It’s almost a tradition as timeless as Pumpkin Pie on Thanksgiving Day. It’s a scene Mets fans have seen countless times before and not in a good way.
In melodramatic fashion, there was Mets Hierarchy set to introduce yet another new Mets manager or general manager in what’s becoming a holiday tradition.
The faces are always different but that scene always remains the same and it means only one thing…
Our New York Mets just had themselves another disastrous season that failed to meet their lofty expectations.
What is it about this team that always finds success so fleeting and failure too exceeding? Sure, that may be a rough appraisal but who can deny its veracity?
And the Mets don’t just lose, they lose in such bizarre and sometimes stunning fashion. That’s what makes it all the more insufferable.
Still, they always manage to suck me into their vortex even though I know the odds are they will let me down.
I wanted so badly to see Willie Randolph win a World Series for the Mets.
I didn’t know anything about Moneyball, but when Sandy Alderson was introduced as the new Mets GM, I could almost taste that elusive third championship.
And even when the Mets hired a player-agent to be our new Mets GM, I desperately put on a happy face and played the part of an avid fan. But inside I was screaming and predictably Brodie went down in flames.
So here we are again, only this time the entire proceedings were conducted via Zoom…
Steve Cohen led the contingent looking very serious but with nary a smile on his face. I feel bad for him… I’m sure he never imagined spending the week before Thanksgiving introducing a new general manager after barely completing his first year as the team’s owner.
Along with Cohen we also had the venerable Sandy Alderson on hand. He has been around almost as long as the furniture and to be perfectly honest, Sandy looked very tired but eager to hand the baton to the new guy. He seemed relieved.
And then of course there’s the new guy… The one who is going to magically erase 15 years of utter chaos, mass dysfunction and a staggering paranoia.
Let’s have a big hand for our latest savior, the one who was ranked 11th on our list, please give it up for Billy Eppler. [insert raucous applause]
This scene is getting too old and repetitive and I’m not sure I have it in me to get stoked or pumped for another new manager or GM.
My once never-ending supply of optimism and enthusiasm is running on empty. My patience is dangerously low and now whenever I try saying “you gotta believe,” all I can manage is mildly discernable groan.
That said, I’m playing it different this time…
Billy Eppler is not going to get any praise from me until he earns it. I’m not going to blow any smoke up your asses, telling you how perfect Eppler is for the job. I’m not going to run off a list of his past accolades and accomplishment. As a matter of fact I couldn’t care less because I’ve learned none of it really matters.
What I am going to do is wish Billy Eppler all the best and give him the benefit of the doubt whenever I can. I hope he can do what Brodie Van Wagenen couldn’t. I hope he can deliver what Sandy Alderson couldn’t.
I don’t envy his job one bit, he has a monumental task ahead of him.
With the loss of Noah Syndergaard and the potential loss of Marcus Stroman, the Mets have some glaring holes in the starting rotation that will need to be addressed first and foremost. If they fail to do that you can kiss the 2022 season goodbye.
Luckily, the starting pitching free agent market is one of the best we’ve seen in years, led by the likes of Max Scherzer, Clayton Kershaw, Robbie Ray, Kevin Gausman and others.
While I am very down on this team right now, I want to leave you with the most positive takeaway from Friday’s press conference. It was something Steve Cohen said.
After acknowledging that the Mets were already at $185 million in payroll before any additions, Cohen said it would not deter him.
“It’s going to require spending, and that’s what’s going to happen,’’ Cohen said.
“I’ve let Billy know, for the right deals and the right free agents, to go get the players we need. We want to win our division and get deep into the playoffs.”
That’s exactly what I needed to hear. A dramatic shift from meaningful games in September.
Anyway… Good luck, Billy… Make me a believer again.
