With the idea in mind that front-office bigwigs ultimately affect the unimportant stuff that eventually gets reported and published here, MBTN would like to take the opportunity to go blog on you and comment regarding this afternoon’s bizarre transfer of power in Metland.
We predict it will become clear that what emerged today was the Wilpons’ lack of trust in castrated former head honcho Jim Duquette, who like Art Howe is absorbing some punishment for circumstances beyond his control. While we think it’s great that local Queens guy Omar Minaya is getting an opportunity to truly lead the Mets, at the same time it’s a shame that Duke was never really afforded the same, even though, at least until July 30, his moves, and his team, ought to have demonstrated to his bosses he deserved it.
What we learned today in an unfortunately candid moment was that the Wilpons never took the training wheels off Duke’s contract and may never have intended to, seeing as Minaya was the man they wanted all along. And that’s because his assignment in Montreal — which everyone knew was temporary when it began — provided Minaya with the one thing Duquette could never have: A fair shake at some experience.
Taken broadly, that’s a thread that runs through a myriad of Wilponian messes including the Kazmir-Zambrano trade: The idea that unproven rookies are risks for other organizations to take. Ironically, the fact that that move — widely rumored to have come at the behest of Duquette’s senior scouting advisors — hasn’t paid immediate dividends only goes to prove how right the Mets philosophy can be made to appear: Duquette, the unproven rookie, is taking the fall for it.
Anyhow, we wish Minaya the best of luck but hope in light of his previously stated allergies to progressive thinking that he honors his pledge to utilize Duke as his “right-hand man” and that the Wilpons resist getting in the way unless he doesn’t. You gotta believe.
