Great, now just sell the rest of the team

That footstep you heard the other day was Fred Wilpon stepping into James Dolan territory as one of the most destructive owners in New York, and more significantly one of the more incompetent owners in all of sports. I’m going to get this out of the way quickly: I do not feel bad for Fred Wilpon. Without delving too deeply into the financial quicksand that he’s been rapidly sinking into for months now, Wilpon could have at least somewhat salvaged his reputation as Mets owner by simply selling the team. The Mets are not – and should not be – anywhere near the top of his priority list at this point.

              But instead, Wilpon sabotaged any remaining respect he had in the baseball community. After ineffectively maneuvering different pieces within the organization for years, yesterday Fred Wilpon seemingly put himself into checkmate. Even if in the immediate aftermath, the team bands together and manages to make the season interesting by gutting out a few wins in their depleted state, the long term forecast now appears more grim than ever.

No team, not even the Yankees and Red Sox, can thrive without a fertile farm system, and the minor league fields for the Mets appear to be close to barren. Fernando Martinez has been a disappointment, partially due to nagging injuries, and partially due to the purgatory that he has been subjected to from so many call up’s and send down’s. Wilmer Flores may be something, but it’s way too soon to tell at 19 years old.

Even more concerning is the pitching situation. If the Mets are to effectively play the hand they’ve been dealt with Citi Field, star quality pitching needs to be their top priority. Jenrry Mejia has been given the Joba treatment the past two years, yo-yoing between starter and closer, and unsurprisingly just underwent Tommy John surgery. Matt Harvey is at least a year or two away from even being able to audition for a role in the Show.  

The best hope for replenishing the minor leagues came from Carlos Beltran and/or Jose Reyes. Two players who are having good and outstanding years respectively, but unfortunately are languishing in an injury riddled lineup full of career minor leaguers, and players whose talents are minimized in Citi Field (Wright to an extent, and definitely Bay). At the end of this season, Beltran will almost certainly be gone.

As a fan, I’m holding out hope that Reyes will stay because of his exciting adrenaline-shot style of play. But from a realist perspective, a Reyes trade could procure a wealth of young pitching talent that could yield long-term success. By taking unnecessary and unfair potshots at both of them yesterday, Wilpon has killed all leverage the Mets will have in any dealings with these players in their whatever time they have left within the organization.

My bet is that Reyes will get “Crawford money” - or something resembling it - the way he’s been performing this season. The only argument as to whether he’s the best shortstop in baseball right now comes from the Rocky Mountains, but after looking at the numbers, I’ll take the guy with a higher BA and OBP. Up until last week, he had made his affection for the New York area very public, saying he wanted to stay for the rest of his career.

Now the hometown discount the team could have gotten from the most exciting player I’ve ever seen don orange and blue has been cast into severe doubt. In the eyes of many other GM’s, Wilpon has tipped the Mets hand in terms of their intentions to resign Jose. Instead of being offered a bevy of high-level prospects, the Mets will now need to build their case to potential trade partners as to why they should get a king’s ransom for a player that Mets ownership apparently has no intention of keeping.

The Beltran slight is rife with factual inaccuracy. The expectations for Beltran when he was signed were astronomically high, as if the Mets were getting a surefire hall of famer to patrol center for the next ten years. By only those lofty standards did he not justify his contract. For the three years that this team was relevant in a championship discussion from 2006-2008, Beltran cemented himself as a top 3 outfielder in the game, including a 41 HR, 116 RBI, 18 SB campaign from ’06. This year he’s proven that if he can continue to dodge the injury bug, he’s certainly got enough left in the tank to be a starting outfielder on 90% of teams in Major League Baseball. Wilpon was never a "shmuck" for paying for Beltran in the first place, but now has earned the title by tarnishing his trade value at its absolute peak.

But the only low blow that definitely deserves a point deduction was the shot taken at David Wright. I will be the first to admit that Wright has not followed the grandiose path envisioned for him by Mets fans from the day he first assumed the hot corner at Shea. But despite the considerable road blocks the organization has laid in his path since 2008 (a nightmare ballpark to play 81 games in, and a complete lack of protection in the lineup before Ike Davis came up last year), Wright has never uttered a harmful word about the Mets.

