Happy 1st of July.
Today is a day this country loves to celebrate in style, playing out the all-American dream in living color.
It was a little early for the fireworks to go off on July 4th.
Today, well, is probably the celebration of the most famous baseball deal in history.
It’s Bobby Bonilla Day!
Bonilla, a 59-year-old Bronx native, is a six-time All-Star, three-time Silver Slugger winner and 1997 World Series champion, having played in major leagues for 16 years.
So, what is the All-Star most famous for in his illustrious career?
Photos:Trip through a total of 30 MLB stadiums
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That salary is still being given.
The Mets will cut the $ 1,193,248.20 check for Bonilla again on July 1, as they have since 2011.
And they will continue to do so until 2035.
Bonilla was 72 when he received the last check.
Today is a parody of everything that went wrong in the history of the Mates.
Now, Bonilla and Mets have embraced the deal together.
a NFT Project with Bonilla and Simple NFT Company, started by former agent Joshua Kusnick, will sell 1,193 Bonilla NFTs. That includes autographed Bonilla bats, baseball cards, zoom sessions and spending time with Bonilla in a suite at Citi Field during Bobby Bonilla Day next year.
Mets owner Steve Cohen spoke to Bonilla about the idea of marching in a car around City Field.
And the original introduction, negotiated by former longtime baseball player Dennis Gilbert, will be on display at the week-long National Sports Collectors Convention on July 27.
It will then be sold at the Goldin Memorial Auction, possibly worth more than the July 1 payment of $ 1.193 million.
And it was all because of the Mets’ involvement with Bernie Madoff, leaving former Mets owners Fred and Jeff Wilpon cash-poor in the infamous $64.8 billion Ponzi scheme. Instead of paying the $5.9 million they owed Bonilla in 2000, they decided to give Bonilla installment payments at 8% interest.
It became 29.8 million dollars.
The Wilpan family no longer owns the Mets or is responsible for Bonilla payments, selling the franchise to Cohen for $ 2.375 billion in 2020.
And when you’ve become the richest man in baseball, why not have a little fun with about $ 15 billion worth of deferred payments?
“I didn’t know anything about NFTs until a few months ago,” says Gilbert, now managing partner of Paradigm Gilbert, “but I wanted to make sure Bobby was set for life. There are many retired athletes who, no matter how much money they make, run out of money.
“This is an example of having the right kind of plan to provide you with income after you retire. It is a business that people do to look after their company’s executives.
“So why not athletes? Why not Bobby Bonilla?
“Indeed, this should be a day worth celebrating.
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