Spotlight on Mets360, an Interview with Brian Joura

 

If you like me, besides watching the Mets, you love reading about the Mets.  One of the best sites out there is Mets360.  Headed by Brian Joura, Mets360 has lots of great writers that provide insight into why they Mets, win, lose and what they should do.  

Brian’s game analysis are some of the best around – a must read after each game.  He watches every move Buck makes with a fine tooth comb, especially the bullpen moves. He  doesn’t pull punches which always results in great posts. 

An when it comes to analytical analysis, Mets360 is one of the best. It was Mets360 that pointed out how Michael Conforto's 2020 Batting Average for Balls in Play would not repeat in 2021 - and they were exactly right!

Another great feature is their Game Chatter.  It’s a post that is free to all readers – not just subscribers – and you get to interact with the other readers as the game goes on.  

Mets360.com recently became a subscription site - $15 a year, $75 for a lifetime membership.  Well worth the price. 

Brian was nice enough to take the time to answer a few questions about his site via e-mail to tell us more about him and Mets360.  

When did you become a Mets fan?

I went to my first game in 1970 but I have no recollection of the ’69 World Series, even though I’m sure I watched it. 

When/how did you start Mets360?

I had collaborated with John Strubel (who does the excellent Mets Rewind now) on a Mets site and it seemed like we were just getting traction but John ended it.  About a year later, I reached out to him again and we decided to start up a new site.  He had three or four names in mind and as soon as he said – Mets360 – I said that was the right one.  We went live in early 2010.  John only stayed for about six months but this time I was more involved so the project kept going.  To be fair, I wasn’t involved enough at that point and John was doing all of the day-to-day stuff.  If I had taken some of that off his plate, he might have stayed longer.  John has a lot of technical know-how that I just don’t have and a much better eye for design. 

Why do you Blog?

It started out of frustration over the type of stuff that would appear in mainstream media.  I just couldn’t believe these guys were getting paid to write such drivel.  It appeared to me that they were intentionally writing abut stupid stuff.  And they were but it was also a case of knowing their audience.  The Daily News has eight million potential readers and the overwhelming majority of them don’t care about how the sausage is made – they just want to complain about whatever thing they think is wrong that day. 

Do you think blogs are dead?

I have to say that this is something I’ve never considered.  My initial reaction is that “dead” seems a bit melodramatic.  I think there’s a limited audience and you have to work really hard to find/get that audience.  If the Daily News has eight million potential readers, maybe blogs have 250K.  And the vast majority of those get their needs met by SNY or Metsmerized. 

Where do you see Mets360 going in the future?  Any things that readers can look forward to down the road? 

I write about things that interest me.  I’ve always believed that if it was interesting to me, it would be interesting to other people, too.  One thing that took me a long time to realize was that it was more important to get the “right” readers, rather than the most readers.  Because, honestly, having a lot of readers hurts the final product.  There’s nothing more deflating than pouring your heart into a piece and then have the comments being some form of – Mets Rule! Or, Phuck the Phillies.  So, without meaning to be trite, whatever happens in the future will revolve around whatever interests me at the time.  I expect the offseason will contain some dives into Statcast data. 

What is the best thing that happened to the Mets while your blog was up and running?

They hired Sandy Alderson and a few years later made it to the World Series  That’s a feat that doesn’t get enough respect from the fanbase.  It’s hard to make the World Series.  And it’s even harder when you have to deal with Wilpon purse tightening and overall meddling.  And of course, the Wilpon/Katz ownership group selling to Steve Cohen was a great thing, too.  Finally, posting the second-most wins in franchise history this year was a really, really fun ride. 

What is the worst thing that happened?

It’s hard to limit the choices!  The love affair from the fanbase and the front office with Terry Collins, who should have been replaced once his initial two-year contract was over is the first thing that jumps to mind.  And you can expand that to every managerial hire before Buck Showalter, too.  Brodie Van Wagenen’s GM tenure was a disaster, as well.  Also, if you look at the Mets’ history, they go thru stretches of roughly seven years where they’re either really good or really bad.  But injuries kept us from seeing that 7-year run around the 2015 World Series team.  Imagine if the Mets had enjoyed the good fortune with health that the 1990s Braves did with their pitchers with Jacob deGrom, Matt Harvey, Steven Matz, Noah Syndergaard and Zack Wheeler.  So, injuries have been a big stomach punch.  And I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the toxic work culture – which has to be a giant black mark against Alderson – that let the caveman “boys will be boys” mentality not only to exist but to thrive.

