Gibby bows out of Manager search

Many thought John Gibbons would be at the top of the Mets list of managerial candidates; ties to the Mets, major league managing experience and a fiery personality. 

However, Gibbons has removed himself from consideration, in two tweets from Bob Klapisch of the Record we find out Gibby isn't interested and why...

John Gibbons has told #Mets he's not a candidate for manager's job. He sent a message to Alderson thru 3rd party: he's happy in KC.source Bob Klapisch twitter

John Gibbons on Mets' managerial vacancy: "They need someone more high-profile than me." source Bob Klapisch twitter

Front office rumors...

It was reported by Joel Sherman which I passed along in this post that Sandy Alderson had already reached out to several of his former assistance in Oakland.

Adam Rubin of ESPN NY reported that Alderson may look to bring in one or two front office figures. 

Then Bob Klapisch of the Bergen Record reported almost matter of factly that Alderson would hire Depodesta.  That has been disputed by others as not a done deal, Depodesta is currently employed by the Padres and it's unclear whether he's willing to leave. 

Alderson will start by hiring Paul DePodesta, who currently works in the Padres’ front office, but was Beane’s assistant before being named as the Dodgers’ GM in 2004 at the age of 31. source North Jersey.com

The end of the weekend has reports that Ricciardi is considering a position with the Mets as a scouting director type position.  Apparently people close to the former Blue Jays GM feel he is at least interested in the position.

According to one person close to the situation, Ricciardi has expressed interest in such a job during conversations he has had with Alderson. The two are expected to continue talking. source Daily News

I don't get the fan love fest for Backman, While dismissing a real candidate in Chip Hale

It was music to my ears to hear Sandy Alderson say I'd like the sort of manager that would  "kick ass and take Names"; Semper Fi... Sandy

But a few sentences later I grew concerned when he said that ticket sales had to be taken into consideration in picking a manager.  Why, because Mets fans are feverish over Backman, it's as if someone piped in the 1986 WildBoys video (source You Tube)  into their SNY feeds with the subliminal message; IF HE'S THE MANAGER WE WILL WIN IT ALL.

Many fans act as if he's the only fiery type of manager available and that he's won everywhere he's gone despite never managing above AA. They are willing to dismiss his well documented incidents because they feel he's such a great manager and most believe it's been nine years since there was any trouble. 

It's true Backman has kept his nose clean for one short season in Brooklyn and got them to the finals, but that was also with a carrot dangled in front of him.  The year before he was let go by an independent league team, midway through the season for under preforming.  The year before with the Peanuts, I'm sorry that tirade in front of young entry level kids was ridiculous (source Yahoo) and he quit in protest in August because two of his players tested positive and he questioned the testing process. The same year he won with the White Sox as AA manager he was let go, reportedly for under mining Jerry Manuel.  But all anyone wants to remember is that he omitted incidents from 2001 in a 2004 interview. 

Outside of being an 86er, which by the way so was Hojo and we've seen how that worked out, I just don't see why he's leaps and bounds ahead of anyone else in Mets fans eyes.  There are definitely other candidates with equal or better resumes, he's not the only manager with a fiery personality and I don't see how you can dismiss all his incidents.

It's as if some ( a large number) Mets fans are blinded by this concept package of Backman, that's he's the only one who could successfully manage this team and they've closed their minds to anyone else.  I thought I made a good case for Chip Hale and Matt at Metsblog even ran a link to it but I still hear fans saying who is he, what has he done, he's not the personality we need, we need a clean break and he didn't impress me his first year here. 

Mets fans Hale is basically Backman without the issues, winning experience at a higher level and with direct knowledge along with a positive working relationships with the players on the major league level.  Since so many fans still say they have no idea about Hale and/or aren't impressed by him I thought that maybe enough about him wasn't out there.  Even if he doesn't become the next Mets manager he shouldn't be so easily dismiss as he currently is....

Since Backman seems to be many fans gold standard let me quickly compare their resumes;

Backman won his first league championship in 1999 in the independent league, in 2002 he won a AA league championship with the White Sox, 2003 with that same team lost in the finals, 2004 with Arizona's advanced A team he lost in the finals but won minor league manager of the year, 2007 with the Peanuts in the independent league he lost in the finals and this past season he lost in the finals in short season advanced A.  source Bio Here.

Chip Hale in 2000 lead Missoula in rookie ball to league best record, then 2001 took that same team to the finals where he lost, but was honored by both by the Pioneer league and Baseball America as the Rookie league manager of the year.  Second half of 2001 his rookie team won the Northern Division's second half championship.  2002 El Paso AA team had the league best record.  In 2006 he won the triple crown with the D-Backs AAA affiliate; Manager of the year, Minor league team of the year and league champions.  The next year he became the D-Backs third base coach and during his three years experience the 2007 team making it to the NLCS. He's been a finalist for the Arizona, Seattle and Washington managerial position.  Last year he came to us as a 3rd base coach when many were surprised that he didn't become the D-Backs manager but at the time that club was completely unraveling.  Source two bios Here and Here. Here's a Baseball America article with quotes from A.J. Hinch on Hale after winning the rare minor league triple crown ( Minor league team of the year, Manger of the year and PCL Champions).

"Chip and his staff did an exceptional job to keep that club grinding along while making everyone on that roster better players. This team never gave up—with everything they accomplished, they also led the PCL in come-from-behind wins, and that's no accident." source BA

Now one of the biggest points of contention is that Mets fans weren't impressed by him as the 3rd base coach and that he's part of the old system.  First of all, how often are first year coaches working with a lame duck  GM, manager and the manager's best friend/coach ( Shines) able to distinguish themselves.  Most of the time the rule on third base coaches is the less they are talked about the better, we talked about Shines for all of 2009, why; because of all his bone headed decisions.  It would have been inappropriate for Hale to have attempted to establish himself in that clubhouse, he's wasn't by design Joe Torre's bad guy as Larry Bowa was. 

This season, Hale has drawn virtually no attention, which, fairly or not, is the ultimate measure of success for a third-base coach. source Nj.com

But every report out of the organization was that they were happy with his performance from the players to upper management. In case you missed it, MUST READ by Zoe of Pick Me Up Some Mets on the preparation Hale made before each game.


Hale was in charge of the infielders and base running, I thought the base running was markedly better ( especially Pagan) and Hale was aggressive without being careless with his 3rd base decisions.  Infield had mixed results I hate the Ole fielding of grounders but everybody is teaching that these days.  Second base was a revolving door, Reyes was in and out, Wright improved his throwing and Davis was already a top fielder so it's hard to gauge how he did there.  Here's Reyes speaking about working with Hale after a horrible road trip in which he admitted to lapses in focus, that's a good rapport to have as a first year coach only half way through the season.

Asked if he was mad, Reyes said, "No, I'm OK. Chip always talks to me about that during the game and I try doing it. I made those errors in Atlanta and Philadelphia, that's not me. I can't do that. Just another thing happened. So nobody's perfect. Everybody makes a mistake." source Daily news

I also think Hale is in a better position then most managerial candidates, he has a positive working relationship with most of the players on the major league roster but hasn't been here long enough to be indoctrinated into the dysfunctional system. After the impressive coaching/managerial career he has had you can't convince me that after one year with this club he is now part of the broke system and should be immediately ruled out. 

The 45-year-old Hale made an instant positive impression in his first year as third base coach because of his preparation and work ethic. source ESPN NY

Many fans will reference comments by Dan Uggla saying players would run through walls for Backman which is ironic because Hale is the batter in that famous blooper where the minor league outfielder ( Rodney McCray) goes through the wall trying to make a catch.  But Hale has his supporters as well, here's Bill Murphy's comments on Hale who he played under in Tuscan, when Hale was a finalist for the Mariners job in 2008.

I asked Murphy if Hale can handle a difficult clubhouse -- the 2008 Mariners were described as "dysfunctional" -- and he just smiled. Hale won't be intimidated by a cantankerous veteran and he also won't stand for anyone who doesn't do the little things right. Want to see players on the field early doing baserunning drills? Go to Safeco Field next year if Hale gets the job. source Heraldnet

 D-Backs fans were surprised when Hale wasn't promoted to either bench coach or manager and questioned the direction of the team.

