Will friendship trump business in Selig-Wilpon relationship?

In 1992, MLB Commissioner Fay Vincent made $650,000. Meanwhile, current Commissioner Bud Selig, who helped organize the plot to remove Vincent from the job, made $18.4 million in the past year. That’s a pretty nice cost of living adjustment. Fred Wilpon was a Selig supporter back in those days (then co-owner Nelson Doubleday backed Vincent) and that long-term friendship is most likely the one thing keeping Wilpon an owner today.

While Commissioner Selig did everything in his power to remove financially-troubled Dodgers owner Frank McCourt, he has seemingly done everything to retain financially-troubled Wilpon as the Mets’ owner. The most visible show of support has been MLB lending Wilpon $25 million back in November of 2010. Perhaps equally as important has been MLB’s apparent complete lack of interest in being repaid.

When news of the loan first became public in February of this year, reports were it was a short-term loan, “expected to be repaid within months.” Back in October, Selig said there was no timetable for the loan to be repaid. It’s good to be friends with Selig.

Some say the biggest mistake McCourt made was his extravagant lifestyle. Others say that if only he had been able to keep his marriage together, he would still be in control of the Dodgers. But it’s clear that his biggest mistake was not being more of a “Friend of Bud’s.”

I’m not sure what McCourt did to get on Selig’s “bad” list. Perhaps he went overslot too often on his draft picks. We know that generally the Mets adhered to the Commissioner’s recommended slot bonuses. You see, it is the little things in life that count! Perhaps McCourt made Selig spend too much time twisting his arm on other financial matters. Or maybe he charged him to park in one of his parking lots.

Meanwhile, the Wilpons are not out of the woods yet as far as retaining ownership of the Mets. The Madoff clawback lawsuits have yet to fully play out in court. The courts have so far limited the amount that the Wilpons are potentially on the hook for, but even before the appeals of earlier decisions, the owners could still be liable for $386 million.

And if that $386 million comes due, will Selig still do everything he can to keep Wilpon in power? Or will he choose to ask for the $25 million back, post-haste?

It’s difficult to understand all of the financial maneuverings in play here with the Wilpons’ finances. But one thing is easy to comprehend. The Astros sale is complete. McCourt has agreed to sell the Dodgers and new owners could be in place by the start of Spring Training. It could not have been good for MLB to have three franchises for sale at one time, including two of the highest-profile National League ones in the Mets and Dodgers. But if the ownership situation of the Astros and Dodgers is settled to Selig’s satisfaction, how forgiving will he be of the on-going ownership circus in New York?

I don’t understand all of the Wilpon-Madoff shenanigans. But it seems to come down to either that the Wilpons were involved in the scandal and actively recruited for Madoff, or they were innocent victims. It’s hard for me to believe that they thought they could be guaranteed 10 percent returns on their money every year, but perhaps that really is the case.

Regardless, if there are no other franchises on shaky financial grounds, how open will Selig be to continue to allow an ownership group that is either openly crooked or unbelievably naïve?

Even if it’s the same owner who helped put him in position to pull down a yearly salary of $18.4 million?