Major League Baseball Supports SOPA

The Major League Baseball logo.
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I know I haven’t done much blogging at all on the Mets since the season ended but I did feel compelled to write up this posting because it effects everyone, not just bloggers. I also felt it belonged here on a Mets blog because MLB is backing this legislation – David Daniels

Here we are about 6 weeks before spring training, the winter meetings are over and baseball news is few and far between. But some of us bloggers have been monitoring a disturbing piece of legislation making it’s way through Congress right now. It’s called SOPA, the Stop Online Piracy Act, and it is a bill that can take down every single blogging website caught with any kind of pirated material, including this one. It’s coming up for a vote this week!

SOPA is actually well-intentioned. Corporations, like Major League Baseball, want to prevent piracy and copyright infringement. But they do so in an overly-aggressive, innovation-endangering way. They allow the entertainment industry to censor sites they feel “engage in, enable or facilitate” infringement.

The Issues with SOPA:

The Electronic Frontier Foundation describes SOPA as the “blacklist bill” because it would “allow the U.S. government and private corporations to create a blacklist of censored websites, and cut many more off from their ad networks and payment providers.”

That means the Attorney General would have the power to cut off select websites from search engines like Google. It could also cut off advertisers and payment processors like Visa from the sites. The Attorney General could essentially kill all of a site’s traffic and revenue in a matter of days.

SOPA only allows targeted sites five days to submit an appeal. That doesn’t leave much time for them to defend themselves before losing their site. Continue reading “Major League Baseball Supports SOPA”

Mets Avoid Default on Citi Field Bond Payment

English: Citi Field at Night
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A report by Forbes details the Mets bridge loan from Bank of America and how it was used to pay the debt payment on bonds that financed Citi Field. I wrote about the bridge loan on Monday and the story for the Mets gets worse as more details emerge. The Mets partially funded Citi Field with $547 million of tax-exempt bonds. A payment was due last month for $43.8 million and the Mets didn’t have the money to pay.

The holding company for the bonds, Ambac Assurance Company, had promised to pay the debt payments if the Mets defaulted. But Ambac went belly up in 2010 and filed for bankruptcy. So the Mets defaulting on the debt payment would have left the bond holders with nothing to show for their investment in the team.

The Mets still have payments coming due of $32 million in each of 2013 and 2014. So there’s still a chance they could default. But the Mets are planning to use the $40 million bridge loan to tide them over until they can sell pieces of the team to “small” investors in hopes of raising $200 million.

It’s a sad state of affairs for the Mets. Hopefully, it won’t end in bankruptcy court like the Dodgers and Rangers did recently. In the meantime, we’re the ones left holding the bag with a team that doesn’t appear to have a chance of a winning record in 2012.

Mets Borrow Another $40 Million

SUN VALLEY, ID - JULY 06: 06: New York Mets ...
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The New York Times is reporting that the Mets borrowed another $40 million on top of the existing debt against the team. The Mets already borrowed $25 million from Major League Baseball last year and haven’t been able to repay MLB despite the reported due date being last June. Bank of America issued this latest loan and it was approved by MLB and the lenders that already hold a majority of the debt against the Mets.

The Mets spokesman did acknowledge the loan and described it as a bridge loan. Presumably, the bridge references the Mets attempt to sell small pieces of the team to investors after the deal with David Einhorn fell apart this summer. The Mets appear to be struggling to maintain liquidity. There were reports in the past month that Fred Wilpon and Saul Katz had to put $38 million of their own into the team recently to keep it afloat.

This latest loan and appearance of financial desperation will lead to further calls from Mets fans for the Wilpons to sell the team. Recent poor performances and reducing the payroll instead of investing in the on-field product is leading fans to, rightfully, lose faith in the financial ability of the Wilpons to field a winning team at any point in the near future.

Mets Trade Angel Pagan to Giants

PORT ST. LUCIE, FL - FEBRUARY 24: RY 24: RY ...
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The Mets traded Angel Pagan to the Giants for outfielder Andres Torres and reliever Ramon Ramirez. Pagan is a tremendous athlete that frustrated Mets fans with bonehead plays in the field and on the bases. He appeared to be making great strides to realize his potential in 2010 but took a step back in 2011. Hopefully, he’ll realize that potential with the Giants because he seems like one of the good guys in the game.

Ramon Ramirez is the important piece of the trade for the Mets. He’s been working the middle innings in the majors since 2006 to some success. His career ERA is 3.16. That’s pretty good for a career middle reliever. Surprisingly, the Mets are Ramirez’ fifth team in seven seasons. That goes to show how little a priority that middle relievers are.

Andres Torres is a throw-in in this deal. He’s a light-hitting switch hitter with some speed that plays solid defense in the outfield. He’ll be 34 years old next season and hasn’t made it to free agency yet. He made $2.2 million last season so he’ll be in line for a little bit of a salary increase. I would guess the Mets see him as a fourth outfielder and plan to make another move to replace Pagan in center field.

Mets Sign Jon Rauch

Jon Rauch (right) and José Molina
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The Mets signed 6’10” reliever Jon Rauch to a 1 year/$3.5 million deal to, presumably, work the back end of the bullpen. Mets fans are familiar with Rauch from his year in Washington. He’s kicked around the league a bit since then and pitched for the Blue Jays last year with 11 saves and an ugly 4.85 ERA.

Rauch has always pitched in a lot of games. Last season he pitched in 53 games which was his lowest total since 2005. His career ERA is 3.82 and he’s certainly an imposing presence on the mound, not only because of his height but he’s covered in tattoos from head to toe.

Rauch will provide an experienced arm in the back of the bullpen to work in front of Frank Francisco and team with Bobby Parnell to work the seventh and eighth innings.

Mets Agree to Contract with Frank Francisco

Frank Francisco
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The Mets got their closer for 2012 and 2012 in free agent Frank Francisco. He agreed to a 2 year/$12 million deal to work the ninth inning for the Mets. He’s one of the last free agent closers to agree to a contract after Jonathan Papelbon got the market going by signing with Phillies early in the game. Since then the closers have been going quickly which left the Mets with the bargain basement choices left without a chair.

Francisco had 17 saves with Toronto last year with a 3.55 ERA. He’s 32 years old and has a career 3.72 ERA.

Bobby Parnell didn’t appear to be up to the closing job in 2011 so the Mets had to go outside the organization. But it didn’t make sense to go for the high end closers like Papelbon or Heath Bell because the Mets don’t look like they’ll be winning a lot of games in 2012. There’s nothing to save if you’re losing.

Francisco is a solid, low-end closer that doesn’t break the bank. He’ll hold down the fort for two seasons while the Mets ride out the contracts of Jason Bay and Johan Santana.

Video: Jose Reyes Agrees to Marlins Contract

PORT ST. LUCIE, FL - FEBRUARY 24: RY 24: Jos...
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Most media outlets are reporting that Jose Reyes agreed to a 6 year/$106 million contract with the Marlins that includes a seventh year option at $22 million with a $4 million buyout. The Marlins are not giving Reyes a no-trade clause. He’ll join recently signed Heath Bell and incumbent shortstop Hanley Ramirez on the Miami roster.

It’s a sad day for Mets fans and it looks pretty silly that the Mets didn’t trade him during the 2011 season when they could have gotten something for him. The Mets will not receive the Marlins first round pick because of the Marlins poor record last season.

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