Omar Minaya’s Press Conference Meltdown: Top 10 of All-Time? Gotta Be
Baseball, Media Gossip/Musings July 28th. 2009, 1:00pm
It was one of the truly epic meltdowns in press conference history. That’s not hyperbole, it’s right up there in the Top 10 with John Chaney vs. John Calipari, Mike Gundy’s meltdown, Dennis Green’s ‘Crown their Asses,’ and Bernie vs. Tony. Sensitive Mets’ GM Omar Minaya, was upset that Adam Rubin of the NY Daily News had written a series of (accurate) stories that got his buddy, backstabbing Tony Bernazard, fired. And as you’ve surely seen by now, Minaya tried to discredit Rubin in an explosive press conference yesterday, accusing him of lobbying for a job in the organization. A desperate, inaccurate, reach.
I have never, ever, asked Omar Minaya for a job. Or even career advice. Frankly, I’ve never been very close to him. What I have done, and what Mets COO Jeff Wilpon acknowledged later yesterday, is ask Wilpon for “career advice.” My question: Is it even remotely feasible for a baseball writer to get into an administrative job with a team – any team – down the road and what would I need for that to be achieved?
Later today, we’ll get to Rubin’s line of questioning. For the sake of this post, newspapers are in the shitter, and it makes complete sense to start inquiring about alternative options. Clearly the NY media felt the same way – Minaya is being dismembered in the papers, on TV, and on the radio today. Unless Beltran, Reyes and Delgado return to save the Mets season, it seems highly unlikely that he’ll be calling the shots next season.
Newsday: “Mets fans, your future is secure. Jeff Wilpon and Omar Minaya are a matched set, equals in ignorance, arrogance, incompetence and vindictiveness. One lies, the other puts him up to it. And as long as they remain together, the idiot son of the rich owner and the clueless general manager content to serve as his dummy, the Mets will continue to stink out their shiny new ballpark.”
New York Times: “This pratfall is virtually irreparable; it suggests that the Mets’ hierarchy had shared information about Rubin, and that Minaya, however spontaneously or emotionally, had felt the need to let it fly in a news conference.”
Star-Ledger: “Already under scrutiny for the failures of the past two and a half seasons, Minaya spent more time pointing the finger at a reporter than he did taking responsibility for the actions of one his chief deputies. He mentioned Rubin by name seven times in a 25-minute press conference.”
45 Responses to “Omar Minaya’s Press Conference Meltdown: Top 10 of All-Time? Gotta Be”
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July 28th, 2009 at 1:03 pm
He looks like Bill Cosby in mid-joke there.
July 28th, 2009 at 1:04 pm
it would have been better had he gone all Hal Macrae on everyone.
July 28th, 2009 at 1:06 pm
Cheney thinks Minaya should’ve sent a goon out to “take care” of Rubin.
July 28th, 2009 at 1:07 pm
pudding pops
July 28th, 2009 at 1:09 pm
Sounds like he was angling for a Mets job to me. Best way to do that would be to shine a bad light on Bernazard.
July 28th, 2009 at 1:13 pm
fire all these turds and start over from scratch at the front office of the organization. This is becoming a bigger abortion than Phillips’ tenure as Mets GM.
July 28th, 2009 at 1:14 pm
It’s funny because it’s true.
July 28th, 2009 at 1:15 pm
I think Rubin did angle for a, Met job at some point, but Minaya, boy. Also if Rubin outed Bernazard who is one of Wilpon’s boys, wouldn’t that HURT his cause? I would think so.
As a met fan that was equally hilarious and painful.
Is Steve Phillips available?
July 28th, 2009 at 1:19 pm
In this order:
Chaney
Green
Mora (playoffs?)
Tony L
July 28th, 2009 at 1:20 pm
Literally ate popcorn and laughed while watching the press conference for lunch today. Was great.
July 28th, 2009 at 1:21 pm
That video linked is not a top 10 meltdown.
July 28th, 2009 at 1:23 pm
The top headline at ESPN.com is “Dungy: Vick focused on putting life in order”
Now, who appointed Dungy Jesus? And is buttfucking another willing man really as bad as the systematic torture and killing of dogs over a period of years?
July 28th, 2009 at 1:25 pm
TJ:
There’s College Fantasy Football now!??! Is this new? Or have I just totally missed out on something this awesome for years?
End TJ
July 28th, 2009 at 1:25 pm
Who’s got my jello pudding?!?!
Hal McRae laughs at this press conference.