Hopefully they will take this opportunity to bring in a couple of hungry and aggressive coaches that will instill a sense of urgency into this team. This past year the team has played lethargic at times without the desire to get mean. I would suggest someone with a fiery attitude who has a chip on his shoulder. But then that was kind of how Chip Hale coached in Tucson so I have no idea what they are looking for. Maybe they need someone who possesses more “organizational advocacy”. I don’t think we have enough of that yet. source Diary of a die hard

Here are a few different quotes from Hale himself; one is an interview with a blogger, another was when he was up for the mariners job on who influenced him and the other was on being promoted from AAA manager to D-Backs 3rd base coach. 

Describe yourself in under five words.
Energetic, active, impulsive, and a little bit anal. source Ink waste


"My biggest thing is play the game the right way," Hale said. "I played under Tom Kelly in Minnesota, and the one thing he preached from day one was 'respect the game.' We just did things the right way, whether it was working on bunt defenses, taking infield, outfield. If we didn't do it the right way, we'd keep on doing it again." source Seattle Times

“It was fun. When you’re winning, it’s always fun,” Hale said. “That’s the way it is in any sport. When people talk about player development, I have found it’s much easier to develop in a winning atmosphere. Players are more likely to buy into what you’re teaching when they’re winning ballgames.” source Tucson Citizen

When Hale was up for the Nationals job last year here was what was said about him, while being compared to none other then Bobby Valentine.

Hale may actually be the most attractive candidate of them all. He is a former PCL manager of the year and won the league championship in 2002.  In fact, he’s won as a manager at every level in the minor leagues.  He also has the benefit of being 14 years younger than Valentine. source NBC.sports

Of course these are fan opinions in forums so I didn't include them but if you need more proof that Hale's managerial style was fiery, all you need to do is read through 100s of posts at this D-Backs forum which describe him in just that manner. Arizona Sports Fan

I trust Sandy to make the right selection but I am concerned that fan support/ticket sales could play to big a role in this selection.

A look at John Gibbons...

As I did with the GM search each name that starts to surface as a legitimate candidate, I will do a bio post on.  One of the first names coming out is John Gibbons, he has Mets ties, prior managerial experience and a connection to Alderson which makes his name a natural to come up...

Gibbons was selected by the Mets in the 1st round (20th pick) of the 1980 draft as a catcher, he spent 11 season in the minors all but three of which were with the Mets, in which he hit .251.  He broke into the majors for a mere 18 games all with the Mets between 1984-1986 in which he hit .220. 

His last minor league season was in 1990 on the Phillies AAA team where he hit .220.  As many back-up /minor league catchers do, Gibby went into coaching. In 1995 he lead the Kingston Mets to a league championship and the very next season did the same with the St. Lucie Mets.  Then in 1998 his 2nd place B-Mets lost in the first round of the playoffs. In his third year of managing AAA Norfolk they finished 2nd (2001) and lost in the first round of the playoffs.

Gibbons would follow his former minor league Mets roommate, J.P. Ricciardi to Toronto where he was first a bullpen coach and then first base coach.  Ricciardi promoted Gibbons to manager of the Blue Jays in 2004, a position he held until 2008.   He had three (2005-2007), 80 or better win seasons in a row in the very tough NL East, his best was a 2nd place finish in 2006 with a record of 87-75. 

It has been speculated that Ricciardi may join his former mentor, Alderson in NY which could be a connection for Gibbons. 

Gibbons' time as manager was marked with conflict, I'm not saying he was wrong in any of the fights he had but maybe he could have handled the situations differently.  It's never a good thing for a manager to be repeatedly engaged in high profile arguments with his players, it immediately raises questions as to whether the players respect the manager or that the manager acts more like a player then management. 

First there was an incident in 2005 in which Gibbons chastised Dave Bush in the dugout in front of everyone, after Bush wasn't happy on the mound when he was pulled, reminds me of an incident in which Mike Pelfrey turned his back on Jerry Manuel ( Manuel choose to ignore the incident at least publicly).  Perennial malcontent Shea Hildebrand had a run in with Gibby in 06 over playing time, writing something about the ship sinking on the board knowing reporters would see it.  Then Ted Lilly practically refused to give up the ball despite giving up seven runs in three innings, that resulted in a tunnel brawl in which cameras caught coaches rushing down the tunnel to break it up.  Finally Frank Thomas hitting a mere .167 had a public issue with being benched, saying that he was historically a slow starter. 

Gibbons is currently serving as the bench coach for the KC Royals...

John Gibbons will not interview 4 Mets job, Phillies bench coach Pete Mackanin could become a candidate, according to sources. source Andy Martino twitter

Dream team front office?

Apparently changing the culture of the entire Mets front office is an arduous task, Alderson who is keeping John Ricco and allowing Omar Minaya to decide his own fate, also may bring in some heavy hitters. 

It's been speculated for some time that Alderson may bring in Grady Fuson who would cover the draft an scouting but Joel Sherman is reporting that he has also reached out to two other high profile names. 

Paul DePodesta and J.P. Ricciardi both honed their craft under Billy Beane and Sandy Alderson, while neither were as successful as GMs on their own, they were extremely successful in their roles in Oakland.

I know there are some who are going to here their names and strictly thick of them as the Dodgers and Blue Jays GMs respectively and cringe, but these guys would be excellent assets working within a system, in an assigned with other personnel their familiar with.

J.P. Ricciardi was the Blue Jays GM from 2002-2009 he had five 80+ win seasons in eight over all seasons in the very tough NL East.  His best season came in 2006 with an 87 win second place finish, the team finished 3rd on three occasions ( 86,86, 78 wins respectively).  His worst season came in 2004 with only 67 wins which was attributed to injuries to Vernon Wells and Carlos Delgado.  He was initially praised for talent evaluation and budgeting but after getting the ownership to open the budget he was criticized bad big budgets and signing/trading for players he was familiar with, sounds like Omar but i think in a limited role either would excel.

Paul DePodesta is a numbers guy who seems to flourish more as an executive then as the GM, he was the Dodgers GM for two seasons 2004-2005.  The first season many of his deals were questioned by the fan base, especially the LoDuca trade ( for Mota) but they made the playoffs.  In 2005 the team had its worst record in history and he was fired, many of his trades and signings were based on numbers and were severely questioned by the fans/media. 

Alderson will work to bring in a few loyalists from his past to help implement his philosophy. According to several sources, he already has reached out to Paul DePodesta, whom he hired in San Diego, to help strengthen the Mets’ statistical department and J.P. Ricciardi, whom he worked with in Oakland, to assist on player personnel. DePodesta, the former Dodgers GM, has to decide if he wants to leave the Padres for whom he is executive VP. A few executives briefed on the subject said they think DePodesta will join the Mets. Ricciardi, the former Blue Jays GM, is an analyst for ESPN who is weighing several options. source NY Post

Highlights of the six possible management candidates

In this post by Matt at Metsblog he posted a tweet by Adam Rubin on who he speculated could be the candidates for the managers position.  Below are some highlights of the five names and I included Wally Backman since he's so popular.  Nothing in-depth just a few brief notes I thought I'd pass along...

Wally Backman - Managerial Bio
1999 Independent League Champion
2002 White Sox AA League champions
2003 White Sox AA lost in first round of playoffs
2004 Arizona Advanced A lost in league finals
2004 Minor league manager of the year. Advanced A
2005 Briefly named D-Backs manager
2007 Independent league finals Peanuts
2010 Single A Mets lost in finals

Chip Hale- Managerial Bio
2001 Rookie League D-Backs lost in finals
2006 AAA D-Backs league champion
2006 Minor league manager of the year
2006 D-Backs Minor league team of the year
2007-2009 D-Backs 3rd base coach
2007 D-Backs lost in NLCS
2010 Mets 3rd base coach

Clint Hurdle-  Managerial Bio
1988 St. Lucie Mets League Champion
1989 St. Lucie Mets Lost in Finals
1990 Jackson Mets AA lost in Finals
1997-2001 Hitting coach Rookies
2002-2009  Manager Rookies
2007 Lost in World Series

Lee Mazzilli- Managerial Bio
1998 Advanced A Yankees lost in Finals
1999 AA Yankees lost in Finals
2000-2003 Coach on Yankees MLB staff
2000 Yankees WS Champion
2001 Lost WS
2002 Lost LDS
2003 Lost WS
2004-2005 Baltimore Orioles Manager
2006 Yankees bench coach
2006 Lost LDS


Bob Melvin- Managerial Bio
1999 Brewers Coach
2000 Tigers Coach
2001-2002 D-Backs Coach
2003-2004 Mariners Manager
2005-2009 D-Backs Manager
2007 D-Backs lost NLCS
2007 Manager of the year

Ken Oberkfell- Managerial Bio
1998 Phillies Single A lost in first round playoffs
2003 St. Lucie Mets League Champion
2004 B-Mets lost in first round
2005 Norfolk Tide lost in first round
2007 New Orleans Zephyrs lost league finals
2008 Mets bench coach

Ryan and Gillick tidbits...