When the club asphyxiated in successive September’s, Wright was the only player willing to face the media and calmly conduct a post-mortem, even though there was never any blood on his hands (he batted .352 in September of 2007, and .340 in September of 2008). He’s played at least 140 games in every year since 2005, and although he hasn’t been what fans expected, it’s never been for lack of effort on his end.

I would have to think that Wright knows that on at least 20 other teams, he’d be a perennial all star due to the combination of more confined confines, and a lineup where he wasn’t routinely the sole focus. A shot across the bow at him not only alienates the team’s leader and most loyal defender, but also sends a giant flashing signal to potential free agents that the New York Mets treat even their star players like throwaways.

In each of their own ways, all three of these players have done everything within their power to improve the Mets in their time in New York. By quietly selling a majority stake in the franchise, Wilpon would finally be able to say he’s done the same. 

This is how I picture the Sean Miller meeting went

I was originally going to write something about where Maryland goes from here on their ill fated coaching search. But I wouldn’t be doing justice to the scope of Kevin Anderson’s comedy of errors as an athletic director if I didn’t spend some good solid time on it. He’s done all he can to drag Maryland’s reputation through the mud. Now it’s my turn.

I’m surprised that it has taken me so long to completely lose faith in Kevin Anderson’s ability to competently perform the specific tasks that his job requires. I imagine this issue has infiltrated other areas of his life, like returning from the grocery store with all of the items crossed off the list, 20 different IOU’s, and possibly an expired can of corn. During his brief stint at the position, he has had three major tasks placed in front of him. Replacing the head football coach, followed by replacing the defensive coordinator, and the monumentally daunting task of somehow replacing Gary Williams.

Now, the head football coach issue is the most forgivable of his decisions in my opinion. The firing of Ralph Friedgen (a necessary move at some point due to his age and rapidly approaching culmination of his contract) was handled with all of the delicacy of the Manson murders. Friedgen deserved much better, especially in a year where he somehow coaxed a 9-4 record from what appeared to be an exceedingly average team heading into the fall, and earned ACC Coach of Year honors. Friedgen was forced to accept his ACC Coach of the Year after he had been relieved of coaching duties for 2011. You kill Old Yeller after he gets rabies or eats a whole wheel of cheese and poops in the fridge, not when he brings in the paper and inexplicably cooks you dinner.

The hiring actually could have gone very well. I am among the group that believes Randy Edsall is a very talented football coach, and a great hire. Being from Connecticut, I can definitively say that UConn football wasn’t even used as a punch line before Randy Edsall, because no one would have gotten the joke. To build a program from a middle of the road 1AA team to playing in a BCS bowl game says everything that you need to know about his work ethic .

The biggest thing that made the Edsall hire questionable in the eyes of so many Terps fans was that the very public frontrunner for the job was offensive savant Mike Leach. If Edsall had been the prime target from the beginning, his supporters would have been able to build a sense of anticipation for the hire due to his considerable accomplishments in the Big East. Unfortunately, Mike Leach’s accomplishments dwarfed those of Edsall, and a lot of fans were crestfallen when Maryland “only got” Randy Edsall.

After Don Brown left for Connecticut (enjoy him Huskies fans, it may take a year to integrate his system, but it’s an all out attack – like a poor man’s Rex Ryan defense), there were whispers of Randy Shannon coming to College Park to fill the DC position. Say what you want about Shannon as a head coach, but his track record at Miami as a purely defensive coach was borderline peerless. Outside of a “disappointing” 2004 season when the Hurricanes finished 28^th in total defense, his units finished an average of 5^th in the country from 2001-2006. The rumors died relatively early, but after hearing the name of such a talented (and probably overqualified) candidate, the fans expectations were again obviously high. An average coordinator from a conference renowned for its defense would have been somewhat deflating, but ultimately acceptable.

