Taking a little break from Mets related talk on THIS CALL TO THE BULLPEN, my guest today on the podcast was Rob Abruzzese of Bronx Baseball Daily. Rob and I discussed Brian Cashman’s winter of discontent, the Yankee starting rotation and the landscape of the AL East among other topics.
Check out the podcast right here at Kranepool Society or at the show page on Blog Talk Radio and on iTunes
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This post was written by kranepool on February 9, 2011
The NY Times has a couple of interesting items pertaining to the Wilponzi’s and Citi Field. The cost of a trial between Madoff victim trustee Irving Piccard and the Skill Sets could put the Freddy and Uncle Saul into financial ruin but so could an out of court settlement. Either way the Skill Sets are fucked it’s just a matter of which way will be less painful.
The Citi Field story is hilarious as the author thinks this would be a good time to drop the Citi name and the millions that come with it, and rename it Shea Stadium. A real nice thought but with the Skill sets hurtin’ for dough it will never ever happen. In fact don’t be surprised the Champions Club is not renamed the Medellin Club.
Back in December when I attended the Mets Holiday Party, I got to speak to David Wright. As I wrote back then, it seemed that Wright was happy for the change in leadership in the front office and the manager’s office. He didn’t come out and say it but from the conversation you could tell there was no accountability in the clubhouse amongst the players and the manager, knowing he was out of a job mailed it in that last two months of the season. Wright even said that so far in his Mets career “I only have one NL East Championship and that is not enough” No one can question Wright’s work ethic on and off the field for the Mets and it seems like he is ready to be an ally to Terry Collins and sell his style and message. From reading stories today, Wright also seems to be ready to throw his veteran weight around in the clubhouse. Why not, the understated way of doing things hasn’t worked so with managerial backing, Wright may be ready to step up as the team’s vocal leader. That doesn’t mean being a “rah-rah “ guy it means getting guys to work harder and also take responsibility in the wins and losses and getting his teammates to sharpen their focus.
Ed Marcus (a/k/a Rusty Jr) continues his series of the Top 50 Mets of All Time with Number 29 David Cone. The Cone for Ed Hern deal is one of the all-time steals in baseball history. Cone was a lighting rod on and off the field for the Mets as Ed points out in his piece.
The Mets have hired 48 year old Brad Andress as their new strength and conditioning coach. In reading Andress’ bio, it’s interesting to see that he assisted Clint Hurdle when he was with the Rockies in travel scheduling and administrative duties. I’d bet that Andress will do the same with the Mets since that was part of Charlie “Make Me An Offer” Samuels tasks when he wasn’t pilfering the Mets clubhouse.
I could definitely live with Tampa Bay Rays owner Stuart Sternberg of the Canarsie Sternberg’s buying the Mets. This is so good it will never happen. My biggest fear is that M. Donald Grant has some grandchildren running around from a love child he had with Joan Payson with a robust trust fund and ends up buying the Mets. (Tip of the Mets cap to Metsblog for the link to Cork Gaines story)
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This post was written by kranepool on February 8, 2011
While the Skill sets obsess over their falling financial empire, I’m obsessing over Jose Reyes. Maybe I’m wrong but I wish he were one of the players already working out in St. Lonesome. Sure D-Wright is there and a number of other players and Reyes doesn’t have to report until next week (technically he doesn’t have to report until March 1 as per the CBA) but the thought of him and Wright working out together and doing some strength and conditioning work would lift my winter/my team is run by a bunch of brokesters blues.
This is the biggest year of Jose’s career and I would think he’d be breaking down the gates to get to camp and get ready to prove to Sandy Alderson that he’s of sound mind and baseball body for the 2011 season.
Or maybe it’s just that I would love to see a positive story that includes the words New York Mets
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This post was written by kranepool on February 7, 2011
After a week of analysis by paralysis of the Super Bowl, the game came down to the same thing all football games come down to, mistakes. The Steelers turned the ball over three time and the Packers converted them into 21 points. If you protect the football and keep penalties to a minimum you’ll win football games. Some other notes on the Super Bowl:
If you’re going to sing the Star Spangled Banner, it’s wise to look over the words, right Christina Aguilera. I wish I saved the screen shot on Twitter that said “I’d rather hear Rick Aguilera sing the than Cristina Aguilera. I never understood why the SSB had to a performance piece; it’s a very hard song to sing and always sounds better when a military band plays it as an instrumental.
I’m not one to care about the commercials but the kid dressed like Darth Vader with the Volkswagen was pretty good and the Snickers ad with Richard Lewis was a good one because I like Richard Lewis and Rosanne Barr gets hit with a log. I do appreciate all the ads for the upcoming summer movies, I wrote down all the titles and I’ll be submitting them to the Korean lady who supplies me with my bootleg DVD’s.
