Financial Woes May Be Doom For Mets

Being a Mets fan isn't easy. The team takes us on a constant roller-coaster ride every season. Now that we're coming upon the beginning of spring training, we fans have something new to worry about. 

The owners of the Amazin' New York Mets, Fred Wilpon and Saul Katz, are involved in a lawsuit due to their involvement with the infamous Bernard Madoff Ponzi scheme. It is reported that the pair made $300 million off of the scheme and might have to pay up to $1 billion dollars to those who got swindled.

To raise some money Fred Wilpon has decided to sell 25% of the franchise. Which is a lot easier said than done. You can't just put an ad in craigslist and give a part of the Mets to the first interested buyer. Who ever buys into the organization must be approved by the MLB and must appeal to fans. Also Fred Wilpon has stated that he does not want to give up any control of the team. With all these factors involved, many believe that the chance of Wilpon and Katz accomplishing their goal is going to be difficult if not impossible. 

So what does this mean for the New York Mets? Well, if some big name celebrity doesn't come around with some cash, Wilpon and Katz are going to have to come up with another strategy. This also puts them at risk at losing the whole franchise. All of this is similar to what happened with the Texas Rangers in 2009. Tom Hicks, the previous owner, also tried to find investors when he was low on cash, with the same stipulations. Over the year, Hicks was forced to sell the team to Pittsburgh lawyer Chuck Greenberg and Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan. Fred Wilpon and Saul Katz may be in the same boat. As fans we may not be as lucky as getting someone who cares about the Mets as much as Nolan Ryan does about the Rangers.

So now I'm worried how the Mets will do in 2011 and who is going to run the team in 2012. Oh the life of a New York Mets fan.

Road Kill

The Mets take their winning combination of timely hitting and great pitching to the road. R.A. Dickey has proven that he can pitch with the pelfreys, and the Nieses. His knuckler dips, spins, and confuses both batter and catcher. But however he does it; he knows how to pitch; and he knows how to win.

This is a highly impressive win. As I have advanced in a previous column; it will be the road that determines if this team is for real. And it is particularly encouraging that it comes against a mediocre team. As we well know; The Mets famously lose to all the weak and anemic teams. And in fact they do it by beating themselves.

But again, this team is starting to put all the pieces together. If they can continue their winning ways on this road trip, we might just have an interesting year. This might be the start of a thrilling....

METventure!!!

So That Explains It!

Oliver Perez has been placed on the 15 day disabled list. Perez and his agent Scott Boros have been fighting The Mets over their desire to reasign (demote) him to Buffalo. They needed space on the roster for the returning Jon Niese. As we know it is part of Ollie's folly that he believes his 6 plus ERA is an asset to the team.
It is more than likely a face saving deal between Boros and The Mets. It says little for the integrity of Perez or his agent.  The Mets , for their part were not left with many options. My take, if upon investigation, the MLB voids this arrangementThe Mets should just cut Perez. Sure they would have to eat his salary, but they will be rid of this distraction. The Mets, for all their problems have a legitimate shot this year. Don't let this side show deflect from the main event.