Finally, the whole Bernie Madoff thing was terrible for the Mets but it’s hard to say that it was a bad thing that a criminal who defrauded people out of billions of dollars was busted and put into jail. 

What 4 players are on your Mets Mt. Rushmore and why?

Tom Seaver has to be on there and every other spot is up for debate.  I’ll go Keith Hernandez, for his contributions both on the field and in the broadcast booth.  And then it gets really hard, at least for me.  A whole bunch of guys who were really good for short stretches.  Do you put Ed Kranepool up their for 17 years of mediocrity?  I guess David Wright, for being a lifetime Met, even if his HOF career was derailed by injuries.  Lastly, Mike Piazza, for being a great catcher at everything but throwing.  It kills me that people think Piazza was a bad defensive catcher because he struggled at one facet of the position.  Advanced numbers would have loved everything else he did behind the plate.  It’s just too bad they didn’t win a World Series with him and that he spent so much time with the Dodgers.  So, Seaver, Hernandez, Wright and Piazza. 

Who is your all time favorite Met?

Duffy Dyer, Cleon Jones, Doc Gooden, Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom, Brandon Nimmo 

If you could have dinner with 4 current or ex-Met managers, players or executives, who would they be?

Love this question!  It’s going to be tough to pick just four.

Sorry, I can’t limit it to just four.  So, I’m going to cheat and give you four managers and four executives.  Gil Hodges to grill him about why he drove Nolan Ryan and Amos Otis out of town.  Joe Torre, to hear about how he went from player, to player-manager to manager.  And to find out how he ran a bullpen, an area where he made chicken salad out of chicken excrement in his time with the Mets.  Yogi Berra, to ask him about how he became Mets manager, how aware he was of Whitey Herzog’s desire to manage.  And why on earth he didn’t pitch George Stone in Game 6.  And Davey Johnson, just to pick his brain and learn about how he handled that wild bunch.

As for execs – Bing Devine and how he viewed the Mets job and all of the wheeling and dealing he did while with the club.  Jeff Wilpon, just to hear his view on how things were when he was in power.  Sandy Alderson, to give the real version of what happened.  And Nelson Doubleday, who would be fascinating to hear his tales, from buying the Mets at their lowest and how he helped turn them into the best team in franchise history.

And really, M. Donald Grant should be in the above list rather than Wilpon.  But I know if I had the chance, I’d punch that racist, elitist prick in the mouth.  And that would put a damper on the evening. 

Thoughts on 2022?

It was a great, great year and anyone who loses sight of that fact because of what happened in the playoffs is a front-runner of the worst kind. 

Thoughts on this off-season?

Well, it won’t be lacking for drama and excitement.  There are so many of their free agents that I hope they retain, starting at the top with deGrom and going all the way to Trevor Williams.  Clearly, the team will look different next year.  But they’ve got an excellent core already under contract and they’ll add to that.  Even if there will be some painful goodbyes. 

Thoughts on the Mets future?

The best thing about the immediate future is that we won’t have to hear about a search for a President of Baseball Operations (PoBO).  All of the virtual ink and real-time man hours spent on a PoBO the past two offseasons will be spent on better things.  Between Cohen’s money and Buck Showalter’s smarts, the Mets should be in excellent shape the next two-to-three years.  And hopefully the farm system will be where they want it to be by then.  They are well on their way to becoming Dodgers East.  And for those keeping score at home, the mighty Dodgers have made the playoffs 10 consecutive years and have just one World Series win.  And that one is semi-tainted, too, as it came during the shortened COVID year.  It’s not easy to win a World Series.

Thanks Brian for the typically great insight on the Mets and all the great posts at Mets360.com