22
2013
Featured Post: Doomsday Prep for Mets Fans
An article by 
I’m so very tired of all the complaining and whining about how bad the Mets are. The Mets aren’t really that bad and unless some crazy stupid series of unfortunate events take hold, things should get better.
There are far more hideous things in the world than the state of the 2013 Met roster. For instance, what if the Mayans were only off by a few months? Sure how smart could they be if they got annihilated by a bunch of guys in tin hats, but still, it could all end tomorrow, POOF!
We could be hit by a massive wayward asteroid. NASA didn’t even see the one that scared the heck out those Siberians so not a whole lot of faith there — the cosmos kind of snuck that one by them. We could have a zombie apocalypse. That would be bad — though less bad for some. I know I’d be ready – even my kids agree I was made for that sort of thing. My compulsive tendency to hide weapons in convenient places (a trick I learned on my long walks to I.S. 61) and my agility putting a choke-hold on the dog speak for themselves.
The world could end with another ice age, you could be trampled walking out of Zabar’s staring at your new garlic press by a stampeding herd of Mastodons or you could be flattened crossing the street by a rogue high speed glacier. Or, like those slower than lava Pompeii people, you could end up covered in ash and molten rock, frozen forever in your last act – just as you were about to take a bite of your toaster strudel or obsessing about your fantasy baseball draft order.
Jeez, you’d think we could find other things than the quality of Met outfielders to complain about. Now we’ve got this Higgs Boson particle. Bunch of eggheads at the “Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory” in “Geneva” crashed some stuff together at high speeds and decided our universe is fundamentally unstable and therefore vulnerable to being wiped out by a more stable better looking universe with great hair. My thinking was, you’ve GOT to be kidding me? I just scheduled a teeth cleaning! Unstable universe?
When I was a kid I used to crash trucks together at high speeds all the time but I don’t think it ever resulted in a negative time vortex expanding in every direction at the speed of light. Heck, even the Beltran/Cameron collision of 2005 didn’t trigger a catastrophic chain reaction.
Higgs (not to be confused with “Higgins” from Magnum P.I.), the energy field that gives subatomic particles their mass, is unstable? Unstable how? Like a three legged chair, or like Lindsay Lohan? Is our universe going to pop a bunch of pills and crash a car into a jewelry store? Why would God make our universe unstable? Was he cutting corners? Did he run out of rebar by the time he got to our universe? Maybe we should ask for a refund!?It all makes Daniel Murphy’s oblique injury seem trivial doesn’t it?
We Met fans need to keep things in perspective because honestly, at least we’re not the Marlins. So much complaining about Sandy Alderson, really?
Over the past 30 years the guy has worked for two organizations. The first is a perennial contender that manages to be competitive on a shoestring budget year after year. The second, was a moribund mess when he took over in 2005 and people say he left it not much better in 2009, but here’s the rub, sports fans, when I did an unofficial survey of minor league system rankings on 5 major sports sites, the Padres minor league system was ranked in the top three in every one and was ranked the top system in baseball in 3 of the 5, with comments like “system rife with both depth and quality.”
Yep, rife, that means their system stinks of talent… say your prayers NL West. I wish we were rife. Oakland has had a pretty nice run too, sustainable even. They recycle their seemingly never ending stream of prospects every few years — bringing up talented youngsters and trading off the older and too expensive players for even more prospects. Sound familiar? That’s Sandy Alderson,. That’s who he’s been and that’s what he’s done.
Now fast forward a few years to Fred Wilpon in dire financial straits sitting in Selig’s MLB offices. Bud looks at Fred (who is sweating profusely) and says, “OK Fred, I won’t do you like Frank McCourt because, well… because we’re pals right?”
“Sure Bud, we’re tight, just like this,” says Fred twisting his fingers together.
“But, here’s the thing Fred, you’re going to do me a little favor. These big market bullies, we need to bring them down a notch. This league screams for parity like a 2006 LeSabre with a busted engine rod. I’m going to cut their brake lines and undermine their business model.”
“Freddy my boy, I’m going to make you an offer you can’t refuse. We’re going to show the world how a big market team can succeed using small market methods. We’re going to bring them all down to our cheapskate level. I’ve got this friend of mine I want you to talk to, name of Sandy… He’s in the Dominican right now… Cigar?”
Sure it didn’t go down exactly like that, It probably never even happened, but hey it makes for a good Godfather-like Mets spoof and there’s probably a kernel of truth somewhere in the premise. Namely that Selig’s guy is here to put another organization on an Oakland / San Diego sustainable trajectory.
Things could be a lot worse Met fans. Our farm could still be a shambles. We could be Kansas City having just traded our best prospects for James “I just pitched 8,000 innings” Shields We could have signed Michael Bourn and Nick Swisher to huge contracts. We could have traded Matt Harvey and Zack Wheeler for Justin Upton.
Instead? We have three ace level pitchers heading our way in Zack Wheeler, Matt Harvey, and Noah Syndergaard, with several other babies in the low minors making some big noise.
We have two division foes in the Phillies and Nationals with acknowledged minor league weaknesses in right-handed pitching. Our strength? You guessed it, right handed pitching.
We finally have a catching prospect who looks like he might be up to the task of ushering in a new era where we’re not getting our asses handed to us by the likes of Shame Beefarino, Chased Mutley and Jimmy “I’ve eaten stacks of pancakes taller than” Rollins. These guys are going down people, like asteroids burning up in the Met stratosphere, like glaciers melting from Met carbon emissions, they’re going to whither like crackling thistles under a wave of molten Met lava, mark my words.
Seriously, If I were Ruben Amaro or Mike Rizzo I’d be concerned with what this Alderson guy is up to. So yeah, things aren’t so bad, they can’t be, not with the tsunami of pitching we have coming our way. My only regret is that we ditched Acosta before I could use my Acostalypse jokes.
About the Author: Matthew Balasis
I’ve been a Met fan since August 1969 when a fire resulted in the Red Cross placing my family on the 6th floor of a building in Willets Point. I could see Shea from our balcony and I knew something big was going on. I followed them through the dark years and the resurgence of the 80’s only (sadly) to miss the fall of 86 because I was in Boot Camp. I've been serving penance ever since in Minnesota where I'm an SLP. I've written a lot about the Mets in an effort to share with my kids (and anyone else who might listen), a sporting tradition that made much of my childhood worthwhile. Follow me on twitter: https://twitter.com/MatthewBalasis
126 Comments + Add Comment
NL East Standings
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Braves | 23 | 18 | .561 | - |
| Nationals | 23 | 19 | .548 | 0.5 |
| Phillies | 20 | 23 | .465 | 4.0 |
| Mets | 16 | 24 | .400 | 6.5 |
| Marlins | 11 | 31 | .262 | 12.5 |
Last updated: 05/18/2013
Recent Comments
- Lifelongmetsfan: on Hefner Lasts Just Four Innings In Mets 8-2 Loss To Cubs: another start like this and it's back...
