Madoff Sentencing Leaves This Mets Fan Wondering...
I was thrilled a few hours ago to see Ponzi schemer Bernard Madoff sentenced to 150 years for his heinous crimes. To many, the sentence seems too short. There was no solace today for those bilked of their life savings and/or company assets. Today's sentencing did not bring joy, but rather a torrent of anger and resentment at such an evil and depraved man.
It also got me considering something that readers of "The Huddle" know I've written about before. Just how much did Madoff affect the 2009 New York Mets?
You don't have to be a genius to realize that there should never be much worry and concern for a major NY sports team. They have more cash than the average Joe could ever hope for multiplied by thousands.
BUT: back in December, it was reported that Madoff took as much as $300 million dollars from Sterling Equities, the parent company of the Wilpon family that owns the Mets. Madoff has known Fred Wilpon for over two decades. Wilpon and part owner Saul Katz considered Madoff a friend. No doubt Wilpon and Katz have their own frustrations and anger regarding Madoff.
As of December, when the Madoff case broke, Wilpon had yet to pay back all the loans connected to his 2002 buyout of co-owner Nelson Doubleday.
During this offseason, the Mets signed Frankie Rodriguez and J. J. Putz to try and strengthen the back of their bullpen, but little else. Rather than go after quality 2nd baseman Orlando Hudson, thry continue with past his prime Luis Castillo. They apparently never considered signing Manny Ramirez-though we now know that was probably a smart move. They brought back inconsistent Ollie Perez rather than attempt to acquire Derek Lowe or A. J. Burnett. Their farm system is below average at best. During this weekend's terrible series sweep by the Yankees, the injury ridden Mets trotted out 6-7 guys in their starting lineup that would NOT be on the Yankees, never mind start for another legitimate big league team.
Even the way the Mets handle injured players and the construction of Citi Field, with its bevy of corporate logos but no real sense of Mets history or team Hall of Fame, has to be questioned.
Now, maybe the Mets really have made poor decisions. Maybe Omar Minaya isn't an evaluator of talent. Maybe the team needs to re-evaluate their medical staff and rehab proceedures. Could it be that Madoff hurt the team's business practices more than the club will ever know, OR did Madoff's crimes expose the team's poor inner workings? What does this mean for the future? We may not have these answers for a long time.
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Comments: 1
You make many salient points. The financial bottom line may have been effected by Bernard Madoff. The Wilpon family was quick to point out in November that the payroll would be about the same as it was in 2008. There was not much flexibilty beyond $147M.
As for Omar, the depth in the minor leagues has been glaring. I realize trades for Johan Santana and J.J. Putz drained the system somewhat, but the prospects they traded to Minnesota and Seattle have been unimpressive.
The buck stops with Omar, even if Tony Bernazard is overseeing ther organizational talent.
The largest transgression realted to the stadium is that the organization did not hold the history of the team in enough regard to have some type of Mets Museum or Mets Hall of Fame. It does not look like the Wilpion's care about Mets history. For example, I realize the organization will honor the 1969 Mets on August 22. They are really forced to do this. The 1969 Mets should be a year long celebration. They should have promotional giveaways in honor of this great New York City Sports team. It makes me sick as a Mets fan that the organization largely ignores the '69 Mets. It offends me.