Adam Rubin was my favorite beat writer during his time at the Daily News, before and after the Omar incident.  I still feel he does a great job at ESPN NY but it has lost a little bit of the local flavor.  I say this as a caveat to a compliment to Andy Martino, between my appeal for Rubin's style and Martino's former Mets bashing as a Philly writer, I was bias and slow to warm to him.  I must say Martino is doing a very good job at the Daily News and has done an excellent job covering the Mets GM search.

As he wrapped up his GM search reporting Martino has two more interesting tidbits that I hadn't heard before.

Many Mets fans wanted former Twins GM Terry Ryan to become the next GM, I see the appeal but I wasn't as enthused with the idea.  It took Ryan six years to start winning and many of his trades are still considered questionable.  I had not heard that Ryan had been interested enough to at least look at our system.

My pick would have been Pat Gillick but I remember him making a comment about Jeff Wilpon along the lines that he wouldn't work for that kid, so I immediately ruled him out. I hadn't heard that Gillick and Wilpon had a productive phone call and that location was more the issue...

Former Twins GM Terry Ryan, who might have been the absolute dream candidate, was curious enough about the organization to visit the Mets’ instructional league in Florida this fall, the Daily News has learned. People familiar with Ryan’s decision say he ultimately determined he was not interested in leaving the Midwest, but otherwise might well have become the leading candidate for the Mets’ job.

--GM legend Pat Gillick and Jeff Wilpon had a productive conversation about the job (Fox Sports first reported that), and a person close to Gillick said his interest might have been serious if the team were not on the East Coast. It is believed that Gillick, who currently works for the Phillies, will not accept another job that is not near his West Coast home. source Daily News

Sandy not in favor of Wally...

We've all heard the report that Wally Backman was on Sandy Alderson's short list for manager, maybe that was to appease ownership and maybe he's actually intrigued by the charismatic manager.  He does remind me of LaRussa a bit but when LaRussa was hired Alderson's GM career was in it's infancy and LaRussa was considered more of a Haas hiring ( LaRussa's Playing career was mostly in the Oakland system), Jackie Moore, Jeff Newman, Art Howe and Bud Black ( Bruce Bochy predated Alderson In SD) are more reflective selections. 

Matt at Metsblog has a terrific post today on who's tweeting what about Alderson and Backman, speculation vacillates from him being a front runner to losing ground.

Sandy has a record of working with what he's given, bringing in key pieces where needed and making those around him better. As I said above LaRussa had a relationship with Oakland owner Haas, Alderson seemed to accept the hiring and both flourished.  In San Diego he accepted the incumbent manger ( Bochy), GM ( Towers) and most of the staff. 

“I think the problem with change is that it requires a change agent,” Alderson said yesterday. “That was me. While I think that that (change) was important to accomplish, from time to time it came across as heavy-handed. And that's really not me. That's the public perception, but that's really not who I am.”


“My approach to leadership has always been to come in and make the organization in place better rather than different,” he said. “And my inclination has never been to implement change by changing personnel.

“It probably goes back to the Marine Corps. If you're a platoon commander, you don't get to pick and choose. These are your guys. This is who we have. Let's figure out how to get the job done. source San Diego Union-Tribune

 I think Alderson is type who he's comfortable in his own skin, as long as he doesn't have a real problem with a staff member he can keep them or promote them if ownership really feels strongly about the person. Where others may feel threatened I don't believe does, however; I also don't think he would accept someone he is adamently against. 
David Waldstein of the NY Times reports that people close to Alderson believe he's not in favor of Backman as Manager...

His first order of business will be to hire a manager, and Alderson has told people he would not favor hiring Wally Backman, the former Met who manages the franchise’s Class A Brooklyn team. Alderson favors more low-key managers who follow the overall philosophy and strategy set forth by him. source NY Times

A look at San Diego's last Managerial hiring process...

So assuming the sources are correct and Sandy Alderson is the new GM of the team, after the appropriate congratulations are given then the first question is who will be the manager.  For most Mets fans their choice would be either Wally Backman or Bobby Valentine. 

However, many who know Alderson's style feel neither would be his type of manager.  Bobby V. is a high priced, big ego type that doesn't fall into the middle management role and Backman is too much of a wild card.  Heyman further tweets that Alderson hiring Backman might signal that ownership is in charge.

We all know who has managed under Alderson but I thought it might be more insightful to see who interviewed.  In 2006 Kevin Towers interviewed six managerial candidates and reviewed them with Sandy.  Three of the candidates were brought back for second interviews prior to Bud Black being hired. 

Dusty Baker interviewed for the San Diego Padres' managerial opening on Monday, the last of six candidates to meet with team executives.



General manager Kevin Towers said he planned to sit down with CEO Sandy Alderson on Tuesday to begin the process of getting down to two finalists.


The others who interviewed to become Bruce Bochy's replacement were St. Louis Cardinals third base coach Jose Oquendo; Angels pitching coach Bud Black; Trey Hillman, manager of the Japanese team Nippon Ham Fighters; San Francisco Giants bench coach Ron Wotus; and former Dodgers hitting coach Tim Wallach. source ESPN

Black earned the job one day after meeting with Padres CEO Sandy Alderson and owner John Moores for a second interview. The other presumed finalists who met with Alderson were former Cubs and Giants manager Dusty Baker and Japanese league manager Trey Hillman. source North County Times San Diego paper

Heyman reports Mets hiring Alderson..

While it doesn't come as a surprise, as a Mets fan you always get the feeling that they're going to screw up even the easiest of things.  This time it appears that they got it right, Jon Heyman just tweeted that his sources are telling him the Mets are hiring Sandy Alderson.

#mets are hiring with alderson as gm, sources say. source Jon Heyman Twitter

Alderson has 2/3 the votes...

We've all known since the day he threw his hat in the ring that Sandy Alderson was the over whelming favorite to become the next GM of the Mets.  What I found interesting was that it's being reported that Alderson has both Wilpon's in his corner and only team President Saul Katz is left to convince. 

It has long been speculated that Jeff Wilpon wanted a young, up coming new GM while his father was more in favor of an old guard guy.  Of course, if there was dissension Fred would win out but would that create another dysfunctional situation, Jeff having a GM thrust upon him by his dad. 

However, it's a big step forward if Sandy has sold both of them on himself, Katz doesn't appear to be the type to stand in the way or even get involved in boardroom politics...

According to a source with knowledge of the process, Alderson is close to a slam dunk for the job, based on the former Oakland GM's conversations with Mets COO Jeff Wilpon and a longstanding relationship with principal owner Fred Wilpon. Among the purposes of today's meeting, according to the source, is to get team president Saul Katz to sign off on hiring Alderson. source NY Post

Daniels out of consideration...

There have been rumors and speculation that one of the reasons the Mets extended the first round of interviews was to give them time to explore the availability of Jon Daniels.  The Rangers have been adamant that they will re-sign Daniels but speculation was fueled by some vague responses from Daniels himself in regards to his interest in the Mets job.  Apparently the Mets have gotten the message, according to reports Daniels has been ruled out as a candidate..

Rangers general manager and Queens product Jon Daniels is no longer being considered to replace Omar Minaya as Mets' GM, and all indications are that the team expects to choose between Sandy Alderson and Josh Byrnes, according to Major League Baseball sources familiar with the team's process. source Daily News

Callis on Fuson

As I posted at the start of the GM search there are many who believe that Sandy Alderson will accept most of the Mets Hierarchy to remain, as he did in San Diego but the one loyal person he might require is Grady Fuson. 

Fuson has been with Alderson since his days in Oakland and was brought in with the Padres; he is considered an excellent scouting director, assistant GM and always ranks high as a potential GM. Despite never getting a shot as a GM he has been considered the heir apparent in Oakland, Texas and San Diego.  Despite not landing the job he has been credited in all three cities for developing the farm with his drafts.

Jim Callis of BA was asked about a Fuson/Alderson team in NY and had the following to say...

