Joe Benigno doesn't like David Stearns, says wool pulled over our eyes

[Marshmallowmilkshake]

I think I see why he is a "former" analyst. Fact-checking didn't seem to be a priority here, either.



https://www.sportskeeda.com/baseball/news-mlb-analyst-expresses-distress-new-york-mets-decision-appoint-david-stearns-he-s-small-market-general-manager?key4=skmlbfbposthttps://www.sportskeeda.com/baseball/news-mlb-analyst-expresses-distress-new-york-mets-decision-appoint-david-stearns-he-s-small-market-general-manager?key4=skmlbfbpost

The New York Mets, despite being the highest payroll team in 2023, failed to reach the postseason once again and have yet to make a viral headline in the offseason. To improve their performance after the devastating 2023 season, the Mets have appointed former Milwaukee Brewers general manager David Stearns as their first president of baseball operations. Joe Benigno, former sports anchor at SNY and NFL analyst, expressed his view on the Mets' newly appointed 38-year-old Stearns to such a big role on X (formerly Twitter) while filling in for Joel Sherman on “The Show” podcast with Jon Heyman. “Here's what the Mets did. They're pulling the wool over a Mets fan's eyes a little bit,” Beningo said. “What's happening here, they brought in this guy Stearns, who's a small market GM. Let's be honest, he's a small market general manager. They brought him in to run the Mets like the Milwaukee Brewers.” Benigno criticized the Mets for not being in the conversation for two-way star Shohei Ohtani during the offseason. He also pointed out that Yoshinobu Yamamoto has a slim chance of joining the Mets, despite owner Steve Cohen even taking a 14-hour trek to Japan to meet the ace. It's been seven years since the New York Mets last made it to the postseason in 2016, My note: Unless you count 2022. and Benigno believes that Stearns isn't suitable for leading the franchise forward. The only big news that the Mets have made is the acquisition of former New York Yankees pitcher Luis Severino, as the rest of their signings are from the minors and some one-year deals. The New York Mets will need more depth in the roster to win their third World Series pennant, which they have been waiting for since 1969. My Note: Unless you count 1986.

[Benjamin Grimm]

That's just a cry for attention. It's still too early to judge the offseason because it's still in progress. And there's really no reason to think that the Mets hired Stearns because they were planning to give him a budget similar to what he had in Milwaukee.

[Edgy MD]

"Let's be honest" is a pretty fair indicator that you're about to hear a pretty selective interpretation of the truth.

[kcmets]

Benigno -- The Pillow Guy of New York sports.

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

sportskeeda is a tech-enabled sports website out of India, so I wouldn't expect depth of knowledge and nuance to its takes. This could be poorly trained AI reporting

[MFS62]

Joe leads with his heart instead of his head.

As I've heard him say about his beloved Mets AND Jets, "I'm not getting any younger, and I want to see them win another championship before I die".

A visceral fan.



Later

[Frayed Knot]

=MFS62 post_id=143250 time=1703006050 user_id=60]
Joe leads with his heart instead of his head.

[Edgy MD]

Wanting to see one more championship for your team before you die is pretty much true of every fan ever of every team ever.

[MFS62]

He started out as a fan frequently calling the station late at night. The host (Steve Sommers?) and the producers liked him and (jokingly) suggested he get some training and apply for a job. He did. He went to the Columbia School of Broadcasting (which sounded like a scam) and applied for a job and got it.

I admire the guy for chasing his dream.

Later

[Benjamin Grimm]

Edgy MD wrote: Wanting to see one more championship for your team before you die is pretty much true of every fan ever of every team ever.

True, but I doubt that I'll be thinking of the Mets when I'm on my deathbed. And if I am, I'll probably be thinking of how thankful I am for 1986.

[Edgy MD]

Indeed. The odds against that wish being what they are, wise ones like yourself find ways to wrest meaning from what remains.

[metsmarathon]

he's got a point. when the dodgers brought in a small market gm, who was bringing with him that same small market mentality and approach, it's been the ruination and eternal shame of their franchise ever since.



oh wait. sorry. read that again but make it the exact opposite of whatever i wrote.



joe beningo may be passionate about the mets, but it's entirely possible to care about a thing and still be an idiot about it.

[Lefty Specialist]

Maybe someone should let Benigno know how many times the Brewers and Mets each made the playoffs the last 7 years.



Brewers- 5

Mets- 1

[MFS62]

Lefty Specialist wrote: Maybe someone should let Benigno know how many times the Brewers and Mets each made the playoffs the last 7 years. Brewers- 5 Mets- 1

To quote my old boss, "Don't try to dazzle me with logic".

To quote Animal House, "Forget it, he's rolling".



Later

[Centerfield]

Edgy MD wrote: "Let's be honest" is a pretty fair indicator that you're about to hear a pretty selective interpretation of the truth.

