Things the Mets have done wrong in the Wilpon/Wilpon era

[Edgy MD]

Sticking generally to off-the-field stuff.

1. Capitulated on hats thing.

2. Got in bed with a pyramid scheming tenant.

3. Not gotten out of bed with 1-877-kars-4-kids.

...

[batmagadanleadoff]

Edgy MD wrote: Sticking generally to off-the-field stuff. 1. Capitulated on hats thing. 2. Got in bed with a pyriamid scheming tenant. 3. Not gotten out of bed with 1-877-kars-4-kids. ...

These are Wilpon things. For example, the Wilpons got in bed with Madoff. The Mets won the pennant in 2000.

See?

[Edgy MD]

I'm just offering a list. The semantic thing is un-necessary.

[Centerfield]

"You're gonna need a bigger thread..."

[Fman99]

Dedicated the rotunda of their new park to a guy who never played in Queens or for the Mets. Put a big stupid 42 in there as well.

Opened the new park without even acknowledging any Mets history.

[HahnSolo]

The Shea Stadium games countdown, by opening it up to a sponsor (anything for a buck!) then letting every Lincoln Mercury salesman in the tri-state area get to peel back a number off the outfield wall.

[Guest d'Kong76]

Putting McFadden's so far from the subway stairs.

[Zvon]

Fman99 wrote: Opened the new park without even acknowledging any Mets history.

This is what really irked me. It's not like we don't have some history either. We got the best.

[Edgy MD]

... invested their money and the future of the franchise in an elaborate con scheme

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Did almost everything to foster the appearance of doing the right thing, but cut every corner they thought we wouldn't notice. Often guessed wrong as to what the right thing was.

Fired Bobby Valentine

Were dazzled by Art Howe

Hired Omar Minaya

Allowed Omar Minaya to remain GM after humiliating himself and the franchise, and saddling the team with one lousy contract after another (Castillo, Bay, Rodriguez, Wagner, Perez, Santana)

Removed a portion of the outfield fence before the last game so so to appease a sleazy crook they hired to sell pieces of the demolished stadium they hated back to the fans who loved it.

(Just getting started)

[batmagadanleadoff]

Edgy MD wrote: ... invested their money and the future of the franchise in an elaborate con scheme

.. which, as far as I'm concerned, they knew was shady, but looked the other way thinking they were special or protected and wouldn't get hurt.

[MFS62]

Allowed the installation of THAT scoreboard at CitiField.

Later

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

-- Apparent slavish adherence to draft slots.
-- Fumbling of relations with minor-league affiliates, to the point of making the franchise the least desirable AAA hot potato in all the land.
-- Establishing/sticking with the ridiculous ticketing price points for WAY too long.

[Gwreck]

Employing Dave Howard. Allowing Dave Howard to speak on behalf of the team. Refusing to be honest about Citi Field's positives and negatives.

Alienating fans with riddiculous approach to ticket sales for new park.

[Edgy MD]

I missed where Howard was the problem, but OK.

Knocking down Shea.

[metirish]

Tying up the family trust funds with the Mets(Sterling etc.) , there was no way they were ever going to lose control of the franchise when they were that dug in.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Building a new stadium with comically inappropriate dimensions for baseball ... on purpose.

Firing Steve Phillips without a clue as to who to replace him with; halfheartedly installing Jim Duquette as GM only to throw the weight of the organization behind the "white haired baseball men" (Livesley, Singer) who advised the Kazmir/Benson deals in a wildly desperate pitch for contention that failed spectacularly; subsequently discouraging Duquette from undoing that deal when it was revealed Zambrano was hurt to preserve harmony; leaving Duquette holding the bag so as to hire Omar Minaya -- not so much for baseball smarts, but to make a show of the organization's support for diversity.

[Edgy MD]

That Minaya hiya also relates to the organization's over-willingness to carry water for the league's interests.

Putting all their chips on Steve Phillips after the 2000 World Series and, when he lost control of his vision, firing Valentine instead.

[Edgy MD]

Letting Piazza go ahead with the HomoDenial press conference instead of encouraging him to starve the story of the dignity of a public denial.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Believing they can win sympathy and support if they only open up to the media -- only to see those efforts explode in their faces time and again when they are truly revealed: As in the Francessa interview in 2004 or the New York magazine disaster of 2011.

Never learning a thing.

[metsmarathon]

no longer teaming with nyrr to offer the run to home plate, most likely due to shortsighted stadium design.

building a stadium with a lack of artistic and architectural vision and detail. building a stadium that instead looks like a knockoff of a disney stadium.

[Edgy MD]

Letting the Yankees beat them to a partnership with the Nets, fracturing the symbolic fraternity of the Mets/Jets/Nets.

[Edgy MD]

Letting a Venezuelan dictator throw out the first pitch.

Shutting down the Gulf Coast Mets for a year.

Aside from the on-the-field error of trading Brian Bannister for Ambiorix Burgos, there's the off-the-field failure that they seemingly allowed Omar to acquire a would-be serial killer.

[dgwphotography]

MFS62 wrote: Allowed the installation of THAT scoreboard at CitiField. Later

Allowed? That was probably designed according to their specifications...

[stevejrogers]

Geez, don't know how to categorize this as something genuine, or a troll on another board pulling the Megdal act, but saw someone blast a recent coaster giveaway as being a limited supplied, cheaply made and has a sponsor slapped on it, as compared to a tray given away in 1970 that still looks great, was un-sponsored and they apparently (according to him) had one for EVERY SEAT in Shea, instead of today's "First X amount of adults/kids/all patrons."

Basically adding that the Mets are conditioning the fanbase to expect less and pay more, and finished his post by saying he wouldn't be surprised if instead getting an expensive free agent pitcher, the Wilpons will use a much less expensive returning in 2015 Harvey as the excuse for not going after anyone (of course not laying out WHO in particular he thinks the Mets should target).

[Zvon]

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: Believing they can win sympathy and support if they only open up to the media -- only to see those efforts explode in their faces time and again when they are truly revealed: As in the Francessa interview in 2004 or the New York magazine disaster of 2011. Never learning a thing.

This is another thing that gets stuck in my craw. What kind of owner would diss his franchise player (chosen so by the fans, not him) in an interview like that, out of the blue. I wasn't too thrilled with Fred before that, but after that foghettaboutit! He is out of touch with everything to do with this team. Fredo ain't much better.

[bmfc1]

Something else F. Wilpon has done wrong: he hasn't died.

Dammit, there's another thing to atone for tonight.

[Guest themetfairy]

Fred is the one thing that keeps us from the rule of Jeffy - things will only be worse when Fred is gone.

[Lefty Specialist]

The continuing failure of the marketing department. They simply don't know how to market this team.

When's the last time you saw a good commercial for the Mets? (2005- the Mr. Met ads.) When's the last time they had a decent giveaway that was available to all who attended (not the first 18,000 or 25,000)? When you look at the promotions other teams do, you wonder what the hell they're paying these people for. What are they doing to get kids involved? And on and on. You can be innovative even with a bad product on the field. They don't even seem to try.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Lefty Specialist wrote: What are they doing to get kids involved?

Well, they do have a Mets Kids Club, and they do that "kids run the bases" thing a few times a year. And don't they have a weekly show in SNY aimed at kids? I know they once did, but I don't know if it's still on.