However, Kevin Anderson’s decision to promote former Southern Miss defensive coordinator Todd Bradford to DC parallels favorably with me drinking expired milk from the fridge: you check the numbers and like you thought, they’re definitely bad. But there’s no other apparent option because going to get new milk requires too much work. And you end up kicking yourself for not acting on such an obviously time sensitive issue earlier when you’re paying for it soon afterwards. The Southern Miss defense gave up 30 + points in more games than they didn’t last year. They were also statistically the fourth best defense in their conference.

And now onto the coup de grace. Granted, this was the most difficult hand that Anderson has been dealt for a number of reasons. He had to replace a legend, on very limited notice, at the most important position on the Maryland athletic staff. But, against all assumptions of common sense, Anderson once again undertook a very public courtship of Sean Miller for the job.

After his first two debacles, I figured if Kevin Anderson was willing to pursue just one high profile candidate yet again, there is no way he would do unless said candidate made his intentions clear with either a verbal guarantee or a contract signed in blood. Whatever happened out in Las Vegas - whether Miller was simply using Maryland to pressure Arizona into meeting his demands, or if Anderson and Bisciotti sold the program about as well as Tommy Callahan sold brake pads - he still looks terrible. Again, he stubbornly pursued a strategy that had ended calamitously twice before, and it ended with an extremely public and highly embarrassing failure, to the surprise of only him. He has convincingly fit the definition of insanity.

Putting a call in to Brad Stevens – who was quoted as saying he would only leave Buter ‘if they kicked me out’ – before the somewhat disappointing but unfortunately realistic option of Mike Brey was another extreme miscalculation. Now Terps fans, who started the weekend giddy with the possibility of landing a coach befitting to replace Gary Williams, are forced to just be happy with whoever heeds Anderson’s pleas and steps up on a podium in the next week. All that hangs in the balance is the stability of a proud, successful program, and the first Maryland recruits that I’ve been legitimately excited about in 5 years. (Maybe if we convince him we DON'T care, he WON'T screw it up...I'm out of ideas.)

Replacing Gary. First candidate: Rick Barnes

It’s not easy. Before getting into who has to step into the large, sweat-soaked shoes that have been left over, it needs to be noted what Gary did for Maryland. The critics will say that Gary was a disinterested recruiter who shunned quite possibly the most fertile recruiting ground in the country right in his back yard. Kevin Durant, Michael Beasley, and Rudy Gay are just a few of the names he missed out on, but take a look who got those kids. Durant went to Rick Barnes, who I’ll get to in a minute, but the next two coaches are Jim Calhoun and Bob Huggins (who didn’t coach Beasley, but he recruited him).

 Huggins is right down there at the bottom of the slime bucket with John Calipari in terms of sleazy recruiters, and Calhoun isn’t much better. It’s impossible to deny that Gary neglected a veritable gold mine, but he won a national championship and fielded a competitive team nearly every year of his tenure, and he did it without having to sign a deal with the devil (boosters, certain AAU coaches) as the aforementioned names did. Because of him, plenty of Maryland fans were shocked to find out yesterday that this job is as highly regarded in the coaching industry as any because of the pristine condition Gary left it in.

             What cannot be questioned was Gary’s acumen for the game. When it came to game day, there is no coach that I can think of in college basketball (with the possible exception of Coach K) I would rather have commanding a team. With Gary at the helm, Maryland got to the NCAA tournament with DAVE F*CKING NEAL STARTING AT THE 5. AND THEY WON A GAME. In the most important nationally televised games, games where some teams would be blinded by the spotlight, Maryland was almost always game. There are a few blemishes, including some thumpings at Cameron and the Dean Dome, but there were also games like the 2007 win at Carolina, the 2006 win at Duke, and the unquestioned dominance of all things Comcast Center and Cole Fieldhouse under his reign. From 2006-2010, the Terps were 3-2 against North Carolina whose McDonalds intake resembled that of Morgan Spurlock. Why? Because Gary Williams could run tactical circles around Roy Williams, and just about anyone else you put in front of him.

