Clueless Bro?
It would not be fair to attach that moniker to Brodie Van Wagenen, at least when he's dealing with the media. Whether it's under normal circumstances, or in crisis mode _ like the Carlos Beltran affair _ the Mets GM comes to the microphone prepared. He is slick, bringing style and plenty of spin too.
That doesn't mean he's not capable of coming up null and void. When BVW hired ESPN's "Sunday Night Baseball" analyst Jessica Mendoza last spring as a Mets "special assistant," he fluffed off any perception of a conflict of interest. He was wrong then.
And he was wrong on Thursday. When asked about Mendoza saying, on ESPN, that former Astros pitcher Mike Fiers was wrong to blow the whistle to The Athletic on Houston's high-tech sign-stealing system. Mendoza put the onus on Fiers. She basically characterized him as a rat while letting those directly involved in the scheme, including Beltran, off the hook.
"Jessica was speaking as an ESPN analyst, not a spokesperson for the Mets," Van Wagenen proclaimed during a conference call.
This was a convenient distinction albeit one that is impossible to buy. When the Mets hired Mendoza it was a high-profile move; not only because Mendoza has a marquee ESPN gig, but the Mets making a woman "special assistant" to the organization was unusual in the male-dominated world of Major League Baseball.
The Mets' hiring of Mendoza resonated in the media and throughout the baseball world. It's not a reach to suggest when viewers see Mendoza on the air, they know about her Mets gig. BVW knows this. Part of the reason he hired Mendoza was to spark a positive buzz surrounding his regime. It made him look good.
Yet when Mendoza draws some heat with her Fiers commentary, Van Wagenen drops her like a hot piece of charcoal.
Will his next step be orchestrating a mutual departure between the Mets and Mendoza?
For now, BVW is satisfied informing the Free World Mendoza speaks out both sides of her mouth. One side spews Mets propaganda, the other ESPN baseball stuff. This is what BVW is saying, right? It's not true.
Like her, love her or loath her, Mendoza has already proven she speaks her mind.
That's why it was disappointing and pathetic to see her back pedal, revising and softening her Fiers comments. Would anyone be surprised if she was advised/forced to backtrack by ESPN, MLB or Mets brass?
The beat goes on. Mendoza, if she is allowed by the Bristol Faculty, will continue discussing sign-stealing, past, present and future. She will choose her words carefully.
And wondering if she is "speaking" more "as an ESPN analyst" or a "spokesperson for the Mets."
