This Week In Wrestling – 3/29/2024

BY JEFF KNAPP

Jim Ross went back into the hospital this week to get three ports in his chest removed. Good luck to Mr. Ross and a speedy recovery.

This week on NXT, Ridge Holland announced that not being able to be the father and husband he needs to be as of late and announced that he has made a decision. One that is best for him and his own mental health, as well as the best future for his family. He then officially announced he is “stepping away from in-ring competition, indefinitely.” 

Reports suggest that one of the great tag teams in TNA/Impact history are about to hit the free agent market on April 1, 2024. That being the Motor City Machine Guns – Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin. No matter where they go, they will be a huge asset to whatever promotion signs them.

Jake “The Snake” Roberts announced on his podcast this week that he signed on for another year with AEW. That is amazing news and I hope every wrestler in that company takes the time to pick his brain.

Killer Kelly is apparently taking some time off from TNA and will be back at some point. Reports are that she is signed to the company into 2025. As a fan of her, this is great news to know she will be back at some point.

There are reports that NWA 76 will be held in Philly at the 2300 arena.

This week, Corey Graves announced that debuting April 3rd on X will be the new show called “Speed” with there being a Speed Championship. Via the press release: “EVERY SECOND COUNTS, Corey Graves is here to introduce WWE Speed!”

The announcement continued, “Your favorite Superstars will go head-to-head in 3-minute matches, where the WWE Speed Championship is the ultimate prize. WWESpeed premieres April 3rd, exclusively on X!”

GCW announced on March 27 that Steve Corino will be inducted into the Indie Wrestling Hall of Fame Class of 2024 during WrestleMania weekend. Along with Steve Corino, Trent Acid, The Briscoes, and Kevin Hogan will also be inducted.

The induction ceremony will take place in Philadelphia on Sunday, April 7, at noon and will stream live for free on YouTube.

It’s been announced that Ace Austin, a 3-time X Division Champion and 2-time World Tag Team Champion(with Chris Bey – ABC) has resigned with TNA Wrestling. At 27, he is a piece that TNA can and should use to build around for the next decade.

After the initial allegations were levied against Vince McMahon back in 2023, WWE established a “consensual relationship” policy – a three page document that was circulated to all staff and talent in June of that year.  It details WWE’s stance on relationships in the workplace as well as responsibilities of those involved. 

To promote a productive environment, free from conflicts, as well as favoritism and unfair advantage, whether perceived or real, WWE has implemented the following policy and guidelines related to consensual relationships in the workplace. This policy applies to all employees, regardless of rank or title.

    All employees should recognize the possible negative consequences of romantic, intimate, or sexual relationships in the workplace. Consensual relationships can compromise the integrity of supervisory responsibility, create the potential for abuse of authority or cause problems due to perceptions of favoritism by others. This policy prescribes actions required to address conflicts, and further specifies the situations where consensual relationships are prohibited.

A consensual relationship refers to any relationship that is romantic, intimate, or sexual in nature and to which the parties consent. Consensual relationships that might be acceptable in other circumstances may not be appropriate if one of the parties has institutional responsibility, authority or influence over the other or is involved in evaluation of the other.

Situations covered by this Policy are distinguishable from sexual harassment, which is covered in WWE’s policy on Equal Opportunity and Non-Harassment which can be found on The Ring.

Requirements for Employees in a Consensual Relationship.

If an employee is entering, or in, a consensual relationship with another employee, both employees must:

Report the relationship to Human Resources; and

Cooperate in actions taken to address any conflict of interest.

It may be necessary for the executive or manager to assist Human Resources in assessing and addressing any conflict. Addressing conflicts may include:

Transferring one of the individuals to another position; or

Transferring supervisory, decision-making, evaluative, or advisory responsibilities; or

Providing an additional layer of oversight to the supervisory role.

After any conflict is addressed, the employee(s) who have entered a consensual relationship will certify that they have reviewed and understand the Consensual Relationship Policy and agree to the requirements and expectations of WWE as it pertains to professionalism. (See below.)

Affiliated Individuals

WWE has relationships with “affiliated individuals” meaning independent contractors (including but not limited to WWE Talent, Vendor Contractors and Freelancers), interns, temporary workers, vendors, and others with whom it contracts. Any employee who has a consensual relationship with an affiliated individual must abide by the Consensual Relationship Policy with respect to the affiliated individual.