- Markcomic1: on Is Marlon Byrd Finally Coming Around?: fire collins please
- Branden: on Valdespin Won’t Let Criticism Lower His Self Esteem: I am regular reader, how are you...
- metsfaninparadise: on Prima Donnas and Clubhouse Chemistry: A Met Perspective: Lotta conservative people in baseball. Midwesterners...
- metsfaninparadise: on Prima Donnas and Clubhouse Chemistry: A Met Perspective: I don't believe it's anything beyond coincidence...
MMO Mets Chat
Need Tickets To The Mets Game?
Check Out These Great MLB Links!
Photographs From Gordon Donovan
5358 Fans Follow Us On Twitter!
1270 Fans Like Us On Facebook!
2341 Fans Read Our Feed!
1702 Fans Subscribe via Daily Email!
Good stuff, Matt.
Matt – That truly was fun stuff!
Our pitching gets deeper and deeper. “Even-Steven” Matz is back on the radar screen.
I was glad to read today that Andrew Brown is one of the new faces to make a positive impression on Terry Collins so far. I think he’s this year’s sleeper.
I think we’re in for a fun ride. 12:10 pm can’t come soon enough.
LGM!!!
Amen, glad somebody could say all of the things that have been on my mind this offseason. 2013 might not be the beautiful season we’d all love to see, but we are setting up for sustained success in the future. Although it may not look it at the moment, I feel like it’s a good time to be a Mets fan. It can only go up from here.
I’m using this season to watch the young kids like Travis, Wheeler, Harvey and others emerge. mature and turn heads.
Anything beyond that is expecting too much.
this can’t be right. The mets aren’t the favorite to be going to the WS, so everything is a fail, fail, fail.
and who cares about the future. as you so rightly point out, it may never get here.
Wow!!!! Can you point out the Positives WITHOUT being a 100% Stepford Wife?
The young Pitchers are Exciting…Promising…. They are NOT “Ace Level Pitchers”—Not Yet!!!!!!!!!
Our RH Pitching prospects (PROSPECTS!!!!) are better than “theirs”…so what! That’s kind distorted– Nats pitchers have graduated and excel at the ML Level. Phils?…hey…they ARE getting OLD.
When you lose 90 games for alot of Seasons you don’t compare yourself to anyone… you evaluate your plan. What are you?…what are you doing? What do you need to be/need to be doing? Sitting around waiting for 3 young pitchers to get finished baking is PART of the plan…..it’s not a plan and it’s not a cake until it’s done.
The biggest evaluation is the one you’d make of Management/Ownership. We’re hoping they’re developing young players to be part of a winner—- this Ownership has a very long and spotty record regarding their skill and commitment toward that goal.
Harvey, Wheeler, Syndegaard, are all PROJECTED as solid #1 types. Of course they’re not aces yet … although Harvey sure pitched like one last season.
This site it the best Mets site on the internet and I love all these articles. Nobody even comes close. Thanks for this particular post Matt, I truly enjoy reading all of your articles. I dont always agree with what some of the other writers here say, but I enjoy the reading all the same. All of you do a great job and Met fans are lucky to have a place like Metsmerized to go to.
Nice job.
Perfect article as we head towards the start of the season.
Nats have a very good team right now but I wouldn’t want to be in Amaro’s shoes right now.
sadly, the Phils have at least 1 more big year in them. Would not surprise me at all if they end up winning the division again, and should easily hit 90 wins barring a calamity.
big question theough, can Amaro control his old-age fetish when Halladay and Utley both hit FA at the end of the season? I hope of course that he resigns them both for 3 years at big $ and they spontaneously combust soon after.
But as badly as I want to stick a fork in them, just can’t do it yet.
at least they are projected right now to put out a defense that overall will be hideous. Even Duda might laugh at them. Especially on the corners.
Could go either way for the Phils this year. Their OF is meh too.
Will Halladay be the Halladay of old?
Will Utley’s knees hold up?
Will Howard come back strong after that injury?
I have a feeling the Phillies are going to fall apart in a big way. Awful lot of injury time bombs on that roster.
true, and of course, the question is how many go off.
they did play really well in the 2nd half once a couple of the guys came back (and without Halladay), and the biggest culprit in their record was actually the BP blowing games like the 2007 mets.
just worries me they could easily start the season with howard, utley and halladay all healthy, and they have upgraded the pen most likely.
Ugh, enough with all this zombie nonsense. I know grown men with actual professions preparing for a Zombie Apocalypse. Morons.
Its the Robot Uprising that we need to be prepared for.
No, it is actually the next Ape uprising. They will be controlling the robots.
Did I miss the first one? Damn!
LoL, this thread is too funny.
Wait – I missed it. Who controls the Zombie Mafia?
Agree that things will be looking up, but you have to hit bottom first, and the 2013 season will be the bottom.
Don’t “Spit in Met fans faces and tell us it’s raining outside” We have PUNTED THIS SEASON AWAY!
Don’t tell me that we are going to compete this season! Don’t jack up the prices to watch a semi pro / AA1/2 team!
Yes 2014 looks bright!……..can we just FORFEIT this year!
And here’s what the a’s and padres and mets have in common besides Alderdons ….. They rarely win
I am certainly no A’s fan but I think you might be missing something there.
This century they have 5 first place finishes, 6 playoff appearances, 9 seasons above .500, 7 seasons of 90 or more wins and 2 100 win seasons.
Not exactly rarely winning.
Compare that with the Mets:
1 first place finish; 2 playoff appearances; 5 winning seasons; 2 yrs with 90 wins; 0 yrs with 100 wins.
And by the way, San Diego looks like this:
2 first place finishes; 2 playoff appearances; 5 winning seasons; 1 yr of 90 wins; 0 yrs with 100
And Met fans continually look down on the As and San Diego like we are better than them. The only thing the Mets exceeded them in was spending. The As lapped the Mets in performance and the Padres about equaled the Mets.
Unless the Padres really really screw the pooch, with the level of talent they have in the minors I think it will be difficult for them to be bad over the next 3 – 5 years. If anything they will have the collateral to pull off some major trades with what they’ve got coming up through their system. And whether or not Alderson actually had input on their scouting is irrelevant because he put the people in place who made the improvements (one of whom was the oft maligned DePo).
Could this be the “Neekerbreeker” of NYT’s Forum fame?
The same, and you sir?
Roids which is what money all is rooted in. No more
And are we still giving credit or blame to sandy for what the A’s do 14 years after he left. Seems ridiculous
Nope, Sandy has nothing to do with what the A’s or Padres are doing now. I agree.
