Have the Mets done all they could do to get to the postseason this year?
An article by Newsday's David Lennon, as well as a radio interview of Omar Minaya by WFAN's Mike
Francesa, - make one wonder how badly the Mets want to get to
the playoffs. Not the players (though that's been debated at times over the past two years), but the front office.
This quote by Minaya in particular is telling:
"There was a time with this organization where we had to get back to relevance and improve the brand, so we had to be more aggressive," Minaya said this week during a dugout interview at Nationals Park. "I was thinking big picture at that time four years ago, about how we've got to be relevant, how we've got to get people back in the stands.
"Well, we're going to have over 4 million in attendance this year, our ratings are off the charts, we're moving into a new stadium. For me, there's a time to be aggressive and there's a time to be patient. This is a time to be patient."
Minaya said something similar in his WFAN interview last week. Lennon -- as well as other pundits -- are positioning these statements in a remarkably positive and back-slapping way. In short, Minaya is being lauded for his "long term vision".
To steal a quote from Marcellus, something is rotten in the city of Flushing.
Because here's what I "get" from Minaya's sudden "patience" and inactivity before the trade deadline: the Wilpons don't care if the Mets make it to the postseason -- all that matters is that people buy tickets.
Sadly, it's a business -- and from a business point of view, you can't really blame them. Why is Omar Minaya's job safe, regardless of whether the Mets make the postseason in 2008? Because Omar ALREADY DID HIS JOB. Minaya's job coming in to 2005 was to rebuild the Mets "brand". To make the team relevant again. To make sure that anyone who wasn't buying Yankees tickets, or who stopped buying Yankee tickets, would start buying Mets tickets. The Mets didn't start rebuilding from within in 2005 because it was easier to buy Pedro Martinez and Carlos Beltran (right, photo by B. Menzel), fill out the rest of the roster with sage veterans, and make a run to the postseason right away. Omar Minaya mortgaged the future to bring in Carlos Delgado's big bat because the Mets needed to matter right away -- BEFORE Citi Field opened.
And you have to hand it to Minaya for doing a fabulous short-term job. He made all the right moves to turn the Mets into contenders -- heck, into world beaters for 2006. In short, he did what Steve Phillips and Jim Duquette couldn't -- he put the Mets on the back pages of the tabloids, and put fannies in the seats (the generous budget he was given didn't hurt, of course).
It is no coincidence that the Mets became a perennial pennant contender in the years immediately before the opening of Citi Field. From the day Minaya was brought in, the team was specifically created as a product that would be widely appealing to the people in the immediate vicinity of Flushing. Winning, of course, helps immensely -- the record-setting attendance figures are a by-product of a team that looks like it's going to finish in first place. Once the Mets made it to the NLCS in 2006, all they had to do was keep up appearances for the next two years -- continue appearing to be a contender. A team that "plays meaningful games in September" will sell plenty of tickets throughout the season. Every personnel move is calculated with that end goal.
That's why, when July 31 rolled around, it was OK if Omar didn't land a big fish. There was no need to get Manny Ramirez, or Jason Bay, or Huston Street, or any of the other big names on the market. The Mets were already on course to set another record for ticket sales for 2008, and have plenty of momentum for the opening of Citi Field. The Wilpons put the brakes on any significant upgrades for 2008 because they're already thinking about selling tickets in 2009, 2010, and 2011. If Omar -- who is an astute judge of talent -- believed that any of the Mets' youngsters might be able to help in the next four years, then it didn't make sense to make a deal to help the 2008 team.
It's good business, no question. From the fan's point of view, though, I'm torn. On the one hand, I'm happy the team is built to be a contender every year. On the other, I feel ... manipulated. I feel like part of a bandwagon, even though I would have enjoyed watching the Mets go through a rebuilding process from 2004 to the present. I'm one of those people who loves to see a young player develop before my eyes. You may be too -- but the general, casual fan, apparently, is not like that. The casual fan goes to the stadium and buys the soda and hot dog because the team is a winner. Or at least, that's what the actions from 2005 (and prior, actually) to now have demonstrated.
I know, I know -- it's "all about the Benjamins". I shouldn't be so naive to think that the executives of a baseball team want to win above all, rather than make a profit first and win second. But the Mets, for a few years, followed the Yankees' short-term plan of buying a winner, got all of us to think like Yankees fans and expect a winner, then stopped short of delivering a winner. The Mets went all-out for the last three years to put a World Series team on the field, then pulled out the rug from under us.
Ironically, the Yankees were the team who publicly "threw in the towel", when owner Hank Steinbrenner admitted that his organization would forget about this year and reload for 2009. Yet -- and equally ironic -- it was the Yankees GM Brian Cashman who pulled off the necessary trades to position the Yankees for a pennant run. While Omar Minaya was whining about the inability to get anything of value in return for his prized prospects, Cashman virtually stole three impact players at the deadline -- including one future hall of famer -- to fill each of the Yanks' most glaring holes. Why? Because in addition to collecting money, the Yankees are committed to winning, to DELIVERING on the product that their "brand" promises. Say what you want about the limitless payroll of the "Evil Empire"; bottom line is, there is no confusion about their end goal -- it's a World Series ring.
But let's get back to the dollars and my naivete. The Mets jacked up ticket prices by 25% this year and will jack them up again another 50-75% or more in 2009. Well guess what? It's "all about the Benjamins" for me, too, and I'm not paying top dollar for a "me-too" brand who charges for the best but whose goal is to be "good enough"
Have the Mets done all they could do to get to the postseason this year?
job safe, regardless of whether the Mets make the postseason in 2008? Because Omar ALREADY DID HIS JOB. Minaya's job coming in to 2005 was to rebuild the Mets "brand". To make the team relevant again. To make sure that anyone who wasn't buying Yankees tickets, or who stopped buying Yankee tickets, would start buying Mets tickets. The Mets didn't start rebuilding from within in 2005 because it was easier to buy Pedro Martinez and Carlos Beltran (right, photo by B. Menzel), fill out the rest of the roster with sage veterans, and make a run to the postseason right away. Omar Minaya mortgaged the future to bring in Carlos Delgado's big bat because the Mets needed to matter right away -- BEFORE Citi Field opened. 
But let's get back to the dollars and my naivete. The Mets jacked up ticket prices by 25% this year and will jack them up again another 50-75% or more in 2009. Well guess what? It's "all about the Benjamins" for me, too, and I'm not paying top dollar for a "me-too" brand who charges for the best but whose goal is to be "good enough"