Let's be honest



My point is



At the end of the day



To tell you the truth



All things being equal



Or whatever whatnot



So many words. None of the meaning a damn thing.

[Edgy MD]

Well said. Plus "Let's face it ... ."



I kind of like "To tell you the truth ... ," though. I usually find it used when the speaker is turning over one of their own cards that they'd rather not be showing, rather than as a pretext to hide the truth.



　　"Ready for the big presentation?"



　　　　"To tell you the truth, I don't think I'll have all my slides ready."



　　"Looking forward to the dance recital?"



　　　　"To tell you the truth, I'd rather be home with the game on."



　　"How's your life been lately?"



　　　　"To tell you the truth, it's been pretty much a shit show."



The speaker doesn't end up looking good, but at least gets some frankness points. I tend to know where I stand with "To tell you the truth ... ."

[MFS62]

And when they start with "Honestly ... " I put my hand on my wallet to make sure it isn't being stolen.

Later

[Frayed Knot]

=MFS62 post_id=143255 time=1703007896 user_id=60]
He started out as a fan frequently calling the station late at night. The host (Steve Sommers?) and the producers liked him and (jokingly) suggested he get some training and apply for a job. He did. He went to the Columbia School of Broadcasting (which sounded like a scam) and applied for a job and got it.

[Frayed Knot]

It was more like Benigno got his job at FAN by winning a contest, and it all started with the infamous 'Eli from Westchester'.



Eli was an ex-college football player (somewhere in the midwest) and also black which by itself seemed unusual among most FAN listeners/callers

in those days. The theme in his calls was always the same, that all the NYC sports teams were racist and he rode that theme into becoming what

I guess could be called the station's first 'celebrity' caller. Some hosts eventually banned him from their shows because they knew they'd get the

same take over and over again often without supporting evidence (not always right but never in doubt). Others embraced him knowing that a

call from him essentially programmed the rest of their show as the next several hours would be filled with other callers pushing back at Eli's rant

du jour.



Fast forward a couple years to right around this time of year when regular hosts' vacations and broken schedules left the station with a few hours

here and there to fill and so they announced that Eli would be given the opportunity to fill in one or two of those short shifts. This quickly caused

a backlash with callers wondering why being an overt racist got you increased time on air rather than less. FAN then took a quick back step by

'clarifying' that, ummm, what we really meant was that we were going to give these mini time-slots to several of our better known callers .. yeah,

that was our plan all along. One of those callers was 'Joe from Saddle River', a restaurant seafood salesman who'd call often, mostly about the Jets.



Turned out that, given the chance to solo, Eli turned into a very tame version of his usual self (perhaps under orders) and the consensus was

that he pretty much bombed while the one who supposedly came off the best among the half-dozen or so fill-ins was Benigno. By this point

Steve Somers was itching to leave the overnight slot where he had toiled for years for some normal working hours so Benigno, who I believe

had a small bit of radio experience in his younger days, was offered the overnight shift if he took some courses to re-up his skills.

[Fman99]

Why would I pay attention to Joe Benigno when I could do something more pleasant instead, like placing my genitals on a flat metal surface and then smashing them repeatedly with a mallet?

[Benjamin Grimm]

Technically, you could do both.

[MFS62]

Unless you listen with your genitals.

Later

[Edgy MD]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: Technically, you could do both.

Good point. This is still America.

[kcmets]

Best do it in 2024, I've heard late January 2025 it will be banned.

Frayed Knot wrote: It was more like Benigno got his job at FAN by winning a contest

Yup ©, of course...

[Centerfield]

Best do it in 2024, I've heard late January 2025 it will be banned. Frayed Knot wrote: It was more like Benigno got his job at FAN by winning a contest Yup ©, of course...

Can't even imagine the contestants that lost...

[Frayed Knot]

Not that it was originally set up as a contest. But when he came off better than the others I think that put the idea into the

heads of station mgmt that they could move Somers to a better time slot and have his (cheap) replacement already to go.



Benigno was OK and mainly appealed to those fans who were like him: very passionate and totally irrational.

One of my favorite sayings of his was that the Jets, Knicks, and Rangers never had calls go their way. Not just in the course of a

particular game mind you but as a rule and over the years, the majority of calls consistently went against those teams (all the ones

he rooted for just coincidentally). That kind of thinking is the mentality of irrational sports fans ("the league and the TV networks

don't want us to win!!!!"). It's a kind of logic that's also common among six year-olds, and Donald Trump as well.

[The Hot Corner]

Best do it in 2024, I've heard late January 2025 it will be banned. Frayed Knot wrote: It was more like Benigno got his job at FAN by winning a contest Yup ©, of course... Can't even imagine the contestants that lost...

Bunch of future Trump supporters.