Mets: Wilpons should step aside so Cohen can revive the Amazins
By Joe Noa
The bottom fell out
The only time I considered the Mets to be the big boys in New York this century was when then-GM Omar Minaya signed Pedro Martinez. Their reasoning behind the move was that signing Martinez established credibility. Not to mention his big personality was a huge hit with the fans
After Pedro el Grade came Carlos Beltran, Johan Santana, and Carlos Delgado. It looked like the Mets were ready to take this town back. Then the Madoff scandal turned the New York Mets into a cut-rate organization almost like the Florida Marlins.
Wilpon lost millions in the Madoff Ponzi scheme (not the first time they were duped) and they went to Bud Selig for a loan to help them get back on their feet. Just as I disagreed with the federal bailout when General Motors was drowning in debt and poor management, this was a bad idea.
Selig acted as a friend, not a businessman or MLB Commissioner acting in the best interests of baseball and helped the Wilpons. In reality, he should have forced a sale of the Mets and got them out of baseball. Selig did just that in 2011 when Frank McCort was stripped of his ownership and forced to sell the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Instead, a $25M loan was mas made to the Mets. To quiet their fans, the Amazins signed lower-tier players or ones at the end of their careers. Their losing records show that the plan was a disaster.