THE BRAIN TRUST
I wish the Mets loved me as much as I love them. Maybe they do love their fans, but if that’s true they sure have a terrible way of showing it.
Even though I was willing to give Sandy Alderson a few years to right this ship when he was hired in October of 2010, there was always this underlying feeling of concern deep in the pit of my stomach. It was there 3 1/2 years ago, and it’s still there now only it has become more pronounced. More painful. My concern and suspicion was because of how Alderson got the job – at the behest of MLB commissioner Bud Selig.
I look at Selig as a chief conspirator who broke and ignored several MLB rules and turned a blind eye to several violations by Mets ownership, in order to ensure that his good friend Fred Wilpon kept control of a team he is no longer fit to own.
It’s almost Memorial Day and by the looks of it the Mets are in last place in the NL East with a 20-25 record. That puts them on pace for about 71 wins, a far cry from that BS the front office was spewing back in Spring Training. 90 wins my ass…
The last time the Mets finished the season with 71 wins was ten years ago in 2004, and it immediately led to the GM getting fired along with his manager. Immediately.
Most of the problems associated with this team – a team that too often is difficult to watch – can be laid at the feet of Fred and Jeff Wilpon. On that we are all generally in agreement. But there is still plenty of blame to go around for Sandy Alderson and his vaunted plan that comes complete with its own moving goal posts.
Nobody could say that Sandy was handcuffed this offseason as he alone and undeterred dumped over $40 million of this year’s budget on the likes of Bartolo Colon, Chris Young and Curtis Granderson.
He alone was responsible for handing out roster spots to the John Lannans, Kyle Farnsworths and Jose Valverdes of the world.
Alderson alone was the one who banked on d’Arnaud and Wheeler hitting the ground running in 2014 and ushering in a new era of championship baseball at a sustainable level.
Alderson was the one who told fans in February that upon further review Ruben Tejada, Ike Davis and Lucas Duda were not so bad after all. This of course after months and months of non-stop leaks from the front office telling us how all three sucked, and even Sandy himself going on the air to chastise and distance himself from each of them.
So here we are two months into a new season that now appears to be spiraling into the abyss with an even worse showing than the five losing seasons that preceded it. How is that even possible?
It wouldn’t be so bad if the team was young and fun to watch , but there’s nothing lovable about these losers.
We now have a much better farm system than the one Sandy Alderson inherited, that’s true. But is that alone enough to overlook four straight losing seasons on his watch and sucking at such a grand and epic scale?
And even so, as one beat writer pointed out yesterday, much of that improved farm system is fueled by young prospects from the previous regime that are now maturing and flourishing, as well as the returns from trading very desirable assets like R.A. Dickey and Carlos Beltran. Voila – there’s your improved farm system.
Can’t anybody here do something right?
Every single decision is agonizingly drawn out in the public’s eye, and then when they finally come up with a long sought-after solution, their decision ultimately backfires and blows up in their face.
Maybe I expected a little more from one of the highest paid front offices in baseball that includes not one but four GMs.
Then there’s our esteemed manager, Terry Collins, who is maddeningly annoying as heck. He’s so delusional that he’s now undermining the development of his younger players who could potentially become assets for the team, just so he can chase down Sandy’s 90 win challenge. Really?
What with all of his asinine lineups, his daily meanderings about who’s playing where, taking issue with the fans and accusing them of hysterics, chastising the writers for doing their jobs… I mean when does all of this freaking insanity finally end?
Maybe I’ll feel better after a few consecutive wins, assuming this team still has that capacity left in them. But these last few weeks have really sucked the life out of me. I along with thousands of other fellow Met fans are fed up, weary, and growing apathetic.
We are also tired of all the lies and the cons. We deserve better ownership and better management. We deserve respect and understanding.
One of our readers MLBGM, suggested three different scenarios that might help change the dynamic:
- Best Case Scenario: The Wilpons sell the team.
- Runner Up: The Wilpons fire Sandy and the whole coaching staff.
- I’ll Take This For Now: Sandy fires Terry Collins
Unfortunately for us, the likely scenario will be: Nothing, Nada, Zilch – the same as last season.
It’s getting time for a fresh start, and yes I know Sandy and Terry were supposed to be that fresh start. But they are quickly becoming very stale. Their message doesn’t sound as inspiring as it did in its once virgin state four years ago. And nothing they do seems to be working. Something’s gotta give…
I have loved this team longer than most of you have been alive. And I will always love this team until the day I die. Sigh… Is there anything more sad than an unrequited love?
