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January 3, 2021 · 2:14 pm

Steve Cohen in the age of access

I’m going to call Jared Porter now and see what’s up
— Steven Cohen (@StevenACohen2) December 27, 2020

I’ve thought about this tweet alot. With one tweet, Steven Cohen was able to do what previous ownership* who shall remain nameless from here on out was unable to do: keep Mets fans in the loop in the vacuum of inactivity.

*= Its not that I refuse to talk about them because of their laundry list of personal defects that caused them to be among the most hated humans on Mets twitter, its that for me why waste our breath constantly comparing any regime to them? I’m trying to move my energy elsewhere. Also I may have broken my vow later in this article.

For many of us who were around for the Pre-Cohen days it seems unfathomable that the owner would be taking to a public forum this actively without the slimy tactics of “leaked sources” to state-run television to spread the gospel of patience.

But Steven A Cohen is not your ordinary owner. Have you ever listened to billionaires or seen them in a public setting? Nothing makes them squirm more than being asked a why question. Why means there’s a gripe coming and they don’t handle failure well. Presumably, we’ve been told, that’s what makes them ultra successful.

Cohen came with that type of rap sheet. After all some have taken to the myth building of Cohen by suggesting that some of the inspiration behind the character played by Damian Lewis on Billions is inspired by Cohen. While that’s nice and all*, its been his ability to lower himself to interact with #Metstwitter that has been a breath of fresh air.

*= Boss is what it actually is.

He not only is natural, but he’s gone out of his way to ::gasp:: solicit their opinions on the truly important issues of the day such as:

Let’s take a vote. Carvel or black jerseys
— Steven Cohen (@StevenACohen2) December 19, 2020

or even this:

I would love to hear your ideas to make YOUR Mets experience better.
— Steven Cohen (@StevenACohen2) November 1, 2020

Its truly uncharted territory for an owner to be this forward and direct with the fan base. Especially one as irrational as the Mets fanbase is. Its been 2 months since the deal was closed and there are Mets fans who are being impatient about the overall glacial pace that the free agent market is moving in.

What didn’t help were the Padres reaching deep into their war chest of prospects to pull off two stunning trades to vault them into the conversation of a top 5 team in baseball.

But fear not, even in the midst of all the angst and self doubt/loathing found on Mets twitter, Cohen managed to speak to his base with the kind of fair minded reasoning that only made those who were craving news even more furious. It was fun to see and also refreshing. Because what is an irrational fanbase if they are being bludgeoned by patience and well reasoned arguments?

Steven Cohen came in waxing poetic about attending games as a kid at the Polo Grounds, falling in love with the ’69 Mets as most of his generation did, polishing his authenticity as one of the legion of Mets fans who “care” or “get it” and went on social media to double down.

But Cohen’s introductory press conference should tell us everything we can expect: he looks at owning the team as a public trust. He loves commiserating with fans, even the bitter ones. He won’t spend money just to spend money because he wants to build something sustainable.

The best quote came from Sandy Alderson, the Team President- “acquisition over cost”. It doesn’t read as flashy as “come get us” but it does the trick.

He will make the move that fans will point to, even those who are openly crying on Mets forums, as the sign that he’s the real deal but it may not happen just yet. Maybe not even this season.

But atleast he will be direct and you get the sense that he isn’t afraid to put his thoughts out there about why he could or could not make the move like when he congratulated the Padres on the Snell and Darvish trades:

Hey , Give the Padres credit. They had a top 5 farm system that gave them flexibility to trade for Snell. Newsflash, the Mets farm system needs to be replenished .
— Steven Cohen (@StevenACohen2) December 29, 2020

I see no lies told.

The honesty is refreshing but the access Mets fans have is a reflection of who Cohen intends to be: an open book. Not Steinbrenner-ish (I hope) with violent outbursts in the media. But invested enough with the fan base that he will at the very least respond even to the outlandish ones.

This kind of access is almost unprecedented save for Mavs owner Mark Cuban. You don’t see team owners actively engaging with their audience in a way that most youtubers understand is essential to winning people over. Its such a small thing to do but so gigantic in how a fan can feel like they are being heard. Imagine Jeff Bezos leaving comments about your subscription orders on Amazon? How much fun would that be?*

*= Actually not because Jeff Bezos is a Bond villain and you can’t convince me otherwise.

For Mets fans its a breath of fresh air. Think about how many times ownership has stood so far back protected by the darkness so they wouldn’t be exposed? How many times Mets fans demanded answers about their unwillingness to spend and being given the all good hand signal with not a single person believing any of it?

This isn’t to say that Cohen won’t have terrible days. That his willingness to engage with Mets fans over social media has created an unrealistic expectation that he is at their beck and call day and night when they have a question. But this is to suggest that if something newsworthy happens- he won’t hide. He will be the face in front of the camera and the microphone and its refreshing.

Here’s to better days and better times to come!

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Tagged as BILLIONS, Coupons, Mark Cuban, Mets, METSTWITTER, STEVE COHEN, Wilpons

December 14, 2011 · 12:48 pm

Daily Rounds 12/14/2011

Today’s daily rounds start with Jamal Crawford, Nene signing, and the possibility that a CP3 deal is back in play. Also, is Dwight seriously considering resigning with the Magic? We’ll also talk some Mets baseball and my suggestions about what to do moving forward.

Another day another embarrassment for that other team in New York. A day after it was revealed that the Mets borrowed $40 million in a “bridge loan” from Bank of America, word now comes that Johan Santana may not be ready for Opening Day. For Met fans, Christmas may not come at all writes Kevin Kiernan of the New York Post. John Harper of the New York Daily News says that the pressure may come from the Wilpons best “Bud(s)” at MLB.

One can only begin to hope that the information being presented before us gives us Met fans a real hope at starting anew. The Mets have been a laughable mess as the Coupon family have constantly tried to reassure a fan base that have looked at him with looks of curiosity. I’ve almost waited with baited breath about what they will say next expecting them to have us believe that pigs will fly and eventually every player on their team will turn into some version of the ’27 Yankees.

In fact that bit of drug induced optimism has affected the guarded optimism of Sandy Alderson who also has had to endure the criminal treatment of its own front office. When asked about sales of shares Sandy acted as surprised as you or me and maintained that it had not affected the bottom line of their moves. Then explain to us Met fans why you wouldn’t even budge to make Jose Reyes, the best player on the team, an offer to suffice Met fans. No doubt the price was way too high but I always felt it was a convenient bullet dodging. Had the Marlins signed Reyes for 5 years at $90 million, surely the Mets would’ve been roasted and nary an eyelash would’ve been shed in the process and the Mets would be singing the same song and dance about Christmas baskets not being worth that much.

Alas, Met fans now have to wait longer for our $25 million ace who will take his time coming off shoulder surgery and let’s remember that surgeries like the one Johan Santana got, don’t ever see good results as most of the pitchers have faded into Bolivia as Mike Tyson used to say. Though Venezuela would be Johan’s likely retirement spot. Rumblings of trades have also begun to start to surface.

Let’s say that the Mets decide that its time to pack up shop and trust me, there are signs that if the new lowered and moved in fences don’t help adjust batting averages and influence double digit home run responses from the middle of the order thumpers, the Mets will surely go into fire sale and there will only be kids and Jason Bay by the time September rolls around. And I’m fine with that.

Frankly, the Mets have run its course with this group and while I had wished they took any offer the Rays gave them in July when they were interested in Jose Reyes, I hope they view that it is time to take advantage of a shoddy free agent pitching market and use assets like Jon Niese to try and get some kind of value back. The fact is, the Mets need to strengthen their cheap options if they are indeed looking at reducing payroll for most likely the next two years. The new game plan is to get as many cheap, young arms and everyday players that can make a difference and be taught the game in the right way.

I think having a Wally Backman and a Terry Collins in tow mean that the message will be shouted from the mountain tops and rain upon every level in the organization and a complete changing of the guard needs to take place and its beginning to take shape and take form. Lucas Duda, Captain Kirk (Niuewenheis), Zach Wheeler, Wilmer Flores, Matt Harvey, Jeurys Familia, all come without the stain of Met failures. This is the new class of Met hopeful superstardom that will have to carry the once proud flag of this franchise.

Hopefully it will be done in the crowd of new owners who will NOT feed us some hair brained ideas that they are financially solvent when its clear from several well placed sources and from very plain and clear moves like cutting payroll by $40 million and publicly claiming $70 million losses that they are not. The fact is, MLB’s lack of involvement speaks to Bud’s ever deepening vows of friendship with the Coupons to never allow them to go under until there is a messy end like every dumb idea Bud Selig has ever had. Remember the time he decided to look the other way as the steroid issue got way out of hand and then had to get his biggest stars in front of Congress and had several of them lie?

