In N.Y., Peter Botte writes fans can take their pick of "who is to blame for what is surely headed toward being remembered as yet another wayward and wasted season" for the Mets. Mets Chair & CEO Fred Wilpon and his family "deserve plenty of criticism for mostly going halfway or worse with what has amounted for years to a mid-market payroll" -- about $150M this season -- but GM Sandy Alderson "clearly didn't belt any home runs last winter with any of his free-agent expenditures, either" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 6/25). Also in N.Y., Mike Vaccaro writes a team can win with a $150M payroll, and Alderson has "been the man building this product, top to bottom, for eight years." Other than "one notable two-month exception" in '15, it has been a "fiasco of failure, and what will almost surely be six losing seasons" (N.Y. POST, 6/25).
TIME TO PLAY THE GAME: The GLOBE & MAIL's Rachel Brady noted MLSE Esports Manager Shane Talbot has "become a sort of general manager and visionary" for the Raptors' NBA 2K League team, Raptors Uprising. Talbot said that viewership on Twitch for the team's games has been "as high as 20,000 unique viewers at times, but typically draws 5,000-10,000 per game." Launching the league during the actual NBA playoffs and using a camera angle that fans "didn't like could be some reasons for low viewership." MLSE hired Talbot in January for his "different experiences in the gaming industry, from growth strategies to managing teams and gaming houses in wildly popular titles like 'Overwatch' and 'Counter-Strike.'" MLSE is "intrigued to learn all it can about esports" (GLOBE & MAIL, 6/23).
CAPTAIN'S CHOICE: In Boston, Nick Cafardo wrote one would "think at some point the 'Marlins Way' becomes a bit more professional and humane" and Marlins CEO Derek Jeter's group "starts showing compassion." After the recent amateur draft, Marlins VP/Player Development & Scouting Gary Denbo "fired a handful of amateur cross-checker scouts who had helped evaluate draftees." First impressions of the Jeter-led Marlins "have not been positive, raising eyebrows around the game and offering a lesson in how not to do things (BOSTON GLOBE, 6/24).
