The Mets began the process of interviewing managerial candidates today, starting with Jerry Manuel’s bench coach Dave Jauss and scout Bob Melvin.
GM Sandy Alderson will be meeting with Brooklyn Cyclones skipper Wally Backman, third base coach Chip Hale and minor league field coordinator Terry Collins this weekend in California.
According to an email sent to Flushing Flash subscribers, the Mets “plan to speak with more candidates next week and hope to announce our new Manager as soon as possible.”
It’s amazing how much more I appreciate these emails when they summarize actual news without forcing me to read a bunch of innuendo from certain beat writers.
Aside from Backman, I don’t think any of these five candidates are particularly exciting. That’s ok – I have a terrible track record for picking which guys will be good managers.
When Buddy Harrelson replaced Davey Johnson in 1990, I thought he was a great choice. The team was 71-49 over Harrelson’s 120 game run after floundering around the .500 mark under Johnson. History shows that Harrelson was not cut out to manage in New York; he was fired before the end of the 1991 season.
The Mets next looked to Jeff Torborg, and I was excited about the pick. He was a local guy (from the same county I lived in) and he had recently been the American League manager of the year. Remember how that turned out?
I embraced Dallas Green as the anti-Torborg, and that didn’t work out any better.
More recently, how many of us loved Jerry Manuel when he replaced Willie Randolph in 2008? I know I did.
I hope that Sandy Alderson doesn’t pay any attention to fan opinion or marketing considerations when he makes his pick. Because in the end, the name of the guy in the dugout really doesn’t matter as much as his team’s record – do you think anybody goes to Yankee Stadium to watch Joe Girardi?
PaulHadsall.com 