Ok maybe he didn’t make them lie but to put his sport in that spot should’ve gotten him in such gravy that his turkey should’ve been goosed….or however that saying goes. He shouldn’t have lasted under the clause of not upholding the sanctity of the game which is explicitly stated in every single Commissioner’s starting kit handed out everytime a new one takes office. Trust me, David Stern is right now rummaging through that to protect him from the eventual lawsuit headed his way if this Chris Paul thing doesn’t get resolved.

MLB’s involvement or not, if those investors the Mets claim will infuse the team with cash does not come together the Mets will be hardpressed to find MLB OR banks willing to give them any more money to save their sorry asses. They allowed David Einhorn to walk from a prospective deal once they realized they weren’t going to get hit with a $1 billion lawsuit and thought they had escaped, however this economy has been unforgiving to the Wilpons and soon their credibility with lenders and their biggest supporters is expected to dry up like raisins.

If this is indeed the fate of its owners you can expect that fewer dollars will be given to shore up weaknesses this club has so its likely that by July, David Wright will HAVE to be shipped for a cavalcade of prospects. They would love to trade Mike Pelfrey and the hope here is that he jumps out of the gate with a very fast start and shows life on his fastball and commands his sinker and uses it to get ground balls. With his size, and his relatively young age he can command a pretty nice grouping of young cost-controlled players. Its clear that the addition of Jon Rauch and Ramon Ramirez was meant to inflate their value to ship them out come July in order to get more prospects. Jon Niese also will unfortunately have to be sacrificed to the waiting arms of some team including the Jays who have offered top catching prospect Travis D’Arnaud according to reports. If true, the Mets should jump at the chance at getting a top flight catcher who can call games and also provide offense especially considering the pipeline of top young pitching coming its way. It may be the only way to field a respectable team. Given Sandy’s clearly team (drug) induced statement of positivity this year don’t buy it. Its something meant to lull the fan base into buy more ticket sales. Several reports leaked yesterday that cold calling for prospective season ticket buyers had become “desperate” and the Mets face probably their lowest opening day revenue in quite some time. Its a financial crunch they face and it all began with the Coupons. They are like that guy at the roulette table that doesn’t know when to quit. Quit Coupon family. Let someone else place their money down on the Mets and take their chances. You’ve clearly shown you’re incapable of playing well.

Nene Hilario signed a contract extension with the Denver Nuggets. Which either means he got tired of waiting or the dominoes are about to start falling in the world of trades. The Nets were the Nuggets biggest competition for the Brazilian big man so either they have a Dwight Howard trade ready and in place OR they will be forced to sign another big man. Kevin Arnovitz of TrueHoop talks leverage in terms of the Clippers, and CP3. Speaking of which, the Lakers are now back in on CP3 talks. Remember that talk of Mitch Kupchak about multiple big deals? Yeah this is what he was talking about. Bill Simmons in his daily days of Christmas column for Grantland.com writes about the Clippers and this CP3 hostage crisis. CP3 may be forced to explore his legal options if his trade isn’t consummated at some point according to Mitch Lawrence of the Daily News. Gabe Feldman, the Sports law guy looks at possible David Stern defenses if indeed this trial goes to court.
Mike Vaccaro writes that Mike Woodson recalls his days on a Knicks roster made him appreciate this city and its love for basketball. Frank Isola says that the Knicks will need santa to help them out for a deep playoff run. And finally, for your daily rumor mill item of the day, Yahoo Sports is reporting that the framework of a four team deal that would send Dwight Howard to the Nets is in place and could be completed by the end of the week.

Remember that time David Stern insisted that this free agency period would be among the craziest in the history of the NBA? Well he wasn’t kidding. But he forgot to mention that the crazy part would actually be in HOW it all played out. In how invested Stern was in the Hornets, the league owned franchise. In how fervent Stern was in maintaining control over where star players went and how serious he was in invoking prima nocta on Chris Paul.

Ok, so that’s a bit much but let’s understand one thing before Chris Paul begins crying to the ghost of Johnny Cochran: the league runs the Hornets. As morally unethical as it is, the law won’t hear cases of morality. To prove collusion, that Stern purposefully blocked any meaningful trades, you would have to prove that David Stern acted as a force of nature and abused his power to ensure that his memo of star players not being able to move to other (read: big market) teams would be heeded.

Listen, I know Stern is probably not long for this job anymore. His time is waning but the guy is no idiot and he would NOT have stopped this deal without knowing the possible legal ramification. This is a former defense attorney, he is smart and he is probably the most intelligent of all commissioners by a long shot. He would not imperil himself JUST to puff out his chest and beat it on top of the Empire State building. He’s not an animal.

But he has come awfully close and his dic(k)-tatorial moves have made some want Stern to step aside much sooner than he would like. This may reinvigorate the 69 year old who hinted that at the end of this final term he would be done. Who knows? Who knows if the Board of Governors even elect him again for the post? Like the Sports Law guy said, if he wanted to restrict player movement he could’ve insisted on a hard salary cap OR a franchise tag like in football. He did neither. He only made it LESS FAVORABLE for teams to go above the salary cap and less favorable terms for stars to sign elsewhere. He gave the players a yellow light instead of insisting upon a red which may come back to haunt him if he tries for another term as commissioner.

But the fact remains that this offseason did more to damage his reputation than any other. He now faces the wrath of several teams who have been left in the wind wondering exactly HOW much control he has over ALL teams.

Meanwhile in Gotham, the Knicks have a new assistant head coach and the worst kept secret is that he’s there to improve the defensive side of the ball. In Mike Vacarro’s article he lists some of his impressive feats including helping to align Iverson’s focus which landed him in the Finals and that one iconic game where he singlehandedly beat that powerhouse Lakers team (the only defeat during their entire playoff run). Also his time learning under the tutelage of Bobby knight and Red Holzman helped some and now he’s entrusted with spreading some of that magic fairy defense dust on ALL the players not just Tyson Chandler who can’t shutup about it since he got here.

The Knicks WILL HAVE to rely on those three players staying healthy throughout the season and being the force that we all expect them to be. Here’s the thing: if they all play average seasons out the Knicks will coast into the playoffs and past the first round. IF THIS TEAM faced the Celtics last year, I have no doubt they would’ve competed much harder and even beat them. The Knicks no doubt need to shore up this team. Yesterday I asked some Knick fans who they’d rather have in a vacuum void of salary and trade, Shawn Williams or Jamal Crawford. The response was mixed and it shows how many holes the Knicks have after their front line. The Knicks don’t have a legit point guard as Frank Isola points out. Their bench is weak and need more guys coming off giving defense and scoring. That might by why Shawn Williams, with his size, would be the better fit.

My problem is even if we have a deep bench, its all for naught as D’Antoni is a man stuck in short rotation cycles. He likes certain players and will give them big minutes. The problem with that is this season is truncated and so he will have to learn to spread his minutes around a bit more. This is where coach Woodson will come in handy, he having been in this situation as a head coach before. He also was the coach of Jamal Crawford which also helps. Crawford rejected a 2 year/$10 million offer from the Pacers where he could’ve been a free agent after this upcoming season. Crawford is trying for one last pay day and he may be best served playing on a team that gives him the best chance to win. Are the Knicks that team? Probably more so than the other two teams looking to sign him: the Trailblazers and the Kings. The Blazers appear to be the Knicks only competition as he’d certainly see more minutes with them and possibly as a starting two guard. He’s won the sixth man of the year award previously with the Hawks where Woodson coached and he’s best served coming off the bench for this Knick team helping to handle ball handling and scoring duties. The second team offense would run through him while also keeping a viable second option on offense on the floor while either Melo or Amar’e rests. He’s also best friends with Brandon Roy and the problem becomes that in order to afford him the Blazers would have to waive his best friend. The knicks hope he makes a decision by today as Shawn Williams agent Happy Walters has admitted his client wants to come to the Knicks but won’t wait around too much longer.

The Nets meanwhile have said they are willing to wait to make a deal for Howard but they had better not. The longer they wait, the more impatient other teams may get and Otis Smith may just make a deal with LA. If the Nets wait and hang in the wings, the Magic can always use them as leverage on LA to put both Gasol AND Bynum AND those draft picks they seem to be accumulating to make the deal. Meanwhile Dallas traded both Rudy Fernandez AND Corey Brewer to the Nuggets for more draft picks meaning they are clearing up space for a run at free agency. In the short term it doesn’t bode well for the Mavs but they have a solid core capable of easily making it to the playoffs and pleasing the fan base. But next season they could be in store for a HUGE upgrade as its almost a near certainty that Deron Williams will look to come to the Mavs as a free agent unless that Howard deal gets consummated and the Nets convince Deron that they are building something special in New Jersey.

