" Help us Sandy Alderson !! You're our only Hope !!!"
All I could say about today’s press conference is that Sandy Alderson had me at hello.
You would have figured with all the pomp and circumstance at Citi Field today that our new GM, Sandy Alderson would have been lost in the shuffle. But no , the Harvard educated,Marine veteran of the Vietnam conflict pulled no punches during his press conference. He admitted that the the Mets participation in the free agent market would be limited at best and it was possible that it might be hard for some crappy contracts might be impossible to move. But with his voice unwavering he sounded like a man possessed. A man who likes to take on challenges no matter how daunting they are. He will pick the best candidate for the managerial job , whether is is Backman, Hurdle, Gibbons or whoever he feels can whip this team into shape. He will surround himself with the best scouts and advisers. He will kick ass and take names later. In other words he is the anti Omar !!
And with that said… HERE COMES THE INFAMY !!!!
Happy birthday R. A. Dickey !! You were the biggest surprise of the ’10 season, and a pleasant one at that. I promise never to doubt you again (1974) .
Clubhouse cancer from the ’04 team, Karim Garcia is 35(1975) .
New York Mets traded utility-man, Ken Boswell to the Houston Astros for outfielder, Bob Gallagher on October 29, 1974.
Rubber armed pitcher, Pedro Astacio was granted free agency on October 29, 2003.
Past his prime power hitting outfielder, Shawn Green was granted free agency on October 29, 2007.
Mo Vaughn wants to be Sandy Alderson’s human shield !!!
42 comments
Mr North Jersey
10/29/2010-7:13pm at 7:13 pm (UTC -4)
Yes sir Drill Sergeant!!!
rustyjr
10/29/2010-7:18pm at 7:18 pm (UTC -4)
thank you for your quick editing jerz
Mr North Jersey
10/29/2010-7:19pm at 7:19 pm (UTC -4)
n/p
metsfan4decades
10/29/2010-7:40pm at 7:40 pm (UTC -4)
Certainly seems like the Wilpons wanted to go in a completely different direction than where the franchise had been the past several years. I’d say on that point alone, they succeeded with the Alderson selection.
Listening to Carlin, Bobby O and Ronnie comment on his press conference after, Ronnie said he’s more like the Cashen way of doing business. He’ll be friendly with the coaches and players but you’ll always know who is running the show. And if he calls you in his office, unlike the past, it’s probably not for a friendly chat.
To me, he was implying things were maybe a little too loose and a little too personal with Omar. In fact, w/o mentioning Omar’s name I believe he said something along those lines.
hazmet
10/29/2010-8:46pm at 8:46 pm (UTC -4)
Well I haven’t said this in awhile, “What a great day to be a Met fan”. Not just a LGM! but a LGMFM! as in mother f….mets. I’m catching up on the viewing on SNY after catching some of Sandy on WFAN on the drive home this afternoon. I think my favorite thing I heard was when Mike teed up his credentials to set up the “interrogation” on the steroid discussion. Sandy’s understated comment while Mike was still talking was “you mean in all my omnipotence….I couldn’t see this coming”. WOW! He set Mike back on his heels immediately and then proceeded with a straight forward disection of the process at the time, the history of steroids at the time, and then a correlation to how would you catch HGH today as an analogy. Jeez, serious depth in the reply. It was like he was educating Mike and the listners while walking the NY Media gauntlet on the issue. Very impressive.
I was actually getting choked up at some of his missions statement recitals. Somebody that see’s the possibilities of the franchise and the dream of many a Met fan to be an “iconic” franchise and perennial contender. Granted, part of me started with being cynical thinking of Jerry Maguires “Mission Statement” and thinking of how famous statements like Art Howe lighting up the room live in our lexicon when such pronouncements are floated about. But I’m all in on Sandy, I haven’t felt this good about a Managent hire since Frank Cashen. At the time I knew that it was just a matter of time till we’d be sipping champagne since he was the real deal. Sandy too is very much the real deal.
rustyjr
10/29/2010-9:05pm at 9:05 pm (UTC -4)
I couldn’t of said it better myself hazmet
hazmet
10/29/2010-9:11pm at 9:11 pm (UTC -4)
Thanks RJ – it is a thrilling day. Watching TV just seeing the Dos Equis commercial thinking:
“Sandy Alderson, the most interesting man in the world” “Stay thirsty my friends”
GravediggerHebner
10/29/2010-9:16pm at 9:16 pm (UTC -4)
Haz I’m glad you heard the Francesa interview too because while in my opinion the introductory press conference was pretty good, the interview was great.