The halftime show is always lame at least this year I didn’t have to cringe like I did when The Who and U2 appeared (and like I do now when I see Steven Tyler on American Idol and the way Ozzy Osborne is displayed on TV) as I remember when they were hip and happenin’ and the Super Bowl halftime is the next step to appearing at Six Flags, but that show last night was awful. I hope Slash was able to pay his rent after that sell out performance, I have to think that’s the only reason he allowed Fergie to fuck up Sweet Child O Mine. I was hoping to see Axl Rose come out WWE style with a metal folding chair and crack Fergie and Slash over the head.
8 days until pitchers and catcher and it can’t come soon enough.
There is a lot of static about the status of Jose Reyes and if his days as a Met are numbered either due to Sandy Alderson not feeling he’s worth a long term deal or the money woes of the organization. My feeling is the former is about right. When Jose is on, he is as dynamic as any player in baseball, but the reality is he is starting to breakdown and what his contract demands will be are not known. Reyes holds his future in his hamstrings and let’s hope he makes Sandy Alderson’ decisions a very difficult one.
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This post was written by kranepool on February 7, 2011
It’s amazing that Uncle Saul Katz didn ‘t end up like Maurie Kessler (a/k/a Maurie’s Wigs) in Goodfella’s. The crew, especially Jimmy The Gent couldn’t take Maurie’s constant talking and ball breaking so they had him snuffed.
It seems Bernie Madoff felt the same way about Uncle Saul who it seems just couldn’t shut the fuck up about the windfall profits he and his bother in law Freddy Skill Sets were making investing with Madoff. Bernie got a little nervous with Uncle Saul as he worried that some real honest to goodness financial advisers would hear big mouth Saul chirping at the Mahjong table.
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This post was written by kranepool on February 6, 2011
From arguably the greatest show in the history of television, McNulty and Bunk checking out a crime scene where a murder was committed, may as well been surveying the owners of the Mets
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This post was written by kranepool on February 5, 2011
So the seal has been lifted from the lawsuit brought by the Madoff victim’s trustee against the Skill Sets and everything they own and I’ll tell you the truth, there is so much rhetoric coming from both sides that if a settlement isn’t reached this could drag on for years. My main concern is how does this affect the NY Mets and the operation of the baseball organization from the minor leagues to the big league to the ability of Sandy Alderson to sign players he believes are worthy of a contract. I feel bad for the innocent folks who were duped by this filthy scumbag Madoff but the biggest investment I make is a $5 Mega-Millions Quick Pick so all this financial shit is lost on me.
But I started thinking about the Skill Sets role in this I saw a pattern of fiscal stupidity with Madoff and the money the team has spent on the Mets. For years Freddy Skill Set was called Freddy Coupons for being a tight wad but in reality he was a big spender. The Mets payroll has always been top 3 in all of baseball. The Skill Sets big problem is they never knew how to spend wisely just as they didn’t invest their money (and other people’s money) correctly. Think about it, the Mets would over spend on free agents like Pedro Martinez and Carlos Beltran but they’d never go overboard to on a draft pick. They paid top dollar for performances that players achieved with other teams but not on players who could bring the best of their talents to the Mets.Then went cheap.
The Skill Sets are loyal to a fault and that loyalty has cost them personally and professionally. Bernie Madoff made Freddy and Uncle Saul swoon when he quoted profits of their investment to them, you can picture Freddy and Saul with their puppy dog eyes looking at Madoff and telling him “ooooh Bernie you’re so dreamy”, meanwhile he was fucking them out of all their cash. To make matters worse the Skill Sets turned all their friends, investors and employees on to the Magic of Madoff which in a way makes me feel some sympathy, as they are now looked upon and as bunch of bumbling idiots by some for not knowing what went on or a bunch of lying thieves to others. Either way it’s not good to be a Wilpon or a Katz today. Now if the court case proves the Sill Sets were a bunch of conniving louts, then I’ll be out with the flame thrower to fry their lying ass, but for now I’ll rail about their incompetence.
The Skill Sets have handled the Mets just like their investments, thinking they were doing the right thing and have it come back and bite them in the ass. With the exception of Frank Cashen and Sandy Alderson (his resume speaks for itself) the hiring of men to run the baseball operations had been awful. Not just that, but they always had a tough time of firing guys when it was the appropriate time. Steve Philips was banging secretaries like he was a porn star and when one of them took exception to his advances she cried sexual harassment. What did the Skill Sets do? They fired him for about a day and then brought him back. Omar Minaya the last two seasons was not only incompetent but paranoid as we saw in his presser for the Tony Bernazard termination when he attacked Adam Rubin. Minaya should have been fired on the spot but of course he wasn’t. When Sandy Alderson was hired he tried his best to be diplomatic when asked about Minaya and if he had a position in the org, obviously Alderson wants no part of Omar hanging around and you’d think Minaya would have brains enough to take his $1mil and move on but Freddy Skill Sets loves Omar and wants him around in any some capacity maybe as a playmate for Jeffey. Even when they do fire people they can’t even do that right as we saw with the Willie Randolph fiasco. Then when you add in all the bad contracts, the awful job of designing and running Citi Field and the inability to keep Jeffey out of the baseball business is it any wonder Bernie Madoff took them for a bunch of saps?