More important than the hire is how much he gets to spend. @wexlerrules: Thoughts on Grady Fuson as potential scouting director for #Mets? source Jim Callis BA twitter

Decision maybe Friday...

Teams don't want to up-stage the World Series so either teams need to make announcements Tuesday, wait til the end of the series or find a day off to make announcements.  I'm sure the Mets don't want to look like they rushed a decision or that the fix was in by making an announcement tomorrow, so the next day off is Friday.  According to David Lennon that's exactly when we might find out who is the next GM of this team...

#Mets did little more than acknowledge today's 2nd interview with Byrnes. Alderson tomorrow, expect decision shortly after, thinking Friday  source David Lennon Twitter

My biggest concern with Byrnes..

I completed a full bio post on Josh Byrnes here, I would be excited about Byrnes being a finalist as I would with White, Hahn or even Baird if the situation was different.  All these guys are exciting young, next generation types with innovative ideas.  Yes, they have their warts but like a prospects there is an incredible amount of up-side.  The problem is the same description was given to Omar in 2004 and we saw what the Mets hierarchy did to him...

I recently came across an article at Cleveland.com in which they didn't think highly of Byrnes draft picks while he was in charge of the draft as an Asst. GM with the Indians.

But that's not what concerns me the most about Josh Byrnes, let me digress for a moment. I believe the theory that the way the Wilpon's owned the team between 2005-2007 is how they would like to run it, it was only when Jeff lost faith in Omar but Fred wouldn't allow Omar to be fired that Jeff became meddlesome and over bearing. 

While In a sense I'm sticking up for Jeff Wilpon for his behavior over the last three seasons, I also recognize that once your started a behavior it's so easy to return to the behavior.  So the biggest concern I have with Byrnes isn't his trade record, or draft selection but that an owner was allowed to meddle in the GMs business.

Either Byrnes created an atmosphere where the owner felt it was acceptable, the owner lost faith in his decisions or Byrnes couldn't garner enough leverage to keep the owner out of roster affairs.  Whatever the case after three years in which the Jeff Wilpon has become comfortable being overly involved I don't think a GM with a record of having an owner over rule him is the best direction to take...

Adam Rubin in two tweets describes how Josh Byrnes was over ruled by Arizona owner in regards to Eric Byrnes.

LaRussa on Alderson in NY...

For those looking for an excuse to be against Sandy Alderson, first there's the argument that he's been out of the loop for too long and the other argument is that he may not be able to handle a major market. 

Those who argue that Alderson has been out of the loop for too long seem to be negating his time as Oakland's President and San Diego's CEO.  Those fans or journalist act like the last time he worked in baseball was in 1997.  They don't even acknowledge his time as CEO of the Padres from 2005-2009 or that he was still working in baseball from 1998-2005 in the Commissioners office.  I wonder if those who dismiss  his time as CEO of the Padres are the same people complaining Jeff Wilpon is running the team as COO.

While Alderson has worked in NY for the commissioners office and taken a lot of heat in those positions it is true that all of his time operating a baseball team on any level has been in very laid back, low profile, small market teams.  Just like a player it's hard to tell who will and won't flourish in a large market, media microscope but Tony LaRussa his manager during his Oakland heydays had the following to say...

"He's tough, 'cause of his background in the Marines," La Russa said of Alderson and his military years. "I think it's right away you get the impression, 'I'm not going to mess with this guy.' He's bright, he adapts, he adjusts. I really believe that there isn't a situation that Sandy would encounter - anywhere - that would intimidate him. He knows all about major markets, all about New York, the pressures. If he gets it, he'll roll up his sleeves, go to work, and do a great job." source Daily News

Latest Rosenthal- Baird & Managerial candidates...

As every other outlet did today, Ken Rosenthal reported on the Mets dwindling the GM field down to two, but Rosenthal also had some other tidbits of information...

Apparently Allard Baird had some out-of-the-box ideas, my first thought was, which core player did he suggest to trade but who knows what he said, the ideas were described as "intriguing":

Allard Baird, the Mets’ only other candidate with previous GM experience, had three 100-loss seasons with the Royals. He presented several intriguing “outside-the-box” ideas, but would have been tough to sell to a frustrated fan base, one source said.

Also the GM candidates were asked to give a list of managerial prospects, according to Rosenthal both Alderson and Byrnes had Backman on their list:

Both Alderson and Byrnes presented lists of four or five managerial candidates in their initial interviews. Each of their lists included Mets Class A manager Wally Backman, sources said.source Ken Rosenthal

How many degrees of seperation are between Alderson/Byrnes...

We've all now heard that the Mets have selected two finalists for the GM position, Josh Byrnes and Sandy Alderson.  I think there's been enough said about Sandy Alderson and why he would be the perfect fit for the Mets but I don't think it's any mistake that they selected Josh Byrnes as the second candidate. 

This isn't meant to diminish Byrnes candidacy but Alderson seems like such a slam dunk I'm left thinking either the Mets don't want it to look like the fix was in or that they have other plans for Byrnes.  I know they have made it clear that they're hiring a GM not a Pres. but they've said nothing about an Asst. GM. 

Aside from Alderson of the five other candidates, Byrnes is the only one who isn't presently under contract as an asst. GM elsewhere.  It's one thing for a team to allow one of their employees to take the equivalent of a promotion but a lateral move is another story. 

It's been said that Byrnes wants back in baseball, in fact prior to his Mets interview he was snooping around his former team the Indians ( source Cleveland.com).  Someone asked Joel Sherman on twitter what he thought of the idea of a Byrnes/Alderson teaming and he was doubtful, thinking that Byrnes would go somewhere where he knew people.

However, I think Sherman is under estimating the opportunity some young executives will view in working with Alderson in NY.  And while there isn't a direct connection between the two men there is enough of a connection that both should know enough about the other to decide whether they could work together.

Lets play seven degrees of separation between Sandy Alderson and Josh Byrnes.

Ok, Sandy Johnson  top Mets executive who the Wilpon's themselves talked into returning instead of retiring after he felt he lost Omar, his former protege's ear is part of the old guard.  Both Sandy's were competing for players as they worked out west at the same time, if they don't have a relationship there has to be a mutual respect as they were building Oakland and San Diego/Texas to battle each other. But I would find it hard to believe these two baseball veterans don't know each other, Johnson was once ( in Texas) one of the most successful scouts in Latin America while Alderson's last two positions with the commissioners office was to establish a Dominican office and clean up the corruption in baseball in Latin America.

Johnson as scouting director for the Padres in the early 80's gave a young Kevin Towers a shot by signing him (source BA), that same Kevin Towers would become GM and be kept by Sandy Alderson when he became CEO of the Padres in 2005.  Many feel that Grady Fuson will be part of the Alderson package, Fuson was the scouting director in San Diego during the Alderson /Towers years.

Prior to the Mets, Johnson was working in Arizona under Garagiola Jr., the same Garagiola Jr who is now working in the commissioners office and knows Alderson well enough to comment on his Mets GM candidacy.  Garagiola Jr. when promoted to President of the DBacks hired Josh Byrnes as the GM.  It was also under him that Wally Backman was brought in as a minor league coach and then briefly hired as the major league manager. 

Garagiola Jr. with Sandy Johnson as the scouting director not only hired Backman but with a newly hired Byrnes as the GM also hired Bob Melvin and promoted Chip Hale through the ranks.  

Back to Johnson; after being talked into staying with the Mets, there was suddenly an influx of organizational personnel from Arizona, the Mets hired Melvin, Backman and Hale. All have connections to Byrnes who is connected to Garagiola who is connected to Alderson through the Commissioner's office. 

While these other connections don't link Alderson to Byrnes here are some other links I discovered while researching this post. 

Former Reds GM Wayne Krivsky who has a two year contract as a special assistant had been a long time executive in Texas when Johnson was there before working under Terry Ryan in Minnesota. 

Field Director Terry Collins was the Dodgers Field Director for three years under GM Paul DePodesta,  DePodesta got his start under Billy Beane in Oakland during Alderson's years as president.

John Ricco the assistant GM was in the commissioners office with Alderson in 2004 prior to them joining the Mets and Padres respectively in 2005.

The Mets need to avoid the appearance of indecisivness

Since the stunning end to the 2006 season, there is one word that has consistently described the Mets; indecisiveness.  While rashness can result in poor decisions and bad choices that is a judgement that is made after the fact; when the decision is determined to be good then it's described as aggressiveness but if the deal sours it was a panic move.  The opposite end of the spectrum is inactivity and that to is also judged with hindsight; patience is applauded until the team repeatedly fails then it's considered indecisive. 