Prohibitions Regarding Consensual Relationships

Consensual relationships are prohibited when effective arrangements to address the conflict cannot be made.

An employee shall not conduct performance evaluations, or make decisions regarding salary, promotion, tenure, or continuation of employment for a person with whom he or she has or had a consensual relationship.

An employee shall not exercise responsibility (instructional, evaluative, or supervisory) for any affiliated individual with whom the employee has or had a consensual relationship.

WWE strongly discourages consensual relationships involving any WWE Board Member, or executive team member such as the CEO, President, CFO, Chief Content Officer, Chief Legal Officer, or Chief Human Resources Officer.

These relationships in particular can compromise the integrity of supervisory responsibility and create the potential for abuse of authority or perceptions of favoritism. In the event an executive team member is involved in such a consensual relationship, it must be disclosed in writing to the Lead Independent Director of the Board, in addition to the Chief Human Resources Officer. In the event a WWE Board member is involved in such a consensual relationship, it must be disclosed in writing to the CEO and Chief Legal Officer, in addition to the Chief Human Resources Officer.

Employees are encouraged to report any concerns about anything contained in this policy, any violation of law or WWE policies, or any ethical concerns. You can reach our hotline via a secure website anytime at I or through a dedicated telephone number available 24/7/365, I

Retaliation against employees who report concerns about consensual relationships is prohibited and constitutes a violation of this policy.

Failure to Comply

Violation of this policy may result in disciplinary action up to and including termination.

Rollcall of current Champions across the wrestling world

WWE

WWE Universal Championship – Roman Reigns

World Heavyweight Champion – Seth Rollins

WWE Undisputed Tag Team Champions – Judgement Day

WWE Women’s Champion – Iyo Sky

Women’s World Champion – Rhea Ripley

WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions – The Kabuki Warriors

WWE US Champion – Logan Paul

WWE Intercontinental Champion – Gunther

NXT

NXT Championship- Ilja Dragunov

NXT Women’s Champion – Lyra Valkyria

North American Champion – Oba Femi

Tag Team Champions – The Wolf Dogs (Bron Breakker and Baron Corbin)

Heritage Cup – Charlie Dempsey

AEW

AEW World Champion – Samoa Joe

TNT Champion – Adam Copeland

Women’s Champion – Toni Storm

TBS Champion – Julia Hart

Tag Team Champions – VACANT

Trios Champions – The Acclaimed and Billy Gunn

AEW International Champion – Roderick Strong                                                      

AEW Continental Champion – Okada

TNA Wrestling

World Champion – Moose

X Division – Mustafa Ali

Tag Team Champions – The System (Eddie Edwards and Brian Myers)

Digital Media Champion – Crazzy Steve

Knockouts Champion – Jordynne Grace

Knockouts Tag Champions – Spitfire (Dani Luna and Jody Threat)

ROH

ROH World Champion – Eddie Kingston

ROH TV Champion – Kyle Fletcher

ROH Pure Champion – Wheeler Yuta

ROH Tag Champions – The Kingdom (Matt Taven & Mike Bennett)

ROH Women’s Champion – Athena

ROH Six Man Tag Champions – Bullet Club Gold (Jay White & Austin & Colton Gunn)

NJPW

IWGP World Champion – Tetsuya Naito

IWGP Global Heavyweight – Nick Nemeth

IWGP Junior Heavyweight – Sho

Strong Openweight Champion – Eddie Kingston

IWGP Television Champion – Matt Riddle

IWGP Tag Team Champions – Bullet Club (Kenta & Chase Owens)

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions – Bullet Club War Dogs (Drilla Moloney and Clark Connors)

Strong Openweight Tag Team Champions – Guerrillas of Destiny (Hikuleo and El Phantasmo)

NEVER Openweight Champion – Evil

NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Champions – Vacant

KOPW 2023 – Great O Khan

IWGP Women’s Champion – Maya Iwatani (Shared with Stardom)

Strong Women’s Champion – Stephanie Vaquer (Shared with Stardom)

NWA

NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion – EC3

NWA World TV Champion – Max The Impaler (unified men’s and women’s)

NWA World Jr Heavyweight Champion – Colby Corino

NWA National Champion – “Thrillbilly Silas Mason

NWA World Tag Team Champions – Blunt Force Trauma – (Carnage & Damage)