Either way its a huge gamble, but on the short term look at that Nuggets team. With Nene resigning that team has an exciting core of young players and playmakers. They will need to find a constant scoring threat but in George Karl’s high tempo system they could be surprise contenders and make a run during a shortened season. Remember, this season will be good for youthful teams who can survive the grunt of a shortened season. The Nuggets may be a team, with the re-signing of Aaron Affalo, that can do that.

I’m sure more will come as the day progresses. Stay tuned.

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Tagged as Chris Paul, Coupons, CP3 suing NBA, CP3 to Clips, Dwight Howard to Nets, Mets, Mets are broke, NBA, NBA Season, Nene, Wilpons

December 6, 2011 · 12:53 pm

Daily Rounds 12/6/2011

We’ve got Jose Reyes reaction, and some NBA and a brand new title for the daily blog posting, here goes:

Rights Reserved to ESPN.com

Like any morning after something major happens people begin reflecting and beginning the phase of ~~rebuildi~~ patching up what’s left. That’s what Met fans are left to do and mostly what Sandy Alderson and co. will be left with as they face a new era minus Jose Reyes. Joel Sherman of the New York Post says the time is right to deal David Wright. Meanwhile John Harper and Andy Martino of the Daily News say that money issues have put Sandy Alderson in a tough position to find results while being limited in what the front office can spend. Ken Davidoff of Newsday wants to cut a deal with Mets management: if the Mets aren’t contending by July, start selling off assets like a rockstar in bankruptcy court. Then there’s Mike Vacarro of the New York Post that asks the question that I’ve been asking Why believe anything the Wilpons are pushing Sandy Alderson to say?

There isn’t a good way to spin this Jose Reyes deal. In fact, Sandy Alderson said ALL the right things because they were the only things to say. In New York, like it or not, the word rebuilding can NOT appear anywhere close to the vicinity of your team otherwise its like a black mark that won’t go away. The Mets have been going down this road for the last few years so it was no surprise that Jose Reyes was sent out with nothing, not even an offer because well, the fact is that the Mets didn’t have the money to give him that offer. You can even say that if this was the plan all along, to just wait for the market to play itself out for Reyes and hope against hope that there wouldn’t be some hard pressed fool willing to give Jose Reyes the Carl Crawford money, it was a stupid plan. In fact, it hurt the franchise more than anything. Sandy Alderson played the market wrong just like the Wilpons have done for so long. And you know what? Not for a minute do I believe Sandy was that dumb.

Last season prior to the trade deadline rumors circulated that the Tampa Bay Rays contacted the Mets about Jose Reyes. They would’ve had to offer them some kind of gravy boat offer, much better than Victor Zambrano for Scott Kazmir anyway, that would’ve netted the Mets something in the vicinity of decent prospects to work with. But the Mets held on because there was some faint hope of a playoff run. Then they got this deal for Carlos Beltran for a top prospect that the front office drooled over and pulled the trigger. The Mets may have never gotten such an offer for Reyes, but you have to believe that the Wilpons put a kibosh on any Reyes trade talk because they hoped the Mets would make a run deep into September that would’ve given them a few extra dollars. You know. To pocket for the long term. Because every single article pertaining to the Wilpon finances are right. The Coupons are facing a cash crunch and moves like allowing your homegrown player to leave without nary a call to check in leave you wondering exactly HOW these guys are even running a New York franchise.

I would appeal to Bud Selig to put an end to this reign but Selig is the Coupon’s biggest enablers. The Coupons have been milking Selig’s favor into interest free loans that by the way they STILL haven’t paid Major League Baseball back on. They have pending litigation in the Madoff trial that will force them to pay some kind of settlement but not in the hundreds of millions that Met fans had hoped that would’ve left them in no other financial position except to sell.

The Mets are a profitable team if run the right way. In fact, if the Coupons sold the franchise today to someone say the reputation of Mark Cuban the gates would be pouring in with new customers and a revived fan base; confident that ridding the Wilpons would be the equivalent of getting a star franchise player. Yesterday I woke up resigned to the fact that Reyes was gone, today I woke up angry. Angry that the franchise I love is run by a bunch of ass clowns that hold on stubbornly to a team they should’ve let go of a few years ago. A whole family of morons who blindly invested in a guy that gave them hand written statements but only when they asked for it because they thought he was good for it. A family of idiots who built a shrine, not for the team they own, but for a team that left 50 years ago and relocated to Los Angeles. That is if the Coupons even recognize the existence of the LA Dodgers.

Somehow baseball ran off Dodgers former owners the McCourts rather quickly citing concerns that he was using moneys gained from the baseball operation to fund his own wild lifestyle. But here the Coupons are, still plowing forward selling us on an impossible dream. Ready? The Mets think that Ike Davis and Johan Santana won’t regress following their surgeries and won’t see any DL time. They believe that Jason Bay and David Wright will hit 25-30 home runs each now that the walls have been brought in closer. They believe that Mike Pelfrey will get better in basically his last chance in a Met uniform. They believe that with $15 million to spend virtually they can fix the bullpen, get two quality back end of rotation starters and then some bench support including back up catcher.

I’m not kidding. That’s the Mets plans. Those are the lofty dreams that the Mets front office is pitching to Met fans. This may be coming from a place of anger. But don’t bother sending me offers to buy packages this season. I’m done. If you win, then I’ll come and partake but don’t bother selling Met fans on something that has NEVER happened. Is there a remote possibility that this all can play out? Sure. But these are the Mets. We know how this story will play out. The Coupons are playing us for fools. I won’t be played. I can’t be. I say after the third inning, Met fans stage a walk out of every single home game. That is, whoever still decides to support the franchise. Nobody believes for a second that whatever team occupies Citi Field next season will have any real hope of doing anything closely resembling productive.

I am in agreement with Sherman and Davidoff. I say start trading guys left and right. Screw it. You’ve given up on the season already. Don’t sell your fans hope that isn’t there. Don’t insult them with talk about optimism that isn’t there. I could understand if this were a team in Wichita, Kansas or Duluth, Mississippi. But it isn’t. This is a New York team. Unfortunately no matter where this franchise would be, I wouldn’t believe the Coupons to lead it.

As NBA free agency sure to heat up, the Knicks are still in on Grant Hill according to Marc Berman of the New York Post. Also within that report, Kurt Thomas and the Knicks (namely Assistant GM Allan Houston, his former teammate) talked and the game that was supposed to bring Carmelo back to Denver was not rescheduled within the context of this new 66 game schedule set to be released by today. Nets PG Deron Williams said he would guarantee a contract extension if the Nets were to trade for Dwight Howard according to Stefan Bondy. Zack Lowe of SI writes about how players will test the new CBA in many ways. In Bill Simmons second post to his twelve days of Christmas series of articles, he looks at the list of available free agents and who is destined to be overpaid. Then there’s Adrian Woj’s Yahoo Sports column about two GM’s making a race to trade for Chris Paul AND Dwight Howard. As reported in the Newsday blog Knick Fix, Alan Hahn says the Knicks are undeterred by reports that New Orleans will do no deals with New York because of their lack of assets believing they can pull off a trade to land CP3 and complete the trifecta that CP3 toasted about at Carmelo’s wedding prior to last season. Finally, a story that may interest only me, but the amnesty clause will NOT be used on Brandon Roy, one of my favorite non-Knick players according to Jason Quick of the Oregonian.

Rights Reserved to New York Post

Rights Reserved to SI.comRights Reserved to Yahoo Sports

Here’s the thing, I don’t think a Chris Paul trade to the Knicks is going to happen. I give it a less than 5% shot of actually occurring. Why? Because it doesn’t make sense. The Knicks have NOBODY to give up outside of trading the rest of their team for Paul which would leave them with 3 players making roughly all of their cap. Remember two players, by themselves will take up 40 million and if you’re reading this right, CP3 will probably opt out as a token thing just to reup with the Knicks for the max 5 year 100 million contract that Deron Williams was alluding to when he said he was definitely opting out. So you have three guys making 60 million and oh by the way, the cap will remain set at $58 million next season with the luxury threshold being at $70 million much like this season. So where exactly are the Knicks going to fill in the rest of the roster spots? No, the Knicks and its fanbase have to be patient and I for one am willing to do that. We can not throw all our money at three players as great as that sounds.

