GaryMrMets
05-02-2003, 04:00 PM
http://www.yesnetwork.com/announcers/index.cfm?cont_id=179170&id=2547&right_include=/customtags/dsp_announcers_module.cfm
Mets bumbling starts at the top
By Michael Kay http://www.yesnetwork.com/photos/kay_small.jpg
Special to YES Network Online
May 2, 2003
Nice job by Jeff Wilpon, undercutting Mets general manager Steve Phillips. Wilpon, the son of owner Fred Wilpon, deflected the blame off of his family by saying they were only operating on the information they were receiving. When asked if he was alluding to Phillips, the younger Wilpon did not try to deflect the blame.
What a crock.
If Wilpon thinks Phillips is at fault for the miserable start for the team he should simply fire him and not take cheap shots in the paper. He has essentially neutered his GM around baseball, turning what was already a lame duck situation into an ugly lame duck situation.
The Wilpons made the big mistake when they fired manager Bobby Valentine and did not fire the GM. If you fire one, you have to fire the other. If Valentine was at fault for last year's last place finish, then how does the GM, who provided him with the players, escape blame?
Making matters worse, the Wilpons kept Phillips and did not extend his contract. If you think Phillips was not to blame and you want to keep him then you simply extend the deal and keep him around. By leaving him a one-year contract, you put him in a must-win situation to keep his job and thus, are endangering the future of the organization.
How? Well, if you were the GM of a team and you knew you had to win to keep your job, wouldn't you deal for now and not worry about the future? Maybe, maybe not, but why even have that up for debate? The GM position should be one of length where you can maneuver for now but keep an eye on tomorrow. Injected with a truth serum, how is it possible that Phillips cares about 2006 when he might not even be here next week?
It's easy to agree with the younger Wilpon and place a lot of the blame on Phillips because most of the moves he has made have been awful, saddling the Mets with immovable contracts and veteran players who have not lived up to their resumes. All of that is true, but the Wilpon family is just as guilty as Phillips, if not more so.
Why? Well, all of Phillips' deals had to be run past the Wilpon family. There is no way that Phillips makes a deal for Mo Vaughn and brings back all that money on his deal and Fred Wilpon is not signing off on it. No way.
So when Jeff Wilpon said he can only deal with the information he was given, well, then that's his bad, because he depended too much on that information and, more bluntly, he and his father are the ones who put that information gathering group in power. Also, the Wilpons cannot be absolved of two of the most egregious errors ever made by the organization: not signing Alex Rodriguez and not making the trade to bring in Lou Piniella as manager. Both are unforgivable sins that have set the franchise back years.
First A-Rod. Believe nothing but this: A-Rod wanted to come to the Mets, was making phone calls to friends of his on the team and would have accepted less to go there. The Mets broke off negotiations after one meeting with agent Scott Boras because they didn't like what he was asking for. Ridiculous. That's why it's called a negotiation. An agent is supposed to ask for the world and you are supposed to bargain him off the world and toward a small country.
The least the Mets owed their fans on this one was to stay in the game. If A-Rod goes to Texas for that sick money, then at least you gave it a shot. But to simply close it down and not be in play is inconceivable.
Question: If the Yankees had an opening at shortstop and Alex Rodriguez was available, is there any way George Steinbrenner would allow him to sign anywhere but the Bronx? Of course not.
Phillips has taken the hit on this but this was Fred Wilpon's call, and it's clear he did not want to spend the money.
Now lets move to Piniella. How could you let the best available manager get away and hire Art Howe? Did it occur to the Wilpons that there might have been a reason why Oakland GM Billy Beane was handing him to you on a platter? And you're going to let a package of minor leaguers stand in the way of getting Piniella, who would have energized this moribund group? Again, inconceivable.
Another question: If the Yankees needed a manager, is there any way George Steinbrenner would have allowed Piniella to go to Tampa Bay? Again, of course not.
The whole Met situation is a mess. And it got dirty and sloppy this week when Jeff Wilpon attacked his standing general manager.
It makes no sense, but it does clarify why the Mets are in this predicament.
Michael Kay is the Yankees' play-by-play broadcaster for the YES Network and is a regular contributor to YES Network Online.
http://www.yesnetwork.com/photos/stevephillips_0502ww.jpg
Steve Phillips has gone from lame duck to dead duck thanks to Mets owner Fred Wilpon.