NWA US Tag Team Champions – The Immortals (Kratos & Odinson)

NWA World Women’s Champion – Kenzie Paige

NWA World Women’s TV Champion – Max The Impaler

NWA World Women’s Tag Team Champions – The King Bees (Charity King & Danni Bee)

AAA – Triple A Worldwide

AAA Mega Champion – El Hijo Del Vikingo

AAA Latin American Champion – Octagon Jr

AAA World Cruiserweight Champion – Komander

AAA World Tag Team Champions – Nueva Generacion Dinamita (Sanson & Forastero)

AAA World Trios Champions – Los Vipers (Abismo Negro Jr, Psicosis & Toxin)

AAA Reina de Reinas Champion – Flammer

CMLL – Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre

CMLL World Heavyweight Champion – Gran Guerrero

CMLL World Light Heavyweight Champion – Niebla Roja

CMLL World Middleweight Champion – Templario

CMLL World Welterweight Champion – Titan

CMLL World Lightweight Champion – Stigma

CMLL World Tag Team Champions – Los Nuevos Ingobernables (Ángel de Oro & Niebla Roja)

CMLL World Trios Champions – Los Bárbaros (Dragon Rojo Jr., Bárbaro Cavernario & El Terrible)

CMLL World Women’s Champion – Stephanie Vaquer

CMLL World Women’s Tag Team Champions – Stephanie Vaquer and Zeuxis

Stardom

World of Stardom Champion (main title) – Maika

Wonder of Stardom Champion (secondary title ie IC title) – Saori Anou

Goddess of Stardom Champions (tag) – AphroditE – (Saya Kamitani & Utami Hayashishita)

Artist of Stardom Champions (trios) – Abarenbo GE (Syuri, Mirai and Ami Sohrei)

High Speed Champion (lightweight or x type of title) Mei Seira

WHAT CAN WE DO?

BY MARK HALPERN

It’s definitely hard being a Dallas Cowboys fan these days. For the better part of the last three decades, Cowboys’ fans have been promised glory and there have been glimmers of hope over the years but, we haven’t been able to grab that brass ring or in this case a Super Bowl Trophy. I mean come on Sheldon Cooper won a Nobel Prize and we can’t even win a Wild Card Game. So the question is since the Cowboys have really screwed themselves cap wise over the years and are told “We are all in this season” and then not one major signing. I feel like Oliver with my bowl saying “Please sir can I have some more” but not because I am hungry but, because I am glutton for punishment every year. 

   The Cowboys have options left out there and one that actually makes sense and would not cost Dallas much is to call Houston and see what Dameon Pierce would cost. I would assume a 6th round pick would be more than enough. Yes, I know Pierce has been on a downward trend over the years and Houston just traded for Joe Mixon and could use the pick. Right now, it’s looking as Dallas might look towards the draft to replace a running back and not with their first pick either. 

     This draft is more Quarterbacks, Wide Receivers and Offensive lineman and will occupy most of the first round. Dallas can find themselves in a unique position in the second round at #56. Jaylen Wright from Tennessee would be an immediate upgrade to their situation and would team well with the Cowboys offensive play. The case also could be made for Jonathon Brooks from Texas. By all his grades he is poised for the NFL and will probably be the first of the running backs off the board and if that happens the Cowboys can still upgrade with a draft pick.

  What did Jones mean when he said he was “Going all in” to Cowboys fans. Well, the best people close to the situation don’t even know the answer. The one RUMOR that has been circling has been the name DIGGS. Could the Cowboys pull off a deal with Buffalo to bring the brothers together? It would be very hard to think so but Diggs has been saying he would entertain a trade but, Buffalo would need one hell of a package and where would this money come from? Well, I have absolutely no idea but, Once Prescott’s contract is fully redone and Cowboys fans realize that Dak is here to stay. Even at $60million per year sounds unreal but in reality, it isn’t. Out of the top ten paid quarterbacks in the league less than 30% have a Superbowl ring or even appearance. So, when you have invested so much you don’t throw it out the window and start over when your just inches or yards in this case to being even better. 

   The Cowboys will have some decisions before next months draft and maybe we will be pleasantly surprised by what happens but let’s face it we don’t expect it. Also Jerry need to know what all in means.

DOME!!!!!!!!

