Episode 35 with Christian Borkey of Busted Business Bureau
Listen to episode 31 wherever podcasts are found.
Bobby Bonilla, who retired from baseball in 2001, receives payment from the New York Mets on his deferred contract on July 1 of every year. This began in 2011 and will continue until 2035. Lol.
You know he's getting paid, but here are three things you might not know and another one just for clicking the link.
1. He is also getting paid by the Orioles
We all celebrate his remarkable and historic accomplishment every year -- making your old boss literally pay for their stupidity every year for 25-plus years is worthy of the MacArthur Genius Grant, Nobel Prize, and Sainthood.
But, the Mets aren't the only idiots in Major League Baseball -- The Orioles are also stupid.
That's right, in addition to his annual $1.19 million from the New York Mets, Bobby receives $500,000 yearly from the Baltimore Orioles. This has been happening since 2004 and will continue until 2028.
That means from 2011through 2028, Bobby has been getting about 1.7 milly total from two different clubs. Yikes.
2. Bernie Madoff Did This
The reason the Mets decided to defer payment on Bobby's contract is extremely simple on the surface, but complex in the details. The finance nerds will explain the details, but the idea is this:
Bobby sucked on the Mets in 1999, but they owned him $5.9 million in a lump sum. But, Bobby's agent, a goddamn genius, negotiated a deal. Bobby would forget about the money for 10 years as long as the Mets agreed to pay him $1.19 per for 25 years.
Why would they avoid paying $5.9 to pay like $30 million later? Because Bernie Madoff had his grubby little numbs in the owner, Fred Wilpon.
Wilpon thought that the returns from Madoff were so good and so consistent that he'd make so much money from investing with Madoff instead of paying Bonilla. (Finance nerds enter here.)
TURNS OUT Madoff was a crook lol. Now, the Mets just owe Bobby. If it's too good to be true, it's not true... or something like that.
3. He Was Really Good & Won a World Series
Not only did he win a title with the 1997 Florida Marlins, but he had been one of the best players on the 1996 Baltimore Orioles who made it to the ALCS.
In the '97 regular season, Bonilla hit .297 (that's incredibly good for those of you non-baseball nerds) with 17 home runs (respectable), 96 RBI (v good), and an on-base percentage of .378 (borderline elite).
In the playoffs, he was damn good. He hit about .250 with 10 RBI and two homers including this one late in game seven. That's clutch.
4. He Told NYC Media To Eat S***
When he got to the Mets, he wasn't as good as he'd been with the Orioles and Marlins -- Bobby was the kind of guy who could be elite if the guys around him were good. But, when he had to be the guy, he fell apart.
Being from the Bronx, it was only a matter of time before a New York team would call. It was the Mets. When Bobby wasn't good, they let him have it. But, being a native New Yorker, he shoved it right back down their throat.
Who has the last laugh now? Well, the Mets are in first place in their division and look to be really good. They also have a new owner who thinks this whole saga is funny. If they make the world series, I wouldn't at all be surprised if he's part of the fanfare.
See ya next year, Bobby and thank you for stickin' it to the man and helping us reach our dreams of getting millions of dollars for nothing. You are genuinely the great American hero.
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