But I’ll give you another reason why a trade to the Knicks or a super team forming in Los Angeles isn’t realistic. Its not good business. If the labor deal pushed to prevent big market teams hoarding small market teams for talent then you have to understand that a Knick trade for pennies on the dollar OR the Lakers getting BOTH Dwight Howard and CP3 will not look good in any way. What makes it worse is that the NBA owns the Hornets and you can believe that every small owner will NOT push for EITHER trade to EITHER coast which ultimately leaves the Hornets in a no-win position. I think you allow CP3 to make it to free agency and no matter what kind of influence CAA has over the process and getting Paul traded the fact is, I believe CP3 will not sour on the Hornets and he will play his hardest and play out his time with the Hornets and give an honest effort. He’s been class his entire time in the league and will not allow trade rumors to negatively deflect from his purpose which is to win a championship.

With that being said, the Knicks pursuit of Grant Hill? I love it. I’ve been a fan of his for quite some time since his days on the Pistons when I thought he was going to become Scottie Pippen 2.0. Hill’s injury history are no doubt a part of his legacy but this second life in Phoenix has been revelatory. Now if the Knicks can somehow get the Phoenix training staff along with Hill in that deal, it would be fantastic. As far as the trade rumors go, it makes for good business but the fact is until December 9th, anything and everything in a fan’s mind is fair game including Dwight Howard and Deron Williams in NJ or Dwight Howard and CP3 in LA alongside Kobe OR alongside Blake.

Last note before I go, like I said, one of my favorite players will not be amnestied. Brandon Roy will be a Blazer this upcoming season. Makes sense, given that they don’t know how his legs will react and one would argue that this shortened season could be worse on his legs given the back to back to back that the Blazers will likely have to sit him in atleast one game and then rest him up in two of those games for extended periods of time. Tis a shame since I wanted to see him on the Knicks. Ahh well, dream another dream a different time.

More news coming later in the day as I give you a daily double dose today with some NFL notes and thoughts regarding week 13 and some important fantasy news. Stay tuned sports fans.

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Tagged as Coupons, CP3, Dwight Howard, Jose Reyes, Knicks, Marlins, Mets, NBA, trade rumors, Wilpons

December 5, 2011 · 2:07 pm

Sports Round up 12/05/2011

So many stories to begin with but to start it all off, a New York superstar is now leaving his nest for beachier pastures:

Rights Reserved to Metsblog.com

The Jose Reyes era in a Met uniform is (un)officially over. According to reports that began popping up last night, the former Mets shortstop had apparently agreed to a 6 year $106 million contract. And here are the opinions flowing in first from John Harper of the Daily News who says the Mets were justified somewhat in letting Reyes go. Joel Sherman of the New York Post says now the job of Sandy Alderson will be to repair the image of the Mets. Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald says move over Hanley Ramirez, Jose Reyes is here. Finally the voice of Met fans, Matthew Cerrone of Metsblog.com gave his opinion about why this sucks.

They say its always darkest before dawn. Ok fine, so that was a line from the Dark Knight. But it holds true. Here are the facts:

1. The Mets knew him better than anyone else.
2. They were never going to guarantee that sixth year so the Marlins knew what it would take for them to absolutely score Jose Reyes.
3. The Mets were virtually transparent throughout this whole process about their lack of immediacy to move on resigning their superstar.
4. The Mets are broke and this was eventually going to happen and the Met front office played this perfectly to reflect on that.

Those are the indisputable facts of this. I disagree with Harper who believes that Jose will NEVER be better than he was last year. I think he has the potential to be the guy everyone was gushing over from 2006-2009 and then again last season. He’s a speedster capable of stealing 60 bases a season. He’s the prototypical top of the order bat. He can hit for average and has shown flashes of power.

But that injury bug had to worry Met officials and no longer is Omar Minaya and staff involved in negotiations where they would’ve certainly pushed for a Reyes resigning. But Joel Sherman is right, in baseball senses, this is absolutely the right move. Could the Mets have gone to $100 million? Not likely. So the Marlins knew that he wanted a $100 million deal and a 6 year commitment something that everyone knew the Mets were never going to guarantee. Stories are coming out that some officials within the Met organization were scared to even guarantee 5 which apparently would’ve been the Met offer. Of course we don’t know that because the Mets never gave him an offer which I find is the only indefensible thing about this whole process. The Mets were never involved. They never got up to make an offer. They practically pushed him out saying they didn’t want to set the market. They told him to come back with the best offer and then the Mets would then tell him if they were willing to compete with it. All the Marlins had to do was put a desperate deal together that fit the rumored parameters of what he wanted and they knew they had their man. This was so easy that the Marlins couldn’t have botched such a thing and they didn’t. You knew they were desperate to make a splash with their new stadium being built. The Mets and the front office never had any intention of matching any crazy offer. Even the first 6 year $90 million deal that was reported, was probably something the Mets would not have matched had Reyes come back to them with that offer but Reyes and his agent never did, knowing that if they got over $100 million from practically the only team that was offering him a contract he would take it. Now Reyes joins his homie in South Florida, Hanley Ramirez, who will not be thrilled to be shifting positions though it is the right move in baseball senses. Ramirez is way too big to be playing shortstop anyway and a corner infield position is probably best for a guy losing his lateral movement. You put Reyes who has a cannon of an arm and the ability to make huge plays.

Its clear what the Marlins are doing. They are building a Latino-emphasized team for a Latino fan base to embrace. Their move to Miami was about the money but their success will be predicated on how much they can depend on that fan base to come out. Latin countries love their baseball, so fielding a team that caters to that fan base ONLY makes sense and financially they will need to begin filling up that park to justify their spending spree. Either way, the Marlins got an excellent corner stone player and now will have to win and sustain a winner for a long time for the first time EVER in their history.

As for the Mets, I think Sherman is way too judgemental on the Mets for my taste. Rebuilding their image? The Mets have an image problem yes but THIS is not something that would rebuild it. Met fans have to be realistic about their owners current financial situation. Sadly, the owners have to be realistic too. When I first heard about Reyes signing with the Marlins I was upset and ready to just blast the Coupons but I woke up calmer and with more understanding. I realized one thing about this whole mess: Alderson has to face all the blame and all the questions surrounding this mess. But the Wilpons, as long as their buddy Bud Selig is commissioner, has an enabler that will allow them to pay back their loans on their time and so financially they will be solvent for the foreseeable future. Alderson is also the right play at GM. He is a former Marine who can face all the questions about credibility with a stone face and give the politically correct answers back to a media who will want him to admit two things: the Mets are broke and the Coupon family is no longer able to carry the burden of fielding a big market team. Unfortunately the Coupons will stay in ownership for as long as they like. That Madoff judgement doesn’t look like it will leave them broke (in terms of rich people, so if the Madoff ruling took them for a large sum of money or whatever they were rumored to be paying, they wouldn’t be rich enough to own a sports team but rich enough to still be hundred times richer than you or me….isn’t that rich?) so they will be around and will expect you to come to the stadium and fill the seats.

Unfortunately if history is any indicator and if last season and the season prior are any kind of model by which to go on, believe you me, the Mets are in trouble more financially than anything Madoff could ever do. The saving grace? The Mets field a winner. But first they will have to build a team. Want to prove that you aren’t broke and that the Reyes decision was strictly smart baseball business? Fine. Spend that money you would’ve spent on Reyes back into the team. Lets see you do that. I doubt they will. Sigh, the life and times of a Met fan.

Speaking of disappointments the Giants ALMOST came away with the upset of the year when they took the defending Super Bowl champs and current undefeated team and current MVP of the season Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers to the wire . Unfortunately there was :51 left on the clock and Aaron Rodgers needing ONLY to get into field goal range to clinch it and that he did. Gary Meyers says the Giants gave their best effort and it wasn’t enough. Mike Lupica says, nice try Giants.

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In the end, they were the defending champs and the Giants were a reeling team fighting in desperation and showing their true colors. Lets face it, since losing their secondary and much of their depth throughout the season the Giants have fought and clawed and been the antithesis of the Philadelphia Eagles. They were not supposed to beat them and were not even supposed to be in the same league with them yesterday unless the Giants summoned a fight and resolve that had gone missing the last two weeks. Shows how important Michael Boley is to a linebacker unit that was pretty much decimated with injury and lack of experience. Then losing Osi Umeniyora and JPP for period of the game had to be troubling but the Giants kept fighting. I said it prior to the game, if the Giants could get stops they would win the game because their offense could put up points. But a killer pick six early on in the game came back to haunt them and then a phantom hands to the face penalty also kept a drive going for the Packers who eventually scored. Tom Coughlin used up challenges and the Giants were absolutely terrible with time management last night. He challenged two plays that had no chance of being over turned which left him with none. No play after that looked like it needed reviewing to over turn but the Giants were fortunate. However, this idea that the Giants were right to throw it on the first two downs when they were at the Packer goal to go situation in under two minutes to go is absolutely insane. You don’t leave QB’s like Aaron Rodgers time like that to go the length of the field to kick a chip shot field goal. The Packer offense is SO explosive and we all know that and yet the Giants mindset was to make sure they scored. Well, the Giants know that should they run would they have necessarily gotten it in on first down? No. Second down? Probably but not a certainty. Then on third down you throw it up for Nicks to make a play on it. That Nicks play was in their back pocket the whole time and yet Gilbride, the Giants OC, refused to go to it. Leaving Aaron Rodgers with the time to do what he does best.