TRS, you and others say that a GM’s hand of work should be work in year 6 of the team right? Well, year 6 after he left the padres organization the padres suck… i am sure if it was the other way around you and the sandy lovers wouldn’t shut up about how good of a job he did.. instead, one of the worst team in baseball is releasing all the crap they brought in and where are the ending up? You guessed it, the team they’re currently running… the mets. SMH…
Huh? I have never given him much of any credit or demise for SD because I am not completely sure how much of a role he even played.
Also, keep in mind that when he was hired I said that I barely even knew who he was so I am not someone that loves me some Sandy because “he invented moneyball”. What I did say is that a lot of tough decisions would have to be made moving forward, the Mets were a mess, and hopefully someone as respected in baseball and what looks like to be appointed by Bud would be able to make those decisions without too much interference from the Wilpons. I also said that I would give him until the off-season of 2013 to show me that things were turned around. To me things are starting to move in that direction but they will have to spend next off-season for me not to change my tune.
Have you heard of Larry Baer ?
If not, he´s the CEO of the SF Giants – i.e. basically the job Alderson had with SD for a few years. While he probably has the final say on the budget and longterm contracts, I doubt he´d get involved in drafts or trades or smaller scale signings – especially with a renowned & longtime GM like Brian Sabean in charge of things. And while he probably has to okay a 4-year, 40 million $ deal to Angel Pagan, he won´t be making the decision to target Pagan instead of, say, Shane Victorino.
Likewise, I can´t imagine a longtime GM like Kevin Towers allowed Sandy Alderson or anyone else to meddle with his decisions – except for setting the budget and maybe giving the final okay to sign Trevor Hoffman to a longterm contract or not.
Alderson was the GM of the A´s for 14 years. That was his only job prior to becoming Mets GM in charge of the Baseball side of a Baseball team.
But Ricco and DePo were (similarly) both GM’s before Sandy hired them on the Mets, no? That S.D. system is no joke … Sandy may not have done the scouting but you’ve got to give him credit for putting the right people in place. That’s what he is, a consummate administrator.
Ricciardi was the Blue Jays GM.
Ricco has never been a GM anywhere. He´s a “homegrown” Mets GM prospect who is actually respected pretty widely from what I´ve gathered.
Alderson certainly has surrounded himself with several interesting Baseball people with the Mets. And he also did so with the A´s and Padres.
However, again, I don´t think he had anything to do with the Padres´ on field decisions back when he was there, let alone today. He kept the GM they had before he came for example, so I suppose he had the final say in pretty much every Baseball decision.I´m pretty sure that Omar Minaya – currently an Assistant GM with SD – has more to do with their decision making today than Sandy Alderson ever had back then.
Sorry, I meant Ricciardi.
So shut the hell up about SD then.. the guy above you didn’t bring it up why did you? but of course, it doesn’t fit your agenda to bash your idol. that’s why you want noone to bring up SD because it’s irrelevant to the GM right? He did an awful job all around that org and that’s why they’ve sucked since he left.
When did I EVER bring up SD?
The only thing I said was that his previous jobs are done and over and he doesn’t get blame or credit for either at this point.
Obtuse.
YOu only said that because there was no credit to be given for the disaster he left in SD, however, if he had any success whatsoever, you, the gooners and lovers would be all over that….
Why? Considering that I am saying that his days in Oakland having nothing to do with now either?
Remember Alex, not everyone is posting every post with some type of conspiracy in mind. Some are just posting to talk Mets.
Yes, it´s absurd. Alderson was the A´s GM from 1983 to 1997.
He built up their championship team of the late 1980s, then was forced to rebuild when his owner died and the team had to be downsized and helped lay the groundwork for the team Billy Beane later took over.
But that was 15+ years ago and it was a different game back then.
Basically nothing he did and didn´t do back then has any relevance for the job he´s doing with the Mets these days. Be it positive or negative.
Likewise, I always get kicks out of Alderson´s supposed impact on the SD Padres success (or later lack thereof) from 2005 through 2009.
Alderson was the Padres CEO back then, heavily involved with the business side which was struggling quite a bit back then. The Baseball side was basically filled by longtime GM Kevin Towers. Scouting Director was Grady Fuson. Assistant GM was Paul DePodesta, so at least he did have some impact on their decision making. Besides setting a – generally low – budget, Alderson can neither take credit for the 2005 & 2006 playoff teams, nor should he get blamed for their non playoff teams of 2007 – 2009.
I suggest Alderson should be judged on the job he´s doing with the Mets. Where you can find positive and negative aspects, so far, of course. Ultimately, the question is: Will he meet his goal of building a “sustainable winner” ? From 2014 & beyond we´ll get to find out if things go according to plan.
Agreed, kinda hard to hold him accountable for success or demise of the Padres when we don’t even know the influence he actually had.
I love how people say “it was a different game back then”.
No it wasnt. It was the same game and organizational development hasnt changed one bit. Free agency was around since the early 70s with teams going after talent in droves. But what was the success rate? How many championships were bought? The fact that the Dodgers are seemingly buying up all the talent on the market would lead one to believe this is new. It isnt. George tried the same thing throughout the 80s without success.
Look at the WS champs the past 12 years. Almost all of them had major components from within. Even the Yankees had home grown players on their 2009 team. People want to point to the FAs but overlook that fact that Posada, Cano, Jeter, Cabrera, Pettie, Rivera, Chamberlain, and Hughes all were contributors while coming from the farm. Plus ARod and Swisher arrived as a result of the trading of Soriano and Betemit.
The fundamental fact is a team needs to develop a stream of young talent that is consistently appearing to provide talent to the big league club either directly through call up or via trade. It is what Cashen did in the early 80s with the Mets; Schurholtz in the late 80s/early 90s with the Braves; Ed Wade with the Phillies in the late 90s; Rizzo with the Nats more recently.
A front office still has the same job. Sure the numbers changed significantly but an astronomical contract is nothing new. Remember the reaction when Winfield signed a 10 yr/$10M contract with the Yankees? How about when Eddie Murray signed that ‘huge” contract with Baltimore making him the highest paid player in baseball. Or we can look at the contract that Bonilla signed with the Mets. Signing huge contracts does not ensure winning. A FO still needs to use all resources including developing the farm to provide a steam of young talent.
Agreed. The game pretty much is the same today than it was 20 years ago.
However, the business & administrative side has become a lot more important than it may have been back then. Most of all, there´s a lot more information today about pretty much everything than back then.
Again, in general I´ve been quite supportive of Alderson here.
However, I don´t see how his success with the A´s or supposed lack thereof with the Padres has anything to do with his current job – other than giving him valuable experience.
What you´d hope for is a GM that constantly questions his actions and is willing to rectify mistakes. Re-instating the GCL team may be one such thing.
“However, I don´t see how his success with the A´s or supposed lack thereof with the Padres has anything to do with his current job – other than giving him valuable experience. ”
Wrong, what he did in the 80′s for another team is just as important as what he does decades later for the Mets.
