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1/23/21

ballnine - STRENGTH OF CHARACTER

 



Interesting week so far, don’t you think?

New Mets owner Steve Cohen is rapidly learning baseball has more hurdles than he imagined.

And if he doesn’t understand now, let me explain, he needs to get even more involved in baseball and dig deeper knowing the game and its people. There is much to learn.

Baseball is a much different business than finance.

Like all weeks on the calendar, there are lessons to be learned. This week, though, is a little more important than most. 

The Mets were at the center of attention for all the wrong reasons.

Brand new GM Jared Porter, only 37 days on the job, was fired for acting despicably toward a female reporter in 2016 when he was pro scouting director for the Cubs. We all know what has been reported by ESPN’s Mina Kimes and Jeff Passan, breaking the news about Porter’s more than 60 explicit, unsolicited texts and images to a foreign female reporter, including sending a penis picture.

Being a baseball writer is not easy.

Being a woman baseball writer is even tougher, especially when there are characters like this running around baseball in high-level positions, positions of power. The woman is no longer in the United States or working in journalism. Her life was turned upside down.

When Jared Porter was hired, I was asked about him on a number of radio shows and podcasts and I took a “wait and see” attitude.

Geez, did we see. Way, way too much.

This week the Mets also lost out on free agent centerfielder George Springer to the Blue Jays, and that’s a big loss. More on Springer later.

For the Mets, the positive news is Cohen acted quickly when the story came out, although I would have gotten rid of the guy immediately after the evening conversation that Sandy Alderson had with Porter.

Whenever I speak to young people about my job or life or baseball, I keep it simple. I tell them don’t ever do anything that would ever embarrass your parents.

It’s a good rule of thumb and easy words to follow. That is your Baseball or Bust tip of the day.

Porter, 41, was quickly removed as GM on Tuesday and Cohen made it clear the Mets are not going to stand for any of that kind of behavior. Alderson and Cohen have been preaching organizational culture from the time they were united. Now they need to start over and make sure their message is heard and adhered to in these strange times.

The Mets are 0-for-2 in the big hiring department for the third week of the month of January. It was at this time last year that a different owner, a different head of baseball operations, fired manager Carlos Beltran as a result of the Astros electronic sign-stealing cheating scandal.

Now Porter the GM is fired the third week of January for his terrible behavior from 2016.

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