I think I represent a majority of Mets fans who was praying for Fred Wilpom, owner of the Mets, be forced to sell the team in the aftermath of the Bernie Madoff fiasco.
Not that I’m the kind of guy that wishes ill on anyone. But, we Mets fans are tired of the Wilpon way of doing business. And even though Fred is up there in age, his son Jeff has shown just as much a propensity to be as dumb as another son owner, James Dolan of the New York Knicks.
New York Post
The cash-strapped Mets have trimmed nearly 10 percent of non-player staff, including business, clubhouse and scouting personnel, The Post has learned.
“Several weeks ago, we made workforce reductions in both the baseball and business operations departments, which amounted to less than 10 percent of our full-time staff,” the team said in a statement.
The Mets have about 180 non-player employees, of which about 15 have been laid off, said sources.
The Wilpon family (the team’s principal owners) are battling a lawsuit aimed at forcing them to return money they allegedly gained from the Ponzi scheme run by Bernard Madoff.
A plan to raise money by selling part of the team to hedge fund guru David Einhorn for $200 million collapsed. The team is trying to find buyers for ownership shares.
More here
Does this mean the Mets have the money to sign Jose Reyes?
The problem with the Wilpons is that they run the Mets like a more expensive version of a small market team. If they don’t have the financial wherewithal to operate the Mets like a big market New York team, it’s time to sell.
At present the Mets are on the verge of taking a enormous PR hit when SS Jose Reyes signs elsewhere. If I were a rich individual, why would I buy an asset that’s depreciating in value by the day, without any control for handing off millions of dollars to the Wilpons? I think that’s the trouble the Wilpons are having finding minority owners.
Just sell, Fred!
Ballbug
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