Those are the many negatives I take back from this game. The positives? Lets count them shall we? The Giants played toe to toe with the best team in football and almost won. The Giants finally showed some heart. They had a lot of calls go against them but they remained composed and kept fighting. Michael Boley and Ahmad Bradshaw reportedly stayed healthy throughout this game but we’ll know once the week progresses as to how they feel. This looks eerily similar to the last time the Giants won the Super Bowl in 2007? They will have to win out from here to ensure they win the division. Even though the Lions and Bears (who look like they will be without Matt Forte which should effectively end their season) are reeling, the Giants still have to handle business on their end beginning in Dallas which I can assure you is MOST realistic. Look, this was statistically and hypothetically the toughest schedule in the NFL in terms of games and the Giants were 6-2 heading into it. They beat the Patriots, hung in there with the 49ers and almost won that game. Played poorly against the Eagles and Saints and then looked rejuvenated against the Packers. If they take yesterday’s attitude into their remaining schedule, Antrel Rolle’s prediction that the Giants and Packers will meet again WILL come true. The Giants have to handle their business moving forward. The G-Men can do this and now is the time for the famous Jim Fassel speech. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ab2pnlWkd4

The Jets went into Washington in basically Giant territory of win-it all and came away with a commanding 34-19 victory over the Redskins who’ve lost 7 straight. Filip Bondy says Sanchize commandeered the Jets to victory. Mike Vaccaro believes this could be the start of something huge for Gang Green.

I’m not going to pretend like I saw this game from beginning to end. Unfortunately the rigors of married life throw a monkey wrench into those things. But what I did see, I saw Mark Sanchez and a game plan centered around trying to protect him. I saw a close game up until about 5 minutes left in the game when Sanchez led a drive that culminated in a TD pass to Santonio Holmes which was as beautiful a pass as you’ll see perfectly lobbed over the defender’s head who Holmes had beaten anyway. I saw the defense force a turnover immediately on hapless Rex Grossman. I saw the Jets punch it in for insurance.

But I also saw more miscues on special teams and an offense that somehow could NOT trust Sanchez with anything more than a quick slant pattern. The Jets are a terribly conflicting team but they have the elements of a defense that can be great. They have the elements of an offense that has weapons there to be great. Their special teams has been sloppy at best these last 6 weeks but they have the elements of a team that can make another run but they have the elements of a team that can and will give Jet fans heartburn and asthma attacks on the way. Do I think the Jets are a Super Bowl contender? No. Do I think they can beat the Patriots? OH YEAH. The Pats are NOT unbeatable. For that matter, the Pack are not unbeatable. The Jets HAVE to play on top of their game though. Giving teams like the Patriots those kind of turnovers will cost them. Be thankful they were ONLY playing the Redskins.

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And the Broncos just keep winning. Mark Kiszla of the Denver Post writes more so than the Tebow-factor, John Fox has quietly pulled ALL the right strings.

Look, I can’t begin to explain to you how this Tebow thing is going. I just know that its bigger than you, me, Denver or the great sport of football. Its in that grey area that nobody can quite put their finger on. The Broncos have now won 5 in a row and it should be written in the rulebooks of the NFL that if the game is close against the Denver Broncos and Tim Tebow is playing in that game, the game should be called because Tebow is going to do something that makes this liberal country get into the silly conversation about religion that has me tired even thinking about it. Tim Tebow is amazing. Tim Tebow is fantastic. He’s a great kid. You can say till your blue that his style of quarterbacking won’t get it done but the Broncos aren’t winning solely on the left arm and legs of Tebow. Or his heart. Its the defense and a coach, John Fox, that was given a QB that if you gave him a polygraph today would admit he didn’t want. Now the Broncos and Tim Tebow are linked and no matter what John Elways says or does, barring a collapse and Tebow completely blowing games down the stretch, John Elway will be hard pressed to find an immediate successor for the Broncos QB job which up until two weeks ago even was open for applicants.

I know that Elway believes that Tebow can’t be a conventional QB. But credit John Fox for realizing that early on. The job of the head coach is to put the team in the best position to win and he has done that. Fox’s coaching staff has protected Tebow within the confines of a system that he can win in while teaching Tebow the finer points of throwing the football and the system they are running. Some of the throws Tebow has made have been exceptional including that sideline throw to Demairiyus Thomas who had a huge day for the Broncos. BUT, the fact is that more than Tim Tebow, the Broncos have been putting together wins as a team. At some point all the detractors have to realize that and just give up this ill fated discussion UNTIL Tim Tebow gives us a reason to.

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Tagged as Aaron Rodgers, Coupons, Eli Manning, Jets, Jose Reyes, Marlins, Mets, Metsblog, MVP, NFL, Packers, Tim Tebow, Tom Coughlin, Wilpons

March 7, 2011 · 11:39 am

Monday Morning or the other

I’m not going to lie. If we learned one thing this week, its that it is currently Charlie Sheen’s world, we’re all just living in it, waiting for him to tweet his next set of instructions.

In today’s post, I’m going to give you my thoughts on the new Met news about their newest rumored shenanigans. The NFL just extended itself for another week in order to hopefully get a resolution. Plus our steady diet of links and things you sing about. Also my latest on who the Met owner should be and my random thoughts. So let’s jump in shall we?

Charlie Sheen-ing on Twitter

@charliesheen

Born Small… Now Huge… Winning… Bring it..! (unemployed winner…)

I enjoy Bill Simmons’ podcasts. There’s one guest in particular I enjoy listening to with whom he’s going to team up at some undetermined date to bring to us sports geeks a new website characterized as “70% sports and 30% pop culture” which even I don’t know what kind of a website that would be. Either way, the person I’m speaking about is Chuck Klosterman. Klosterman is probably the most interesting person to speak to because I always come away thinking far deeper about any subject than I normally would have. Of course in his latest podcast he and Bill discussed this whole Charlie Sheen phenomenon which has been sweeping the nation over this past week.

For those of you living under a rock let me summarize: Sheen and Chuck Lorre, the producer of the hit show “Two and a Half Men” have had a falling out. Such a falling out that Sheen has gone on multiple media formats blasting the very successful producer of many good shows, none more successful than Mr. Sheen’s. His tirades on radio and print have become things of legend.

First of all, I think this whole Charlie Sheen is ridiculous. So ridiculous in fact that it gets me mad. In conversations with friends I’ve realized that opinion is torn on both sides of the fence on him. Some people think he’s so cool for doing this and some people can’t believe that this guy is getting pub for this.

I’m kind of in the middle. Let me explain.

I don’t think there’s anything special about Charlie Sheen. Nothing. His acting has never made me stop and take notice. I’ve never come away talking about his performance in any movie. He’s on a hit TV show because his movie career died about a decade ago. I don’t think “Two and a Half Men” are funny but the numbers don’t lie, I’m in the minority.

But what Sheen did this week when he signed up for Twitter was probably the biggest contribution he’s ever made to society and his most remarkable achievement and let me tell you why. For those not on the social networking sites, its ok. I don’t think any explanation is necessary. Social networking sites aren’t for everyone.

But to dismiss its relevance and say its not the present or future would be ridiculous. Its like saying that the internet was just an ok idea. That’s reedonkulous, the internet was a GREAT idea and its the most revolutionizing thing ever. Its also the present and the future of where this world is going. Everything is being digitized and conformed to appease the internet. Nobody wants to read a book anymore, we have Ipads that allow us to do that. We have created newer ways to get the internet and I predict that in about 5 years phone carriers are going to exclusively start offering smart phones. There won’t be any phones that just make phone calls.

Social networking sites like Facebook or Myspace (yeah that’s still alive but Friendster isn’t- sorry Asians) and Twitter are now the accepted norm of society. Every form of communication has embraced it by acknowledging corporate pages on their shows and on their products. Every business has bought in, its time that those of you who still doubt, do too.