BY MARK HALPERN

     Baseball returns today and most of America is happy that their teams will be kicking off the season today. However, for the New York Mets had to postpone their day to Friday March 28th due to inclement weather. Mets fans and fans in the Northeast have become accustomed to this problem and the chant for a Retractable Dome to be put over Citi Field and potentially every other ballpark.

    In 2021 the Mets fans endured over 10 rainouts and over a dozen rain delays, in 2022 the number increased on both rain developments. When you have games that are rained out the fans have the advantage for getting a rain event ticket for when the game is made up (that’s if they can go) or you just have to eat the final cost. For a team like the Mets who are owned by Billionaire and brilliant businessman Steve Cohen you have to wonder why it hasn’t even been mentioned or even considered.

   Obviously, a Retractable Dome would cost in the hundreds of Millions of Dollars and no matter how much money you have that’s still a swift kick to the gonads. That being said Steve Cohen is in the current process of the complete re-beatification of Flushing Park in Queens New York. He is investing over $2billion dollars to make it a real destination for tourists and athletic attraction. This is all great of course but, the one thing he needs to add is a Retractable roof over Citi Field. It would be an advantageous move for him on a lot of fronts. First with no rainouts the Mets play as predicted and don’t have to make up games from a home standpoint. Obviously if games get rained out when they are on the road there is nothing we can do. Second the fewer double headers that they will have to to play (again on a home field basis) and again taking more stress off players and finally, the Fans won’t have to worry about having to reschedule any of their plans and possibly be put a lot of money because they can’t come back on the rain date. 

   I know this whole idea makes sense and probably would make sense to Steve Cohen as well but when it comes down to Brass Tax the all-mighty Dollar wins all and if the cost is too cost perspective we will have to just endure. This isn’t just a Mets problem, but a problem across Baseball.

Potential Dak Prescott Landing Spots

By Mike Rifkin

Being the Quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys has to be a difficult job. They are always under a certain microscope and compared to legends such as Troy Aikman and Roger Staubach. 

Current Cowboys Quarterback Dak Prescott is entering the final year of his contract, and was carrying almost a 60 million dollar cap hit (the team did restructure part of the deal). But most people believed that Prescott would land a contract extension, after his sensational season where he led the league in touchdowns and was third in yards and leading the Cowboys to the NFC East Division title. But our lasting image of Dak and the Cowboys last year was getting run out of their own building by the Green Bay Packers and Dak was a major reason why despite the numbers the game was over by halftime. Dak’s lack of postseason success puts him under the microscope and with no extension coming the 2024 season for Dak and the Cowboys is Super Bowl or bust. And if it’s bust Dak and head coach Mike McCarthy will be elsewhere. So let’s say the Cowboys bust where will Dak Prescott play football in 2025, well here are some options. 

NEW YORK GIANTS : Let’s start with a bang. If Dak Prescott is under the microscope in 2024, Daniel Jones is under the New Year’s Eve ball. The Giants Quarterback regressed in 2023 prior to injury, but another down year and the Giants will have to make a change. 

MINNESOTA VIKINGS : Now this one might change just based on what the Vikings could potentially do in the draft, but Dak Prescott would certainly be an upgrade over Sam Darnold, who ironically enough was not Sam I am from Green Eggs and Ham. 

DENVER BRONCOS : The Russell Wilson experiment failed pretty quickly. Could the Broncos start Jarrett Stidham for a year and maybe go all in on Dak next offseason? Can Dak and Sean Payton build a similar chemistry to Sean and Drew Brees. 

LAS VEGAS RAIDERS : The Raiders missed out on Kirk Cousins and Russell Wilson and might miss out on one of the top quarterbacks in the draft. Dak Prescott to Davante Adams might have a nice ring to it. 

LOS ANGELES RAMS : This is probably the longest shot of them all, but if Matthew Stafford retires the Rams will have more money off their books. Dak going to a team with Sean Mcvay, Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua could keep the Rams a threat in the NFC. 

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS : While Dak and McCarthy are under pressure in Dallas, so are Derek Carr and Dennis Allen in New Orleans. Would the Saints dump Carr for Dak? Neither one has had playoff success, but if the Saints miss the playoffs again they might just start from scratch instead of going all in on a quarterback again. 

DALLAS COWBOYS : As I said earlier I believe it’s Super Bowl or bust for the Cowboys, but I feel that way most years. But isn’t the devil you know better than the one you don’t know? Yes, Jerry Jones will have to pay Cee Dee Lamb and Micah Parsons, but who is throwing Lamb the ball if Dak’s not there? What options will Jerry Jones have?