In 2005 at the deadline Omar was almost unanimously applauded for not making any moves (source BA) of course that was based on 2004 when the organizations decisions were determined to be out of desperation.  Unlike the Seaver trade in which there were politics at work, Kazmir was simply a deal to keep attendance up. 

I was a teenager in the 80's watching Frank Cashen play let's make a deal with the Mets roster and while it worked at first, by the 90's he had dismantled a team I loved.  Still I tend to like the more aggressive GMs like Kenny Williams and Theo Epstein.  Which tends to make me lean more towards aggressive then passive, I'll take a bad deal ( of course not an epically bad) if it means a good one later down the road then no deals at all.

So I understood the praise in '07' but I was worried I especially remember reading an article about the '03' Angels in which it was their contention that the team failed to repeat because the roster was so similar to the year before, instead of infusing some new blood they remained stagnant. 

By '08' I was completely alarmed by the inactivity of the front office and while some, at that point were still on-board, somewhere in the '09-10' seasons almost all Mets fans were scratching their heads or pulling their hair out. 

Here's where the Mets are at now, they've been described as a board room quagmire that is in a vicious cycle of paralysis by analysis.  There are too many reports of failure to return phone calls, methodical linear movement and non-committal negotiations for at least some of it to not be true. 

Even the argument to blame this on Omar, in which some would want you to believe he didn't see the big picture, over valued his own prospects and became reluctant to pull the trigger on deals for fear of the bad trade, is mired with indecisiveness.  If you believe that portrayal of Omar then you also have to believe that Fred and Jeff couldn't agree on what to do with him, resulting in the meddlesome tag that Jeff now carries, for basically making Omar his asst. GM since Dad wouldn't let him go. 

All of this is the exact reason why Alderson needs to be the GM but this post isn't another "I Support Sandy" post this is more about the Mets addressing their indecisiveness.  They have begun the process of cleaning things up and so far have gone about it in the right manner, all six candidates would be excellent choices.  It was essential to bring an outside party into the organization, someone with fresh ideas and a clear cut vision of what direction to take this team in. 

The Mets now need to act swiftly and decisively on who they believe is their best option, they need to act on the momentum they've already built to show the baseball world that they are truly embracing change and not falling back into their old indecisive ways. 

As I read Jon Heyman's tweet last night it sent shivers down my spine of Here we go again, I hope I'm just being a neurotic Mets fan; Wilpon's Get-r-done....

Lennon 100% Alderson...

As we've all heard by now, the Mets have completed the first round of the GM selection.  So the Mets have six candidates; a living legend ( Alderson), two former GMs ( Baird/Byrnes) and three fast rising Asst. GMs ( Hahn /Brown/White). 

I agree with many of the other Mets bloggers I've been reading, that it would be exciting to have one of the hot shot, up and comers take over the Mets but then I remember that, that's exactly what Omar Minaya was five years ago. This team needs Sandy Alderson and not just because they need a good GM; the Mets have philosophical issues, branding concerns, along with managerial and roster problems. 

They need someone who can restore credibility to the organization who has been successful as a GM, team president and CEO of an organization along with understanding the baseball big picture from working for the league. 

The biggest knock on Alderson has been that he hasn't run the day-to-day operations as a GM in over 15 years, but unlike those who use that argument I don't discredit his time as president of the A's or as CEO of the Padres.  While Alderson shakes the rust off he may make some missteps but it's more important to have someone in position who can build an organizational foundation, then the 2011 roster.  Oakland was a GM factory when Alderson was their and while if hired he may come in with the title of GM, I expect him to have some very competent people around him. 

All indications are that Alderson is the front runner for the position and David Lennon seems very confident in who will be the next GM, I hope he's right...

Alderson at Citi today...

Sandy Alderson is to meet tomorrow for what is being called the finish up to his initial interview.  Either the Mets don't want to call it a second interview or he's the only one who couldn't finish in his first meeting.  The initial meeting was away from Citi Field, but tomorrow it is reported he will meet at the stadium with two of the highest ranking officials in the building.  David Cohen's office is above the Citi Field outfield and he heads the in-house legal dept., Dave Howard we all rem. from last years state of the Mets address on WFAN his specific title is executive Vice President of Business operations. 

We heard that last weeks meeting went very well but Joel Sherman described why it went so well in today's NY Post article...

Alderson clearly wants to return to running a team and – from what I understand – that passion was overt in the interview. Also, the Mets see the value of hiring a head of baseball operations who would provide instant credibility and respect inside and outside the organization, which Alderson clearly would. source NY Post

Could we lose Hale- update

Chip Hale Looks On Mod
Originally uploaded by Michael G. Baron

Update- I've been informed I have the wrong Hale and am worring about nothing.  Although I could swear I read a tweet about two weeks ago saying Chip Hale was interviewing for the Jays job.  I can't find that tweet and I trust the guys telling me its Demarlo Hale being referenced below.  I try to be accurate and apoligize to anyone I miss lead..

Some are reading this headline and probably saying who cares, but as many of you know I think Hale would make an excellent candidate for our managers position. In this post I made my case and in my opinion his resume far out weighs fan favorite Wally Backman.

As the Daily News reported the Mets have asked Hale to wait while they go through the process of selecting a GM, which I think they're being way too methodical about ( just sign Sandy already).

While the Mets are weighing their options for GM, could Hale be a significant candidate for the Jays managerial job...

A look at today's interviewee Dana Brown...

The Mets are meeting with Dana Brown today and I wanted to give him his fair shake, as I've posted a bio on all of the other candidates that have reached this point. 

I'm not sure I truly agree with the policy of  interviewing a minority candidate just for the sake of doing so, in my opinion it just seems demeaning .  In Brown's case it appears he was the runner up for the mandatory interview when the Tigers refused a request for Al Avila. After the Avila interview was denied all of the sudden the second round interviews were delayed a week, but the only change was Brown's name suddenly coming up in the second week. 

I understand the concept of getting these guys foot in the door and that the first interview possibly gets them on the short list but last year Kim Ng was the buzz name and this year without any major slip up that I'm aware of, her name hasn't been mentioned in regards to either opening ( Arizona/NYM).  Of course, many will point to Mike Tomlin in the NFL as a coach who wasn't even in the running until his obligatory interview.

In addition to his late entrance into the interview process, Brown is an Omar protege which makes it hard to believe he has even the slightest chance but I guess he has to view it as gaining interview experience. 

Brown was an outfielder on the great Seaton Hall team that produced Mo Vaughn, John Valentin and Craig Baggio. After a minor league playing career in the Phillies system, he became a coach in their system in 1993.  He then moved on to the Pirates as a scout until Omar Minaya hired him in 2002 as his scouting director.  He maintained that position until 2009, where he took his current position as asst. GM with the Jays. 

It seems like the Mets are interviewing guys with strong backgrounds in the scouting dept. and while it appears they aren't going to do the Pres. and GM type of structure maybe one of these guys as scouting director.  Nationals Farm Authority has an excellent interview of Brown from 2007 and here's how he described building a minor league system.

“They [President Stan Kasten and Bowden] have given me the opportunity to go out and get some strong scouts and add to our staff. We’ve been active in the Latin American signings,” said Brown. He offered the following analogy, “We live in a microwave age. People want it quick. Put in the microwave and eat in thirty seconds. [What we are doing] is building a house. When you put down the foundation, it doesn’t look pretty, but when you do it the right way, and the foundation is set, you start to build and get a picture of what it looks like. That’s when the excitement starts.” Brown added, “We are getting past the foundation part and starting to build it the right way.” source National Farm Authority

Update: comments from Daniels

Jim Bowden of XM Fox tweeted the following in regards to Jon Daniels and the Mets...

Alderson - maybe he has maybe he hasn't

There was a report by ESPN that Sandy Alderson has been asked back for a second interview.  All along it's been reported that Alderson is the front runner for the position and quite frankly if they don't hire him with his resume then they're more lost then I thought.  Alderson getting a second interview would clearly indicate that he is the front runner and the Mets are on the right track.  Steve Popper reported later that his sources denied a second interview at this time.

Is Daniels worth the wait...

