There are two big off-the-field stories today for Mets fans. Starting with the one that’s more relevant to how the Mets play baseball, Omar Minaya says that the Mets will be buyers at the trade deadline if things stay roughly where they are today. It seems a little unrealistic to think that the Mets have a shot at the playoffs right now, but at the very least, I’m glad they won’t be looking to trade away their major league talent. As much as the team has struggled this season, they’ll still be viewed as a contender going into 2010 with a healthy roster.
Today’s bigger emerging story is that of Tony Bernazard, Mets Vice-President for Player Development. Here’s a brief list of the things that have come out about Bernazard in the last few days:
- About 10 days before the All-Star break, Bernazard reportedly took off his shirt and challenged the AA Binghamton Mets to a fight as part of a tirade;
- At a recent home game, he reportedly became angry that a Diamondbacks scout had the seat he wanted behind home plate. According to reports, when a subordinate suggested he wait until the half-inning was over to take his seat, he screamed at the employee, including profanities;
- Francisco Rodriquez confirmed that last week in Atlanta, he and Bernazard had a confrontation on the team bus.
According to a report from the New York Post, at least one anonymous Met (described as a veteran starter) had said that Bernazard is “crazy” and that nobody likes him. But every article I’ve read on the subject seems to think Bernazard’s job is safe; he’s said to be close to Jeff Wilpon, which won’t hurt his chances of sticking around.
Assuming that all these allegations are true, is there any other team that would allow someone like this to continue working in a prominent role in their organization? And yet, since this is the Mets we’re talking about, it hardly seems out of the ordinary. It’s not as though the Mets needed more distractions this year.