?
Wait let me add sarcasm fonts.
Wrong, what he did in the 80′s for another team is just as important as what he does decades later for the Mets.
Ha!
One thing this site is seriously lacking is a good sarcasm font.
The funny thing is and Joe D can confirm this is if you could see that comment in wordpress edit window you would see that I actually did place it inside of an html tag i called sarcasm font.
LOL, caught me off guard for sure.
Little by Little you sandblasters from the desert are immigrating here to MMO to damage the site with your forever cornyness…. SMH.. I see kramer is back here too… Sigh………..
Sandblasters from the desert vs the Core. LOL, only on elementary playgrounds and MMO would that be possible.
Ummmm, Yeah, no… There’d be no competition if it ever comes to that on anything…
Damage the site?
Sorry Alex but I have no intention or desire to ‘damage this site’.
I enjoy the variety of articles MMO brings to Met fans.
I know, because your daddy’s bigger than my daddy and my cousin fights better than yours.
Again, do you not even see how ridiculous it is to call each other group names as adults?
Again, do you not even see how ridiculous it is to call each other group names as adults?”
are you mad? to be honest, no it doesn’t. you know exactly why the CORE was created in MetsBlog when all the DW lovers including cerrone was going in on anyone who’d dare to criticize the almighty one, and trust me, it helps many people here know the difference between us smart baseball guys, and your little desert club where you all lick each other’s you know what… Move it along loser…
If you say so buddy. Some kids never do grow up. I mean think about all those losers at Star Trek and Star Wars conventions.
If you want to create fictitious groups and give them names in order to provide your insecure self meaning, by all means. Just try to leave the rest of us adults out of it.
did you notice amount of smileys and winkies they litter the pages with?
time to bring back an old favorite…the BOWING icon…all hail the lord m(_ _)m
Yeah, ok. But I just hope the Wilpons don’t ditch him like Dolan did to Donnie Walsh.
“Hey, Jeff. Uncle Sandy fixed your toy. Now PLEASE try not to break it, again!”
Alderson, by all accounts, is credited with laying the groundwork for the sustainable model in whose footsteps Beane adeptly followed …
Eric Chavez, Miguel Tejada and Tim Hudson, i.e. three core players of the “Moneyball A´s” of the late 90s / early 00s were technically signed by Alderson. Though in all likelihood he never saw any of them play before signing them. So, I don´t think he should receive much credit there.
He did lay the groundwork for the way the A´s ran their franchise when Beane took over. Somewhat similar to how Omar Minaya has laid the groundwork for the Latin American operation of the Mets these days.
Amazing read. Thanks for the laughs!
Off Topic: Any guess as to the “big” announcement coming up?
Top 3 guesses:
1) Alderson moving on after this season
2) Ike extended
3) Murphy needs major surgery
Never mind. Johan not pitching for another 2 weeks or so. Meh.
Just take the 2 weeks part off…
No, he said Mid-March. I honestly don’t care. As long as he is ready and healthy for Opening Day, all Spring Training for him is warm up reps.
That’s not good. I thought he was all ready for the WBC?
Its not from any new injury or anything. Its just that he spent all winter rehabbing and working out, so the Mets want him to take it easy for a little while.
I’ll give MMO a lot of credit they are trying really hard to stay positive right now. I am no psychic but I think the fan base will be in full loony toons mode before June. You got a segment that is completely pissed already, one that will stay complacent until things get better and the other that is holding on to positivity for dear life. Come June I think the only one hanging on will be my gal SRT. Hang in there SRT you need to do it for the rest of us.
Oh Ye of little faith. it will be a lot better than you are surmising.
won’t be all candy and roses, but enjoy the good, and there will be plenty of that.
Oh and I am absolutely terrified about the Large Hadron Collider. Some things I just don’t need to know about. That thing is going to create a black hole and suck us all up.
Too bad this particle accelerator can’t put a few miles back on Santana’s fastball …
The A’s were not competitive every year while he was GM. They had a fantastic three stretch with him, but they had more losing seasons during his tenure than winning ones. Of course he gets tons of credit for that great stretch, but when we look at his overall record, how do we know that stretch wasn’t just a flash in the pan? That stretch was only three years out of many years.
I’m not trying to criticizing Alderson, but I’m just skeptical about whether he is as good as a lot of us think he is.
I don’t see how the Padres were a “morbid” mess when he took over. They won 87 games the year before he took over. Also, the Padres prospect ranking you cite, is that a current ranking or is a ranking of their system from after he left?
Here’s a ranking I found for their 2009 system. As you could see, they are in the “worst of the rest” tier:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/baseball/mlb/12/01/farm.systems/1.html
8 out of the current 10 Padres top prospects were not acquired by Alderson. So, that would be misleading to give him credit for their current rankings because he has had little to do with that.
This was the ranking I used to find their top ten prospects:
http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/rankings/organization-top-10-prospects/2013/2614588.html
It takes a while (as we know) to turn a system around. They were not very good in 2009, they Padres system sure is good now. Whether or not Alderson did any of the “groundwork” for the current resurgence is up for debate, but if you figure it takes a few years before you start to see improvement system wide then that would pretty much place Alderson in the GM’s position if we regress to a point in time when those changes were instituted. Alderson seems to have a knack for overhauling approach to operations system wide.
How did Alderson have any impact on the SD system back then and even more so now ?
Other than possibly hiring / not firing people in charge – such as Scouting Director Grady Fuson or GM Kevin Towers ? Paul DePodesta was at least involved. So, feel free to blame or praise him, depending on how you think of the SD system.
But while the A´s success or lack thereof at times were certainly on Alderson from 1983 to 1997, some good & some bad years , I can´t find any evidence that Alderson had anything to do with either the success of the SD Padres (playoffs in 05 and 06, a good farm system today, some of it acquired via trade for players added during “Alderson´s time” there such as Latos or A.Gonzalez) or a lack of (no playoffs in 07 to 09, a mediocre system back when he left). Again, blame / credit DePodesta. Blame / credit Towers. Blame / credit Fuson. But Alderson as CEO ???
He changed their system, fundamentally, by focusing on younger riskier higher upside players. Whether that was by his design or that of his subordinates is hard to say, but, he hired/retained those guys and three years after his departure the Padres end up with one of the best systems in Baseball. Sure some of that talent was procured by trading Latos, but Latos as you point out was drafted during Alderson’s tenure. The Padres drafts prior to Alderson were atrocious. More importantly Alderson overhauled “systems and processes” and you could make a strong argument that it was that overhaul that catapulted the San Diego farm system to it’s current status.
“Under Alderson, the Padres obtained 12 extra picks, including seven in 2007 and another three for the upcoming June draft. From 2000-2005, they had two extra picks. “The farm system has improved,” Alderson said. “That’s partly because of more draft picks. But it’s also partly more effective use of draft picks.”
