by passing the buck onto us. Damn, in 1975, I think I was still paying no more than $5 for a box seat at Yankee Stadium. Agents are leetches, they make their own money from a percentage of what they get for the players. They don't care about the game and fans, only themselves (see Scott Boras). So they go for as much as they can get, and usually get it (very rarely do they screw up) The players give their agents carte blanche to get them everything they possibly can (see ARod) and see their reps ruined because of it. As Bob Tufts said, nobody forces the owners to pay these salaries, they choose to and pass it on to the paying fans (ie corporations willing to buy at these prices because they are tax-deductable, thus free to them.) Eventually like everything else, what goes up must come down and the gravy train will derail, teams will fold, prices will come down etc.
Sandy and Bob...I dont like the players agents (especially Boras) but I am not mad at them or the players or the union for what they're making. What bothers me is that whenever something bad happens their response is to strike! Call the official scorer. And they dont hustle.
So its not the money, its that they dont even realize how lucky they are. And to strike after 9/11 was abhorible...even if in the end their was no strike.
As for the owners, they do it to themselves. And so do we.
In 1975, the Yanks drew 1.2 million fans, or about 15.000 per game. With 40,000 empty seats per night, you could name your price at the ticket booth. In 1976 they won the pennant and drew 2 million - 25,000 per game and 30,000 empty seats.
As for agents screwing evrything up after the players started winning battles with the owners...
The modern MLBPA was established in 1966 with the hiring of Marvin Miller during a player vote in spring training in Arizona and Florida sites. The first collective bargaining agreement was not negotiated by Miller with owners until 1958. Bob Woolf was the first baseball agent, representing Earl Wilson in the 1966 negotiations, just before Miller was selected - then the floodgates opened.
The union loves Scott Boras - he gets an early contract deal done (usually at a very high rpice) and causes the other deals to rise with it. he union hated Bob Woolf, as he would get deals dne quickly at a low price. if his deals for Yaz etc. were modest, the rest of the contracts offered would not be as high as expected.
I agree with everything Bob Tufts has written about the MLBPA, Selig and the owners. The union represents the best interests of players. It has a legal responsibility to do so. It has never claim to represent the best interests of fans. Selig, on the other hand, has repeatedly claimed he cares about fans, when he clearly doesn’t. This is the guy responsible for canceling the World Series. He has no shame, was greedier than most owners (and that’s really saying something) and should be prosecuted for perjury before the US Congress.
Players are operating within a capitalistic system that pays them their market value based upon the game’s revenues and the demand/interest in the sport (TV ratings, attendance, merchandise sales, etc.). Players earn the level of compensation they should under our economic system. Players and agents have a very definite interest in what is good for the game. If the game goes down the drain, players and agents earn less or even nothing. If it thrives, everyone gets rich.
Selig and his owner cronies have used their anti-trust exemption and public tax dollars to get even richer. They are extremely detached from the fans.
Sandy you are oh so right about Torre and LA. The NY Times had a related article on many of these same points earlier in the season.
Matt T, I don't believe Omar would have to guts to go after Jeff Wilpon in any way, shape or form. Jeff Wilpon is substantially running the franchise, and thus to a large degree controls whether Omar stays or goes. I think the leaks are from Jeff Wilpon and Tony B.
Baseball is a business, just like everything else. Its all about the money folks. Everybody is in it for the money. Why do you suppose Major League Baseball is now a $6 Billion industry. Everything has gone up in prices. Oil, Gas, Food, Milk,etc. you name it. If you want prices to stop climbing, something has to happen and quick.
Jim, maybe Omar should go after Bernazard and fire his ass. And isn't Bernazard Omar's hire?
Ken, absolutely great column on Bernazard. Wonderful. Just read it online. You hit him hard.
Dennis, Omar doesn't have the power to get rid of Tony B. He also doesn't have the guts to advocate it.
Thanks, Jim!
Matt T, I'm sorry, I can't really discuss the leaks.
Richie G, I don't want you to leave the blog! I just thought you'd love the Angels' style of play. I look forward to your buddy's reconnaissance mission on the '07 Mets. And you're right - I was too easy on Reyes this morning. In my defense, I was working on jet lag and minimal sleep, and I'm not very bright in the first place.
Richie, let me get this straight: You're upset with the players because they ALMOST went on strike in 2002? They weren't going to strike. Their strategy was to push it to the deadline and get as much as they could - because they were mindful of how awful they would have looked striking a year after 9/11 and, also, in the wake of the Enron collapse. But you're going to punish them because...they should've settled sooner?
Ken, I know you dont want me to leave. Bob Tufts would be lost without me!
As for the 2002 almost strike...my problem is this. Dont wear FDNY and NYPD hats and embrace your (meaning MLBP) role in helping America heal, and then say the very next year that 9/11 has nothing to do with baseball. It wasn't the time for postering (if it was postering...I'm not convinced they weren't going to strike)...it was the time for once in their lives to think about someone other than themselves. It would have been bad enough without a 9/11 backdrop but with 9/11 it was dispicable.
Furthermore, I didn't care when they settled, as long as they didn't threaten to go on strike. I hate made up quotes but if Fehr said, "There is no way this union is going to strike now. After cancelling the World Series in 1994, and after what our country went through less than a year ago, we owe it to the fans to play." The owners never would have locked them out the following year because unlike Fehr, Selig cares about his public persona. (not about the fans, but about his legacy and persona)
Choosing between Fehr and Selig is like choosing between a cobra and a rattlesnake. But it is hard to find any organization in any professional sport that doesn't treat its customers like dirt.
RG - our relationship will always be symbiotic.
Ken - I like the Tony B piece - and also the Angels, as thye are truly fun to watch. Hats off to Mike Scioscia!
Ken -
The Wilpons, or at least Fred, could not have made gazillions of dollars by being naive.
How can they not see Omar's sibalent sycophancy...?
Cut Delgado and the 'Politans will really hear footsteps.
Phils look strong...did I tell you that I went to Saint Joe's with Jaime Moyer....? Not a bad intramural basketball player....short tempered back then.
Gerry