Beware Of Gonzaga

By Mike Rifkin

On Saturday the Gonzaga Bulldogs outscored the Kansas Jayhawks 46-24 in the Second half on their way to an 89-68 victory. For Gonzaga this win propels them into the Sweet 16 for the ninth straight season, which is the longest in the country. 

Friday night Gonzaga will play the top seed in the Midwest Region the Purdue Boilermakers. This will be the second meeting of the year between the Boilermakers and Bulldogs. The two teams played in November during the Maui Invitational, Purdue outscored Gonzaga 43-28 on their way to a 10 point victory. 

One of the things people should admire about Gonzaga is that they aren’t in a Power Five conference, yet every year they find themselves competing for a National Championship. Despite not winning a National Championship, Coach Mark Few always has his team battle tested by the time the tournament starts. This season alone Gonzaga’s out of conference schedule included games against San Diego St., UCONN, Kentucky, Washington, and a trip to the Maui Invitational where they played Purdue, Syracuse, and UCLA. Now, while not all these games resulted in wins for the Bulldogs they got them prepared for the tournament run. 

While they haven’t won a Championship everyone should respect the power Gonzaga has turned into. It’s tremendous that a non power five school is as consistent as Gonzaga. In 2020-21 Gonzaga was one game away from having a perfect 32-0 record, but what everyone remembers is that they lost the National Championship to Baylor. 

Gonzaga is one of the best programs in the country, so don’t be surprised if they’re able to defeat Purdue and advance to the Elite Eight. Win or lose everyone should respect the power Gonzaga has become and we need to appreciate the greatness because it is not something we witness all the time. 

Rock Bottom

By Mike Rifkin

On Sunday, the Pittsburgh Penguins blew a 4-0 lead over the Colorado Avalanche and lost 5-4 in overtime. The loss makes the Penguins 2-6-2 over their last ten games, and they sit nine points out of the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference and 11 points out of third place in the Metropolitan division with 12 games left in the season. 

Last season was the first time the Penguins missed the playoffs for the first time since 2006-07. The organization fired President of Hockey Ops Brian Burke and GM Ron Hextall. Former Leafs GM Kyle Dubas replaced them. Dubas has made two significant moves as the GM. The first was acquiring former Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson from the Sharks in the offseason. Karlsson has 46 points in 70 games played and has not helped a power play that has been abysmal this season. The other at the trade deadline was trading away Jake Guentzel to the Carolina Hurricanes. The reaction across social media was underwhelming for Guentzel. I felt the trade deadline was a crossroads for the organization. 

Sidney Crosby, who would be a Hart Trophy candidate if the Penguins were in contention, is having another great season. The organization has promised Crosby to be a Stanley Cup contender as long as he’s around. But something has to change because this team is getting older, and they haven’t won a playoff series since they won the Cup in 2017. 

Here is where things are arduous for Kyle Dubas. 13 players on the roster have at least a modified no-trade clause, and as of now, the Penguins don’t have a first-round pick. ( If the pick is outside the top ten, it belongs to the Sharks) unless the Hurricanes get to the Stanley Cup Final. Having an aging roster and no real big prospects coming will make Dubas’ job very difficult. The most interesting question will be what he does with Head Coach Mike Sullivan? Dubas is going to have some tough decisions to make, but on Sunday the Penguins may have hit rock bottom. 

WHAT IS MONTGOMERY WAITING FOR?

BY MARK HALPERN

    With the MLB season already begun the question is what is the best free agent pitcher Montgomery waiting for? Montgomery could pretty much pick any team that has interest in him but after seeing what clubs spent on pitchers at the beginning of the free agency period could have something to do with it. When you have Aaron Nola getting 7 years 172 million and Sonny Gray 3 year $75million contracts Montgomery was licking his lips. However, like always the ones who wait the longest are going to be the last ones to sign. The market is dropping fast as we have seen players like Blake Snell who was holding out for a big time payday after his Cy Young season but it never arrived. Instead he chose to accept a 2 year deal with SF to just keep pace salary wise. 