Clearly his focus was on upgrading the farm system, that focus eventually worked — perhaps more so after his departure but how much of that would have happened without the fundamental changes he instituted? Hard to say but the volume of the pics certainly ballooned under Alderson and the approach certainly shifted.
http://www.utsandiego.com/sports/padres/20080330-9999-1bb30padplan.html
and,
http://www.voiceofsandiego.org/cheapseats/article_23dc6c1e-2c1b-5ebb-86a8-a082ff882a2a.html
Then why was Alderson so hated in San Diego?
http://metsmerizedonline.com/2012/10/when-san-diegos-history-repeats-itself-in-queens.html
“In most cases I felt that he was trying to do the right thing by building from within and creating a “pipeline” of young talent, but he left the club in a worse place than when arrived. Much of that can be blamed on owner John Moores divorce, but Alderson needs to take his share of the responsibility.”
“Every year the Padres have a season ticket holder event at Petco where Sandy Alderson comes out of his hole and tells us if he sees his shadow. If he does its 6 more years of no World Series. ”
http://forums.utsandiego.com/showthread.php?t=91014
Why was Omar so hated here or Steve Phillips for that matter? Are we going by fan perception?
every fan base just focuses on what they see on TV, the ML team and how much it is winning. They either don’t know, or don’t care (and certainly don’t want to wait it out!) about any rebuilding of the organization into some self-sustaining future model.
There’s a healthy contingent of New Yorker’s that hate him too … it’s probably because he’s cold and ruthless in cutting ties with fan favorites if it improves the team over the long haul. San Diego will be interesting to watch over the next few years. I’m sure Alderson will get little if any credit, but it was Alderson who overhauled their operational model and that model is still in place today as they enjoy one of the strongest farm systems in the game.
Wouldn’t San Diego’s success over the next few years be more attributed to Omar Minaya than Sandy Alderson? Omar Minaya is the one who is Senior VP of Basball Operations now so how can any credit go to Alderson in a few years?
Omar is the one there now who is actually contributing his expertise in scouting minor league talent – which is a term you can’t use when referring to Depo
Boy you guys really love Alderson don’t you? I never cared about any Mets GM. The only thing that brought my attention to any GM was WINNING. I never even heard of Steve Phillips before he was Mets GM. Why do I like him now? Well first of all it’s back to back post season appearances for one….and doing it initially by making creative trades and establishing a solid bullpen. Those are things Alderson can’t be bothered with while rebuilding. He does nothing, just sits back, tanks, and waits for that draft pick. Sorry but I do not adhere to that way of thinking.
So if the Mets win next year is credit given to Sandy or Omar?
That’s why I never like this debate to start with. To me what Sandy did in SD and Oakland are irrelevant now anyway.
Also probably his lousy personality too which Joe D has written about before too and how it may have affected doing business at the GMs meetings. Remember when Joe D cited a tweet by Jon Heyman that there seemed to be a disconnect between Alderson and other GMs last year?
That means nothing? Or “oh it’s Jon Heyman so don’t worry about it”. Those are the usual excuses right?
Wasn´t that supposed “disconnect” mainly about the “absurdly high” asking price for the 38-year-old trick pitcher Alderson was shopping ?
I mean, Baseball Prospectus – for example – suggested a trade like defensively challenged CWS corner OF Dayan Viciedo (.744 OPS in 2012) and 27-year-old finesse RHP Charlie Shirek (who failed to make the CWS Top 10 prospect list in a thin farm system and probably would somewhere between Collin McHugh and Chris Schwinden on a prospect scale) for RA Dickey.
http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=19117
Jim Bowden of ESPN – who is known to undervalue young talent – at least suggested a package from the LA Angels centered around defensive whiz but offensively challenged Peter Bourjos (.606 OPS in 2012) and RHP Garrett Richards who did rank # 83 on the BA Top 100 prospect list entering 2012 for Dickey.
http://insider.espn.go.com/blog/the-gms-office/tag/_/name/r-a-dickey#post-5594
In the end, the Mets ended up with – according to Baseball America – the # 23 (d´Arnaud) and the # 54 (Syndergaard – Zack Wheeler ranked # 55 entering 2011 at a very similar stage of his development btw) prospect in Baseball right now. Plus a toolsy teenager and a decent veteran C in this package. Which is far more than any of the supposed “experts” suggested.
So much for the “disconnect”. It´s what you call driving a hard bargain.
Same thing happened with Carlos Beltran and getting Wheeler in return btw instead of a package of B or C prospects.
Unfortunately, Alderson failed to maximize Jose Reyes´ value (or, alternatively, failed to re-sign him if he didn´t trade him).
Of course, it remains to be seen how good the prospects acquired in these two trades end up doing. However, at least in terms of “present day” market value, those deals brought excellent returns.
HI DrD,
“38-year-old trick pitcher”
Is that how one now describes a Cy Young Award pitcher? Was that the way one thought of him when waiting for the balloting to be announced? Or when going for his 20th in an otherwise completely meaningless game that drew more than 20,000? Is that how he would be have been looked upon if Sandy wasn’t shopping him around and signed him to a two-year extension?
Or would he be considered the veteran ace of a young starting rotation and our best pitcher?
Agree with the trade or not – but don’t discredit him now that he is no longer wearing the orange and blue.
Don’t you know Joey? The new thinking is if you don’t throw mid 90′s or above your really can’t ever be a star?
It’s all about the fastball as long as you have a fastball your destined for greatness right up until the kid is ready to be promoted and then all of a sudden his breaking ball and secondary pitches become important excuses for why they were wrong….
Me personally a guy who gets outs and keeps the score down is a GREAT pitcher!
I don’t care if his main pitch is a dipsey Doodle it’s not the pitch you throw its the results of that and how effective it was that counts….
But not with the Kids these days….
Hi Metsie,
“But not with the Kids these days….”
I agree with you 100 percent but my friend, that does make me feel even older than I already am.
But Matt what has that Farm got them?
What is the point of having a strong farm if in the end your MLB squad is still the weakest team in the division?
If not for Colorado (who couldn’t even find 5 guys to put into their starting rotation last year) they would have been the worst team in the NL West.
And have been that bad pretty much the entire 4 years after Sandy left and did whatever it is people think he accomplished there! Thats 4 years since he left, so where are all those kids they so smartly acquired all that time WHILE he was there? Where did they go? Why aren’t they helping to make them a success that is sustained 4 years after this GM who supposedly made their fram so strong left?
Here is the truth of the matter….If Sandy had anything to do with the strong farm they have it is this….
The teams was so bad by the time he left they collected 4 top 10 Overall picks of every round in the 4 years following and it is THOSE players (not the ones Sandy got) that has made thier farm so strong!