If you equate the GM selection process to the draft; then my question is whether Jon Daniels sign ability is worth waiting.  Daniels is like the HS school pitcher who's dad swears he's going to college, do you waste your time trying to talk him into coming to the Mets or do you move on to the next playing on the depth chart. 

If you truly believe he's your #1 choice and there's even the slightest chance you can get him, then of course you have to wait, but if he's just another candidate and/or you know he's not leaving Texas then why waste your time. 

Daniels hints about the Mets reminded me of so many players I've heard drop a big market name just to advance their negotiations with another team.  The Mets can't even get permission to talk with him until after the Rangers are eliminated.

Now I don't want the Mets to rush and make a rash decision, but also don't want them prolonging the process to ensure they appear thorough.   There is a lot of down time between now and the end of the ALCS in which they could end up being rejected. 

I will preface this by saying that even if Daniels wanted to come here, my choice is still Sandy Alderson.  I still feel Jeff Wilpon needs an Alderson type and the organization needs his type of credibility.  Alderson was pumping out Daniels type GMs for years and then his protege Beane using his principles produced a second generation of young exciting GMs.

According to Heyman the Mets are asking about Daniels, I hope they aren't wasting their time because this team has a lot of work to do...

Looking for tweet embedding help

As many sites have been doing I'm looking to embedd tweets for posting pursposes.  I have spoken to several bloggers and simply can't find an easy way to embed tweets in blogger.  Word Press guys are using WPVIbe but I cant figure out where to paste the coding into blogger as its not the same HTML as Word press.  I tried Alot screenshots but it's coming out as a blank shot on twitter. I tried apture but after making an account it isnt recognizing the acoount even though its saying im signed in.  Finally Blackbird Pie was suppose to be the easy way to embed tweets and while it's extremely easy there is one big problem.  The twitter pages background is used over the entire box instead of as a border, now on bland bankgrounds thats not a problem but as most sport sites are a busy backgrounds, it makes the writing un-readable.  The coding is extremely complicated and I cant figure out how to turn off the background while keeping the tweet framed.  I know alot of you are using simple embedding programs but it seems like since blackbird pie came out most of the others called it a day.  If someone has an easy site im missing or could exaplain how to change the coding in Blackbird pie I would greatly appeareciate your help here is what blackbird looks like with the background on the writing...

Newly posted article Site for playoff game...: For those of us who would watch winter ball rather then no baseba... http://twurl.nl/3780xvless than a minute ago via twitterfeedEd Ryan
Mets_Fever

What will Alderson do for the Mets

Another day and another endorsement for Sandy Alderson, this one coming from Fred Claire the guy who ran the Dodgers for 30 years ( 1969-1998).  In an MLB.com article Claire explains that he got to know Alderson quite well as they worked relatively close ( LA/Oakland) for opposing organizations.  What I found interesting is what he felt Alderson could do for the Mets..

And just what answers does Alderson hold for the Mets?

You can be sure he will give great attention to hiring a qualified manager, if given the opportunity. He will place great emphasis on scouting and player development.
He will build a pro scouting staff stocked with veteran people who know how to do their jobs. He will give credit to others while taking responsibility for the fate of the Mets. source MLB.com

.

Request for Avila

It almost seemed expected at this point, according to reports the Mets have made the formal request to interview Al Avila.  As far as I'm concerned Avila is more then qualified to be the GM of a major league club, no matter what his race, unfortunately the Mets appear to be going in another direction and his interview ( if granted) seems to be to appease a minority requirement. I know there are some who say, give him the interview because he may light up the room for some owner, but do owners in this day and age really over look the best candidates. I don't think they do; I think it would be more insulting to be given an interview to meet a quota then it would be to be over looked.  For example; the Mets front runner appears to be Sandy Alderson because he's a living legend in the industry not because he's white...

As a non-minority I say this with the deepest respect for their plight and mean absolutely no disrespect whatsoever.  Despite being in the majority I have had nothing given to me my entire life and when someone has tried to give me anything I get insulted, therefore; my opinion stems from my own experiences.

The Mets have requeseted permission from the Tigers to interview front office executive Al Avila, John Lowe of the Detroit Free Press reports. The Mets' search had become awkward in light of the well-known rule that they're supposed to consider a minority candidate. Avila, a Latino, would fulfill that requirement. Would he have a real chance at the job? He'd be a long shot, if the Tigers grant permission. source Newsday

Why is Waits out, maybe the prospect review is an indication...

Rick Waits served the Mets for 15 years on the minor league side in the pitching developmental department.  I'm surprised by the timing of Waits departure, why not wait until the new GM is in place, let him decide who goes and who's going to replace them.  For more on Waits see Toby's article at Mets minor league blog and Matt's at Metsblog.

By the timing of this, I'm left wondering if the Mets were so dissatisfied by the development in the pitching dept. that they couldn't wait for the new GM. The farm was clearly improved under Omar's regime, but what happened once they were drafted/signed is another story.  I remembered writing a post in mid season on Jon Sickel's update of our prospect list, here is what I said at the time;

I happened to be looking at Sickel's minor league ball, yesterday he posted an in-season progress report on his Mets top 20 prospects. As I read the reports there were two words that would describe too many of the pitchers in our farm; REGRESSED / WILD.

After Mejia who he thought it was a bad idea to be in the majors and Niese who by the way Sickel's was calling a sleeper for years, the next four top pitching prospects have gone backwards as a result of wildness; Kyle Allen, Jenrys Familia, Brad Holt and Eric Niesen.

Now I admit I know little about the farm but that many top pitching prospects having the same issues raise a red flag to me, so I have a question is there a systematic problem in the developmental program for our pitching prospects or is this just an aberration.

Rosenthal on Avila

It would be a tough decision if Sandy Alderson wasn't in the mix, all the other candidates would be top choices if Alderson hadn't thrown his hat in the ring.  Whether it's Hahn, White, Byrnes or Baird they all have solid attributes for a club in need of a top administrator. Al Avila as I posted here would be just as worthy as any of the others and his resume is as impressive as all of them.

Of course it's hard to understand when your not in the situation, but I'd, at least think I would be insulted if the reason I was given an interview was to fulfil a minority requirement especially with the resume Avila has. 

Keep in mind, #Mets have yet to interview minority candidate for GM opening. One possibility: #Tigers assistant GM Al Avila. #MLB source Ken Rosenthal twitter 

Essentially cross Daniels off the list...

I didn't think Jon Daniels was a viable option in the first place, there didn't appear to be anyway the Rangers would let him walk after finally building a playoff caliber team and it appears the Mets knew that.   The Mets have been saying that want a GM in place by the World Series, the Rangers have a shot of being in the World Series. There's no way Daniels could even interview before the team is eliminated, so by default the Mets own schedule appears to take them out of the running.  But if that wasn't enough Ken Rosenthal quotes the Rangers owner as saying Daniels will be staying...

The #Mets probably should forget about #TexasRangers GM Jon Daniels. "He's not going anywhere," Rangers owner Chuck . . . (more) #MLB source Ken Rosenthal twitter

Alderson- Manager is just mid-management not big ticket item...

I've heard many Mets fans upset that Bobby Valentine is the leading candidate for the Marlins and Mariners, and is interviewing with the Jays.  For those who were hoping it would be an Alderson/Valentine regime, even if Bobby waits, I just don't see it happening.  If Alderson is the GM, he sees managers as simply mid-management and doesn't see the value of big spending on someone who's purpose is to just carry the message. 

I'm not a big Backman fan and I know if Wally gets the job there will be a group that feels it's a sign that the Wilpon's are still meddling.  But the way Sandy views things, Backman may get the job and it truly could be his decision.  I'm not saying he might not have ulterior motives, like garnering power for later decisions but there's no way he's allowing someone to be forced upon him that he absolutely doesn't want. 

When he took over the Padres Bruce Bochy stayed as manager and when Bochy left Bud Black was hired. During his time in Oakland there were four managers; Steve Boros, Jackie Moore, Tony LaRussa and Art Howe.  While it's true most of those managers are nondescript, I know there are some who will say LaRussa doesn't fit that type.

It's true LaRussa had been successful in Chicago, winning manager of the year, taking the White Sox to the playoffs and having a .506 winning percentage.  But he also had just been fired mid-season due to a  26-38 record and had a close personal relationship with the Haas family ( owners of the team at the time).  LaRussa spent the bulk of his playing career in the A's ( KC/Oakland) organization, with cups of coffee '63', '68', '71' and a full season in 1970.  Even back then Sandy showed he could accept ownership input on the manager but with LaRussa being a fellow lawyer I'm sure that helped smooth things over. 