Mets bumbling starts at the top
By Michael Kay http://www.yesnetwork.com/photos/kay_small.jpg
Special to YES Network Online
May 2, 2003
Nice job by Jeff Wilpon, undercutting Mets general manager Steve Phillips. Wilpon, the son of owner Fred Wilpon, deflected the blame off of his family by saying they were only operating on the information they were receiving. When asked if he was alluding to Phillips, the younger Wilpon did not try to deflect the blame.
What a crock.
If Wilpon thinks Phillips is at fault for the miserable start for the team he should simply fire him and not take cheap shots in the paper. He has essentially neutered his GM around baseball, turning what was already a lame duck situation into an ugly lame duck situation.
The Wilpons made the big mistake when they fired manager Bobby Valentine and did not fire the GM. If you fire one, you have to fire the other. If Valentine was at fault for last year's last place finish, then how does the GM, who provided him with the players, escape blame?
Making matters worse, the Wilpons kept Phillips and did not extend his contract. If you think Phillips was not to blame and you want to keep him then you simply extend the deal and keep him around. By leaving him a one-year contract, you put him in a must-win situation to keep his job and thus, are endangering the future of the organization.
How? Well, if you were the GM of a team and you knew you had to win to keep your job, wouldn't you deal for now and not worry about the future? Maybe, maybe not, but why even have that up for debate? The GM position should be one of length where you can maneuver for now but keep an eye on tomorrow. Injected with a truth serum, how is it possible that Phillips cares about 2006 when he might not even be here next week?
It's easy to agree with the younger Wilpon and place a lot of the blame on Phillips because most of the moves he has made have been awful, saddling the Mets with immovable contracts and veteran players who have not lived up to their resumes. All of that is true, but the Wilpon family is just as guilty as Phillips, if not more so.
Why? Well, all of Phillips' deals had to be run past the Wilpon family. There is no way that Phillips makes a deal for Mo Vaughn and brings back all that money on his deal and Fred Wilpon is not signing off on it. No way.
So when Jeff Wilpon said he can only deal with the information he was given, well, then that's his bad, because he depended too much on that information and, more bluntly, he and his father are the ones who put that information gathering group in power. Also, the Wilpons cannot be absolved of two of the most egregious errors ever made by the organization: not signing Alex Rodriguez and not making the trade to bring in Lou Piniella as manager. Both are unforgivable sins that have set the franchise back years.
First A-Rod. Believe nothing but this: A-Rod wanted to come to the Mets, was making phone calls to friends of his on the team and would have accepted less to go there. The Mets broke off negotiations after one meeting with agent Scott Boras because they didn't like what he was asking for. Ridiculous. That's why it's called a negotiation. An agent is supposed to ask for the world and you are supposed to bargain him off the world and toward a small country.
The least the Mets owed their fans on this one was to stay in the game. If A-Rod goes to Texas for that sick money, then at least you gave it a shot. But to simply close it down and not be in play is inconceivable.
Question: If the Yankees had an opening at shortstop and Alex Rodriguez was available, is there any way George Steinbrenner would allow him to sign anywhere but the Bronx? Of course not.
Phillips has taken the hit on this but this was Fred Wilpon's call, and it's clear he did not want to spend the money.
Now lets move to Piniella. How could you let the best available manager get away and hire Art Howe? Did it occur to the Wilpons that there might have been a reason why Oakland GM Billy Beane was handing him to you on a platter? And you're going to let a package of minor leaguers stand in the way of getting Piniella, who would have energized this moribund group? Again, inconceivable.
Another question: If the Yankees needed a manager, is there any way George Steinbrenner would have allowed Piniella to go to Tampa Bay? Again, of course not.
The whole Met situation is a mess. And it got dirty and sloppy this week when Jeff Wilpon attacked his standing general manager.
It makes no sense, but it does clarify why the Mets are in this predicament.
Michael Kay is the Yankees' play-by-play broadcaster for the YES Network and is a regular contributor to YES Network Online.
http://www.yesnetwork.com/photos/stevephillips_0502ww.jpg
Steve Phillips has gone from lame duck to dead duck thanks to Mets owner Fred Wilpon.