In a sense that is what some folks around here call Addition by Subtraction….
You want to have a strong farm just make your MLB team suck and the picks you will get from that sucking will make for a very formidable and strong farm!
Provided the guy who made you the worst team in the Division leaves and someone who knows how to pick good players takes over and does something with the picks the previous guy left you in his Will….
All this talk about how good your Minors are seems logical unfortunatly Reality doesn’t always conform to logic.
All the hope is based on PAPER which said the 2009 Mets were the team to beat, Generation K was can’t miss and kept F-Mart at the top of the prospect list for years despite having nothing on his resume to back it up.
Well, San Diego had a host of high draft picks leading up to 2005 and had nothing to show for it but a “bottom third in baseball” farm system … Alderson changed the approach, overhauled systems and processes, and 3 years after he left they have one of the top systems in baseball? Sure, ultimately success at the Major League level is the ultimate benchmark, but my point is that indications based on the fundamental changes he instituted in S.D, (which are still in place) resulted in a radically improved farm system after the fact. The extent to which his organizational overhaul had an impact on this is perhaps unknowable by those of us outside the industry, but there is no denying he took over a system whose minor leagues were pretty bad, and a few years after he left they are clearly one of the best.
They had 3 top 10 picks in 5 years preceeding Sandy….
I fail to see how anything Sandy did in regards to changing the approach and overhauling the system has had any positive affect considering they have been 4th or 5th in the division after those changes were made….
Anything done FOR or IN the farm will not show up in the first 4 years only the second 4 years….
SO in essence it’s much more valid to say whatever Success Sandy had while he was there was due to the top picks he had to work with which he RUINED with his approach and overhaul for the majority of players they had, And once they were gone and he left they got back more picks to make thier farm what it is today!
But there is nothing about San Diego and thier farm that has much to do with anything Sandy did…
He started off with a team that picked 18th the year he got there and wound up picking 3rd the year he left….
Once all of his picks made DURING his tenure were ready to come to the MLB thats when they started sucking as an MLB team again.
Unless you have some pick he made who has been in thier system for 4-8 years that might finally be ready to help them or is rated highly as a prospect….
You know changing the approach and Overhauling a system only works if what you change to is an effective and wise thing to do…
There is no evidence AT ALL that any of Sandy’s philosophies or approaches work at all…
The only time he won anything was when he had HR hitter up the wazoo and before he came up with this Approach everyone seems to love despite the 17 years it has failed to produce a single WS winner!
I posted this earlier but here it is again: http://www.voiceofsandiego.org/cheapseats/article_23dc6c1e-2c1b-5ebb-86a8-a082ff882a2a.html
and from that article:
Since the move to Petco Park, the Padres have struggled promoting from within due to years of neglect that relegated their farm system near useless, ranking near the worst in the league up until this past season (courtesy of Baseball America):
2005: 27th
2006: 29th
2007: 29th
2008: 12th
“The marked improvement can definitely be attributed to the new franchise philosophy and although this couldn’t happen overnight, the franchise continues to exhaust every effort in order to restock their depleted farm system.”
It sounds like he did a lot of what he’s doing here now with the Mets. The proof will be in the pudding … lets see how the Padres do in the next few seasons with this top notch farm of theirs. My guess is they’re going to be pretty tough. Alonso and Grandal (who they got for Latos — a guy that Alderson drafted) are both very good looking players.
Well Matt all I can say is if the Farm ranking is the evidence your using to say they improved that organization then I will counter that how your farm is ranked obviously has absoloutly ZERO SUCCESS towards making your MLB team competitive…
Because that Farm and ranking your touting has done nothing for the MLB team at all!
at least 5 years worth of thier picks have had 3 years or MiL experience or more and it has not translated into a winning team let alone a sustained winning as everyone suggests is what you get when you have a highly ranked farm….
In the end the problem your having is the RANKING is all about HOPE of what they might do not what they CAN and HAVE DONE!
Having a highly rated farm doesnt actually mean you have a good farm full of players just a farm full of guys that MIGHT be good if they becomes as great as you dreamed they could be! Most players don’t!
In the end you cant judge how well they ran and approached/overhauled an MLB team based on how well they ranked in BA….
Because BA doesn’t get to pick who makes it into the playoffs and neither does your farm determine that!
It comes down to what the team YOU MADE did when they got here…
Sandy’s team of the padres?…SQUAT!
so Bad that after 4 years of picking in the top 10 they STILL haven’t recovered or become competitive!
They won 90 games in 2010 and then they traded their best players who was one of the best 1st baseman in the game because they didn’t want to or couldn’t pay him. Last year they finished strong and look to be a team on the rise with a strong and deep farm system which he laid the groundwork for and was the sole reason why he was hired in the first place.
“….then they traded their best players….because they didn’t want to or couldn’t pay him. ”
Now where else has that plan been implemented….I wonder….
Unfortunatly that farm system you think he built there turned into a big pile of nothing!
And they have lost ever since!
Well, yes, having a highly regarded farm system is only one component of a winning major league operation. Your prospects no matter how highly regarded have to actually pan out and perform on the major league stage, and you have to augment inevitable needs on the roster by signing the right free agents — which can be expensive. You have to have a good development program, advance scouting, good coaches and a good manager. All these things have to be in place. But having a highly regarded minor league system gives you the human collateral necessary to make trades, in a sense it doesn’t matter if the prospects ever really make it, the fact that they are highly regarded means you can use them to acquire established players. Does a strong farm guarantee winning at the major league level? Of course not, there are no guarantees in Baseball, and especially not if the team is lacking in other areas … but if I were hypothetically tasked with constructing a successful baseball organization the first thing I’d want is a strong farm system.
Well then how can you say he did a good job based on only ONE component that has had no affect on the MLB team being good?
It’s like saying Crashing a car into a mall is a good driving job provided you don’t kill anyone when you do it…
If you do your a bad driver!
He inherited a lot of top draft picks, His Approach did nothing for them…Maybe his fault maybe not, could just be bad picks….
Then his Picks did nothing and we can say this without a doubt 8 years later….
None of the kids he inherited or picked made that team good…
How the hell do we make the jump to conclusion that he did something good there? That what he did was the RIGHT move without a shred of success to back it up?
He left and they got top picks again…..Their early success has more to do with the team he inherited (much as it does now!)
Two years of his tweaking and APPROCHES and they went back tobeing worst in the division….
Sorry Matt but thats not success thats total failure and they have not come back from it in 4 years time….
While I´ve been called a “Sandlover” (and an “Omar apologist” funnily enough), I still fail to see any connection between Alderson and the current or previous state of the SD farm system. That just wasn´t his job. Sure, ultimately, he was the CEO of the franchise, so you can say that by keeping longtime GM Kevin Towers, hiring Grady Fuson as scouting director or Paul DePodesta as Assistant GM, Alderson obviously had some sort of impact on what the Padres did between 2005 – 2009 (and even beyond regarding the development of their farm system or roster with players procured during that time). However, he was NOT the person to make Baseball decisions with the Padres back then. Not at any time. That was Kevin Towers, today the GM of the Arizona Diamondbacks. And a bunch of front office people.
