For a Met fan, the 2013 season is coming mercifully to an end. With a 68-83 record and about 10 games left, a season that started out with the promise to at least compete, has been instead, a trip to baseball hell.
Injuries have a way to affect the outcome of a team's destiny, but that isn't the main reason for the team's dismal failure. Sure, Santana was shut down before he got started and probably won't be back. Their phenom Harvey was shut down last and may have "Tommy John" surgery which will put him on the shelf for 2014. And, The Captain, David Wright, hasn't seen an at-bat since July.
No, as bad as these injuries and some others may have been which affected the team's misfortunes, the reason for the losses are not entirely, or even mostly, the players' faults. The blame can be squarely placed at the desk of Sandy Alderson and on the bank statement of the Wilpon family.
Yes, you can say that Terry Collins is not the Manager for what the Mets need and maybe he is out of touch with the mentality of the modern player. But, he has tried to work with the players he has been given. Most of these guys, sad to say, are not major league players, not by a long shot. Some of them are not even ready for Triple-A, but a product, even a bad one, needs to be fielded every night.
Sandy Alderson has made several boneheaded moves during his tenure: Pagan, Byrd, Buck - gone. There were others and today's general manager is as much involved as the manager on the field. And shares in the glory, as well as, the defeats. I admit that both Alderson and Collins are not as bad as Minaya and Manuel. So, the blame for the failures of the last three years lies elsewhere.
Fred Wilpon, Saul Katz and Jeff Wilpon have owned the team outright since 2002, when they bought the other 50% from Nelson Doubleday, so these three men control the pursestrings. They have been, at best, tepid in spending money to improve the team year over year.
There have been times when the checkbook was available for no limit when free agents like Martinez, Beltran and Santana were given multi-million, multi-year contracts. And even home-grown talent, like David Wright, has been appropriately recognized for his contributions to the team.
But then, the Wilpons have also had trouble finding even a few dollars to keep talent with the team, or for keeping the general manager on a short leash. And the fact they needed to sell "non-participatory" shares to raise money shows they are cash poor.
As a Met fan since before April 11, 1962, I have sailed the choppy waters with this team, first in the Polo Grounds and then, in Queens. We have had few bright spots: 1969, 1973, 1986, 1988, 1999, 2000 and 2006. We had great players: Seaver, Koosman, Kranepool, Tug, Keith, Gary, Franco, Piazza and Wright. And we have had great Managers: Hodges, Stengel and Johnson.
In 52 years, only Seaver, Hodges and Stengel have had their numbers retired. Why? Fred Wilpon has owned the Mets since 1980, 60% of the team's entire existence. Doesn't he value tradition and service? I'm not saying to be the Yankees, where everybody's number it seems is retired. Other than Wright, there are seven other numbers which should be recognized for the players they represent.
Or, are they afraid to spend the money for even that little bit of fan-friendly activity. They are terrible owners, and every Met fan knows this will be our destiny for as long as they own it. We don't show up at the Stadium or buy the jerseys because the Wilpons are so great.
No, we do it because we love the team and what they represent. It's too bad the owners don't get that. Let's Go Mets!
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