Team Chemistry 101: Verbally Destroy Your Star Players

In this week's installment of "How could the New York Mets possibly sink to a new low" we look not on the field (where the Mets are so damn close to last place in their division) but off the field, to owner Fred Wilpon.

Note to future business leaders of America: if you want to build a winning organization, take a page out of ol' Freddy's playbook and talk trash about your most important employees through the media. Nothing says "go give it your all, kid" like being thrown under the bus by the man who writes your checks.

Here's what this jackass (actually, sorry, he called himself a schmuck in the article so let's stick with that)...here's what this schmuck had to say about his star players:

-On Carlos Beltran (highest paid player on the roster): "We had some schmuck in New York who paid him based on that one series (referring to Beltran's 2004 playoffs with the Astros). He's 65 to 70 percent of what he was."

-On David Wright (3rd highest paid player on the roster & easily their cornerstone): "Really good kid. A very good player. Not a superstar."

-On Jose Reyes (5th highest paid player on the roster): "He thinks he's going to get Carl Crawford money. He's had everything wrong with him. He won't get it."

For those of us keeping score at home, the Mets owner basically just said that his 3 best players are not nearly as good as they think they are. I guess $120 million just doesn't buy what it used to. What I don't understand is that Wilpon wasn't being forced to answer questions about his star players. It's not like he was sitting before a Grand Jury or a mad man with a gun to his head and had to answer truthfully on how good he thinks his players really are. He could have just said...nothing.

And if life wasn't already depressing enough for Mets fans, they get to root for a team where even the owner hates the players. That sounds like a blast (speaking of Mets fans, I better call Freedchips right now to make sure he's still alive). Hey, at least they've got the up-and-coming Ike Davis to look forward to, though I'd bet my life on him succumbing to a horrible tragedy like falling off the George Washington Bridge while rollerskating to the ballpark.

Maybe the Mets will finally get better once Wilpon dies, though the Yankees tried that and it hasn't really worked so far.

The Mets are Dominating!

I came into this season with no hope.  I had accepted the Mets fate as a sub .500 4th place team, and it was kind of nice just knowing that while the Mets would suck, at least I wouldn't be disappointed this time. There's just no way after years and years of heart breaking let downs, mind boggling managerial decisions, and complete incompetence in every facet of the game that I could be sucked into caring about this team.  I felt like the Indians fans in Major League.  Just totally cynical about everything the Mets do.

And BAM!  What happens?  They come out firing on all cylinders.  Sure they lost their first game, but then they show some grit in winning an extra inning game against the Marlins before bludgeoning them to round out their first series.  And then they put a hurting on Cole Hamels and the Phillies last night.  Ike Davis and David Wright are smashing the ball all over the place, and RA Dickey is knuckle-balling the shit out of everybody.  They're actually running balls out, playing hard, and playing solid defense.  I'm now only 95% sure that they won't turn into a complete embarrassment.  So congratulations Mets.  Once again you've given me false hope.  Your impending doom will be all the more painful for me yet again.  For some reason, unlike those Indians fans, I'm all too willing to believe in this franchise.  I'm like an abused wife that leaves her husband, but then keeps coming back when he insists he's changed.  Right now the Mets are putting on their finest suits, playing some Barry White, and whispering sweet nothings into my ear.  Won't be long before they are downing a bottle of Jack and beating the shit out of me on a daily basis.  Meh, the life of a Mets fan.