Is anyone giving credit to Fred & Jeff Wilpon for drafting Matt Harvey in 2010 or David Wright in 2001 ??? And the GMs the Wilpons hired before Alderson probably had to face more meddling from their CEO than Kevin Towers had in SD.
Again, you can look at the Oakland A´s and the job Alderson did as GM there. Be it good or bad and draw your conclusions for his Mets tenure. But using his time with SD as reference seems quite a bit off. Heck, what was his track record with MLB from 1997 to 2005 and in 2010 ?
Great post Matt, right on brother! When I read some of these posts on MMO lately, I imagine somebody in Bayonne with his face beet red and smoke shooting out of his ears.
And may I also add that it’s suddenly become more fun to comment on MMO again. I’m sure I’m not the only one who thinks that as it was pointed out in one of the comment threads on Metsblog yesterday.
I sat in Shea Stadium with 2,000 people and watched Lenny Randle jump into the stands and sign autographs during a rain delay. I know from bad teams and this year’s version is going to be bad. That’s not whining or complaining, it’s just dealing with reality. I think the long term prospects are decent but for various reasons the team decided to sacrifice this season. There is no getting around that fact.
The other fact is that Sandy Alderson is an average general manager. He had one great run with the A’s sandwiched between two 5 year droughts. He did help shape the offense of the Beane A’s but other than Tim Hudson, the pitching was all Billy Beane. He is not even close to a Pat Gillick, John Schuerholz, Walt Jocketty, Jon Daniels, Andrew Friedman. There is a reason no one hired him away from the A’s or tried to hire him for the 8 seasons between the A’s and the Padres. Very smart guy, very so-so GM and even worse stand-up comedian.
As for farm systems, if you don’t win many games (getting higher draft position); don’t re-sign your own players (and get compensation); trade your veterans for minor league prospects and never sign free agents or trade prospects for veterans in an effort to improve, your farm system will get better. This isn’t rocket science. The Marlins have a higher ranked farm system than the Mets, with 6 of the Top 100 prospects. The Phillies, because of winning 5 straight division titles, trading prospects for players like Roy Halladay, have the 20th ranked system. Which team would you rather have?
He’s no Frank Cashen, Steve Phillips, or Omar Minaya either as far as the Mets go. And until he helps bring a pennant to New York that’s the way it will be.
He also sacrificed or ceased operations on the last 2 off seasons as well. All for the almighty draft pick.
I think Alderson’s strong suit is systems and processes, he’s not a scout and he’s not a talent evaluator, but he’s an outstanding executive and administrator and he’s good at overhauling operational models with an eye on efficiency. That’s really all he did in San Diego, you could argue he created the lattice that the vine eventually thrived on.
I have said all along that IMO Sandy was brought in with the mission to rebuild the organization from the top to bottom. Call it an organizational philosophy if you want, but it does fit with what you describe as his strengths. Oh, and of course, job one of this which was stabilizing the finances to keep the team afloat.
I don’t think he ever claimed to be some genius talent guy/wheeler dealer. But, there was never an intention of setting up a FO to be a “gunslinger” operation. There are experienced assistants in place to handle player evaluation and the grunt work. Plus of course, quantitative analysis.
Hi Van,
“I have said all along that IMO Sandy was brought in with the mission to rebuild the organization from the top to bottom. Call it an organizational philosophy if you want, but it does fit with what you describe as his strengths. Oh, and of course, job one of this which was stabilizing the finances to keep the team afloat.”
- Yes, that is what a lot of have been saying. He was not promoted to General Manager in Oakland based on any baseball skill. As noted by Eisenhardt in that article I posted yesterday from the Daily News:
“The question I’m always asked is, ‘Why didn’t you hire a baseball guy to do that rather than a lawyer?’” I didn’t think of Sandy as a lawyer. I thought of Sandy as a really smart guy who knows how to analyze decisions and make decisions and who had had the experience of being in the Marine Corps and (serving) in Vietnam, which is a real character-building experience. Those were the skills I was looking for because I wasn’t looking for just somebody making baseball judgments.”.
And there is a mistake giving one such executive authority beyond business matters in an industry one knows little about. Baseball is something one can learn about and appreciate by study and analysis as a fan but that is much different when taking over a team as a professional. The good executives know how to recognize their limitations but the bad ones don’t.
So that is why some of us would dispute “I don’t think he ever claimed to be some genius talent guy/wheeler dealer” for his actions do demonstrate an “intention of setting up a FO to be a “gunslinger” operation”.
That is the problem with many fans who look at Sandy in the terms of a baseball person instead of a business executive in the corporation known as a baseball team. You are right “There are experienced assistants in place to handle player evaluation and the grunt work. Plus of course, quantitative analysis.” but that is exactly why many of us also think that – as far as a competitive level is concerned – the Mets have fallen on worse time because a business executive has also been given the authority to run the club as he sees fit – and something he is not qualified to do, even though he thinks he is.
And up to this point, he has done the job he was hired to do – save the corporation from being sold. But look at the price the team – and it’s fans – have had to pay for that privilege in both the short and long-term prognosis.
“But look at the price the team – and it’s fans – have had to pay for that privilege in both the short and long-term prognosis.”
What price? Short term, the Mets have been better the last two years under Alderson than they were the previous two years under Minaya. And if you think the long-term prognosis isn’t positive, you haven’t been paying attention to what’s going on around here.
HAHAHAHAHAHA
77 Wins and 74 Wins is better than 79 Wins….
You guys keep having to add a season where the team sufferred injuries to ALL of it’s key players and yet STILL won 70 only 4 losses more than Sandy’s FULL STRENGTH ROSTER last year!
You guys will do anything to make him sound like he is doing a better job!
Last two years were WORSE than a year that got the last GM FIRED!
But you will keep twisting stats anyway you can to get him to sound like a success!
Won’t you Mr Credibility?
If your giving Minaya a pass for the injury plagued ’09 (partially brought on himself by relying on high priced veterans who were more susceptable to injury and the mishandling of Reyes and Beltran’s injury) shouldn’t you also give a pass to Alderson because he inherited about 50 million per year in dead salary weight left by Minaya?
the 1 common denominator is the wilpons…
the wilpons dont believe in paying double for 1 position….
not like the yankees, who brought in Youkliss at 12 mil when they are paying A-Rod 30 mil…
not like the red sox who brought in Adrian Beltre at 10 mil when they were paying Mike Lowell 13 mil…
the phils brought in Jim Thome when they were already paying Ryan Howard 20 mil…
the mets rarely if ever do that…
Hi vivouge,
Omar is pointed out having relied on “veterans who were more susceptable to injury”.