Things are starting to look a bit clearer and as Mets fans we may end up the winners in this whole mess. Bud Selig being up close and personal with the Skill Sets saw the S.S. Skill Sets was ready to hit an iceberg. With the Hollywood Bums also at rock bottom (who knew the McCourt divorce would look like a case on The People’s Court compared the Skill Sets v. Madoff Trustees?) The Used Car Salesman could not let both his flagship NL teams sink. The Mets were a team that spent more money and received less return than any team in baseball. What Selig saw was an organization that was in dire need for structure, for a leader, a man that could not be challenged and who embraced challenge, Sandy Alderson was the only man who could fix this mess.
The whole interview process for a new GM was a facade; it wasn’t up to the Skill Sets to hire Alderson it was up to Alderson if he wanted the assignment. I’m sure the first thing Alderson told Freddy and Uncle Saul was “The kid’s got to go” meaning Jeffey, and I’m sure without that, Alderson doesn’t take the job. That my fellow Mets fans could be the best thing to happen to the Mets since General Eckert void Tom Seaver’s contract with the Atlanta Braves and in a special draft pull the Mets name out of a hat.
If I could give the Skill Sets a little advice, it’s time to lay low fella’s. You’ve put word out on the street that the team is up for partial sale so sit back in your palatial estate (while you still have them) and work out a plan of your finances. The one good thing you have going on in your life right now is Sandy Alderson is running your baseball team. Leave him and his lieutenants handle the baseball operations while you huddle with your lawyers. Stay away from going to St. Lonesome. Stay away from opening day. In fact just stay the fuck away from the Mets altogether!!!!!
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This post was written by kranepool on February 4, 2011
This morning at 11AM ET I will join Mark Healy and Joe McDoanld on GOTHAM BASEBALL LIVE on BLOG TALK RADIO. We will discuss the financial mess the Skill Sets are in and the overall state of the NY Mets.
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This post was written by kranepool on February 3, 2011
All you fellows who have someone
And you really care, yeah, yeah
Then it’s all of you fellows
Who better beware, yeah yeah
Somebody’s out to get your lady
A few of your buddies they sure look shady
Blades are long, clenched tight in their fist
Aimin’ straight at your back
And I don’t think they’ll miss
I don’t know what is more of a mess the Skill Sets finances, the shity weather or my garage but I know one thing I’m sick of all three.
Last night on the Baseball Bloggers Alliance Baseball Talk, Ed (Rustyjr) Marcus of the Real Dirty Mets joined me for the half hour podcast, where we discussed the Skill Sets and Sandy Alderson’s stewardship it is well worth a listen.
Tomorrow at 11:05AM ET I will be a guest on Gotham Baseball LIVE with Mark Healy and Joe McDonald.
So it seems Sandy Alderson shopped Carlos Beltran and David Wright this off season and to that I say good for him. Nothing against Beltran or Wright but this is what a GM does. Instead of Mets fans getting all up in arms about these trade innuendoes, you should be happy that there is someone in charge of the organization that is not personally attached to the players. No matter how good or bad Beltran performs this season this is his last go round as a Met. As for Wright, I’d love to see David play his whole career in Flushing but if there is a deal out there that brings back talent that could fill one or two positions of need (starting pitcher and second base) you’d be foolish to go against it.
Mike Piazza was at the Thurman Munson Dinner last night and of course the subject of the Skill Sets finances came up. Piazza made it known he won’t be making a bid but it sure seems he feels the organization needs new leadership:
I’m being very optimistic about it,” Piazza said. “I think sometimes there’s a silver lining to these situations. Maybe whoever gets involved with the team will want to go in the direction they need to go.
“Again, you do as an ex-player, now as a fan, you hate to see turmoil in the organization. But, on the same note, maybe there will be a positive that comes out of this and they’ll take on someone who truly loves the organization and wants it to get back to the top because, lord knows, they have some work to do.”
With all the Skill Sets stories out it took none other than Jonah Keri to put it in the right perspective, looking at the whole body of the Skill Sets work they’ve done a bad job of running this organization.
Too bad Jeff Pearlman wasn’t around 100 years ago
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This post was written by kranepool on February 2, 2011
Tonight on the Baseball Alliance Baseball Talk Show on Blog Talk Radio my guest will be Ed Marcus a/k/a Rusty Jr. of The Real Dirty Mets site. Join me and Ed at 10PM ET on Blog Talk Radio.
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This post was written by kranepool on February 1, 2011
