Fred Expects The Best

Jeremy Cothran at The Star Ledger writes about Fred Wilpon and what he expects from the Mets this season:

Fred Wilpon not only applauds Carlos Beltran's recent boast, he echoes it.

The Mets principal owner, flanked by his son, senior vice president Jeff Wilpon, had his annual spring chat with reporters yesterday and declared the upcoming season had better be defined by success in October.

"It's a championship season," Wilpon said, measuring his words carefully. "We expect to be in the playoffs, and deep into the playoffs. That's our expectation. That's everyone around here, players, manager, Jeff, myself, and everyone that's around the club."

While expectations have been heightened, the Wilpons pointed out that it's not a make-or-break season for manager Willie Randolph should the Mets fail to reach the postseason.

"We're all accountable," Fred Wilpon said. "But no, I don't think people's jobs are on the line. I think that we're going to assess, with them, at the end of the year, 'How did we do? How did we perform?' They can't perform for the players."

Wilpon Gives The Green Light

At The Star Tribune they write about Fred Wilpon and him green lighting Omar Minaya for the contract extension of Johan Santana should the Mets trade for him:

A turning point came when Wilpon gave the green light to GM Omar Minaya. If Minaya swings the trade, as I wrote about today, Wilpon is confident he’ll get Santana signed. In the Mets’ camp, there is a belief that the price for Santana won’t be quite as high as advertised. Santana might ask for a six-year, $150 million extension, but there’s a belief teams could negotiate down from there.

Money Lost

Accoriding to CNN Money the Mets lost 15 million or more in postseason revenue. The New York Mets lost more than a playoff spot, their pride and probably some of their fan base this past week. The franchise lost millions of dollars, while the players themselves lost at least $20,000 apiece, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars. (Mets Prospects)

Wilpon On The Mets

John Heyman at Sports Illistrated writes about Jeff Wilpon and how he views the Mets struggles recently:

"I'm disappointed with the way the team is performing overall, and that's everyone, top to bottom,'' Mets COO Jeff Wilpon told SI.com before Wednesday's much-needed win expanded New York's NL East lead over Philadelphia to 2½ games. "I'm disappointed in Omar, Willie, the players ... that's everyone. We shouldn't be in this position. But we are. We've got to fight our way out and pull this out.''

Mets Under a Dark Cloud

Kevin Devaney Jr. at Lower Hudson Online, writes about Omar Minaya and his thoughts regarding the recent steroid suspensions in the Mets organization:

After minor-league pitcher Jorge Reyes received a 100-game suspension on May 8 for failing a drug test for the second time, reliever Lino Urdaneta was hit with a 50-game ban yesterday.

Urdaneta, a 27-year-old right-hander, appeared in two games during a brief stay with the Mets this season, which concluded with his demotion to Triple-A New Orleans on Sunday.Minaya and Mets executive vice president Jeff Wilpon condemned the usage of performance-enhancing drugs and but defended their positions.

"We are no different than any other organization. You can look at the numbers," Minaya said. "We're somewhere right in the middle, where the other organizations are when it comes to (performance-enhancement drug tests).

Wilpon also noted that the Mets were "in the middle of the pack" among major league teams in terms of violators of the steroid policies of major and minor league baseball.

Best Owners In Baseball

Jim Baumbach at Newsday, writes about thebest owners in baseball with Mets owner, Fred Wilpon coming in second to The Boss (George Steinbrenner) :

New York Mets (209 responses): Not surprising that Fred Wilpon finishes second. We could probably ask which team sells the best hot dogs in baseball, and the Yankees and Mets would be the top two votegetters. We know who our core audience is, obviously.

2011 All Star Game?

Ben Shipgel at the NY Times, writes about the 2011 All Star Game and how the Mets have thrown their hats in to host it:

On a more serious note, Wilpon said the Mets applied to play host to the 2011 All-Star Game in what would be the third season in their new ballpark, Citi Field. “I hope people from all over the world will come,” he said.