It will be interesting to see how Francesa treats the franchise going forward because for the first time since the late 80′s the Mets are going to be a force to be reckoned with in NY city’s baseball community, and the team is no longer going to be easy prey by shooting itself in the foot publicly and repeatedly, not with such a solid front man.
Francesa is going to have to work really hard now to give the organization and it’s supporters sh1t and that’s a wonderful thing.
hazmet
10/29/2010-9:28pm at 9:28 pm (UTC -4)
That’s exactly what I was thinking too. No free ride for Mike at our expense anymore. Sandy won’t be given him any ammo to use. I’m excited to see how the Manager selection shapes up in terms of process and candidates. I was down on this Hot Stove season and somehow, even knowing we aren’t likely to be players, I’m excited to see how the moves we do make evolve to get the first inclinations of where Sandy’s going to go first in the reconstruction. I think I may need to actually break down and start reading more about sabermetrics and such.
metsfan4decades
10/30/2010-11:27am at 11:27 am (UTC -4)
I couldn’t agree more, Grave.
I heard that interview first hand as well. Between the fact that Francessa admittedly doesn’t know Sandy, and Sandy just seems to command respect from the get go, all Francessa could really do was asking the questions he had and listen to the answers. There was none of that usually talking over people he interviews, especially those you can tell he has no use for.
Yesterday was a happy day for all Met fans.
hazmet
10/29/2010-9:33pm at 9:33 pm (UTC -4)
PS – the comments thread at 9:32 looks hauntingly like a Metsblog roll call from 2007-08: 4D, Rusty, Heb, Haz. Spooookkky on Halloween weekend. Where’s Kong and it would be complete
TRS86
10/29/2010-10:54pm at 10:54 pm (UTC -4)
Dang, what am I now?
hazmet
10/30/2010-10:18am at 10:18 am (UTC -4)
LOL!. I was waiting for someone to call me on that which is why I put the stake in the ground with the time listed and who was in the history window at that time. Of course TRS, Stick, Darknova, Ceetar, Fongy, MNJ….. oh the list is long and is a roll call of the best in mets bloggers imo. Most of my interaction at fwicg seemed to always be with kong, rusty, fongy, & 4d with some gdh on the side. I alway’s considered it a special treat when gdh would chime in since gdh was the first person who posted a reply to my first post on fwicg, frightnening I remember that. Fongy alway’s served as my attitude adjuster to get me back to reality. As scant as my grip on reality is at times.
One question: Does this mean I’m in moderation?
Have a great weekend TRS – and of course TRS!!!
rustyjr
10/30/2010-10:27am at 10:27 am (UTC -4)
what about mr firemetsmanagement lol
stickguy
10/29/2010-11:19pm at 11:19 pm (UTC -4)
I think fall 2007 or so is when I was referred to the site. Can’t recall though how much I posted that early.
TRS86
10/29/2010-11:23pm at 11:23 pm (UTC -4)
I was there from the beginning. He reset passwords one other time and when that happen someone took my since86 that I had always had. Thus The Real… was born.
hazmet
10/30/2010-10:33am at 10:33 am (UTC -4)
In some perverse way I’m keeping one eye on the access of fwicg to the Mets with Sandy in charge. Will it enter his radar screen or just be considered another tentacle from SNY. At some point once the initial heavy lifting is done I would expect a review of how news and story’s are deceminated will be discussed and that could be an interesting day for the blogosphere. As a function, fwicg does the job but is essentially a branch of the Mets media arm now and as such either tighter control may be exerted or best case expulsion to level the playing field for….cough cough….other sites.
I’m looking for that moment of Karma, but unfortunately many times it never comes.
rustyjr
10/30/2010-10:34am at 10:34 am (UTC -4)
i will as my contacts if i can get access to sandy also
Mr North Jersey
10/29/2010-11:34pm at 11:34 pm (UTC -4)
RDM has had a great week and even greater when you add it came without the need of a bump from “FWICG.COM”.
Ceetar
10/30/2010-10:41am at 10:41 am (UTC -4)
Did feature my return from Hawaii though.
I’m kinda shocked there is all this optimism off of big words just because it’s a different mouth.
