DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Cairo for News Martin Silver is making an offer for the New York Mets.
A Long Island liquor mogul is offering to buy the Mets from Fred Wilpon, one of the victims in Bernie Madoff's $50 billion Ponzi scheme.
Martin Silver, owner of Syosset-based Star Industries, told the Daily News he's putting together a team of partners to make Wilpon an offer for the major league franchise.
"As a life-long Mets fan and a season ticket holder for over 25 years, I would not like to see the Mets organization fall into the wrong hands," Silver wrote in a letter to Wilpon requesting a meeting to air his offer.
Silver, part owner of a minor league baseball team in Wilmington, Del., said he has spoken to potential investors and estimated he could put together an offer of $600 million to $700 million for the team. Forbes magazine has put the value of the Mets at $824 million.
"If Mr. Wilpon is in so much trouble. ... It's like real estate, it comes down in value," said Silver, who in June sent Wilpon five whole chickens to express his displeasure over the firing of manager Willie Randolph.
Wilpon's Sterling Equities reportedly lost some $500 million it had invested with Madoff's company. Wilpon, who bought the Mets in 1980, has told Major League Baseball officials his losses won't affect the team's operations.
Silver, whose company's flagship spirit is the popular Georgi Vodka, said that while the economy has tumbled, his liquor business is booming.
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