Mets co-Owner Fred Wilpon yesterday "addressed the team in a closed-door meeting that players described as motivational and inspirational, with the focus on winning," according to Peter Kerasotis of the N.Y. TIMES. Word "filtered through the Mets’ organization at the start of spring training" that Wilpon "would be around more and would be more engaged." Mets VP/Media Relations Jay Horwitz said that the meeting "was the first time Wilpon had addressed the Mets during spring training." Mets RF Curtis Granderson said of Wilpon, "He’s been around a lot, and he’s communicated a lot. The important thing about him addressing the entire team is that what he said is not just talk. What he said lines up." Kerasotis notes the meeting "lasted 20 or 30 minutes" (N.Y. TIMES, 3/31). Mets 3B David Wright said that yesterday's meeting "was meaningful because Wilpon rarely takes the time to address the team." ESPN NY's Adam Rubin noted Wright "could not remember the last time Wilpon addressed the team, although casual conversations are more frequent" (ESPNNY.com, 3/30). In N.Y., Andy Martino wrote tone "is rarely an issue" with Wilpon, who "comes across as a gentleman when making small talk around the complex." However, he speaks on the record "roughly as often as Bob Dylan these days." His presence around the team "makes him a fascinating character to track this year, because he is so much more visible than at any time ... since the law came for Bernie Madoff." Martino: "Will this divide persist all season, or will he re-emerge as a public face of a franchise he has owned or co-owned since 1980?" One team source said, "Fred has communicated that he’s going to be 79 this year, and he wants to see us win -- now" (NYDAILYNEWS.com, 3/30).
FAN FRIENDLY? In New Jersey, Bob Klapisch notes instead of stopping after the meeting for a few minutes to "pump up the fan base, Wilpon walked right by." It has been "two years since Wilpon granted his last interview, which prompts the obvious question: What’s he afraid of?" Wilpon "continues to hide out, feeding the disconnect that made it possible for loyalists to love the Mets, but detest ownership." Wilpon should "tell everyone what he told the Mets in the clubhouse -- that he can’t wait for the coming season." Klapisch: "It’s time for him to come out of hiding and say so" (Bergen RECORD, 3/31). On Long Island, David Lennon notes Wilpon "has spoken to just about everyone during the past six weeks, with one notable exception" -- the fans. And that is "not right." The media has been patient "long enough," but "more importantly," so have the team's fans. Wilpon "can step away from batting practice for a few minutes to address a few of the Mets' issues." At the very least, "some basic stuff, just to let the paying customers know that ownership is not completely tone-deaf to the feelings of a fan base that has felt increasingly alienated" (NEWSDAY, 3/31).
CAUSE FOR OPTIMISM: On Long Island, Neil Best reports optimism for the upcoming Mets season "already is paying off at the box office." Mets Exec VP & Chief Revenue Officer Lou DePaoli said that ticket sales were up 22.6% as of yesterday "compared with the same date" in '14. That figure is 3% "better than it was a couple of months ago and figures to rise a bit more before the home opener." DePaoli said that new full-season packages, "many in relatively pricier lower-bowl areas, are up" nearly 450% "over this point last year." Best notes ticket prices on the secondary market "are running four times higher for the home opener April 13" than for P Matt Harvey's first start on April 14 (NEWSDAY, 3/31).
