Jeff Wilpon
COO, New York Mets
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Mr Wilpon,
           My name is Michael Mattone. I am a 24 year old lifelong Mets fan from Franklin Square, New York, who currently works in the financial district in Manhattan. Today, I witnessed droves and droves of Yankee fans packing the streets in preparation of their World Series victory parade. It is safe to say that today I have never been more disgusted to be a Mets fan in my life. I can only imagine how disgusted others feel; however, older fans have at least witnessed a Mets World Series victory. I was a one-year old in 1986, and have zero recollection of the Mets win. Throughout my childhood, I sat in Shea Stadium watching Bonilla, Saberhagen, Hundley, and the rest of the Mets bask in futility. As a teenager, I came alive as Piazza, Leiter, Bobby V, and the Mets climbed up the ladder and became a blue-collar winner, representing the heart of New York City and Mets nation. Unfortunately, in 2000, the Mets fell short, but I was proud to be a fan, and knew the good years were ahead. As the Mets began to dwindle back to mediocrity, I still held out hope that our new young core of Wright and Reyes, coupled with Beltran and other big time free agents, would make a run at a championship. Then came 2006. I was in college. Day after day, I lined my dorm walls with newspaper covers of the Mets success. This was the year. This was the team, the time. October, 2006, would be the best month of my life. Finally, a championship I could enjoy and celebrate. A parade I could attend. A victory I would remember forever. One Aaron Heilman meatball and one Adam Wainwright curve ball later, I slowly peeled the newspaper covers off the walls, and waited for 2007. After 2007 and 2008, the two worst Septembers of my life, 2009 brought again a glimmer of hope. We had all of our horses coming back on offense and our starting pitching, and we brought in two front-line closers to strengthen our bullpen. After what I saw this year, with this team, and the success of other teams around us (Yankees, Phillies), I must say that what the Mets have in place is the WORST collection of management and talent since I was born. The fact that the 2009 Mets had the same results as the Mets of the early 90’s is pitiful, considering the changes to payroll, the new stadium, and the supposed commitment to excellence that the New York Mets have sold to their fans for the past decade. Myself, and every other Met fan in this city, and all over the country and world, DEMAND CHANGE. There is no plan in place form baseball operations and general management. The team is in disarray, the farm system is barren, and the coaching staff is a collection of bumbling fools and has-beens. We have seven Major League caliber players on our 25 man roster, and two (Santana, Reyes) are coming off surgery in the off-season. The other five are coming off injuries (Beltran, Francoeur), and terrible years by their standards (Wright, K-Rod, Pelfrey). We continue to not go over-slot to get the best draft prospects, continue to give bloated contracts to under-performing players, and fail to develop ANY semblance of homegrown talent in the last four years, save for Big Pelf, who under Dan Warthen’s tutelage, is turning into the next first round failure. Mr. Wilpon, I implore you, as a fan of your team, as a paying customer, to FIX THIS MESS. Find the manpower and the funds necessary to bring the Mets back to where they belong. Commit to excellence. STOP MAKING EXCUSES!!!!! We are raised as a society to take adversity head on when it slaps us in the face, yet this franchise continues to crumble every time they feel an ounce of pressure!! BRING IN MEN who are true ballplayers; guys who will work harder than anyone else, and will themselves to win when losing is the easy way out. Bring in LEADERS to coach this team, guys who have been there before, won championships, can right the wrongs of your team. The product you have put out for the paying customers is completely inadequate. Nobody wants to visit a new stadium that fails to embrace Met history, and at the same time fails to display a bright future for the Mets (especially for the prices you charge). Consider this letter to be a warning from not only me, but ALL Met fans. As much as Yankee fans can gather to celebrate, Met fans will gather tenfold to DEMAND CHANGE! Thank you for your time, Mr. Wilpon, I hope this message shows you what your fans, your customers, are truly feeling right now, and I pray that you do everything in your power to make the next mass gathering of fans on Broadway a sea of blue and orange, with proud fans waving Met flags, honoring their heroes. You don’t want to see a mass gathering of Met fans anywhere else. Trust me.
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Michael Mattone
30 comments
udontmesswthejohan
11/6/2009-2:47pm at 2:47 pm (UTC -4)
I also work downtown and had the same infuriating experience you had this morning. It was really tough. I may not agree with all that you have said, but I certainly can agree with the overall sentiment, which is that this fan base deserves better than it is getting.
metfreak
11/6/2009-2:51pm at 2:51 pm (UTC -4)
But Mr Wilpon gave us Shake shack what else do we need
CaseStreet
11/6/2009-4:48pm at 4:48 pm (UTC -4)
mmm, I’m having a shack attack
Kingman 26
11/6/2009-2:51pm at 2:51 pm (UTC -4)
LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
Kingman 26
11/6/2009-2:56pm at 2:56 pm (UTC -4)
We are all disappointed, but much of this is really ridiculous.
Feliciano, Murphy, and Castillo are not “Major League caliber players”??
The talent assembled for 2009 was worse than 1993? 2003? Many other years since you were born?
