LEAGUE POLICY: METS OWNER SWIMMING WITH SHARKS?

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An article in today’s NY Times investigates the depth of the relationship between jailed Ponzi schemer Bernie Madoff and Mets owner Fred Wilpon.  It is unclear the extent of the financial dealing between the two, or how much the Mets used Madoff’s financial company to finance players deals, but according to a former club employee, “Bernie was part of the business plan for the Mets.”  What is becoming clear is that Wilpon should have known better, and probably did. How long can you swim with sharks and not get in on the feeding frenzy?

One of the plaintiffs in the Madoff case, trustee Irving H. Picard is now suing Wilpon and his brother-in-law Saul Katz for their involvement with Madoff and the Mets are in the crosshairs because of it.  Sports and big business are natural partners, especially in New York, so its no real surprise that there would be questions about the legitimacy or transparency of any dealings.  The general thought has been for a while that Wilpon is a bad baseball owner, the question is now, is if he is a criminal.

via NYT