Those Damn F’kin’ Yankees

I don’t know about you guys but watching the Yankees win three straight games against the Indians and advance to the ALCS gave me a bad case of agita. I’ve always been an avowed Yankee hater for most of my life, but over the last 4-5 years my angst against them has really softened. Still, watching them come this far and hearing our own Keith Hernandez and formerly Kevin Burkhardt heap such praise on them has rekindled my fire.

Maybe it’s not really hate but more like envy because all those things I heard about their new young core of elite level players and a dynasty run in the making was supposed to be about the Mets, not the Yankees. I will give credit where it’s due and say that Brian Cashman is one of the best general managers in my lifetime. What he’s been able to acquire in trades and through the draft to put this team together is nothing short of phenomenal. He’ll be in Cooperstown after he finally calls it quits.

Under New Management?

It appears that Sandy Alderson has only now begun to start scheduling his interviews for a new Mets manager. And while a new candidate seems to pop up every day it seems, with now about 15 names in the mix, my guess is that Sandy has no more than five or six candidates under consideration.

My guess is that Sandy’s short list includes Kevin Long, Alex Cora, Mickey Callaway, Brad Ausmus and Bob Geren. I’m not buying this whole Joe Girardi crap that everyone else is shoveling, fake news. There’s no way Cashman and the Steinbrenners  allow him to end up across town or in Beantown.

Jon Heyman, who likens himself to a modern day Nostradamus, predicted today that the Mets will announce Alex Cora as their new manager. But I’m thinking the Red Sox will have something to say about that. I can’t see Cora choosing the Mets and all their uncertainty and dysfunction over the Red Sox and their rich history, better financial resources, and a team ready to compete out of the box. But that’s just me.

I’m a big Robin Ventura fan and yes I know he had his moments in his first managerial stint in Chi-Town. But I can’t ignore the lack of talent he had to work with beyond Chris Sale. I have a hunch there’s a great manager locked inside of Ventura that is waiting to burst out.

Quick Hits

  • When the Mets, who always like to sugarcoat their player injuries, are preaching caution about whether Michael Conforto will be ready by Opening Day, it makes me real nervous. Even Sandy Alderson was unwilling to say whether Conforto will start the season on time in his previous press conference. If Conforto is going to miss a month or two, I would take a long hard look at Carlos Gonzalez on a one year deal. He’s looking to rebuild his value and we could catch a little lightning in a bottle.
  • I’m sick and tired of all these calls to trade Jacob deGrom, the only sure thing in our starting rotation right now. I actually had a robust debate about this with Matt Ehalt last week on Twitter. Trading deGrom screams rebuild to me, and I’m sick and tired of that word. The Mets have been rebuilding for 40 of their 55 years. Where’s that run of sustained success we were promised in 2010?
  • I would sign CC Sabathia in a heartbeat as the innings eater we are reportedly looking for. If he’s willing to take a one year deal, and I’m pretty sure that’s all any team will offer him, he’d look great in Orange and Blue and can be the new Big Sexy.

Be good everyone!