With the beginning of the year for making plans for improvement, let’s take a look at some of the resolutions the Mets should be making today.
THE WILPONS: You are the proud owners of a major league baseball team worth close to a billion dollars – that includes Citi Field and SNY – so act like it. With attendance steadily declining along with the yearly win total, the Wilpons should resolve to start spending to upgrade their team or sell it. Enough is enough. Start writing checks to clean up this mess.
SANDY ALDERSON: You were brought in to straighten out the Mets’ financial problems. Now it is time to bring in the talent to make this team competitive. You did it in Oakland and San Diego, now comes your biggest challenge. Reportedly, Alderson has been given a bigger budget, now don’t treat it like it is your money.
TERRY COLLINS: You were brought in change the culture, but that hasn’t been the case. Collins has been a little spotty in the accountability department and that has to change. He must resolve to kick some butt when it comes to lapses in concentration, thrown-away at-bats and poor pitch selection from his pitchers. The culture can’t change if Collins doesn’t demand more from his players.
DAVID WRIGHT: OK, you’re getting your long term commitment and enough money to last 100 lifetimes. There have been too many times when Wright takes it upon himself to carry the Mets on his shoulders when the team slides. When things are going to hell for the Mets, Wright needs to resolve to shorten his swing, shrink his strike zone and go the opposite way. Wright must realize he’s little help to the Mets when he’s trying to hit a five-run homer.
IKE DAVIS: You are supposed to be, along with Wright, the team’s power and last year proved it with 32 homers, with most of them coming in the second half. Davis has the power and could hit even more if he stops giving away at-bats. Davis must resolve to stop chasing pitches low and away and trying to pull everything, and needs to start using the whole field.
JON NIESE: You are now the de facto ace with R.A. Dickey gone and Johan Santana in his last season with the Mets. There are times Niese loses hitters and doesn’t finish innings. For him to take the next step he must make the resolution to keep his focus for every pitch.
BOBBY PARNELL: You have loads of talent but for some reason you haven’t put it all together. There were signs of what you can be at the end of last season when you took over for Frank Francisco. Parnell can throw a 98 mph., fastball in a blink. However, he must resolve to realize it isn’t about velocity but command, and not just with his fastball. He needs to come up with another pitch he can throw in fastball counts.
There’s more, of course, but these are the key players having a resume that needs tweaking. We don’t know enough about the outfield or Matt Harvey to say how they must improve in their games.
