Bobby's Running Out of Options

Bobby Valentine took himself out of the running for a job as manager of the Marlins. Seattle has now informed him that he will not be their next manager.

Hey Bobby, I hear there's job opening in Flushing.

Jon Heyman wrote for SI.Com that the Mets appear to be third or fourth in line as possible destinations for Bobby V. Now that Florida and Seattle are out of the running, perhaps his chances of coming to New York are looking a little better.

We can only hope.

Letters From Jeff

I got this e-mail from Mets ownership through Flushing Flash (which I still don't know how I get).

Dear Mets Fans:
We have heard from many of you over recent weeks offering suggestions and ideas on how to assemble a winning team. Thank you for taking the time to contact us. Your interest and support of the Mets is greatly appreciated.
We have been hard at work since the end of the season exploring ways to improve our club. As you likely know, this week we interviewed five candidates for General Manager - Allard Baird, Rick Hahn, Josh Byrnes, Sandy Alderson, and Logan White. They all are intelligent, creative and passionate about winning. They conveyed their honest assessment of our franchise and discussed how we can move forward on our pledge to give our fans the winner that they deserve.
We are continuing our search and expect to hire our new GM in the next few weeks. We will be in contact with you with more information and details soon.

Thanks, Jeff. Glad to hear the all the GM candidates discussed ways of making the franchise better. Now hire one of them, get out of the way, and let one of them actually do it. 

I Say Break Up the Core

Break up the core. I don't care anymore about the big names and so-called talent.

How long have David Wright, Jose Reyes, and Carlos Beltran been together? Too long in my opinion.

After a while you just have to stop kidding yourself Mets fans and come to the realization that certain things just don't work well together: Oil and water, Democrats and Republicans, the New York Mets core.

So I say set 'em free. Put them on the auction block and see what happens.

After the way the past few season have gone, no one is untouchable.

FYI...for more entertaining Mets photos and "stories" check out Read the Apple. 

Bobby V? I'll take Him

Can New York handle having Bobby Valentine as manager of the Mets again? I would love to have Bobby V back here.

Could he turn things around for this team and make them a winning ball club? Your guess is as good as mine.

One thing I do know he will bring...entertainment.

During his time with the Mets, Bobby V had two memorable seasons, 1999 and 2000. The rest I would like to forget.

Can you think of any other manager in baseball who had more failure than success and is still to this day, beloved by just about all fans? I can't.

Despite the years of crappy baseball that was played, I always tuned in to watch the games because, although they lacked talent, they did have some characters.

Those teams had what this current roster does not: Entertainment value.

Who could forget Turk Wendell and his rosin bag tossin', shark-tooth necklace wearing appearances?

What about Robin Ventura's run around the bases dressed as Mike Piazza during a rain delay?

Granted none of these memories have to do with actually playing baseball, but nevertheless it was fun to watch.

That's the problem with this current team. Even if they are winning, they aren't fun to watch. They're a bunch of duds.

As far as grit (a word that seems to be thrown around these days by Mets fans), I don't see it with the current team.

They're biggest attempt to show "grit" came in the final week of the regular season when Carlos Beltran decided he would like to take out Chase Utley at second base (in retaliation of Utley's slide the night before into Ruben Tejada).

Problem with this was Beltran had a chance to take out two Phillies players with his slide and missed both.

That was it. One takeout attempt and done. If it were me, I would have said, "Okay Utley, I'll just go after you next time too." But no one ever did that. They just went back to the clubhouse and said how they were mad and wished they had succeeded at taking Utley out.

I'm sick of all the talk from the clubhouse. Put up, or shut up.   

I think with Bobby V back at the helm, the Mets could be back on their way to playing gritty, entertaining baseball.

The Great Debate

A fellow Mets fan has recently started debating my stance on who's to blame, management or players.

This fan wrote:

"...the manager is ultimately responsible for his teams efforts on the field...the lack of "fight" in this team has been brought on by managers like Howe, Randolph, Manuel. The management change is greatly needed to address the inability for the players to act like they even care now."
My reply: That's nonsense.

I don't accept the excuse that it's the manager that inspires "fight" in a team. Sure, they should always encourage it, but, as a player, if you don't automatically have that feeling every time you step out on the field and can't muster enough "fight" to continue to play the game properly, then that's on you as a player.

The manager shouldn't be held responsible for the players inability to care. If the players pick and choose when to care now, you can change the manager, but that doesn't mean you'll change the attitude of the players.

Cheap Seats?

For anyone who watched games toward the end of the season, it was obvious that attendance was down. Teams only look at the number of tickets sold, not the total number of people who make it through the turnstile.

According to Andy McCullough of the Star-Ledger, attendance was down from 3.15 million to roughly 2.56 million.

As a result, the Wilpons are looking into possibly lowering ticket prices to bring back those fans turned off by the high prices and poor play.

"We have thought about it," he [Jeff Wilpon] said. "And I think we'll have some good announcements for the fans in the near future."

Adios Amigos: Mets Part Ways with Manuel, Minaya

The Mets said so long to GM Omar Minaya and manager Jerry Manuel this morning. Assistant GM John Ricco will serve in the interim.

On Mike Francessa's radio show, Mets COO Jeff Wilpon said that the team has compiled a list of about 30 people who could replace Minaya. That group will be cut to 6 or 7 possible candidates and the situation will hopefully be resolved by the end of the month.

In his opening remarks at today's press conference, Mets Principal Owner and CEO Fred Wilpon said, "I am responsible, I have the last word." Jeff Wilpon later stated, "This is a results business in a results town and the results were not there."

In my opinion, this whole organization needs to clean house, and yes that includes you Fred and Jeff.

The Wilpons have had a stake in the Mets organization since 1980. Have there been a few years of success since they've been aboard, yes, but the Mets have been an overwhelming disappointment.

GM's have come and gone. Managers, coaches, and players have come and gone. One thing that has always remained the same...the Wilpons.

Do I think Omar and Jerry needed to be let go? Definitely.

But if history tells us anything, if this team really wants to change, it all comes down to Fred and Jeff and them parting ways with the team.

The Wilpons say they are looking for a GM candidate with some fresh, new ideas. Problem is, that GM will have to run their ideas past these two.

No matter how much the Wilpons say the GM has autonomy when it comes to decision making in the organization, the only thing I still hear echos from today's press conference are Fred's statement..."I have the last word."