THE Mets have not only fallen completely out of any post-season consideration. They had fallen to the third most interesting team in town behind the Yankees and the Rolando Paulino All-Stars.
Recently, New York was more concerned about Danny Almonte’s age than Al Leiter’s.
How the Mets collapsed from Subway Series to substandard is based on inadequacy from A (Rod)-to-Z(eile). It is an old story now, when all that should matter is 2002 and retaking the city from both the men and the boys of The Bronx.
Therefore, the Mets should look forward by looking across the field. Because the Giants are a pretty apt model for the Mets, seeing how they share a few vital similarities, yet one important difference – the Giants are contending despite losing a second straight game to the Mets, falling 3-2 on an 11th-inning RBI single by Rey Ordonez.
Both clubs’ offenses are built around a singular star – Barry Bonds, who was 1-for-3 with two walks as the Mets did not allow his 56th homer, and Mike Piazza. Both clubs’ secondary star has been a second baseman – Jeff Kent for the Giants and Edgardo Alfonzo, who continued an encouraging, albeit too-late run, with three more hits.
Both clubs have rotations with good, but not great starters, though Steve Trachsel was better than good with seven innings of one-run pitching and a career high-tying 11 strikeouts.
Both clubs would like to play a seven-inning game and then hand the ball to their end games – Felix Rodriguez and Robb Nen, who permitted Ordonez’s winning hit, and John Franco and Armando Benitez.
Both clubs are run by Tommy Lasorda disciples, though Dusty Baker is not as influenced by his former manager as Bobby Valentine is.
For New York, the best similarity would be if Fred Wilpon imitated Giants owner Peter Magowan, who took no money from the folks of San Francisco, yet built the spectacular Pac Bell Ballpark anyway. So in constructing his team and his retro-Ebbets Field dreams, Wilpon should be gazing westward, though city taxpayers and Met fans probably have no shot at this.
Wilpon generally has gotten a pass in this town for one reason – he is not George Steinbrenner. Even now, it is Steinbrenner being hassled – as he should be – about getting a new stadium. Meanwhile, Wilpon essentially flies under the criticism radar, though the franchise he bought with Nelson Doubleday for $21.1 million in 1981 was valued this year by Forbes magazine at $454 million, Wilpon and his associates sold a bio-tech corporation last year for $750 million and the Mets will draw around 2.8 million to shameful Shea this season despite a team as bad as the building.
Why again is Rudy Giuliani trying to give Wilpon money?
There is this one other thing: Steinbrenner has been both a principal and unprincipled owner, but his Yankees have satiated their fans with championships. Wilpon’s team went to the World Series last year and took a victory lap as runner-up rather than improving the product.
It means Wilpon is feeling some heat, which means Steve Phillips is really feeling heat since Wilpon’s placid public persona is not quite as nice behind executive doors. And here is where the giant difference may come. San Francisco has Brian Sabean, perhaps the game’s best GM. The Mets have Phillips, whose track record is more sketchy.
This is Sabean’s fifth season as Giant GM and, despite working with middle-of-the-pack payrolls, his teams have won 434 games, which is third most in the majors behind the Braves and Yankees, and seven more than the Mets. None of his teams has finished worse than 10 games over .500, sidestepping what has befallen the 2001 Mets, who are spending roughly $30 million more than San Francisco.
Sabean has essentially avoided the type of miserable, multi-year contracts Phillips is now so busily – and mostly futilely – trying to trade.
This year, despite losing key contributors such as Ellis Burks and Bill Mueller, the Giants would be in the playoffs if the season ended today. The Mets, after losing Mike Hampton, have been less successful and interesting than a Little League team.