Yankees ghosts of players past haunt Mets owner Fred Wilpon

So, Free Agents Always Destroy a Team

“H: Fair enough, but the Yankees won twice as many by adding Reggie to some homegrown Yankees, and some who were traded for.

S: Oh, poor, poor Hal. You still have not seen the error of your ways. Let us look now through all the recent Yankees’ years. Through the Eighties, when your team was consistently mediocre.

H: Alright, that’s true. But at least the Yankees won more games than any other team in that decade.

S: Ah, but look at the Mets brilliant strategy. They were awful to start the decade, had a few years of excellence resulting in a world title, and faded back to the bottom for another ten years.

That’s a recurring vision, by the way, except without any more titles. I won’t show you all of that as it would be too depressing. For you, Hal, of course. Not Mets’ fans. They love this approach. Oooooooooooohhhhhh!

Meanwhile, poor and destitute Yankees fans have had to suffer through your family’s years of folly. See as dearly departed George foolishly signs Wade Boggs, David Cone, and Kenny Rogers in the early Nineties. Doesn’t he see how this will destroy the Yankees! Oh, woe is me!

H: Um, yeah, I guess I can see that. But the Yankees did win the World Series in 1996. And Coney went on to help win three more.

S: Hal, oh Hal, why must you only look at the short-term rewards! You must focus on how unsustainable this all is! Only Fred Wilpon knows the key to long-term baseball success. Watch as his team plays in the 2000 World Series!”