Such accounts of the family and its decision to sell are based on interviews with more than a dozen people with direct involvement with the Wilpon family and the Mets, nearly all of whom asked not to be identified so as not to damage their relationship with the family. Through a spokesman, Fred and Jeff Wilpon declined to comment. Fred Wilpon still rode the train from his home on Long Island to his office in Manhattan. Then, in 1980, Wilpon acquired a 1 percent stake in the Mets when Doubleday, the publishing company, bought the team. And his baseball team began to occupy more of his time and interest.

Source: New York Times December 06, 2019 23:32 UTC