Flashback Friday: Madoff’s Curveball (The New Yorker 2011)

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Fred Wilpon’s recent appointment to the Finance Committee led me to google “Fred Wilpon” for some research.  During that research I stumbled across the 2011 New Yorker article.  That’s the one that gave us great lines like “Carl Crawford Money” and Saul Katz telling us about his balls.

If you haven’t read it in a few years I suggest you do.

Here are some interesting parts.

“No one had heard of us before we bought the Mets, and afterward the change was dramatic,” Wilpon told me. “I don’t think someone has not returned one of my telephone calls in thirty years. It’s a small club, owning a baseball team, and people want to be near it.” As Katz told me, “You take the chairman of the board of a bank, with his grandson, on the field to meet David Wright, and make that grandfather a hero, and you do business the way we do business, it opens up everything.”

 

15 Replies to “Flashback Friday: Madoff’s Curveball (The New Yorker 2011)”

  1. metspolice It’s Saul’s family that may ultimately force the sale. Unlike Jeff, the Katz kids don’t want to run a team…

  2. metspolice do you think this is exclusive to Wilpon-Katz? Or, probably the case for most people that own pro sports teams?

  3. matthewcerrone Most for sure, which is the point. This notion that the baseball games matter is silly. Its a flanker that drives other biz

  4. metspolice they matter to a point to owners, but I assume less than fans, because the Standings is literally all WE have.

  5. matthewcerrone u are correct. And I’m pointing out 86 wins and intro’ing a banker to MH is good enough, and the roster commitment echoes it

  6. metspolice Yuk follow AlaanOfficial dijamin Tweetnya pas banget dihati. Follback? Mention aja,pasti difollback

  7. metspolice matthewcerrone I would say that’s probably true if owners have multiple businesses, which most do. But some are true fans.

  8. matthewcerrone metspolice I think that when the time comes, Saul’s kids will look over at Cousin Jeff and say “no thanks” and force a sale

  9. matthewcerrone metspolice Perhaps I should rephrase, some truly care about winning more than others!

  10. matthewcerrone metspolice It’s obvious Wilpons care more about their real estate biz then the Mets!

  11. Metsaniac metspolice I tend to care more about the things that make me the most money as well.

  12. matthewcerrone metspolice Well certainly, and there’s nothing wrong with that, but I think more could be done to make Mets more profitable

  13. matthewcerrone metspolice At this point they’re losing money and likely fans. Yet do little to fix that, and that’s what’s frustrating.

  14. Metsaniac matthewcerrone I put passions/interest/happiness ahead of all-out financial desires.

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