The Ivy League-educated, Vietnam veteran Alderson, once unaccepted as a baseball outsider who not only didn't play the game but didn't even grow up in it, never understood why the field manager historically had carried so much power. To Alderson, the manager should be no more than fourth on the organizational food chain, behind the owner, the general manager and the player personnel director. And yet for 100 years, teams had based their organizational philosophy on the one person they replaced most often.

Years ago, Alderson, then the general manager of the A's, explained it to me this way: "Managers are very controlling. You look at the managers today and the ones that are 'my way or the highway' are very few. It's a remnant of another generation. If an organization is worth its salt -- we're talking about maybe the paradigm corporate existence where the corporation has a reputation, it's been doing things for a long time, it's innovative and had continuity -- why would you turn that company over to a middle manager? So the attitude was, 'We have a philosophy and we're going to find a manager who is going to implement that philosophy. We're not looking for someone to tell us how to run the team, or upon which theory it should be predicated. We already have that. We want someone who is going to implement it for us.' That's a very different approach."

The rest, as they say, is history. Now, with each retirement and birthday of a longtime field manager, the power of the GM is further solidified. John McGraw-to-Casey Stengel-to-Billy Martin-to-Lou Piniella is gone. Alderson-to-Billy Beane-to-Theo Epstein and Jon Daniels is in. Alderson has won. source ESPN

Avila could be the mandatory interview...

Adam Rubin in several tweets tonight reported that the Mets are still awaiting permission to interview several other candidates.  It was initially reported ( by other sources not Rubin) that the Mets had an outstanding track record of minority hirings from Willie, Omar and Jerry, so they wouldn't have to hold a minority interview unless,of course, they were interested in one of the candidates.  However, in a tweet tonight Rubin disputes that and mentioned Al Avila's name as a possible candidate...

The Mets are not exempt from MLB's requirement to consider a minority candidate, even with their diversity history with Omar, Jerry & Willie

On my original list, I mentioned Detroit Tigers assistant GM Al Avila as a potential interviewee. source Adam Rubin ESPN NY twitter

Because of Alderson's candidacy I would call any other interview part of the process but under other circumstances Avila should be taken seriously.  The former catcher of Hispanic decent is a front office lifer who has served in numerous roles and been close to running his own team several times.  Al is the son of the former Dodgers president Ralph and his own son Alex is a catcher with the Tigers.  After a minor league career in the Dodgers organization as a catcher and a masters degree in sports admin. he started as a mgr. in the minors in 1987. 

From 1988-1992 he was the AD and coach of the St. Thomas (FL) University team.  In 1992-1994 he worked for the Marlins in the Latin American scouting dept and then in 1998 he was promoted to director of scouting.  For the Marlins on the international side he was credited for finding Livan Hernandez, Miguel Cabrera, Edgar Renteria, Alex Gonzalez and Louis Castillo. Then his scouting dept. drafted Josh Beckett, Nate Robertson, and  Adrian Gonzalez.

2001 he served as the Marlins Vice President and Asst. GM, then was the interim GM going into the winter.  After nine seasons in Florida he spent the 2002 season with the Pirates as an advisor before moving to the Tigers where he's been ever since.  In Detroit he was initially in the scouting dept. where he was involved in the Bonderman trade.  He now serves on the major league side assisting with the day-to-day operations as an asst. GM. ( source of bio info Tigers.com)

For an interesting read on scouting see this interview of Avila by a High School Baseball when Avila was the Marlins Scouting director. As far as what his true potential to be a GM, AOL fanhouse ranked him one of the top candidates earlier this year.  Heyman at the end of the season ranked him #12 with the following comments;

12. Al Avila, Tigers. A big part of the Tigers turnaround (with Scott Reid and John Westhoff ) before injuries derailed them this year. The good times should be back next year in Detroit, with $50 million coming off the books. Once came close to getting the Mariners GM job. source Heyman SI.com

Fernando Nieve and Mike Jacobs free agents

Fernando Nieve kicks
Originally uploaded by Michael G. Baron

According to MiLB transaction list Fernando Nieve has filed for free agency. The once top prospect in the Astros organization who struggled with control after Tommy John surgery always seemed to be on the verge of becoming a positive reclamation story. In 2009 Nieve made seven solid starts going 3-3 with a 2.95 ERA before blowing out his hamstring. This season he came back as a workhorse reliever the first two months he made 24 appearances, in April his ERA was 3.36 but for the month of May it ballooned to 9.76 and then Jerry didn't trust him to use him. In June and July he would make only 12 appearances before being sent to Buffalo for the rest of the year. Nieve posted a 6 ERA in 40 appearances and some have argued Jerry burnt Fernando out while others say the league just caught up to him.

The Mets traded Mike Jacobs to Jays at the deadline for a player to be named later, generally that player is based on the performance of the player they receive. According to MLBTR Jacobs has been granted free agency after heading to Toronto's AAA affiliate Las Vegas Jake hit .308 but never got recalled. I'm not sure we'll get anything for him except a bag of balls...

Hahn's interview..

If Alderson wasn't in the mix Rick Hahn would be at least one of my finalists for the position.  As I wrote in this post; Hahn seems to have a very impressive resume, my only concerns would be in regards to him coming out from behind a larger then life GM ( Kenny Williams) and his abilities in the scouting dept., much like Ricco he's more of a major league contract guy. It sounds like Hahn had a very good interview...

In fact I'd love to see Alderson as President of baseball operations and Hahn, White or Byrnes become the GM.  It's clear that no one in the know feels the Mets want to restructure in that manner and while it's easy to say that's a concern or mistake on the Wilpon's part, who's to say that's not Alderson's choice.  Maybe after being president in Oakland and San Diego, Sandy feels he needs to be more hands on to fix the Mets.

Though Alderson's personality and experience may have made him the early frontrunner for the position, the Mets have reason also to be impressed with Hahn, the most recent interviewee. In charge of hundreds of millions of dollars of contracts under general manager Kenny Williams in Chicago, Hahn has proven quite capable of handing a GM position; in March, Baseball America rated him the game's top general manger prospect who has never previously held a GM post. source MLB.com

I'm as confused with White as I was with Jennings...

Remember the reports about Dan Jennings last week; first it was reported that the Marlins denied the request for an interview, then that was denied, then it was reported Jennings had an out clause with certain teams listed and the Mets were one of them.  Finally the Marlins formally declined the request and it was reported Jennings didn't have an out clause.  Jennings is still employed by the Marlins and hasn't been scheduled for an interview, so I'm guessing the final report was accurate. 

I completed this post on Logan White; which has a link to an LA Times article which suggested the Dodgers could let White go.  There is a bit of turmoil in Los Angles and White hasn't always gotten along with his boss.  Then it was reported today that White was added to the interview list and while his initial interview would be for GM, the Mets could be looking to make him scouting director.  Later in the day it was reported that White has a new contract and would only be coming here as a GM, but even that has been disputed...

It is not known if White - who, as the Los Angeles Times first reported Tuesday, has agreed to a new contract to remain in his role with that club, but could still leave if he wanted to - would be interested in a lateral move. But the ugly divorce of Dodgers owners Frank and Jamie McCourt has created some dysfunction with that team, and White's relationship with GM Ned Colletti is known to have been shaky at times. source Daily News

GM update; Schedule, White, more on Alderson

Yesterday the Mets met Allard Baird; Jeff Willpon and John Ricco met with the former Royals GM for most of the day.  They also announced that Hahn is scheduled to interview today, with Josh Byrnes on Wed. and Sandy Alderson sometime before the end of the week. 

The Mets are going about this is a very smart way, as much as I've heckled ownership I'm actually impressed with the process they've implemented.  This is a very similar situation to the early 90's, after Frank Cashen had burnt his bridges with the team and they thought a young insider who was good with contracts could handle the job with Joe Mac around to bounce things off.  I really expected the team to try and convince us that John Ricco was ready for the job and Sandy Johnson would be there to bounce ideas off of.

But the Mets clearly understand that they need an outside prospective and someone who can change the tarnished image of the organization.  I said when Jeff went on the radio, that it all sounded very good but it also did last year when he did the same thing and at this point actions speak louder then words.  Unlike last year, it really appears that the Mets are going to make drastic changes, which is what this organization needs.

