I am a patient man. After all I root for the Islanders (who haven’t won a playoff series since 1993), Knicks (2000), and Mets. If it weren’t for the New York Football Giants I may have cut myself already. As I sit here on a Monday morning, I’m thinking to myself “What am I doing?” Do I enjoy pain? Do I enjoy being jerked around? I don’t know what it is, but I feel like I’m a glutton for punishment.
I don’t know why this is the case, but a tweet I saw this morning from the Mets really pissed me off. “Take 50% off any item at MLB.com Shop” they say. But read the fine print and you’ll see it excludes 2013 blue jerseys. My question is why? Now, I have already bought a blue Matt Harvey home jersey. But I am waiting until David Wright is signed until I purchase a blue road. The Mets can run all gimmicks and sales they want, but until they have a franchise player (not the hope or promise of one) locked up for the long-term I won’t be reinvesting in this team. I will go to the game with my free tickets and that’s it. I will tie one on in the parking lot or on the train but I won’t spend cash on beer. I will bring a sandwich and chips in a cooler and not go to Two Boots or Shake Shake. Not attending altogether isn’t an option – I love baseball games. But I will no longer spend my hard-earned money to help the Wilponzis climb out of debt.
Last time I checked the Mets still play in New York City – the number one media market in the friggin’ world. I know that doesn’t guarantee championships or even division titles, but surely you should be able to attract the players you desire. They only way that won’t happen is if the Wilponzis don’t have enough money. And the fact that (if the reports are accurate) they won’t shell out an extra year and $20 million to their best position player in franchise history or a 2-year $29 million extension to the reigning Cy Young award winner proves the fact they’re broke. And frankly, it’s downright embarrassing.
I once felt proud of being a Mets fan. I felt like I earned it, going through the trials and tribulations in my twenty-something years of fandom. But now, I’m almost ashamed. How can something I cared so much about turn to complete and utter crap in so little time. Do you remember 2006? Wright and Reyes with cigars in their mouths drinking champagne after ending the Braves 14-year run atop the NL East – what a promising time for the franchise. Now, a mere six years later were worried about losing SCOTT HAIRSTON!
I once read a quote I find applicable here: “Life takes your dreams and turns them upside down…People make promises that they can’t keep and I’ve come to realize talk is cheap.”
My sentiments exactly and I’ve been a diehard fan since 1970. With only one championship in my fandom, I’m more than just upset. Why doesn’t Selig force the sale of the team? Does the Wilpons have pictures of the commissioner with farm animals or something? I stoppped financing the Wilpons a long time ago. Yeah, I’ll buy a ticket, but that’s it. I no longer buy the overpriced hot dogs and concession items. I either bring my own food or forego eating until I leave. They get enough of my hard-earned money without giving me a competitive-playing team, I refuse to make them any wealthier. And I don’t believe the “they’re broke” stories, either. They made money off of the Madoff scheme, just not as much as they’d hoped to. That’s like saying, “I only made $500 million when I was hoping for $700 million.” Unlike others, they weren’t wiped out — they MADE money, again, just not as much as they’d hoped to.