This is where I think the double standard comes into play, perhaps not intentionally, but nevertheless is there. Sandy inherited a pitching staff that was 6th out of 16 teams in the league in ERA. What did he do to it? He acquired “veterans who were more susceptible to injury” to re-build that staff like Young, Capuano, Carasco, Boyer, and Bucholz which helped contribute to us going from 6th to 13th the following season.
He then replaces a going on 30 Pagan with a 34 year old center fielder who hit .219 and was twice placed on the disabled list the year before. And after having one of the worst bullpens in the majors, the steps we take to improve it also includes candidates signed to minor league contracts who are also closer to 40 than they are 30.
So, if one is going to point out something about Omar, why is Sandy any less guilty of acquiring “veterans who were more susceptable to injury” as well? Is it because they are cost-effective? I thought the reason why one signs players was to win.
No because the MLB has no Saary cap that restricts you!
And especially not since the only salary he saw fit to cut were the salaries that PERFORMED!
ooooh,
It was pointed at on one of the “comment threads” on Metsblog.
Ooooooh!
Darn,
I’m more upset about the payroll tax break expiring and offsetting raises I’ve received than I am about the state of the Mets.
So, great point Matt about the insignificance of the orange in blue in the scheme of things. Just this morning I got a call from the nursing home to tell me that my 91 year old mom fell overnight because she did not use her walker (thank G-d nothing to worry about). I hope what you wrote also sinks in to those who carry out their disagreements about the Mets to the point that it becomes vicious, vile, humiliating and just plain spiteful.
BTW – you know I could not let you off the hook about Sandy. The championship clubs in Oakland did not come working on a shoe string budget – the last place clubs did. San Diego’s farm system has not produced a competitive level team in the majors, the Mets were in such a mess that for three straight seasons they were fighting for a playoff spot at the all-star break and we’ve passed up opportunity after opportunity to improve ourselves.
Of course, none of this is worth getting so upset about to the point that we can’t laugh over our disagreements. Will quote the immortal Ralph Kramden: “Pins and Needles, Needles and Pins, a Happy Man is a Man who grins. Now, what am I so Angry About”. Norton would probably answer “Cablevision’s raising the monthly sports charge by $2.98 sports surcharge just like Fios and Direct TV.”
Sorry to hear about your mom Joey, glad she’s ok.
Funny thing is once the season starts I could win the lottery but if the Mets lose it’s a bad day.
Baseball is such a funny sport if your looking at handicapping the chances of a particular squad, there are so many weird variables that you just never know. Sure chances are our outfield as presently constituted should suck, will it? I wouldn’t be at all surprised if they aren’t nearly as bad as we thing. A big slice of last years overall suckitude was encapulated in one Jason Bay … who is gone — thank GOD! I like Baxter, the kid has a good head on his shoulders and approaches the game the right way, Nieuwenhuis has some solid tools if he can refine his approach at the plate and he can play a pretty decent CF. Duda, for all the jokes and doubts, has been passable in LF defensively and makes pretty good contact for a guy with sick power potential. I think it’s going to come down to the pitching. If the starting pitching can be as good as it was last year and the bullpen is improved there’s no telling what might happen.
Hi Matt,
Thanks for the kind thoughts. Just tried calling her and she’s not in her room so all is well.
Actually, the Mets have come through for me in many a personal way. When we lost my dad in 2006, we came back to our place after the funeral with mom and actually were able to get our minds off our sadness for a few moments by catching a few innings of a Mets game and wondering if dad was watching with us.
A few months later, Beltran took that third called strike. I was feeling quite depressed about it but rationalizing that it wasn’t like loosing dad. It was then when I felt dad looking over me and saying that it was again OK to get so depressed over something so trivial as a baseball game and to start enjoying life again.
Be to be honest, even seven years ago the Mets still represented something that is missing in the organization today – heart, sensitivity and a bond with the common man. Now it’s all openly not so much about money as it is only about money. Even if we had never heard of Sandy Alderson and Bernie Madoff, what the WIlpons did to stomp on the little guy – the little guy that was the heart and sole of the fan base – by not just out pricing him and her but by creating a park that caters to the more affluent – has damaged that spirit for it’s just not the same anymore. They knocked something out of feeling the Mets were something special and different from most other clubs. Now, we’re no different – we’ve become cold and corporate. And that is sad.
That sounds awful to honest. I loved Shea. I have not been back to NY since Citi opened but hope to this summer and will certainly attend at least one game. I’ve heard good things about Citi but I’m afraid I’ll end up missing Shea more than I already do as I have a real bond with the place having grown up in it’s shadows. I hope it hasn’t become one of these strip mall ballpark complete with a starbucks on every level …
Ballparks do age, and I hope Citi is a little more broken in by the time i visit this summer. I swear the crowds seemed distracted and subdued that first year after Citi opened. Maybe a few more wins will cure that out of place feeling.
Citi is 180 degrees different. I loved Shea too and have only been to Citi once, but I was very impressed. Its a gorgeous park and the concourse experience is fantastic.
The concourse experience is fantastic!!!!! Wow!!!!! I guess it makes up for the fact that the prodiuct on the field is minor league. By the way, many new parks have that fantastic concourse experience…. However, they also provide a major league product on the field..
Ha! I just saw this and it was too funny to pass up not sharing.
http://www.cbs.com/shows/golden_boy
http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/mets/david_discount_FdLPQgfyLw5KmFpwF2gtFI
It’s about time. Great piece.
Good stuff, very funny!!
i’m so sick of people saying you have to have a good farm system. the players in the minors can bat .400, if it does’t translate to the majors who cares. i would prefer to have a good major league team.so many of you seem to be under the illusion of having a good farm system gurantees a world series.it’s time to contribute to the major league team, not just sit back ,tank and collect draft picks.this is the major leagues.i’ve seen too many can’t miss prospects fail,and putting all our hopes on 3 kids is a lot to ask.
The goal obviously is to have a good major league team that is constantly fed from a good farm system. When you reset payroll / age to the point where the Mets have thus far over the past couple of years, the farm system is even more important. Once the major league team has a good core again, the importance of the farm system decreases.
wow, that’s how it’s done?
The surest way to have a good major league team is to have good minor league players. It’s not a guarantee but it raises the odds considerably.
No I’m sorry but your wrong….
The BEST and SUREST way to have a good MLB team is to keep your best players not sell them off in the name of getting a good MiL system that you apparently could NOT DRAFT into being good and the best you could do was trade to make it better!
If you keep your best players you are GUARANTEED to win eventually.
But if you trade away your best players just to get kids to fill a farm your drafts could not fill, all you will ever be is a Developmental squad for the rest of the MLB!