I liked what he said in some regards, skeptical on other fronts.
But I remain waiting for actions to judge. But I guess i never killed Omar on what he said either, it was just a different approach. Bravado over spinning words to say nothing is nice, but it’s probably 20th on my list of things I care about in my GM.
I do like that the Mets started out off the bat with fan tweets directly to Sandy, and a personal introduction to Cerrone. It speaks to a connection to the fanbase and bloggers and understanding that we have value and we care.
Prismo
10/30/2010-10:55am at 10:55 am (UTC -4)
Brilliant, Ceetar! I am in total agreement with you. It’s foolish to get overexcited before anything has actually changed or is better.
The following quotes are telling:
“Of course, I once told my friend, the day Mike Hampton was acquired, that I would gladly allow Steve Phillips to dictate every decision in my life. What’s worse, I printed In Omar We Trust t-shirts for *censored* after the 2006 season, because I was so confident in where that path was headed as well.”
“The thing is, this feels different.”
How does this feel different? It’s exactly the same feeling, you just forget that you had the same feeling 4 years ago. I’m not trying to pick on MC – this seems to be most of the fanbase.
I think you’ll agree with me that we’re both excited for this new direction, but let’s wait and see how this team actually functions over the next year or two…
Mr North Jersey
10/30/2010-11:00am at 11:00 am (UTC -4)
Dude let it go already.
Prismo
10/30/2010-11:01am at 11:01 am (UTC -4)
YOU LET I GO. LET CEETAR AND I AGREE ON SOMETHING FOR ONCE.
Prismo
10/30/2010-11:04am at 11:04 am (UTC -4)
darknova306
10/30/2010-11:06am at 11:06 am (UTC -4)
One of my big questions is how long are these “OMG I’m so giddy for Alderson LOL” fans going to give him before turning on him? Will the fans allow him a couple years (especially the 2011-2012 offseason when his payroll flexibility jumps) to let things develop, or are they going to blast him if the team ‘only’ wins 84 games this coming season?
Ceetar
10/30/2010-11:23am at 11:23 am (UTC -4)
Alderson said the honeymoon is already over.
What happens if he signs someone who ends up getting hurt, or sucking? What if nobody drops to the Mets slot in the draft that’s worth overpaying so they don’t? What if Alderson says Santana is pain free but Santana says he still feels a little pressure in his shoulder?
I feel like the media’s stepped back, a teensy bit, because the Mets cleaned up the blood on the floor, but the second they smell more..
Mr North Jersey
10/30/2010-11:29am at 11:29 am (UTC -4)
As should be expected.
metsfan4decades
10/30/2010-11:58am at 11:58 am (UTC -4)
I’m the type that never puts the cart before the horse – the type that doesn’t go overboard worrying about things that may or may not happen.
That being said I don’t think Alderson is any Carnac or Houdini. What I am expecting though is for him to make the most informed decision he can.
There isn’t a GM out there that’s never made a signing or decision that comes back to bite them. I don’t think anyone is that infallible.
It’s the repeated mistakes with the past regime over the past several years that I’ve had enough of. I.E. injury handling, older FA signings that should have been a red flag or who stayed one year too long, etc.
GravediggerHebner
10/30/2010-11:54am at 11:54 am (UTC -4)
Well, I gave Omar from late 2004 to late June 2009 before I bailed on him so I figure Sandy gets about 5 years grace from me. I can’t speak for anyone else nor should I.
metsfan4decades
10/30/2010-11:36am at 11:36 am (UTC -4)
Thing is, I think things have already changed for the better, just by the hiring of a new GM and this particular GM.
To me, this is completely different than the hiring of Omar. And maybe that’s because we hadn’t quite hit as rock bottom in the years that lead up to Omar’s hiring, as we have these past 4 years.
The Mets needed to let Omar go and hire someone who not only has a solid long range plan, but someone who just by nature of the hiring brings some instant credibility to this organization. I believe on that score alone, the Wilpons were successful.
After listening to the MF interview yesterday, I’m even more convinced.
I’m not looking at Alderson as some kind of savior, especially an immediate one. In the short press conference though, I liked everything he said as he outlined his overall plan. It’s exactly what Met fans should be wanting. Not a miracle worker promising the world, but one who obviously has solid ideas on how to bring the description ‘iconic’ to this franchise over the next few years.
