The title of the post is “Opinion: reality, and the road ahead” and is very well written and worth your time. Unfortunately, Matt’s blog allows comments from some posters, and not from all. Before Matt changed the comment structure, Metsblog was a literary free-for-all, often with 200 or more comments PER post! However, every time we have tried to post a comment lately, nothing happens. Still a great read.
Matt raises an excellent point that really begs further discussion. As a franchise, the Mets are at the proverbial “fork in the road.” Honestly, they are “just a player or two away” from becoming the New York Knicks. What we mean is, one or two more poor free-agent signings — or long-term contracts (or extensions) — and the Mets will become the laughingstock of Major league baseball.
Which is why we wrote recently “it feels like 1978” all over again.
And most sports franchises periodically reach the fork in the road. They must decide to “stay the course” (usually not working) or move in a completely new direction (rebuild). Think back to the early 1970-Yankees, late 1970’s-NY Giants, the current Knick team, the late 1970’s Mets. The Islanders, Rangers, Nets, Jets, you name it, have all reached the same fork in the road. It happens.
The hosts of their morning show on their flagship radio station, WFAN, say publicly that they don’t even tune in anymore to watch, and surmised that many other people (fans) are also not tuning in. And bringing the family to the new ballpark is an expensive outing for most people — with or without a tough economic landscape. It’s just becoming too darn expensive for most people to go to (more then) a few games a year.
Incidentally, Matt also reported the Mets will not raise ticket prices for 2010. They do not need an MBA in Flushing to figure that one out.
A poor product on the field leads to declining viewership, which leads to declining attendance, which usually leads to declining advertisers. This all ends up on the financial reports as declining revenue. And as we have noted in two previous columns, we can no longer expect ownership to open up a bottomless checkbook.
This is a very negative downward spiral, and this franchise sits right on the edge.
In our opinion, the most important move the Mets can make right now is this:
Be honest, forthright and open with your fans.
Before we even begin hootin’ and hollerin’ for the team, remember: we subscribe to your cable channel, we do business with your advertisers, we buy their products (even SpongeTech), we go to your ballpark and buy overpriced hot dogs and foam fingers.
We are your customer. Be on the level with us.
Please, no more “half-answers” or “vague responses” to our questions… whether they be about the status of our shortstop, or the short, medium and long-range plans for the franchise. At the present time, there does not seem to be a medium or long range plan at all in place.
This is where the Knicks failed. They refuse to acknowledge mistakes that were made in the past and then buried their head in the sand collectively regarding how to go about fixing it. And that franchise has been a disaster for a long time. Let’s learn from that mistake.
In our opinion, signing a free agent or two seems like a short-term patch. A return to the 1978 game plan. All they need to do is turn the pages of the history book ahead just a few chapters from 1978 forward to 1982. There was some pain in 1982, but not quite the level of pain we felt in 1980 and 1981. But quite a bit happened beneath the surface. 1983 showed us great promise and hope, and 1984 through 1989 were happy times for Mets fans.
It can happen again. The short term pain will be worth it. Take the hit NOW. It would be far better to take our lumps in 2010 with Parnell, Niese, Pelfrey, Murphy, Evans and FMart along with Reyes (health permitting), Wright and Beltran — if that is to be the new “core.”
Commit to the youth, don’t spend any more money. After all, the Wilpon family is tapped out. Now it is our money you’re spending. Build for the future.
That’s our opinion. What is yours?