But I suppose its just a natural form of progression that we as a society make. Before it was television. Think about the three most popular images on television. I made a Top 3 and here they are:

-OJ Simpson verdict and car chase (tie)

– Man walking on the moon.

– JFK being shot.

When those events happened, it not only elevated those 3 events, it made us stand up and notice in a completely different way. Our society was having more and more of a dependence on T.V.’s for our information, it merely needed its headline moments. Every person alive for those three events knew where they were when those things happened. That kind of event comes along once a generation.

Just like H.G. Wells reading War of the Worlds and scaring the daylights out of his listeners, signature moments on media have become time stamps. It also defines a generation.

I grew up consuming news through television and newspapers. Six P.M. broadcasts became appointment viewing. Then came along the internet. It started off on slower dial up connections and now almost everyone has some version of high speed connections which have made our consumption of information quicker which has made us less dependent on those television broadcasts. Why wait for the news when I can watch it online at my convenience or better yet, when I can read up about it online? The way we are getting news has changed.

My cousin asked me what the big deal about Twitter is. Its unfair to ask me. I’m a huge fan of social networking sites. In fact I’m a social networking whore. Don’t tell that to my fiance. I think they are great but I’ve grown a special appreciation for Twitter because I read a lot more cooler things and get more links from that website than anything. Plus, the challenge of being witty at 140 characters is pretty tough and satisfying.

I’ve discovered plenty of cool material over Twitter and the way celebs have absolutely engrossed themselves in this format makes regular folk like me interested because if they like it, it must be cool.

So consider Charlie Sheen’s arrival and huge fan base on Twitter its first true watershed moment. I dont know if its the future but Sheen’s crazy antics and his equally puzzling fame which made his record setting Twitter following (over a million in the span of a little more than 24 hours) gave Twitter its breakthrough moment and entered it into the pantheon of great moments in media. For two days, Charlie Sheen’s stupidity caused almost every single person to blindly worship a guy who’s never been that successful in anything except this T.V. show and you know what? He wants to ruin that too.

But even bigger than the big moment for Twitter is the truth that can’t be shaken: the internet has given us the opportunity to change perception. When used properly, and wisely, the internet can not only revive one’s career but can make one as well. Bill Simmons became a huge star because of his blog. The Huffington Post was recently purchased for $350 million. Betty White became a superstar again because of an internet campaign to get her to host an SNL episode so everyone could remember how funny she was. Perception can be changed over the internet.

Why? Because there are too many voices now. Before there were fewer people with more access. Now there are too many people in one big bubble trying to get their opinions across that can influence your thought processes. The internet’s claim is that the flow of information is much greater and that there’s more information being shared but how trustworthy is that information? A friend of mine said that Charlie Sheen was an icon.

Was he really? I won’t dispute the notion that he is one NOW. He’s created a moment that will live on depending on how long Twitter stays around. He’s an icon because of his outlandish appearances since this whole story broke. He’s an icon because he put the most successful sitcom on America’s #1 network on hiatus until this whole thing gets resolved. To imply he was anything more than an average actor who had access to the business because of his father who was famous would be stretching the truth. The internet allows US to make up our mind and allows voices to make up our minds for us. Its the beauty of democracy and a reason why our country is what we are.

We’re confused. We think Charlie Sheen is an icon. We believe our opinions are right. We think our ways are the best. Fact is, its not entirely true. Not everything we do is with everyone’s best interest at heart. But our country has so many voices, democrats, republicans, libertarians, and every other voice that at some point our society will grow tired of every competing voice and will eventually be turned off by the whole thing. Which eventually will lead to a bunch of citizens who really don’t care about anything other than what’s going on in their very limited social circle. That its going on with Hollywood socialites isn’t enough, the rest of society will eventually catch up.

Having too much information isn’t bad until one, more skilled writer, makes a better argument than one less skilled writer and an opinion takes hold and becomes gospel. That’s what’s going on with this whole Charlie Sheen craziness. His fans are running with the persona and making him out to be this mad scientist preaching truth and this newfound wisdom that nobody else knew about when that’s just not the case. Here’s what I think: he’s crazy, he’s on drugs, but he’s a smart son of a bitch who understands that using the media to manipulate opinion is the only way to win this war and he’s #winning the battle so far.

So big props there.

Heat can’t handle the…well…Heat?

@WindhorstESPN: Derrick Rose has scored or assisted on 45.2% of Bulls baskets, highest in league. LeBron is 2nd with 42.9% That sounds like an MVP stat.

That’s a week worth of games. Three of which that came down to the wire. Two of which Lebron had the final say in things and completely bricked and 4 losses. Everyone’s panicking. Everyone’s gasping.

As well they should.

Michael Wilbon said it best “they were not brought in to be the fourth best team in the East.” No. They were going to revolutionize basketball. A teaming up of this nature had never been done before so there was no reference. Sure, players had talked their way onto certain teams to form a formidable tandem but never had 3 players so thoughtfully crafted their entrance on to such a stage as the Heatles had done. They were stars in their prime deciding that together they were going to win multiple championships. We all were shocked as a public and yet we didn’t quite know what to say except to dismiss it and say it was terrible for the NBA.

But look at the numbers. They have us caring again and whether they like it or not, its because we don’t want them to succeed. I had this idea of an article right about the time that the Heat were getting spanked in San Antonio. They wound up losing, in their most lopsided defeat all season on Friday night. Of course the great Joe Posnanski beat me to it. It truly has become remarkably satisfying to root not only against Lebron but against the entire Heat team.

I think if anything has changed its not that I don’t like Lebron, its that I had a hard time dealing with the fact that everyone labeled Chris Bosh a superstar as well. I just didn’t see him in that light. Wade and James are in that upper echelon of superstars that can win games and carry teams. Chris Bosh had never carried a team. He was the best player on a team but you couldn’t call him the leader of anyone. He was a follower. They called him the pet of the group in the introductory press conference for crying out loud. If that isn’t side bitch status, I dont know what is.

But I’ve been more impressed with his game and his toughness than either of those two. For some reason I’ve felt that Wade, a player that I enjoyed watching and like and who’s opinion of him hasn’t changed, has regressed. He’s somehow gotten worse. People said that in the beginning he and Lebron would have a tough time dealing with each other. They would find it difficult to work with each other. But is that truly the case? Is that what’s going on here?

I think they have no clue. I said this in my earlier articles about the group but I think this was poorly thought out. I think they were friends who got drunk one night and thought it would be cool to team up. They never thought how it would mesh. They imagined loads and loads of championships. They said it live.

But out of that animosity built. Cities that had craved Lebron like fat people in front of buffet felt slighted. They no longer welcomed him with cheers, but they enjoyed his suffering. They heaped even more pressure on to his shoulders. Want to be the king? Well win a title! They are 0-6 against the East elite (Bulls and Celtics). They went 2-2 against the Knicks. Remember? They were beating the Knicks up and down the court in their first two contests, but these last two have been anything but. They still have no answer for Dwight Howard.

This last week wasn’t just a wake up call. It wasn’t just a reality check. It was a glimpse into the future. A future they never saw coming. A future they thought wasn’t even in the realm of possibilities. They thought this would be a whole lot easier but if anything they should have seen this coming.

Dwayne Wade in yesterday’s press conference said “the world is getting what they want. The Miami Heat losing.” Not only did it NOT bring any feeling of compassion for them, I found it very arrogant. Were we supposed to feel sorry for you? Were NBA fans supposed to just throw roses? Was every team in the NBA supposed to cater to your every wish and desire?

The discussion has been torn on whether this is good for the NBA. You know, stars picking where they want to go and leaving franchises that drafted them in the dust so they can hand pick their location and get what they want like Carmelo Anthony just did with the Knicks. I dont have an answer because I dont know if it will bring financial ruin to the NBA. Will small market team fans care if their team can’t hold on to their stars? Are OKC fans trembling with fear over the prospect of losing Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant after his contract is over? Should Kevin Love jerseys just stop selling since we know that he will be out the door so fast in Minnesota? Dwight Howard has his sights set on New York (Brooklyn and MSG) or L.A..

I dont think its a bad thing these guys are doing this, because I think there is enough talent flowing through these corridors. I think OKC is on their way to becoming the next San Antonio. The next small market that wins multiple championships and a team that keeps its star laden nucleus. But dont take it from me. I’m not Nostradamus. I dont know where this thing is headed this offseason when collective bargaining begins.

All I know is that Lebron and the Heat have made it fun for all NBA fans. They’ve been fun to root against. Thanks Lebron. Thanks Wade. Thanks Bosh. Thanks for being jerks and giving fans a reason to care enough to hate on you.

