Drama Queens

Fred Wilpon and the Mets would be perfect for Bravo's
next reality series, "The Real Housewives of Queens."

Over the last five seasons, being a New York Mets fan has been more like watching "The Real Housewives of New Jersey" series.

Forget baseball, it's all about drama, drama, and more drama for the Mets.

For five seasons now, the Mets have been less of a baseball team in the country's biggest market and more of a sideshow circus. This Mets fan has just about had enough of it.

The latest example of Mets disfunction came from owner Fred Wilpon, who in a lengthy profile in The New Yorker, was highly critical of the team's star players, Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran, and even the face of the franchise David Wright.

(As an aside, I actually agree with Wilpon's assessment of the three players. If it had been a fellow Mets fan or a sports talk radio host who made these critiques, I'd have no problem with it. But when these comments come from ownership, it's a complete embarrassment for the three players and the entire organization.)

Despite losing the weekend Subway Series to the Yankees, I had actually begun to believe in this current Mets team. No, I had no illusions that this team, which is currently without Wright, first baseman Ike Davis and center fielder Angel Pagan, could compete for a postseason berth. Nonetheless, I had begun to warm up to this squad, from its passionate manager Terry Collins to the host of minor leaguers overachieving at the Major League level (see Justin Turner).

If nothing else, I could once again feel decent about the Mets. After starting the season 5-13, the team has gone 17-11 in their last 28 games and doing it with a glorified minor league roster.

Then again, this isn't some well-oiled machine of an organization -- these are the Mets, the poster boys for disfunction. While Wilpon made the comments about his players back in April amid the team's brutal start, the timing of the article couldn't have been more fitting for the franchise seemingly always embroiled in drama.

So now instead of talking about the job manager Terry Collins has done or the surging Turner, I can't help but place Wilpon's comments right there in pantheon of Mets blunders.

So let's briefly recap the turmoil that has engulfed the team over the last five seasons or so:

After wining 97 games in 2006, the team inexplicably lost Game 7 of the NLCS to the Cardinals at Shea Stadium. The following season brought the team's epic collapse, as the Mets blew a seven-game divisional lead with 17 to play. A similar choke job followed in 2008. The 2009 season was one few fans will forget - no matter how hard we try - as the team suffered through a rash of injuries en route to a 92-loss year.

Then last season, the Mets got off to a surprisingly good start but melted down during a second half that included season-ending surgery for Johan Santana for the second straight year.

And lets not forget former GM Omar Minaya's public relations disaster in '09 when he embarrassed the organization by accusing Mets beat writer Adam Rubin of angling for his job. Or how about last year, when closer Francisco Rodriguez was arrested after going all Gary Busey and knocking out his own father-in-law in the Mets club house.

But perhaps the most damning turn of events came recently, when the trustee for the victims of Bernie Madoff's ponzee scheme filed a $1 billion lawsuit against Wilpon, alleging the Mets owner knew of the scheme and profited from it.

Wilpon even admitted in an upcoming Sports Illustrated article that the organization is "bleeding cash" and will likely shed $64 million in payroll next season. As a result, Wilpon will sell a $200 million stake in the team, while GM Sandy Alderson will likely have to trade Reyes later this season.

But what the hell, Fred. Things are quickly going south for you anyway, so why not throw dirt on your own players and once again show the rest of the sports world how much of a joke your franchise has become. (Me bitter? Really? No way!)

My point to all of this? Just when you think things can't get any worse, it always gets worse. Something I've often tried to explain to friends who are fans of other teams is that whenever things appear to have hit rock bottom for the Mets, the organization is sure to find a way to lower the bar for itself.  So good job Fred, way to show you're Met pride.

If nothing else, Wilpon's comments and the ensuing fallout once again remind us of the team's tragic nickname.

Here's a hint, it rhymes with 'chess.'