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January 30, 2012 11-12 Offseason Joe Janish

Oberkfell Stays Local

According to Adam Rubin at ESPN-NY, former Mets bench coach and minor league manager Ken Oberkfell will join the coaching staff of the Newark Bears.

I’m not surprised that Obie didn’t return to the Mets in some capacity, but I am surprised he didn’t catch on with another MLB organization — he seems to be highly respected by most in the game. But who knows, maybe he wanted to stay in the tri-state area and couldn’t figure out another way to do so.

This news suggests another question: if you live in the NY/NJ area, will you be more inclined to go to a Newark Bears game than a Mets game this year? If so, why? Answer in the comments.

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Joe Janish began MetsToday in 2005 to provide the unique perspective of a high-level player and coach -- he earned NCAA D-1 All-American honors as a catcher and coached several players who went on to play pro ball. As a result his posts often include mechanical evaluations, scout-like analysis, and opinions that go beyond the numbers. Follow Joe's baseball tips on Twitter at @onbaseball and at the On Baseball Google Plus page.
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  1. Izzy January 30, 2012 at 1:30 pm
    Its simple. Going to Newark doesn’t give the awful Met ownership any money. Id’ go to Newark, Long Island Ducks if they are still there, Staten Island, anything but Mets or Cyclones. Fred has gotten my last buck. I hope my Beltran jersey outlasts him!
    • LongTimeFan January 30, 2012 at 8:18 pm
      Izzy,

      Your choice but don’t come back when this team turns good which they will and mark my word, attendance will soar when the quality of play does. That’s the way it works, always has, always will. Put your money where you mouth is, don’t ever go to Mets game again, ever, keep dreaming that the Wilpons are going to sell their controlling interest, keep living that fantasy. There’s always a subset of fair-weather, bandwagon fans, nothing new. There are also people like me who’ve been fans through the ups and downs and understand that’s the way life is, things get rough, healthfully cope.I don’t begrudge the Wilpons’ misfortune and will be at Citi Field supporting the team like I have for 40-something years.

      Like I said, stay away from Citi Field, forever, don’t come back when this team turns it around. Show your true colors, anything but orange and blue.

      • DaveSchneck January 30, 2012 at 9:59 pm
        LTF,
        This theme that those Met fans, like Izzy, that choose to avoid providing revenue for the current ownership are lesser fans, fair-weathered, or bandwagon, is not rational. One could just as easily argue that they are better fans. The dislike for this ownership is not soley based on the ups and downs of winning and losing seasons. Moreso it is based on a pattern of statements and behavior that has been and continues to be less than truthful.
        • LongTimeFan January 31, 2012 at 3:02 am
          Jerseymet,

          And if circumstances were the same but the end results differed in that the Mets were reaching the playoffs the past few seasons, would the response toward ownership, including abandoning team, be the same? I don’t think so.

          The vitriol far outweighs the facts, and in my opinion has a lot more to do with a portion of the fan base who think winning is a birthright and can’t handle their internalized shame of comparison between their team and the Yankees and Phillies and now, the improvement of the rest of the division.

          When a team such as the Mets is called cheap by the outspoken, over-the-top portion of the fan base who can’t handle a drop to middle of the pack payroll after years of top five, it drives my point home. The very fans who scream cheap are the ones who also call for boycott then have gall to complain about payroll. The worst thing that could happen to this portion of the fan base, is Mets success and I think it good bet, these fans want this team to lose to further their agenda. Fair-weather, bandwagon fans indeed.

        • LongTimeFan January 31, 2012 at 3:05 am
          DaveSchneck,

          And if circumstances were the same but the end results differed in that the Mets were reaching the playoffs the past few seasons, would the response toward ownership, including abandoning team, be the same? I don’t think so.

          The vitriol far outweighs the facts, and in my opinion has a lot more to do with a portion of the fan base who think winning is a birthright and can’t handle their internalized shame of comparison between their team and the Yankees and Phillies and now, the improvement of the rest of the division.

          When a team such as the Mets is called cheap by the outspoken, over-the-top portion of the fan base who can’t handle a drop to middle of the pack payroll after years of top five, it drives my point home. The very fans who scream cheap are the ones who also call for boycott then have gall to complain about payroll. The worst thing that could happen to this portion of the fan base, is Mets success and I think it good bet, these fans want this team to lose to further their agenda. Fair-weather, bandwagon fans indeed.

        • DaveSchneck January 31, 2012 at 9:24 pm
          LTF,
          If circumstances were the same and the team made the post season, the spending customer that is rational would be satisfied that they got fair value for their money. It is fair to say that the Mets, like all other teams, have fair weather fans, and that the vitriol may be excessive, but I know of many fans that I consider dedicated and level-headed that are fed up with this ownership. In any event, I will root for the Mets to win every game they play, and hope they get their financeial house in order, even if I decide not to patronize the Wilpons.
  2. Realist Mets Fan January 30, 2012 at 2:00 pm
    It’s sad that the Mets could not find a place for Obie, who has been in the game and with the organization for a long time and who managed many of the current players at AAA. I suppose they needed the spot for Teufel, who is a friend of the owners and a fellow Madoff investor. I hope it works out for Obie in Newark.
    • LongTimeFan January 30, 2012 at 9:13 pm
      I don’t know that they didn’t offer anything but if Obie wanted to stay on the field, what job could he have taken when he already reached the level in this organization that was his ceiling? Two go-rounds as coach at the major league level none of which worked out beyond one season under different GM’s and I might add, interview for big league manager.

      As for Teuful, he worked his way up through the organization and was part of the ’86 team. Not difficult t to understand at all why he was promoted to big league coach the next logical step in the pecking order having been the AAA manager last season and is now taking over for Hale who left for Oakland. It’s unfortunate that amongst the Wilpon haters every non-related event has to be twisted into anti-Wilpon dig. Teuful was a victim of Madoff just like thousands of others including the Wilpons. Teuful got sued by Picard like so many other victims, do you see Tim begruding the Wilpons for his million dollar lose and legal headaches?

  3. John D. January 30, 2012 at 6:02 pm
    I live in northern NJ, and, yes, I am more inclined to go see the Bears or, even more so, the NJ Jackals than I am to go to see the Mets for several reasons: 1. The less money into Fred and Jeff’s pockets, the sooner they sell the team and give us some hope for the future; 2. The tickets are cheap and good seats are available the night of the game (a friend and I went to a Bears’ game last year, got there in the second inning and bought tickets in the first row behind the vistors’ dugout; we had a similar experience at Montclair State with the Jackals); 3. Parking is free at the Jackals, $2 or $3 at the Bears; concessions are also cheaper; 4. It is much easier to get to either stadium than it is to go to Citifield, which is really only doable on the weekend from northern NJ.
  4. jerseymet January 30, 2012 at 6:22 pm
    Poor Obie… The Bears management has its own special issues. The Newark Star Ledger had a front page story about them. Ken may have jumped into the fire.
    • John D. January 31, 2012 at 12:16 pm
      Yeah, you have to feel terrible for Oberkfell. Being an assistant coach for the Bears is about as low as you can go and still be in pro baseball. I wonder why he couldn’t land a job with another MLB organization. Do all teams have all their coaching slots filled now? Also, despite the Bears hiring coaches, I’m not convinced that teams will be around by the time the season starts. Nobody goes to the games and you wonder if the owner has the stomach or money for another season of losses.