    Montgomery needs to see this and see it soon as the league started in Korea this past week and the rest of the MLB begins at the end of next week. Even if he signs now there would be the thinking, he will not even be MLB ready and will need time to ramp up his activities that his price could drop even farther. Montgomery has plenty of teams in contact with him but is rumored to want to go to less than a handful of teams and just because he doesn’t sign by this week doesn’t mean he can’t sign in 2 weeks or wait longer (which makes no sense.)

A TRUE DH

BY MARK HALPERN 

For the better part of the off season and spring training the Mets were really only focused on one player and that was Yamamoto. The Mets organization had come out and said we will not be signing players (that includes extension for the Polar Bear) more than what we need. Well one spot that lacked was the Designated hitter role and with last year’s embarrassment of Daniel Vogelbach the Mets opened the purse a little to welcome a true Designated hitter that fits this team in J.D. Martinez. Martinez had played for the Astros, Tigers, Red Sox (where he spent most of his time and last year with the Dodgers. 

   This is a home run for the organization cause over his life time J.D Martinez has hit for a career .287 with 315 home runs and 1,639 hits and is a feared bat in any line up. This will also help protect Alonso in the lineup a little. 

   The Mets in my opinion now have a solid lineup with speed, power and experience. The Defense around the diamond is good but there is some risk at 3B with Baty/Vientos sharing the time for now. The rotation that’s another whole bag of cats and let’s just celebrate the new Designated Hitter for the Mets.

HART-EMI PANARIN

BY MIKE RIFKIN

In the Rangers 5-2 win over the Boston Bruins, Artemi Panarin recorded a Hat Trick giving him a career high 41 goals and 97 points. Both put Panarin in the top 10 in the NHL. After the 2019-20 season Panarin was named as a Hart Trophy finalist, but ultimately finished third behind Leon Draisaitl and Nathan Mackinnon. But, what about this year for the breadman? Panarin is 31 points ahead of Vincent Trocheck for the team lead, and eight goals ahead of Chris Kreider. 

Now there are certainly other candidates for the Hart. Nathan Mackinnon, Nikita Kucherov, Connor McDavid, Auston Matthews all are in the conversation for the Hart, but only three nominees are chosen. Mackinnon and Kucherov have won a Stanley Cup something Panarin wants. Panarin has 20 points in 30 career playoff games for the Rangers. Last year in a first round exit against the Devils he was limited to two assists, and Panarin took that personally and has played on a mission this season. 

Can the Rangers win a cup? Yes, especially if the this Artemi Panarin shows up in the playoffs, but even with about 15 games left in the season Artemi Panarin should be a Hart Trophy finalist. 

Don’t Poke The Bear

By Mike Rifkin

One of the big headlines entering the 2024 Mets season is the impending free agency of first baseman Pete Alonso. The 29 year old Alonso had 46 home runs and 118 RBI last season. Outside of 2020 Alonso has hit over 30 home runs and drove in more than 90 runs.

Over the weekend Mets owner Steve Cohen spoke to the media and said the team and the star first baseman have yet to engage in extension talks and expects Alonso to hit free agency after the season.  Cohen said “ I think at this point for Pete it’s best for him to go have a great year and not be distracted. I think that’s best for the ballclub. We know how to do this. We did it with Edwin Diaz, we did it with Brandon Nimmo after the season.  We’ll figure it out when we get there.” This goes hand in hand with what new President of Baseball Ops David Stearns has said when it comes to extension talks. Now the fan part of me believes that there have been some behind the scenes discussions about an extension, especially when Alonso arrived at Spring Training and didn’t put a deadline on a possible extension. But then there’s the major question of what if the Mets are nine games out of the last wildcard spot at the trade deadline. Would they move Alonso at that point and hope they’d still have a shot at re-signing him during free agency (thin Aroldis Chapman to Yanks). Or would Alonso not give the Mets the time of day? One thing fans love is when teams are able to keep their homegrown talent, in 2012 the Mets (under different ownership) had a decision whether to keep David Wright or Jose Reyes. Both were fan favorites and as homegrown talent the fans felt differently about them. 

Alonso is tied for fourth in franchise history in home runs with Howard Johnson, only trailing Wright, Mike Piazza and Darryl Strawberry. What’s something those three guys have in common they’ll all have their numbers retired by the organization at some point. Now as fans it’s ok to be afraid that Alonso can leave as a free agent, we have to have faith in an owner that has never allowed us to doubt him before. But for the sake of Steve Cohen and David Stearns I wouldn’t poke the bear or the fan base for that matter.