The following is not a Saturday night live skit. We promise. This is the real deal. An April Fool’s joke in late May really makes no sense, so there goes that possibility. New York Mets owner Fred Wilpon is just that fed up with his team’s lack of success, and he apparently doesn’t care much for his individual players, either.
The Big Lead passed along an epic interview from The New Yorker in which Wilpon completely tools on his own team, even calling them a “sh***y team” at one point. Allow us to summarize the most entertaining moments for you.
For starters, Wilpon has no intention of keeping Jose Reyes around next season, so he might as well pack his bags now. In fact, I wouldn’t blame Reyes for not giving it 100% this year. Here are Wilpon’s thoughts on Reyes:
“He’s a racehorse. He thinks he’s going to get Carl Crawford money. He’s had everything wrong with him. He won’t get it.”
With the way Crawford has started with the Red Sox, one might argue anyone could get that kind of salary. That, however, is a discussion for another day.
Moving along now. If you thought David Wright was a superstar or had the potential to be one, you’re wrong. After all, no one knows a team’s players better than its owner, right?
“He’s pressing,” Wilpon said when asked about Wright. “A really good kid. A very good player. Not a superstar.”
So that settles that. Wight is only 28, but he will never be a superstar. That kind of sucks considering he’s the best player the Mets have on their roster in a big market. The Wilpon has spoken. Next victim: Carlos Beltran. Beltran was probably the hardest hit target, even if what Wilpon said about him was true. The feeling of an owner admitting he wishes he never signed you has to be a tough one to deal with.
“We had some shmuck in New York who paid him based on that one series (2004 against the Astros),” Wilpon said referring to himself as the shmuck. “He’s sixty-five to seventy percent of what he was.”
Have no fear. Wilpon did eventually compliment one of his players — first baseman Ike Davis. He still hates the team though.
“Good hitter,” he said when asked about Davis. “Sh***y team — good hitter. We’re snakebitten baby.”
Now get out there and win one for the gipper, boys! All joking aside, how badly does this stuff suck for Mets fans to hear? It’s bad enough the team keeps melting down every year. When you have an owner who more or less admits he hates the team and doesn’t care about improving it, there really is absolutely nothing you can do. Managers can be fired. Players can be cut. Owners aren’t going anywhere until they die or choose to leave. Cheer up, Mets fans. Raider nation knows how you feel.