July 28th, 2009 at 1:25 pm
goodell did, i think. he said something about asking dungy to be an advisor to vick in the press conference yesterday
July 28th, 2009 at 1:27 pm
Even if Rubin DID ask for a job (and I believe him when he says he didn’t)…does it make Bernazard’s behavior any less true? Bernazard sounds like a sociopath no matter how you slice it.
Minaya is angry for having to can his buddy, plain and simple. Throwing Rubin under the bus was both easy and probably felt right.
Facts are facts, no matter what Rubin’s career aspirations.
July 28th, 2009 at 1:29 pm
Now, who appointed Dungy Jesus?
this guy
/skinny morpheus’d for bsanders
July 28th, 2009 at 1:30 pm
too busy doing fake press conferences for the WWL
July 28th, 2009 at 1:30 pm
love the Chaney vs Coach Cal clip. good thing Eddie Jones was there to calm John down
July 28th, 2009 at 1:32 pm
I think Minaya should have gone with “I brought you into this world, and I’ll take you out of it.”
July 28th, 2009 at 1:35 pm
First thing I thought off when I saw that pic
and also getting compared to LOLcats on local NY sports Blogs
July 28th, 2009 at 1:37 pm
This is one of those times when your name fits your response, Clown. It’s obvious not that he was looking for a job with the Mets, but someone who was perhaps trying to define a career path after his newspaper inevitably throws him out on the street.
July 28th, 2009 at 1:47 pm
Did I miss something in that video? It was a dick reporter and a jack ass coach, but nothing came close to meltdown.
/remembered that baseball sucks and I dont care
July 28th, 2009 at 1:48 pm
tommyp: don’t be too hard on him. He worked hard to come up with a comment that somehow made this the white guy’s fault.
July 28th, 2009 at 1:51 pm
that’s not even close to a meltdown.
hell, bobby knight’s got countless press conferences more lively than that. same with jim mora. charlie manuel and howard eskin was a meltdown. this was nothing.
what minaya did do however was undercut rubin beautifully. i’ve never seen a reporter have his knees cut from under him like that. talk about defecting the subject at hand.
wow. beautiful.
July 28th, 2009 at 1:52 pm
Hal McRae was a meltdown.
minaya? ha!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kamDqL-AGzI
July 28th, 2009 at 1:54 pm
Looked like a NY Knick press conference when Isiah was the President.
July 28th, 2009 at 1:55 pm
I don’t believe this was a meltdown. I think it was a bitch and moan session. Minaya said after the presser that he went about this in the wrong way. I thought the writer, although provoked, acted unprofessionally by arguing with Minaya during the press conference. Take it outside, girls.
July 28th, 2009 at 1:56 pm
Times are changin’, Gramps. No need to inject race into every conversation.
July 28th, 2009 at 2:00 pm
Times are changin’, Gramps. No need to inject race into every conversation
that’s funny, coming from you (and why I said it to your comment). You do it more than anyone on here
July 28th, 2009 at 2:01 pm
not necessarily for the better though.
July 28th, 2009 at 2:02 pm
Rubin would have no problem getting a job with the Mets if he was an oft-injured Latino middle infielder.
July 28th, 2009 at 2:03 pm
dissapointed in the video. there has to be yelling and cursing or threatening to whip somebodies ass to be a top 10
July 28th, 2009 at 2:03 pm
jpq sure is leading the charge of oppressed old white men today. he has a dream!
July 28th, 2009 at 2:07 pm
Definite requirement… or something must be thrown- top 5 if multiple objects thrown at someone.
July 28th, 2009 at 2:08 pm
you didnt get the memo? us white males are the worst thing in this world. hes the bottom of the food chain with his age.
July 28th, 2009 at 2:08 pm
wait, hes white? pick up the phone, its theo.
July 28th, 2009 at 2:09 pm
I’m gonna go ahead and inject this little memory into the conversation.
Lee Elia. 1983. You’ll need headphones if you’re at work.
July 28th, 2009 at 2:12 pm
+ 1 internet points if someone can count how many F-BOMBS he said
July 28th, 2009 at 2:18 pm
Pot calling the kettle black if you ask me.
July 28th, 2009 at 2:18 pm
Judging from this, it’s not jpq that has the race problem, it’s GM turned lolcat Minaya.
July 28th, 2009 at 2:22 pm
True, but that doesn’t make it appropriate to ask someone whose team you’re covering for career advice.
July 28th, 2009 at 3:05 pm
omar set back latins 50 yrs
and now we got to get one on the supreme court. couldnt he have done this a few weeks before?
July 28th, 2009 at 3:19 pm
wow, jake – are you related to jpq or mrejr?
July 28th, 2009 at 3:36 pm
via simmons twitter: