David Wadler’s Assorted Thoughts

How do MLB and the NFL handle their public relations differently? Let’s see…. According to Jason Stark, an All-Star baseball player thought that the MLBPA could get 1,100 votes for a one-year suspension — and possibly more — for a first time steroid offender. However, in a show of unity, MLB and the leadership of the MLBPA have presented a united front, promoting a policy that is weak by almost every measure imaginable. This “one voice,” which has been all-too-rare in baseball’s recent history has brought together two groups that often find themselves at odds: Democrats and Republicans. So despite the overwhelming majority of players’ wanting a more stringent policy AND the threat of further government intervention AND the clamor of fans, baseball continues to fight what appears inevitable.

On the other hand, the NFL has, for many years, enforced a drug policy that is substantially more rigid than the one that was just approved by MLB. It’s by no means a panacea, but what’s instructive (and where baseball can really learn something) is how football deals with the exposure of holes in its program. Upon finding out that several Carolina Panthers players obtained (and presumably) used steroids, the NFL almost immediately announced that they were going to tighten their drug program. Furthermore, they suggested that the decision to enhance the policy were not tied to Panthers investigation, but to the stiffening Olympic standards.

Baseball’s decision to antagonize Congress, alienate many of their players, and leave the fans wondering who is/isn’t clean makes little sense. Here’s hoping MLB’s decision makers tune into the NFL and learn the art of PR.

Tomorrow, MLB’s warts will be on display for everyone in the U.S. who has basic cable. CSPAN-3 will be covering the live Congressional hearings with CSPAN-2 running a slimmer — albeit still six hour — version afterwards. In light of all of the bad publicity, one would expect the owners and players to present a positive united front. There is indeed some unity, but I don’t think recent develops cast a particularly positive light on the game. Baseball’s policy, a still-unsigned 27-page document, was released today. Too call it cynical and disingenuous would be an understatement. No mandatory suspensions. No mandatory out-of-season testing. A banned substance list that falls well short of comprehensive and a testing policy that falls short of rigorous.

For those of you who are tuning in, my father will be doing a one-on-one call-in show on CSPAN at 8:30 AM. He’ll then be on Panel 2 during the hearings. And should you think that this proceeding is nothing but grandstanding (and I don’t deny that some of it probably is), I invite you to look at an excellent piece by Keith Olbermann. He rightly points out that baseball has periodically needed a kick in the rear.

Today, New York Yankee stalwarts Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera issued support for their beleaguered teammate, Jason Giambi. Jeter’s comments were fairly run-of-the-mill, but Rivera�s were interesting: “I always support all of my teammates. He made a mistake, but he was man enough to admit it.”

Man enough to admit it? This is the same Jason Giambi who, in February, was asked if he had ever taken performance-enhancing drugs and replied thusly, “Are you talking steroids? No.”

In recent weeks, some of the details regarding Giambi’s drug regimen have been leaked to the public. Among other things, he reportedly injected HGH into his abdomen and steroids into his buttocks. In light of this of these revelations, perhaps Mariano Rivera should have said something like this: “I always support all of my teammates. He made a mistake and lied about it repeatedly, deceiving the media, the fans, and his teammates. However, he was man enough to realize that perjuring himself in front of a grand jury was not a good idea, so he told the truth rather than face the possibility of prison.” Clunky, huh? I guess that’s why Mariano opted for the shortened version.

A problem that continues to plague the Mets is the spending of good money after bad. Take, for example, the case of Kris Benson. Sports Illustrated had this to say:

They overpaid, but they had to. The only way to save any face from last season’s disastrous trade deadline deals was to lock up Benson to a long-term pact.

This is exactly the type of reasoning that’s prevented the Mets’ front office from digging itself out of trouble. There is little disagreement that 2004’s trades for Victor Zambrano and Kris Benson — for whom the Mets gave up their top two pitching prospects and a top catching prospect — were ill-conceived. Why compound the issue by overpaying? I realize that the front office didn’t want to enter the 2005 season with nothing to show for parting with Matt Peterson and Justin Huber, but couldn�t the management find a smarter way to spend $22.5 million?

Benson is a solid number three pitcher and a good number four. However, this is a guy who hasn’t had an ERA under since his second year in the league. His career ERA is 4.28 and he hasn’t shown himself to be a dominator. At 30 years of age, Benson is unlikely to improve dramatically. Both Shea Stadium and Rick Peterson have been good for pitchers in the past and it’s possible that a favorable park and an excellent pitching coach could help Benson squeeze a bit more out of his talent.

Victor Zambrano, who will turn 30 this season, missed a good portion of the 2004 season with elbow problems. When healthy, he had electric stuff — so electric, in fact, that he often didn’t know where his pitches were going. Despite never having started as many as 30 games in a season, Zambrano has twice walked more than 100 batters. Although his contract is far better than Benson’s, the consensus is that the Mets sacrificed too much (Scott Kazmir) in acquiring him. And with Tim Hudson � an established, but still young ace, on the market, the Mets lack the pieces to acquire him. Had they approached Billy Beane with Kazmir, Peterson, and Huber, perhaps Hudson would have called Shea home.

To add insult to injury, reports indicate that the Mets are on the verge of signing Pedro Martinez. (The latest update: Pedro will sign a 4-year contract for $56 million if the Mets don’t insist on an MRI during his physical.) A few years ago, this would have been a coup for New York. But in recent years, Pedro’s performance has declined from historically great to merely better than most of his contemporaries. More worrisome is that he is 33 years old with a flayed labrum and a sensitive temperament.

A couple of years ago, the Mets overpaid for another Hall-of-Fame quality pitcher. In 2005, Tom Glavine, a 39 year-old southpaw coming off two mediocre years, will earn close to $11 million. Just 38 wins from 300, he will be backed by a Mets offense that was one of just five to score fewer than 700 runs in 2004.

The 2005 incarnation of the Mets will be young on the left side of the infield and grizzled everywhere else. Just a year ago, the team committed to rebuilding, but the front office seems to have changed course. This constant changing of direction has left the organization in flux with a roster stocked with a bunch of overpaid veterans, each of whom was signed to “put the team over the top.” The Mets fans, like any fans, want a competitive team. However, the fans seem far more willing than the management to endure a few tough seasons watching young players establish themselves. Management’s efforts in recent years have done nothing to improve the team though, and fans suffer through terrible seasons watching declining veterans take the field.

A year ago, the Mets offered a 28 year-old outfielder entering his prime a 3-year deal between $35 and $40 million. They refused to go higher because there was concern about this player’s back. In 2004, a healthy Vladamir Guerrero won an MVP for the Anaheim Angels. Were the Mets wise to be wary of Guerrero’s back problems? Absolutely. However, if the rationale for not offering a fourth year or paying a bit more was fear of injury, why are they willing to give an older player — who isn’t even an everyday player — a bigger, longer contract? In a perfect world, or at least a world in which the Mets have a good GM, the Mets might have Tim Hudson heading their rotation and Vladamir Guerrero in right field. For the same price, it looks as if they’ll have Kris Benson, Victor Zambrano, and Pedro Martinez.