Fred Wilpon is Psyched!!

According to an article at Northjersey.com that quotes him, Freddie Wilpon is content with his team's progress this year. Ok, so now they're in third place, but since they were in last place or near there when eliminated, I think of this team as a last place team. So Wilpon is psyched that he plowed another $194.5 million in long-term contracts for Carlos Beltran, Pedro Martinez and Kris Benson into an effectively last place team.

Wilpon said of Pedro: "He's been a great citizen. He's been a great pitcher. With a little break here or there, he might have won 20 games this year." Wilpon might have added, "With a manager able to order a sandwich properly, he might have won 22!"

Wilpon: "Everything we asked him to do, he has done 120 percent. He's a man of his word. He's a man of character." He might have added, "unlike the sex offenders we hired to receive his pitches".

Well, Fred is probably hyperventilating with joy that his new manager managed his team OUT of the playoffs, by making bad decisions, or good decisions too late, depending on your perspective. To recount what has already been established:

Deciding to A) Leave Jay Seo Seo to rot in the minors and B) use Ishii at all, while pitching Carlos Zam-Bambi were BAD decisions. They cost the Mets.

Waiting to pull the trigger on bringing up Mike Jacobs and instead play a bunch of washed up utility men at first when the production of Mancanthitz was found wanting was a BAD decision.

Sticking with an ineffective, injured, and goofy "closer" whose main contributions were to blow Pedro Martinez' season out his a**, and demoralize the team generally, long after he could have installed Heilman, who turned out to be effective in the role.

Many also believe that his line-up making, particularly Beltran and Wright, cost this team some offense, which might be true. But Willie's inability to manage his bullpen probably cost the Mets more.

Sure, this team was just not good enough or seasoned enough to take the title away from the Br*ves this year. But the Wild Card was a very real possibility. So while Willie mangaged the Mets in his first year to what looks like a third place finish, he showed little fire , and little savvy on the field-managmet where it counts. His decisions were poor. And it is no stretch to argue that this cost the Mets the Wild Card.

So kick your dog, Fred.