Pssst—perhaps you noticed we had a few injuries last year?
trs86
11/6/2009-2:59pm at 2:59 pm (UTC -4)
LOL, it was hard for me to press publish. But this is the voice of some Mets fans so I feel it has a place.
Kingman 26
11/6/2009-3:01pm at 3:01 pm (UTC -4)
LOL! I hear ya….and of course, it has a place, as do my above points.
whataputz
11/6/2009-3:48pm at 3:48 pm (UTC -4)
why does eveyone hate on feliciano. His job is left handed specialist, and he is great against lefties and is pretty good in big spots. I don’t get why people hate him. the guy pitches a 150 games a season
Kingman 26
11/6/2009-3:50pm at 3:50 pm (UTC -4)
Because some folks are not reasonable.
I am not a huge fan of Feliciano, but for a guy who will be the 3rd or 4th guy out of the pen, how can he be faulted?
He can’t, if you know baseball and are reasonable.
dirtysanchez
11/6/2009-3:04pm at 3:04 pm (UTC -4)
Im 24 also mike…totally get where your coming from. Missing out on the 80′s is tough when the only success we have witness was the piazza era and 2006….
wannybackstra
11/6/2009-3:07pm at 3:07 pm (UTC -4)
I couldn’t even read it. Needs paragraphs.
trs86
11/6/2009-3:19pm at 3:19 pm (UTC -4)
Well that COULD be my fault. I had to publish it from word and it does not get along with wordpress.
Kingman 26
11/6/2009-3:23pm at 3:23 pm (UTC -4)
Yeah, the system does that a lot…I always write my posts in an Outlook email, then copy them into the box, and it almost always removes all paragraph breaks when not using code, then I have to go back and hit enter all over the place to put them back…strangely, this happens only about 3/4 of the time….
udontmesswthejohan
11/6/2009-3:40pm at 3:40 pm (UTC -4)
Yeah, sure am glad the Yankees won instead of the Phillies.
http://www.silive.com/northshore/index.ssf/2009/11/it_was_chaos_says_commuter_who.html
CaseStreet
11/6/2009-4:51pm at 4:51 pm (UTC -4)
In sum:
WORSE
DEMAND CHANGE
ANY
FIX THIS MESS
STOP MAKING EXCUSES!!!!
BRING IN MEN
LEADERS
DEMAND CHANGE!
CaseStreet
11/6/2009-4:53pm at 4:53 pm (UTC -4)
My fav line:
I pray that you do everything in your power to make the next mass gathering of fans on Broadway a sea of blue and orange, with proud fans waving Met flags, honoring their heroes.
Kingman 26
11/6/2009-5:15pm at 5:15 pm (UTC -4)
Well, that next gathering could be Dolphin fans celebrating, based on the sentence…
And that speculation on King Felix being traded yesterday was almost as exciting as our new third base coach!
I am SO with you Case that we need a serious number 2 first, foremost, and above all. Everything else is so tremendously secondary.
GravediggerHebner
11/6/2009-6:04pm at 6:04 pm (UTC -4)
I am also on board with your last sentence.
I suppose if Case started a “#24Mets” website it might just lead to confusion.
Willie Mays Mets?
Poop for Mets?
rustyjr
11/6/2009-6:12pm at 6:12 pm (UTC -4)
willie montenez mets?
Kingman 26
11/6/2009-6:20pm at 6:20 pm (UTC -4)
Oh man I loved him as a kid when he was a Met!
Kingman 26
11/6/2009-6:21pm at 6:21 pm (UTC -4)
HAHA!!
GravediggerHebner
11/6/2009-6:02pm at 6:02 pm (UTC -4)
I’m just going to stay far away from Jeff Wilpon for a while so as to avoid any collateral damage.
rustyjr
11/6/2009-6:12pm at 6:12 pm (UTC -4)
why Jeffy couldnt even smash his piggy bank let alone u grave
GravediggerHebner
11/6/2009-6:18pm at 6:18 pm (UTC -4)
I meant I didn’t want to accidentally wander into Coach Mattone’s line of fire.
rustyjr
11/6/2009-6:21pm at 6:21 pm (UTC -4)
ahh ok
metfreak
11/6/2009-6:14pm at 6:14 pm (UTC -4)
Don’t come to Stamford CT thats where he like’s to hang out
GravediggerHebner
11/6/2009-6:19pm at 6:19 pm (UTC -4)
Thanks for the tip, Stamford is easily avoidable for me. I’m feeling safer already.
rustyjr
11/6/2009-6:22pm at 6:22 pm (UTC -4)
what? he has a sack of gold bullion and he knows how to us it?
gonzowill
11/6/2009-6:31pm at 6:31 pm (UTC -4)
All I got to say is Thank God this season is finally over. Lets turn the page and look forward. I will say this, last year it was the Phillies, this year the Yankees. I dread what we’ll see next year if the Mets don’t make it.
GravediggerHebner
11/6/2009-6:38pm at 6:38 pm (UTC -4)
I don’t dread it so much. I’m not sure exactly what you mean when you say “don’t make it” but depending on what that is, if they don’t do it I’ll think we’ll see the IMO overdue major overhaul in the front office, scouting, managerial and coaching staffs and while I’m not rooting for them to “not make it” I would be OK with those side effects.