            Lastly, and I’ve said this before, the last thing you want to see as a fan is a team or coach that just doesn’t care. The prime example that comes to mind for me is the 2005-2006 UConn team with five first round draft picks that lost to George Mason. Although Josh Boone and Hilton Armstrong didn’t end up really lighting the world on fire in the NBA, they were both more than adequate college basketball players. Marcus Williams was a dazzling point guard with outstanding court vision, Denham Brown provided a long distance threat, and Rudy Gay was a continuously running highlight film. That team should have won the national championship running away, but there were games where they simply did not show up. Part of the blame goes on the players, but part of it definitely goes on Calhoun for not being able to get such a talented group to play to their potential.

I can not think of one time when I was at Maryland where I thought that the basketball team was just going through the motions during a game. Every game was always the Duke game to Gary Williams, and if a player didn’t believe that, then he was pulled off the floor and given a few choice words by the coach. Every single player to a man that played under Williams will say that they respect him, and all the players that I saw improved dramatically in every year under his tutelage. He was a brilliant tactician, and a better motivator, and no matter who comes in, it will not be the same without seeing that predatory crouch on the sidelines during games.  

            Now, to get to the search for the replacement. There are four names that I can think of who would legitimately soften this possibly knockout blow. I do not believe that Brad Stevens will leave Butler because he has created what is his own version of Duke in the Midwest. He is revered as a god there, and he has gone to back to back Final Four’s. Butler may not be a recruiting powerhouse currently, but players are going to want to play for Stevens wherever he is, why leave?

Shaka Smart is also a name that has been thrown around, and as charismatic as he is, I don’t want him taking the reigns at Maryland. I simply don’t think he’s ready, and although it’s clear that his players would run through a wall for him, he hasn’t shown success at the high major level yet. The VCU NCAA run also really only included one very impressive win (Kansas) and one marginally impressive one (Purdue). A nail biter over FSU and a demolition of an already stumbling Georgetown were games that they should have won looking back. Lastly, there was a reason that all of the pundits were up in arms about VCU making the tournament, they didn’t have a great regular season, they in fact had a very average one. In short, Shaka Smart: Possible great coach in the future, but the resume is too short.

            Tubby Smith is too old.

Rick Barnes:

Current Job: Head Coach – Texas

Maryland connection: Was an Asst. Coach with Gary at OSU

Why I like Rick Barnes: Kevin Durant. DJ Augustin. LaMarcus Aldridge. Jordan Hamilton. AJ Abrams. TJ Ford. The list goes on. Rick Barnes is an outstanding recruiter who has turned Texas into a national powerhouse and has had them in the national title conversation heading into March in almost every year since he’s been there. Out of all the candidates, I believe that Barnes would be most adept at recruiting the DC/Baltimore area, and creating a whole lot more red hats on signing days than shades of blue.

Why I don’t like Rick Barnes: Quite simply, Rick Barnes is one of the worst high major X’s and O’s coaches that I have had the chance to watch. For the talent he recruits, by this point he actually should have fulfilled the perennial potential at least once with a Longhorns National Championship. In 2006, his team got Big Babyed in the Elite 8 after finishing 27-6. Somehow, his team crashed out in the 2^nd round of the 2007 tournament with the best college player I have ever seen. They didn’t just lose, they got handled by USC 87-68 when they were the ones with Kevin Durant. Just baffling. Barnes has had his pants pulled down far too many times on the big stage for me to comfortable with him as a coach. As much fear as he would inspire on the ACC recruiting trail, Roy would now have somebody to match less than considerable wits with, and Coach K would be thrilled to take a consistent two wins a year from a team stocked full of talent every year, but with no idea how to play effective organized basketball.

Adios Amigo

This weekend presented an ultimatum to write a Mets column. After finally showering off my Knicks hangover with some help from the draft, I was staring at the prospect of the Mets pulling me into baseball season Godfather-style. If the Mets had taken two of three from the Phillies, I would have reserved my judgment on the season and continued coasting through the season with a faint hope of the team briefly catching lightning in a bottle and making the season interesting. Instead, they dropped two of three including one where Roy Halladay pitching like he had a plane to catch, so it's time to face the music. 