Another plea for the Coupons to flee

The Coupon family’s resistance to their impending financial doom is getting pretty comical. They continue to insist that everything is ok while daily evidence continues to mount suggesting otherwise.

This week, it was revealed that the Coupons had exhausted Major League Baseball’s funds and were now in dire straits with national banks who the Coupons had tapped.

The hands to take from are growing far and few between. The one source they tapped a long time ago, the fan, now actively seeks their removal from among the hierarchy of owners and trust me when I say that the Coupons are up there among Bud Selig’s select few favored. Its why he approved a $25 million loan for them and did NOT for Frank McCourt, the owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers. If you aren’t among the core of Selig’s fellowship don’t expect to be helped.

Belieee dat.

The type of support the Coupons receive means they are well liked and people believe they are worth the benefit of doubt as it relates to the Madoff scandal and what potential harm it can do to their status as owners of a major league team.

Bud Selig knows how important it is for him that Fred Coupon remains aboard. He’s long been on Selig’s side as it relates to many of Selig’s initiatives like a slot system for paying drafted players; a reason why many feel the Mets system is so weak. Fred was also the person who led the charge to have his Bud get appointed Commissioner when Fay Vincent was relieved of his duties.* Selig knows that losing one of his friends on the board would deal a major blow to anything he wants to accomplish when the next labor bargaining sessions open up.
*= hahahaha

What this week’s revelation tells us is that the Coupons refuse to go quietly and will exhaust every avenue until they are out of options. This will likely draw out the process for several months and until after a ruling on exactly how much the Coupons will settle for in the Madoff case. Irving Picard says he won’t settle and that he intends to get the $1 billion he is seeking but that’s all semantics and good tough talk that those involved need to hear.

Good litigators know that settling is not only the quickest way to end things but the threat of a trial and what potential harm can come from dirt being revealed. But there really is no timetable for an amiable agreement to be put in place and thus the Mets will be in limbo until that happens.

What does this mean for the actual product? Plenty. Consider that the Mets will be hamstrung. Will they have the funds that a new ownership group might bring or will they be pinching pennies as the Coupons continue to cut costs in order to keep their team.

Think about what it means for former franchise cornerstone Jose Reyes. Reyes will be a free agent after this year. Will the Mets risk keeping Reyes and letting him walk to a team for just draft picks? The risk will be huge if Reyes has a big first half and teams line up to pay him. The Red Sox are rumored to be a favorable trading partner. I don’t think that makes any sense since top prospect Jose Iglesias will be major league ready in 2 or 3 years and Reyes won’t sign a 2 or 3 year deal with the Sox when he’s entering the prime of his career at age 28.

Sixty million will come off the books next year and the promise of Sandy Alderson to have more financial flexibility next offseason is what Met fans are tolerating but its becoming clearer what their intended purpose was. To bring in number crunchers who could field competitive teams while operating at lower budgets.

If that’s the case, Met fans who are left sitting in seats in 2011 won’t return in 2012. No matter what, the product on the field is what dictates everything else. What the Coupons don’t understand is that New York sports fans care dearly. If a team underperforms they don’t get a pat on the back and “we’ll get em next year” consolation. They will get destroyed in the press and fans will turn on them and quick. That kind of publicity isn’t something easily washed away.

The Coupons haven’t made this process easy. They have consistently refused the possibility that they need help or that they are in trouble and yet behind the scenes they have asked for help from every possible outlet. But those wells have run dry. The one well they should have been able to go to they dried up a long time ago.

Despite all the kind words from prospective buyers of 25% of the Mets they know one thing: in order to get into this exclusive club of baseball owners they have to suck up to Fred Coupon who will hand pick his successor to the throne. That person must think highly of Bud Selig who then will give the yay or nay to their bids.

The Coupons don’t need to wonder why they are in trouble. They need only look at newspaper clippings. Their reputation in league circles is now coming under fire. Their rep with fans is pretty bad and no matter what they say there seems to always be evidence that comes out that says otherwise. They no longer decide how this ends. Their decisions have finally caught up to them.

No disrespect to them, but like many have been screaming: its time to get out Coupons. Do us a favor. Leave. If you truly love the Mets you can’t let this team suffer while you pick up the pieces of your life. This is clearly more doom than had first been imagined.

The next owner of the Mets should be….

Well, apparently there already is a list and the New York Post just got wind of some of the names on that list. Apparently 30 groups gave their names and the two most prominent are one headed by a few Goldman Sachs partners which, judging by how much trouble they were in after this financial crisis, perhaps staying away from the public eye would be the best move and the other was a group led by Bobby Valentine the former beloved manager of the last World Series team the Mets fielded in 2000.

I’m bias to Bobby V who I’ve always felt got a raw deal at the end of his tenure in New York and deserved more of a shot there. So his entry as a bidder makes me very excited. Obviously more will come out in the following days. I personally can’t wait.

Random Thoughts:

@SI_PeterKing Peter King

Good breakdown of the meaning of the extension by Mike Silver:http://yhoo.it/gULSJ1

Universally hailed as the best rundown of what Friday’s event meant for football’s labor process. Basically they decided to delay the lockout by 10 days. I truly believe that both sides don’t want a lockout but will do so to get what they want. I do think they are far apart on many issues and just because the deadline was pushed for a week to ten days, it doesn’t mean that something is very close to happening. Between rookie wage scale (I agree), 18 game schedule (I disagree) and an extra billion off the top (could care less), there must be several other issues that are causing this process to get no-where past the 5 yard line like Adam Schefter had been reporting up until Friday. They didn’t break bread over the weekend unless leaders met privately. Nothing is being discussed yet.

– People said I was pretty harsh on Kevin Costner. Sorry, like I said in earlier Sheen article, I think people are confusing the truth and misinterpreted rememberings. The internet doesn’t lie. But people still do. The facts are there. Just watch the tape.

– Growing more and more into a Parks and Rec fan. Love Rob Lowe’s character. He’s fantastic.

– I think Mad Men is one of the best written shows on television today. Its no Wire, but the acting, and direction of the show is fantastic. Don Draper is the definition of cool.

– Got about an hour to blow? Well, here’s a very interesting article I picked up on my travails through the internet that I thought people would enjoy. Would love to hear back what people think about it.

-Viggo Mortenson as General Zod? Very cool.

Later in the week, I’m going to write an article about the Knicks. It needs to be done. It needs to happen. I’m going to talk Amar’e and Melo and how well they are meshing.

As always if you have ideas, on how this space can be more improved. Let me know.

and as always……

@RONARTESTCOM RON ARTEST

“peanut butter”

Don’t ask me why I found that hilarious, but I did.

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Tagged as Charlie Sheen, Coupons, Derrick Rose, Dwayne Wade, LeBron James, Mets, NBA, NFL, Scientology, Twitter, Wilpons

January 30, 2011 · 5:51 pm

Meet the Mess part 5020304?

Consider Friday’s news about the Mets as a good thing. A sign that things are finally improving for the better.

A year ago, I may not have been so forgiving but at this point, who really cares? At this point, the Mets are so far along in the punchline scale that its very difficult to see them recovering.

As a Met fan, I must admit the next few hundred or maybe thousand words (who knows where this will go and it may be fragmented arguments and a lot of run on thoughts about the Mets) may sound very redundant on the point I’ve been making about the Mets: the ownership situation has been the liability.

I”ve been pretty much anti-Coupon* family for a long time. After 2006 in which everything went right for the Mets and there was actual hope within the organization the Mets began basically deconstructing a very good team in hopes that they could strike lightning in a bottle again. For some time I, like many Met fans began putting it all on the lap of the General Manager Omar Minaya. Usually the GM is the first people blame.

*= Coupon= Wilpons

But as I began reading more and more reports it became obvious that there was a higher power involved in personnel decisions. Rumblings of GM’s complaining about Jeff Wilpon’s inclusion in the decision making process led many to believe that Minaya was more of a worker bee- given instructions by the Queen Bee and ordered to make it happen.

Many of the decisions that followed were done to improve the bottom line more so than the actual product on the field. Many of their decisions had very little on building a good team as much as it had to do with building a good product. The Mets became obsessed with big ticket items surrounded by middling salaried players.

I always felt that the Mets, in their minds, were competing with the Yankees. They defended their decisions and poor results by saying that they were one of the Top 5 payrolls cluelessly not realizing that it was in that very argument that they were being made to look like fools. A top 5 payroll and these are the results?

But nothing made me more aware of their absolute lack of common sense than when the Madoff Ponzi scheme came to light and rumors began swirling about the Coupon family’s involvement. They weren’t in collusion with Bernie Madoff- they too were swindled for sums of cash. That figure was kept under wraps but became fodder for writers to discuss and ponder over.