Any of the names mentioned would be excellent candidates in the right situation and while I feel Alderson would be the perfect fit I still think they should interview each and everyone of them.  Interview them and pick their brain for ideas, Alderson is a strong enough personality to take their prospectives and use what he likes without being bullied into bad ideas. 

As I said Alderson is the perfect fit, not only is he an excellent organizational manager but he brings credibility to a team with very little credibility.  People will want to work and play for the Mets because of the chance to work with the living legend.  Everybody seems to want the union of the Mets and Alderson, whether its writers, fans, the commissioner and even his former protégé have endorsed the idea.  More importantly Alderson has alterior motives, he dislikes the evil empire...

That he despises the Yankees is just a nice fringe benefit, especially for Mets fans. His reputation of rectitude and fortitude guarantees that no one will think Jeff is covertly running the team any longer. source NY Post

Alderson is comfortable in his own skin and generally doesn't demand too many changes when he takes over, it's been speculated that Grady Fuson may be part of the package but Omar has a chance of staying.  When Sandy took over in San Diego he kept Kevin Towers and most of the staff.  I could see Omar staying and being in charge of international scouting, who knows he might learn from Alderson and become a viable GM candidate in the future.

According to people familiar with the team's thinking, the assumption in high-level meetings last month was that a younger GM who had not yet worked in that role might prefer not to have Minaya around. A more experienced executive, team hierarchy presumed, might be secure enough in his own position to want to utilize Minaya's skills. source Daily News

Finally Matt at Metsblog reports that Logan White will interview at the end of the week and it might not just be for the GM position.  White could be brought in as scouting director, he did an excellent job building the Dodgers system.  White's contract is up at the end of the month and he is on the outs with the Dodgers.  At the very least its another candidate to pick his brain.

I have questions about this Alderson fella...

Anytime someone is described as the perfect fit I grow skeptical.  Everybody who has had the opportunity to weigh in has said Sandy Alderson is exactly what the Wilpon's need, in fact it almost seems like Bud Selig is pulling a Pete Rozelle/ George Young maneuver. Heck even the reports from Alderson himself make it sound like this is almost a done deal...

alderson sounds excited about mets gm chance. "the baseball side ... is the fun side." source Jon Heyman twitter

I'm skeptical of a guy in his 60's who's biggest success was in the 80's with a small market team, who's last position with a baseball team ( Padres) ended prematurely and now works for the commissioners office.  Remember when Art Howe lit up he room and everybody was excited that we stole someone from that great winning organization in Oakland, how'd that work out.

Sandy Alderson is a living legend but how do I know the game hasn't passed him by, after being a guy who bought whole heartily into "In Omar We Trust" I'm skeptical of this man being "The Answer" and I need some convincing...

Alderson was a lawyer for the A's with no baseball background, how much of the credit does he actually deserve for those Oakland teams and how much was his underlings ?

"Sandy's the architect of the way baseball's played today," says former Oakland Athletics owner Walter Haas Jr. "He showed everybody the game could be done differently."

Bearing degrees from Dartmouth and Harvard Law, Alderson actually simplified the game with the basic "Principle of OPS": Get on base, often, and get driven in by somebody else who's very good at driving in runs with extra-base hits. Often. On-base percentage plus slugging average. OPS. Simple. source San Diego Union-Tribune

There is no question that A's GM Billy Beane has been one of the most creative and successful general managers, but he is the first to admit that one of the reasons the A's have performed so well with so little revenue is that their organizational philosophy has been in place for more than 15 years.




"It's a tremendous credit to (former A's GM) Sandy (Alderson), because he set this up in the '80s. He developed a well-defined offensive philosophy. Our development people have been in place. We lost Grady Fuson as scouting director, but we had Eric Kubota, who'd worked with Grady for nearly a decade, to step in. (Manager) Art Howe works very well in this system, because he understands it." source Peter Gammons

Sandy Alderson entered this industry almost exactly when Baseball America did, in October 1981. Of all the players we have covered, all the tools we have described, few have impressed us as much as Alderson's brain. source Baseball America

Ok, so he is truely the guy who started the money ball concept based on Bill James, but what was it he accomplished in Oakland ?

Most of Oakland's moves in the mid-to-late 1980s were made with OBP in mind. The A's drafted pure slugger Mark McGwire over two speedier and more complete players, Shane Mack and Oddibe McDowell; they dumped free-swinging shortstop Alfredo Griffin for pitcher Bob Welch; they acquired Reggie Jackson, Dave Henderson, Rickey Henderson and Ken Phelps, all of whom fit the walk-and-homer profile. The result? Four division titles and three pennants from 1988 through '92. source ESPN

He then served as Oakland's General Manager from 1983-97, and as the club's President from 1993-95 and 1997 through his departure in 1998. The A's won four American League West Championships during his tenure (1988, '89, '90, '92), participated in three consecutive World Series (1988-90) and captured the World Series Championship in 1989. In addition, the A's farm system produced four Rookies of the Year during Alderson's stay in Oakland. source San Diego Padres

Wasn't he a flop in San Diego ?

This Padres franchise is loaded up with some great prospects in the farm system and credit is all due to Sandy Alderson’s leadership. Let’s not forget what Sandy Alderson did for this organization when it was in shambles in terms of minor league talent. I am glad to see a couple of former Padres minor league talent make it with other teams. source Snodgrass muff




In Alderson's first two seasons with the Padres, the team reached the postseason in back-to-back years for the first time in franchise history, winning the National League West title in both 2005 and 2006. The Padres also surpassed the 2.6-million mark in attendance for the third straight season in 2006, and continued to make strides in their community and military outreach programs. Alderson was influential in bringing the semi-finals and championship game of the inaugural World Baseball Classic to San Diego in March of 2006. source San Diego Padres



A former scouting director with the Athletics and Rangers, Fuson heard from three other major league clubs that rank the 30 farm systems. In those rankings, the Padres' system was fourth and sixth, and one other organization rated San Diego first in hitting prospects. source San Diego Union-Tribune

Does Alderson really change the culture of an organization ?

“My approach to leadership has always been to come in and make the organization in place better rather than different,” he said. “And my inclination has never been to implement change by changing personnel.



“It probably goes back to the Marine Corps. If you're a platoon commander, you don't get to pick and choose. These are your guys. This is who we have. Let's figure out how to get the job done.”

By retaining nearly all the staff he inherited, and augmenting it with outsiders more closely attuned to his baseball philosophy, Alderson risked more turmoil and turf wars than might have occurred had he replaced Kevin Towers and Co. with his own hand-picked hires. source San Diego Union-Tribune

Even more than the players he gathered, Alderson hired a staggering number of young executives and weaned them on logic over emotion. Walt Jocketty, Ron Schueler, J.P. Ricciardi and, most notably, Billy Beane learned under him and spread his philosophies to several other organizations and a new generation of young minds. source Baseball America

Can he handle NY, which is a lot different then Oakland, San Diego and the Commisioner's office ?

"He's been in the right place at the right time and taken advantage of it," Selig says.

"We changed the game more than any decade in the history of the sport and Sandy was in the middle of all of that."Alderson stepped on some toes in the process, however. In 1999, his hard-line negotiating tactics led to a resounding defeat of the umpires association.  Alderson says: "It was one of those situations where you weren't going to convince people with words. You had to convince them with actions." "He's not politically correct, necessarily," Haas Jr. says. "He doesn't go out of his way not to be, but he's not going to throw BS at somebody to seek favor."

"He doesn't fear tough decisions," Beane says. "That makes people less secure a little uncomfortable dealing with him. (But) he neither invited confrontation nor was afraid of it."

His no-nonsense approach in restoring the strike zone to its rulebook dimensions also rankled some in baseball.

Alderson admits his tact at times has gotten him into trouble. "But that's life," he says unapologetically. source USA Today

If you haven't figured it out by now all these questions were rhetorical, Sandy Aldserson would be the perfect fit for this team and each time I hear a quote about him coming here I get excited.  He would change the culture of the Mets from the Wilpon's all the way to the last roster spot in one of the baseball academies. Not only is he a hard-nosed type that wouldn't allow NY or the Wilpon's to effect him but he has worked in NY through the commisioners office where he took on an entire union with an unpopular stance and he has ties to the area ( Daughter and family live here).  He proved he still had it in San Diego were they are still reaping the rewards and his quotes show he still has the desire for the position.  Semper Fi Sandy I hope your joining us sooner then later...