Yesterday on SNY I watched the coronation of David Wright as The Franchise II (Wright would have to win a couple of MVP’s and some World Series Championships before I’d even consider him as The Franchise) Everyone was yucking it up on the SNY set about Wright having a “Burger and a Beer” with Jeffey Skill Sets in Miami after the last game of the most recent second half collapse to end a season. Between Jonas Schwartz and Ed Coleman you would think that was the equivalent of Camp David Accords of 1978. Sure it’s nice that Jeffy wants to be BFF’s with Wright and as we know from our long time Jeffey viewing, he acts like a teenybopper at a Justin Bieber concert when he’s around ball players. So it makes me wonder, why Jeffey not only hasn’t invited R.A. Dickey out for a little nosh but seems be a hard ass with the knuckleballing CY Young Winner.
Take a gander at this quote from The Little Emperor about Dickey’s status with the Mets:
At Wednesday’s news conference at the Opryland Hotel to announce David Wright’s eight-year contract extension, chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon reiterated earlier comments that the Mets were willing to allow Dickey to simply play out next season on the pre-existing $5 million club option, and become a free agent.
“We’re in the process now,” Wilpon said. “It’s a negotiation. They want more than we’re willing to give right now. We want to do it for less than they want to accept right now. Somewhere in between there’s probably a deal to be done. If not, he’ll be a great bargain at $5 million playing out next season for us.”
Pretty condescending comment if you ask me. If the reports we are getting are correct, Dickey is not asking to break the bank, in fact his offer of 2yrs/$30mil is a somewhat low if you ask me. As much as Wright is the bright shinny face of The Franchise, Dickey is the team’s heart, soul and inspiration and the holder of a post season award, something Wright does not possess. So why the hard line and disrespect for Dickey? I think if you caught Sandy Alderson in a candid moment he tell you he’d love to send Jeffey to Langley and let Saul Berenson handle him CIA style as Jeffey doesn’t make his job any easier.
Alderson does not want to go into the season with Dickey as a lame duck, he either wants to deal him for a rewarding return or sign him to an extension. It serves the Mets no purpose to start the season with Dickey not under contract for more than the season, his trade value will never be higher than it is now. Logic says Alderson is waiting for Zack Greinke to sign somewhere, in hopes that the runner-ups panic and over pay for Dickey. If the return is not to his liking then I’m sure Alderson and Dickey’s people sit down and settle on a contract extension. This plan is not very difficult to decipher except of course for Jeffey.
Let’s face if Jeffey and Dickey sat down to talk it would be kind of awkward. Dickey reads books, Jeffey colors in books. Dickey is charismatic; Jeffey takes the air out of a room. Jeffey like to hang around with jocks he loves being one of the guys where Dickey would rather visit a museum than a country club. Jeffey doesn’t grasp what he has in R.A. Dickey, He doesn’t comprehend that Mets fans have not just embraced a baseball player but a man that they look up to and admire. I’ve always agreed with Charles Barkley when he said “I am not a role model” athletes shouldn’t be looked at that way as most have been given privileges and perks that other’s more worthy never get but R.A. Dickey is THE exception to that. Dickey has fought and worked to reach this point in his baseball and personal life to where he not only can provide big for his family but to reach out to others with charity. That’s the part that seems to be lost on Jeffey Skill Sets.
If Sandy Alderson deals Dickey and gets back some pieces that will be of value to the Mets and help curtail this endless spiral of losing and giving up then that’s fine but if Dickey plays out this season and walks because Jeffey Wilpon thinks a 2yr/$30 mil extension is too much for one of the most honorable men to ever don a Mets uniform, then it may be time for me to reflect if all this support I give to this team is worth it.
BE CAREFUL D-WRIGHT OR YOU’LL SLEEP WITH THE FISH
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With a win under their belt in thrilling fashion no less, the talk this morning is not about Big Pelf’ outstanding performance pounding the strike zone down low like a blacksmith, but about a former Met who is still on the Skill Set dole as a roving instructor, SNY commentator and the now the spokesman for management John Franco.
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Those statements that Franco made on Sirius/XM MLB Home Plate channel with Jeff Joyce and Kevin Kennedy was part Franco’ observation and mostly it was John doing his duty for the Skill Sets. The only thing missing was at the end of the interview hearing Jeffey Skill Set saying “I’m Jeff Wilpon and I approve this messageâ€
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See Jeffey wants no part of taking on his team, instead of himself waiting for the team to come home and going into the clubhouse and letting them know that he does not hold Omar Minaya, Jerry Manuel or any of the front office people responsible for this slide and is putting the bulls eye right on the players back. And I (I hope you all are sitting down) applaud him for that. I just wish he would have the balls to do it himself and not send Clemenza Franco to do his dirty work. Franco in fact went out of his way to praise Jerry Manuel and his coaches for giving the players the proper instruction during spring training and working extremely hard in the ‘fundies†and making it out that it’s the players who are at fault. It’s about time that the players got a good swift kick in the ass. The message from management is loud and clear to the team “Don’t worry about what management is doing, just shut the fuck up and playâ€
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Nothing that Franco said was out of line in fact in fact isn’t in a convenient  winky-dink that as Franco was telling Joyce and Kennedy that he feels the Mets play more like individuals than as a team and that some players are more “me†than “we†guys that J-Man had all his ladies take the bus† Franco called out the team as looking at padding their stats than worrying about moving runners over and stealing a base when it’s to the teams advantage and not the individuals gain, and how many times have we wanted D-Wright to take the reins of the clubhouse ?
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I know this for a fact Franco will have no problem walking into that clubhouse when the team arrives back in Queens on Tuesday. Ask any Met who played with Franco and they will tell you he was the most feared guy in that clubhouse, and I guarantee that if D-Wright wants a sit down with Franco, Johnny will be more than happy to accommodate him. Â
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What this message does as well is let the players, media and fans know that Jerry Manuel and Omar Minaya are not getting fired today, tomorrow or next year but if I were a Mets player I’d be careful buying green bananas.