The Mets, Family Guy and a navel-gazing footnote
by Steve
Today’s reading is the New Yorker profile of the New York Mets’ chairman and chief executive, Fred Wilpon.
I am currently mulling over:
a) is it a good thing for a team’s owner to run down his best players and call the team “shitty” in the name of honesty and transparency?
or
b) will these comments just make the Mets appear even more of a joke than they already are?
Anyway, in place of any actual analysis1, I figured I’d just throw up this Family Guy clip.
1. I remember a time when blogs were far more of a dumping ground for stuff. There would often be several short posts a day, or random images, or videos. It seems now that many blogs (at least the ones I read) are far more focused on proper posts, generally of a half-decent length. I guess the random mess of media stuff is now more Tumblr’s realm, plus Twitter has kind of run away with that whole short update, micro-blog thing, eh? Still, sometimes I think I should just throw up odd things here, in the name of keeping the ol’ blog updated, rather than worrying about word counts, or making sure my blog posts have substance or whatever other nonsense. This is a pretty shambolic blog anyway, so I shouldn’t really worry about maintaining its purity or purpose or whatever. However, if me throwing up slapdash stuff like this offends, do let me know, dear reader, through the usual channels. I can’t really decide what sort of format or style I prefer. I love blogs that have real guts and substance and content. I marvel at their ongoing efforts, at their ability to find the time to write something meaningful, their willingness to plan and rewrite, and to not ramble in the manner of this rather indulgent footnote. Yet, I guess I’m happy with any sort of post from my favourite bloggers, and any sort of post, no matter how small or inconsequential, is better than silence. I get mopey when my favourite bloggers are silent. Hmm. I’m not sure where this footnote is going, so bravo if you’re still reading. That’s probably enough, right?
Wait until next year 
Since the Isotopes are a Dodgers affiliate, I’ve become a de facto Los Angeles fan. I can empathize.
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Funny how in my younger days I watched sport and it was all about what was happening on the field. Nowadays, I probably spend as much time on the off-the-field activities, which are just as compelling, and often terrible and chaotic, as what happens in the games themselves. This seems to be the case with every sport I watch. I guess the saturation coverage of sport means there is more time and scope to consider every aspect of that particular sport’s industry.
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I’m okay with a lousy team if the off-field stuff is boring (my favorite football team–the Rams–are frequently awful, but the front office tries to keep their squabbling and incompetence hidden from the press), and I’m cool with off-stage drama if the team can win. But yeah, when it’s a mess behind the scenes and the team is lousy, it’s too much.
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I’m used to having my teeth kicked in. I root for the Mets, the Jets and the Islanders. Or, as I refer to them, “the Trifecta of Suffering.”
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What is sport without suffering? If I supported a team that I expected to win all the time it would be no fun at all. The joy of sport is in the ups and downs – the glory-hunters miss out on the emotional rollercoaster. Saying that, just a little success wouldn’t hurt from time to time, eh?
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Exactly. I would never want to risk my immortal soul and become a Yankee fan, but a couple of successful playoff runs would be nice. And I’d love to see the Jets and Islanders win something else in my lifetime.
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A response from Jefferey Toobin, author of the Wilpon story:
“These players are already paid millions of dollars a year to perform; if a cross word from the boss is enough to hurt their (modest) productivity, the blame is theirs, not Wilpon’s.”
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Thanks for the link. Reading the article more thoroughly, I think it is unfortunate that his comments about the players have overshadowed the Wilpon/Madoff stuff. Either Wilpon was incredibly stupid, in investing so much money in something that didn’t stand up to scrutiny, or he was incredibly greedy in carrying on his involvement in the scheme if he did realise it wasn’t on the level. Either way, he doesn’t look good.
In conclusion, I’d rather have Carlos Beltran manage my finances than Fred Wilpon.
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