Back in 2000, A-Rod wanted to be a Met. Mets fans wanted A-Rod to be a Met. It appeared the Mets wanted A-Rod to be a Met. So who screwed up? Everyone did.

The Mets had just concluded being beaten in a five game World Series to the New York Yankees. Once again, the bullies of New York kicked sand in the Mets faces. What better way to counter that humiliating defeat than to go out and sign Alex Rodriguez as their new shortstop. Unfortunately at the time, Omar Minaya was not the GM. And in fairness to Steve Phillips, the Mets were still owned by Fred Wilpon and Nelson Doubleday, both with equal shares. A more dysfunctional partnership in baseball would have been hard to find.

When the demands of A-Rod’s agent Scott Boras were made to the Mets, the brass went running scared. Phillips took the fall with nonsense about a 24 and 1 team. A-Rod, after all, would require his own tent during spring training to sell his souvenirs, a private jet, and a salary out of this world. Many fans including myself felt A-Rod and his overbearing agent had really gone too far. It would be best if the Mets spent that money on pitching and keep Mike Hampton around regardless of the New York school system.

Shortly after that initial meeting, the Mets announced they would no longer be negotiating with Alex Rodriguez or Scott Boras. We read and heard lots of excuses like the Mets already had a superstar in Mike Piazza. They had won a pennant without A-Rod. The Mets already had a more than adequate shortstop in Rey Ordonez. The truth is the Mets got scared and most likely pulled out instead of negotiating, keeping it in the press, only to disappoint Mets fans later.

But as A-Rod pointed out recently in a Daily News article, it was his and Scott Boras’ fault too. A-Rod has now admitted his desire and dream was to play for the Mets. Why then didn’t he? Why didn’t A-Rod tell his agent to get the best deal he could with the Mets? The answer is simple. Far too many agents including Boras wield way too much influence over their clients. In an era where sneezing on a baseball field will net a player a million bucks, one has to ask how much is enough. Both the Mets and A-Rod were foolish not to get together and hammer out a deal. The Mets should have come back with a counter offer without a plane and a tent. That’s how negotiating works.

Look at the results of this failed negotiation. The Mets, who totally over evaluated their talent, went down hill after the World Series and only improved after Minaya was hired 5 years later. A-Rod went to Texas for 250 million dollars and was miserable until he was traded to the Yankees. This past offseason, to his credit, and I have the utmost respect for A-Rod in doing this, he told Boras to take a hike and renegotiated with the Yankees before he ended up on another “Texas” type ballclub. Good for him, bad he didn’t do it eight years ago.

As for the fans, we were to blame too. Some of us wanted A-Rod and some of us didn’t. There were certainly enough fans disgusted by Boras’ demands that enabled the Mets hierarchy to justify their position.

In hindsight, it just was not meant to be. There was some flirtation last fall to bring A-Rod to Shea now but realistically it never gathered any steam. With Jose Reyes and David Wright locking down the left side of the infield, why would the Mets need A-Rod with his gargantuan contract when that money ultimately was better suited for Johan Santana.

As a Mets fan, I always struggle with rooting for the Yankees. I just can’t do it. But I will root for A-Rod partly because he is a sure Hall of Fame player. I root for him like I root for Tiger Woods. I want to see and enjoy the best there ever was. But mostly I root for A-Rod because he took control of his life. He said he has enough money, now its integrity he strives for. It’s hard to root against that.