The reasons why Omar Minaya needs to be fired – and probably Jeff Wilpon too – are legion, but this interview with JJ Putz captures perfectly the essence of a dysfunctional organization more interested in futile news cycle-to-news cycle CYA efforts with the press than with doing the work needed to create a winning ballclub and hold accountable the people who fail to get their jobs done:
“When the trade went down last year, I never really had a physical with the Mets,” said Putz. “I had the bone spur (in the right elbow). It was discovered the previous year in Seattle, and it never got checked out by any other doctors until I got to spring training, and the spring training physical is kind of a formality. It was bugging me all through April, and in May I got an injection. It just got to the point where I couldn’t pitch. I couldn’t throw strikes, my velocity was way down.”
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[T]he Mets told Putz not to talk about being hurt with the media.
“I knew that I wasn’t right. I wasn’t healthy. The toughest part was having to face the media and tell them that you feel fine, even though you know there’s something wrong and they don’t want you telling them that you’re banged up.”
Ugh. So, don’t bother checking out the guy’s arm when you’re making a multimillion dollar business decision, then order him to cover up what you were too dumb or lazy to check – knowing full well it will come out soon enough anyway.
Inexcusable.
Honestly, why can’t they do anything right?
Whatever his skills as a talent evaluator (I think his record in that regard is mixed), Minaya is clearly unqualified as a manager in the business, rather than baseball, sense of the term. He’s not quite Isaiah Thomas bad, but he’s getting there. Of course, he’ll be fired soon, or else the team will improbably overachieve, and either outcome is okay. On the other hand, bad ownership is the gift that keeps on giving, and signs regarding Jeff Wilpon are not encouraging.
We need Dalton to come in and clean this place out. If he could handle Brad Wesley, maybe he can fix this place as well.
Keep hope alive.
As life long Met fan it pains me to see what is happening in Flushing. Last summer I vowed not to go to, or watch any games on TV until Minaya was removed. I even stopped buying the NY Post!! If the Wilpons feel it in their pockets maybe they will do something. I can’t take another summer if they are going to be 80-82.
Someone should fire the Wilpons, too. Or at least send them to the International Criminal Court.