Opinion

The New York Mets cleaned house at the top of the organization with the firing of Jerry Manuel and Omar Minaya at the end of the 2010 season.  Bringing in Sandy Alderson and Terry Collins were the proper first steps to take towards bringing the franchise back to respectability, but there are many holes to fill in the roster before the Mets can become contenders again.

With the 2011 season right around the corner, here are 10 moves that the Mets can make to take steps in the right direction.

Mets new general manager Sandy Alderson is well respected across Major League Baseball. He's supposed to be smart, and is known for building some good teams.

The Mets now have to contend with the quartet of pitching that is the Phillies. Not to mention a young Atlanta team that seeks revenge. Florida? We'll see. And then, there are the up and coming Nationals, with a hot new pitcher, albeit hurt, a catcher quickly gaining attention, and a multi million dollar Jason Werth deal. Not to mention Nyger Morgan, who brings his quirky optimism, but also isn't afraid to charge the mound. Count on them in the not-so-near future. So what do the Mets need to do to contend? Well...

It's as if spirit has suddenly vanished on Katella Ave.; almost as if the Angels couldn't care less in revamping an inactive ballclub faced with tremendous emptiness and shame, unable to lure a blockbuster free-agent in an offseason attempt.

After a year of trying, the Washington Nationals have finally succeeded in trading outfielder Josh Willingham. As of early this afternoon, the 32-year-old was officially an Oakland Athletic.

Coming East are pitcher Henry Rodriguez and center fielder Corey Brown.

We'll talk about Rodriguez another day. Let's focus on Brown for now.

Baseball and America lost a legend on Wednesday when Hall of Fame pitcher and World War II hero Bob Feller passed away. Feller was 92 years old.

Feller, who played all 18 years of his Major League career with the Cleveland Indians, won 226 games, struck out 2,581 and had a 3.25 ERA. His numbers would have been even better if he didn’t serve his country in World War II in the prime of his career. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1962.

The Yankees have a strong need for a starting pitching.

They lost out on Cliff Lee.

Andy Pettitte is undecided about retiring or coming back for one season.

I've thrown out suggestions like Brandon Webb and Carlos Zambrano.

The Yankees are rumored to not be interested in Webb, and a trade for Zambrano is unlikely because he has a full no-trade clause.

So if those options are out, they need to get a little creative.

Perhaps it's the beard.

He just didn't want to shave it on someone else's terms. Not even for all the extras the pinstripes were throwing at his wife...I mean him. Can you blame the guy?

Was Cliff Lee scared of New York? He says no, according to the New York Post. 

The New York Post quotes Lee: 

"There wasn't anything that scared me away from New York," 

A.J. Burnett is coming off an extremely disappointing season with the New York Yankees, and as if things cannot get any worse, he has to deal with ESPN Radio's Colin Cowherd.

Burnett did not need this especially, as he is going to try and bounce back from a dreadful season in 2010.

Cowherd ironically made cowardly comments regarding a divorce between A.J. Burnett and his wife. Cowherd made comments about Burnett's wife being spiteful and vindictive.

A.J. Burnett is fuming, steaming and most likely darn-right mad.

He's mad at ESPN voice on the radio, Colin Cowherd.

This one's a doozie.

Seems the guy with the strange name—that would be Mr. Cowherd—said something on his show about the New York Yankees pitcher that he might, at this moment, want to take back.

Ah, but such is the beauty of our modern day sports talk radio. Once you say it, it's ON the record. No misquotes, no pleading, no back-peddling.