Here are Brook Lopez’s stats in the first four games of the series.
Here is Brook Lopez in Game 5:
I have about a million words about Brook Lopez having a game, but with that stat line —enough said.
Instead let’s just watch because seeing is believing.
We are going to move on now to the only day in which I am super happy, for some very odd reason, when another person gets paid a lot of money and that it is because July 1st is Bobby Bonilla Day. On this day for the last decade and for probably until the world collapses on itself the Mets will be paying Bobby Bonilla $1,193,248.20.
Bobby Bonilla Day is right up there with the Lacrosse Finals during Memorial Weekend and Lime in The Coconut song that I get uber giddy like I was just asked out by the prom queen when they come on. There is just something about the Mets having to pay someone who hasn’t been on their team for the past 20 years money for the next 25 years. Like only the Mets, right?
So why does Bonilla get this payday? *courtesy of ESPN
In 2000, the Mets agreed to buy out the remaining $5.9 million on Bonilla's contract.
However, instead of paying Bonilla the $5.9 million at the time, the Mets agreed to make annual payments of nearly $1.2 million for 25 years starting July 1, 2011, including a negotiated 8% interest.
At the time, Mets ownership was invested in a Bernie Madoff account that promised double-digit returns, and the Mets were poised to make a significant profit if the Madoff account delivered -- but that did not work out.
This year, under new owner Steve Cohen, who mentioned the possibility of celebrating Bonilla at Citi Field annually soon after taking over the team in November, the Mets are embracing Bonilla's day.
How rare is this arrangement?
Bonilla last played for the Mets in 1999 and last played in the majors for the Cardinals in 2001, but he will be paid through 2035 (when he'll be 72).
Here are some other notable deferred-money contracts, courtesy of ESPN Stats & Information's Ryan Milowicki:
• Bobby Bonilla (again): A second deferred-contract plan with the Mets and Orioles pays him $500,000 a year for 25 years. Those payments began in 2004.
• Bret Saberhagen: Will receive $250,000 a year from the Mets for 25 years (payments also began in 2004; this was the inspiration for Bonilla's deal).
• Max Scherzer: Will receive $105 million total from the Nationals that will be paid out through 2028.
• Manny Ramírez: Will collect $24.2 million total from the Red Sox through 2026.
• Ken Griffey Jr.: Will receive $3.59 million from the Reds every year through 2024 as the deferral from his nine-year, $116 million deal signed in 2000.
• Todd Helton: Will get $1.3 million from the Rockies every year through 2023 as the result of $13 million deferred when he signed a two-year extension in 2010.
How this compares to 2021 salaries
Because baseball's salary structure has young players start their careers by earning about half of Bonilla's annual $1.19 million, here are some notable players who will be making less than Bonilla this season, listed by their 2021 WAR total (through Monday), courtesy of ESPN Stats & Information.
• Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (4.2 WAR): $605K
• Bryan Reynolds (3.5 WAR): $601K
• Jake Cronenworth (3.4 WAR): $585K
• Cedric Mullins (3.3 WAR): $577K
• John Means (3.2 WAR): $593K
• Bo Bichette (2.8 WAR): $588K
• Trevor Rogers (2.8 WAR): $575K
• Adolis Garcia (2.7 WAR): $575K
• Ian Anderson (2.6 WAR): $575K
• Pablo Lopez (2.6 WAR): $595K
• Casey Mize (2.6 WAR): $574K
But what if Bobby Bonilla did not take the payout and actually took the lump sum? What could he have done with that money and what could he be worth now? Great question and here is the answer.
And speaking of what if…
There are some real pissed off former college athletes out there today. I mean, they only got Booster money pocket change when now the flood gates are now open for college athletes to make the real money that so many athletes had to turn pro to try and get.
Honestly, college finally got forced to do something that will actually benefit them. Remember, this is the same organization that had to be convinced to expand March Madness. They had to be forced to adopt the BCS Bowl Games. And they reluctantly did a four team football playoff. All of those things have actually benefitted the sport and made the people running it a gajillion dollars.
Now college athletes can make money off of their likeness which means they may actually stay in college rather than bolt for the pros like we have seen the past decade. That means better games, better teams, and a better product. College athletes can make so much money because the fan bases are so crazed that they will buy up all the jerseys and paraphernalia and side actions these guys are putting out.
This will increase the money for the NCAA now that they will be able to keep stars longer.
One has to wonder though which stars of the past would have made boatloads of cash had this rule been in place when they played college ball. Just a few:
Herschel Walker
Lou Alcindor
Johnny Manziel
The Fab Five
Christian Laettner
Larry Johnson and Stacey Augmon
Tim Tebow
Michael Vick
Here are what some athletes tweeted on this momentous day: