Owner's Son Fingers G.M.

[Wolf Hopper]

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/ba...0p-73406c.html

Things aren't only getting ugly on the field for the Mets, they're getting that way in the front office, too.

Yesterday, before the Mets lost to the Cardinals, 13-4, Jeff Wilpon, team COO and son of owner Fred, hung GM Steve Phillips out to dry for the high-priced busts currently playing at Shea, saying the men who ponied up the $120 million shouldn't be blamed if the wrong players have been hired.

"Fred and I are only as good as the info we get," Jeff Wilpon told the Daily News yesterday.

If that sounded like Wilpon selling out GM Steve Phillips, well ...

"You can read into it how you like," Wilpon said. "I'm stating the facts."
-------------------------------------------------
Wilpon did say that manager ArtHowe and the coaching staff should play whomever they feel is best, and not be beholden to players with big contracts.

"Whatever that looks like is up to the manager," Wilpon said of the lineup. "The GM picks the personnel the manager has to work with."

What about the personnel?

"The guys haven't performed as we thought they would perform," Wilpon said. "... But the decisions were made by Steve and the staff that we had the right people here."

It just gets uglier, and uglier, in Flushing.

[gyb13]

indeed

[WiredTiger]

The Mets are a mess. Too many players on the downside of their career. The are the New York Rangers of baseball.

[Wolf Hopper]

Glen - yes, NY is pulling the hat trick with the Mets, Rangers, and Knicks...........

Should note, for the record, that The Mets are now doing some spin doctoring on this - - - -

http://www.nj.com/sports/ledger/inde...1256268420.xml

If the Mets continue to lose, the question is not whether general manager Steve Phillips will be fired, but when. And right now does not appear to be the time, even though the Mets are in last place and playing terribly.

"A lot of writers seem to think it is the time," Mets chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon said yesterday. "I don't."

Wilpon borrowed one of Phillips' favorite phrases when asked if there were any plans to dismiss the general manager: "Nothing is imminent," he said.

That sentiment has been reinforced privately by Mets officials familiar with the situation, last week and again yesterday. The idea of firing Phillips this early is "not even a remote possibility," said one official, who said he would be "stunned" if it happened now.

[nyyfanfrombirth]

Wilpon was saying some of the same stuff about Valentine -- "nothing is imminent, blah, blah, blah..." But then he got fired. So I wouldn't be surprised if Phillips gets the ax sooner rather than later.

[Skip]

The idea of firing Phillips this early is "not even a remote possibility," said one official, who said he would be "stunned" if it happened now.

Which means, of course, that Phillips will be gone in time to see the [shameless plug] call to the post at the 129th Kentucky Derby [/sp].

[KCBOOMER]

That burning smell is Steve Phillips becoming toast.

[rcartman28]

Even "Friends" made jokes about the Mets in last week's episode.

[OaktownTribeFan]

Normally I'd feel a little bad that Art Howe is managing a sad sack team like that, except:

1) He's making tons of money and
2) He was never as good as the hype said he was in Oakland

Howe is good with players and very media savvy, but he's not much of a strategist. I listened to many A's games where his inactivity on the bench cost them games. Now he's got worse pitching and less hitting, while dealing with higher expectations. When they don't make the playoffs, he'll bear the brunt of the criticism. IMO, he'll last a couple of years in NY and then move on.

[Skip]

Lets try to keep it on Phillips, or on Wilpon/Phillips, and not too broadly on the sorry state of the Mets. Yeah, I know they're related, but the owner/owner's family/GM dynamic is really the point of the thread.

[pathogan]

,...what did I miss? probably three new postings on the yankees being the greatest team since the yankees, and three bagging the Mets.sigh...

[Fuzzy Bear]

I can't think of a single reason Phillips shouldn't be fired. He made the personnel decisions that were awful on face value.

[LisaG]

well, NY being Ny, guess it's goodbye to mr. phillips. but it is true that several players have perofrmed far more poorly than could have been reasonably expected. I sure didn't expect roberto alomar to decline so precipitously, both defensively and offensively. but then, sometimes, you can't just use numbers cuz people don't live up (or down) to predictions.

[Skip]

Originally posted by Fuzzy Bear
I can't think of a single reason Phillips shouldn't be fired. He made the personnel decisions that were awful on face value.

I think that is the fundamental statement. Or, in other words, what did Phillips do that was right? However, does that make Wilpon (second generation) fingering Phillips more or less reprehensible, or does that even come into play?

[satchel]

Originally posted by pathogan
,...what did I miss? probably three new postings on the yankees being the greatest team since the yankees, and three bagging the Mets.sigh...

Sorry you feel this way, pat. You can read it how you like, but the standings are what they are, and there are rumblings of discontent at all levels of the Mets organization. There are plenty of other topics being discussed on the boards - if you don't find one you like, please start on on a topic you'd like to discuss!