I would never suggest that the Coupons actually reveal the figure they lost, but their continued refusal to accept that it would affect the day to day operations for the Mets was comical. How in the world could you stand to lose anywhere between $250-$700 million and insist to the fan base that this would NOT affect payroll?

It was then that the $145 million payroll became a burden than a badge of honor for the Wilpons. The situation became even more dire when according to multiple reports Bud Selig, the Commissioner of baseball, had to get hands and “suggest”* that the Coupons hire Sandy Alderson who was at the time working for MLB in the Commissioner’s office coincidentally cleaning up another mess- the baseball academies in the Dominican Republic

*= read demand

The thing that always irked me about the Coupons was their insistence in pushing this myth of fiscal security down our throats. While the Madoff scandal was breaking before our very eyes, it became clear that Sterling Equities, the Coupon family owned corporation and majority holder of the Mets, had taken a dent thanks to Bernie and Co.

They continued to insist to the fans that nothing would change and repeated so everyone could hear, that the Mets had one of the highest payrolls in baseball which to them may have sounded great but to me or any other fan with a clue sounded like a cop out. An excuse that a major corporate CEO should never have to use to justify anything. That’s like Terrell Owens’ financial adviser saying that he had $25 million reasons to live in response to allegations that he tried to take his own life.

Are you serious? That’s what you’re going to say? The Jason Bay signing was a mirage. A move intended to shift the focus off of darker days ahead. The day when the lie was no longer going to work. That day came Friday.

Friday, like a kid who had no excuse left, tried one last ploy to ease concern. Except like every move since 2006- it only created a bigger sense of worry. The Mets announced Friday that they would look to sell 20-25% of minority stake in the Mets. Which naturally begs the question: why would anyone go through such a risk? They’d be paying to help ease the cost of bills when the truth behind the Madoff scandal comes out.

And this decision can make one assume that there is more revelations to come. The Mets were seen as winners in the Madoff scandal when it was revealed that they had withdrawn somewhere between 40-50 million dollars. Irving Picard, the man in charge with collecting money to pay back investors burned by Madoff’s Ponzi scheme, is going after the Wilpons and truth is no one really knows what he does. In fact, it stands to reason that one should only assume the worst: that the Mets will owe between $700 million to $1 billion when all is said and done which will lead to the greatest thing this Met fan can ever hope to hear: The Coupon family must sell the Mets.

To say that someone wouldn’t be interested in minority stake would be foolish. If there is more bad news, whoever buys the 25% would stand to gain from the windfall as only Sterling Equities would be held accountable for the Madoff mess and would automatically give the minority owner exclusive rights to negotiate a purchase which is very appealing.

Let’s not forget that the Mets have several things going for them. They are located in the world’s number one market, they have their own television network which is a cash cow. They have a brand new stadium which, under the right ownership group and situation could make it a very lucrative building. Also, more importantly, baseball will not allow the Mets to fold. They have the might and backing of the league office which always helps.

Organizationally the Mets are headed in the right direction. They are trimming payroll and refusing to get involved in long term contracts that make no sense. Its incredible that GM’s get paid ridiculous sums to go out there and sign free agents to ridiculous deals but if there is ONE thing that’s very clear nowadays its this: most sports franchise owners have Jerry Jones syndrome.

They’d rather spend more time figuring out how to maximize their profit potential by building these crazy state of the art stadiums than actually go the time-tested formula of building a perennial contender that will actually draw fans into said building. How is that such a difficult formula to go by?

The gift and curse of today’s society is technology. Now that we’ve been given all this technology and ability to have all this information at our finger tips we’re now complaining that we have TOO much information as if that’s a bad thing.

Nowadays, you can Google anyone and find something about them that five years ago may not have been possible. The biggest problem, the fastest rising tech company today (Facebook) faces is privacy concerns. People are so scared that they will be found out on the internet for their weird tendencies that they don’t want anyone to know about. Of course, that information ends up on the internet and it is very difficult to keep that from happening unless you’re like Mikhail Prokhorov and hate technology and computers and don’t believe in them like they are some myth concocted by teenage geeks who made everyone believe their fantasy world of Warcraft was some realistic universe that somehow NORMAL people are slowly becoming a part of.*

*= I have very good excuse for that weird run on sentence. A few days ago I had a conversation with a tech friend. I’ve recently been on Engadget, CNet and other techy blogs and like any person who found this vast amount of information I naturally brought it up to friends who I felt would be versed in such things so I could know even more. Needless to say, telling tech geeks about their own world is somehow insulting to them and they make this very earnest attempt to make you feel and sound stupid. Its in the looks of bewilderment like for instance bringing up IPAD 2 and Iphone 5 rumors. I read up on what NFC is and as a sports geek myself I made the joke about how before two weeks the only NFC I knew was in football. There were crickets at night that were louder than the silence that I got on that joke. He went on to tell me that this technology is the future but that word has been floating around for the last couple of years and most new products will include this technology which by the way is basically a way for you to pay for your Starbucks treinte with your cell phone. But you get what I’m saying. And before anyone makes the counter argument that sports geeks are the same way let me remind you that the stereotype is that we’re stupid morons with pot bellies and we’re in the beer and wings crowd and not the wine and cheese. We don’t snub our noses at the novices, we merely detest people with ten thousand questions while the biggest game in the universe (that being whatever we’re presently watching) is going on. Please don’t do that, there is a time and place for such things and THAT is not it.

But the idea that TOO much information is somehow bad is not true in every sector of society which includes sports management. I’ve long been a fan of learning how championship teams are built. There isn’t a formula involved that is true but there are a few maxims that General Managers hold on to: you need guys who keep the clubhouse loose- because when the going gets tough, they are the ones that will calm your superstars down by coming into the clubhouse and farting real loud. They are as important to a team as the superstar.

A few years ago I wrote an article about what I felt was missing from the Mets and what changed in the locker room dynamic between 2006 and 2007. How could the Mets go from being a dominant contender in 06 to a bunch of choke artists in 2007? For one, David Wright who was their cornerstone player, did not have Cliff Floyd who was both mentor and best friend on the team. He played a valuable role in teaching Wright, then a novice, on all things baseball related and always kept him comfortable even under the duress of the media maelstorm that is New York. Most notably I remember a TRL appearance by David Wright where he brought along Cliff Floyd. For some the guessture was nice but many stories after that intimated that Wright needed Floyd there to get over the nerves of being on national TV because he was only now coming into his own.

Missing players like that have been the Mets problem. Which of course makes the entirety of the Mets product look shoddy. Reyes, Wright, etc are not built to be leaders who can motivate a group and get them out of the doldrums of a losing season. That attitude needs to be built in and come from somewhere which is why the Mets needed a Terry Collins type.

But that we’ll get to. The Mets need more than just a fiery manager. They need a culture shift which is what Sandy Alderson and staff hope to do. They’ve spent pennies in comparison to the old regime and it doesn’t automatically invite parades but its nice to see business done in other ways. That throwing money at a situation doesn’t make it ok. That telling everyone about how much money you are spending isn’t going to make anyone respect you anymore. That its about how you spend that money and not how much.

If this episode has taught us anything its this: the Coupons lie is finally coming to bite them where it hurts. It is no longer a secret. The Mets ownership group has to continue their coming clean act. They have to be forthcoming in the next few months in order to put any rumors to rest.

What does that entail? If the situation is as bad as everyone’s assuming, cut the crap Coupon family. Just sell. Don’t sell minority stakes and stave off the eventual: cut your losses and let go. Their stubborn refusal is still evident when they made it a point to emphasize that this is NOT about them selling the team.

Its clear they know more than they are letting on and will allow the system to leak the information. That eventually we will learn what they already know. But here’s what I’ve known for a while now: the Wilpons are what’s wrong with the Mets. They have never been completely honest about anything. Its all coming back to haunt the Mets and honestly its about time. The Mets ownership group needs new blood and not a moment sooner.

The front office looks solid and sounds like they know what they are doing, but given the Coupons history of being honest maybe they had no idea what they were getting into and the promise of reinvesting that 50-70 million that will come off the books may not be realistic. We will get into that in part two of this. But for now the message is clear: Sell Coupons. Save yourselves and just sell the Mets and be on your way. You’ve done more harm than good. If you love the Mets as much as you say you do then just sell the team to people who will do something with them.

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Tagged as baseball, Coupons, David Wright, Fred Wilpon, Jeff Wilpon, Jose Reyes, Mets, MLB, New York, Sandy Alderson, SNY, Terry Collins

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Meet the Mess part 5020304?

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