            Realistically, it’s time to deconstruct these Mets. I've held off on this idea for the past few years, but the Mets do not resemble a contender this year, and their minor league system makes it look like they won't for a while. However, the Mets do have plenty of chips to play to change this situation around. To trade away David Wright would invite a fan mutiny. For better or for worse he has the dubious honor of being the face of a franchise that has had a big hand in torpedoing his market value over the past few seasons. Due to injuries, poor investments in multiple arenas, and the comically colossal dimensions of Citi Field, Wright’s once lofty ceiling is now something that is well within the vision of Mets fans. Carlos Beltran is off to a decent start, but even in a contract year, would net only marginal prospects in return due to his advanced age and well noted expiration date on his knees. There’s only one player that can turn the franchise around.

            It’s time to trade Jose Reyes. Even when he has finally found the instruction booklet on how to put it all together, and is one of the two answers Alek Trebek will accept for “Best Shortstop in Baseball”. In the short term, it’s going to be miserable not seeing the one guy who’s still somehow smiling through the shit storm and whipping lasers to Ike Davis in warm-ups. But looking forward to the future of the franchise, it’s clear that the rebuilding process should start as soon as possible. Hopefully it’s not a fire sale, but it will be a sale of sorts, and Reyes is the out of place fixed up 2005 Lamborghini sitting in the drive way that no one wants to listen to offers for. The worst part about it, is that he BELONGS in New York, specifically in Citi Field.

One of the laws of the fans (those laws should be published), is that a team isn’t supposed to trade a player until we don’t like them anymore. Collectively, we all sit as Commodus and look on with jaded pessimism, waiting to hand down judgment on the latest failed entertainer. Especially in New York, where it’s almost never about building relationships with athletes, and more along the lines of a series of one night stands and mail order brides that are either never as good as the first one, or as attractive as they seemed in the catalog.

David Wright may be the photogenic face that the media commonly associates with this team, but go to any Mets game and there’s only one player who’s cheered by name every time he gets up. Through all of his slumps, errors, and injuries (and there have been injuries), Reyes still can detonate the stands with excitement, and most importantly, let’s us know that he’s not taking it for granted. By all accounts he’s given, he’s just a guy that loves playing a game for a living. Whether that’s true or not, that’s what all of us non-players want to see out of any person lucky enough to not be in our category.

More importantly for Jose, very few players have had the good fortune of playing a stadium that maximizes their positive assets. Jason Bay got to have two years of nirvana in Fenway Park where the green monster transformed his long fly outs in Yawkey Way souvenirs. Jose Reyes doesn’t have the power that Bay does (whatever power that may be), but Citi Field is just as uniquely tailored to him.

Where most hitters come into Citi Field and see the black walls looming endlessly off in the distance, Reyes sees the unending expanse of green leading up to them. Make no mistake in 90% of other ballparks (especially including Fenway, one of his likely landing places), Reyes would still be a spectacular player. An increasingly disciplined hitter with enough power to prevent outfielders from cheating up to snare his line drives. But in Citi Field, Reyes is another animal entirely.

The sheer amount of ground that the outfield in Citi forces its defenders to cover means that Reyes can simply hit ball into the gap and watch it roll without any threat of a wall impeding the progress of it or him. Anything that gets past the outfielders is immediately a possible triple. For the past two years, there has been nothing even remotely as exciting as seeing Reyes realizing this possibility while rounding first, and briefly tilting the field downhill running to third. That wow factor is present in almost everything Reyes does. The best fielding at short Queens has seen since Ordonez, and the ability to steal any base at any time robbing any pitcher of their concentration.   

Unfortunately, it appears that the time for Mets fans to witness Reyes in his natural habitat is coming to a close. Get your tickets while you can, because the constant smile with a # 7 on his back will be whipping balls across the infield somewhere else soon, probably San Francisco. In the short term, the Mets are removing one of the last sources of joy from their team, but hopefully when fans look back in a few years, his departure will have brought a few more people in who get their own cheers.