Mr North Jersey
10/30/2010-10:59am at 10:59 am (UTC -4)
Here is one thing I look forward to.
Slotting system/draft. Major League Baseball recommends signing bonuses based on a prospect’s draft position. The Mets try to be good MLB citizens and adhere to that system, but that appears as though it will change under Alderson and they will spend more than the recommended amount to exploit the system, as other big-market clubs do. Sometimes, attractive players fall because of fears about their contract demands, and the Mets may now be in position to take advantage of that.
“Where he makes a decision that we should go after a player that may be different than the slot says, we’re going to follow that,” Fred Wilpon said.
Said Jeff Wilpon: “I think we’ve gone over quite a bit. Maybe we didn’t go for that reach player, and that certainly might change.”
darknova306
10/30/2010-10:59am at 10:59 am (UTC -4)
So far, I’ve loved everything I’ve heard from Alderson. That being said, I’ll wait until I see him assemble his front office, hire a manager, and get through his first offseason as the Mets’ GM before getting giddy with hope. I understand wanting to believe that everything is going to be great now, but before getting our hopes up too high, let’s wait until things actually happen.
Not to be cynical or anything.
Prismo
10/30/2010-11:02am at 11:02 am (UTC -4)
+1
watch out, MrNJ is going to blast you in a second!
Mr North Jersey
10/30/2010-11:06am at 11:06 am (UTC -4)
your silly prismo, I have no prob with being reserved on alderson i just think to get all bothered cause some fans wanna celebrate his signing as new hope in a positive direction is silly.
Prismo
10/30/2010-11:09am at 11:09 am (UTC -4)
Just trying to look out for my fellow Mets fans.
GravediggerHebner
10/30/2010-11:48am at 11:48 am (UTC -4)
I wish you’d been here protecting me from Ceetar’s unbridled (and unrewarded) optimism over the last two years.
And speaking of the Optimistic Mets Fan, I must say I find this an odd time in Mets history for him to be reeling that optimism in.
I suppose it’s ironic that the one time I would not find pure optimism bothersome I’m not getting it from the surest possible source for it.
C’est la vie!
metsfan4decades
10/30/2010-11:53am at 11:53 am (UTC -4)
Same type of thoughts went through my mind as well.
So tell us Ceetar…..is your tempered optimism on the Alderson signing because you were one of the few fans that didn’t want Omar let go? Nothing wrong with that because after all, it’s just opinions we all have here.
I guess I can only think of 2 reasons why Met fans would not be giddy with this signing:
1. Didn’t want Omar let go.
2. Are the type of Met fan that’s been disappointed over and over so much that until the evidence is in that things have changed, will not go down the road of blind or even guarded hope.
stickguy
10/30/2010-12:15pm at 12:15 pm (UTC -4)
I think optomistic mets fans was a misnomer. More like realistic mets fan instead!
Mr North Jersey
10/30/2010-11:05am at 11:05 am (UTC -4)
You know how it goes in NY Nova. It’s about the wins everything else is moot.
I am sure that 1st bad trade / free agent signing that results in a non playoff season Alderson and the MGR will be ripped bigtime.
It’s just the way things are.
darknova306
10/30/2010-11:13am at 11:13 am (UTC -4)
It is all about the wins, you are correct. Which is why I can’t love or hate Alderson right now… he hasn’t won or lost us any games yet!
metsfan4decades
10/30/2010-11:41am at 11:41 am (UTC -4)
For those Met fans that are not thrilled with the Alderson signing, or won’t believe yet in his philosophies or just plain don’t want to get their hopes up…yet – what will it take to deem this signing a success?
Does it have to be WS win? Just getting to the WS? Just getting to the post season? Or something simpler like not being the laughing stock of MLB next year?
stickguy
10/30/2010-12:19pm at 12:19 pm (UTC -4)
The honey moon will of course be shrot. But, I think it iwll last until spring training begins. Even though some fans will have opinions earlier than that about moves (or non moves) made by the FO, there will overall be a sense of giving them a chance to get things done.
But once ST hits, it will shift more to a results (expectations) based relationship. And the biggest factor in still being happy with Sandy? Is ollie in PSL (and to a lesser degree Slappy).
those guys showing up in ST will be the acid test as to how long the leash is. Even if it is the right move to bring them to camp, it will seriously tick off some fans (and some very vocal ones!)