Winter is finally over, and with it one of the most turbulent offseasons in the history of the New York Mets.
Usually, New York baseball during the months of December, January and February are dominated by the Yankees uncanny ability to sign every single All-Star free agent possible. Instead it was a quiet and disappointing off-season for the Bombers, as Cliff Lee instead opted to head back to Philadelphia.
As for the Flushing Bumbers, the Mets have been in the news just about every day.
First it was the firing of general manager Omar Minaya and manager Jerry Manuel, which was preceded by the hiring of Sandy Alderson as GM. Alderson was once the architect of the Oakland Athletics dynasty during the late 1980s, and has recently served in the commissioner's office as VP of Baseball Operations.
Alderson brought in a great team of other bright minds to help in the front office in former Blue Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi and former Dodgers executive Paul DePodesta. This three-headed monster is expected to lead the Mets back to respectability using the moneyball approach to baseball operations that made the A's fairly successful two decades ago.
Still it remains to be seen how long these three can get together, considering that both Ricciardi and DePodesta have been and would one day like to be GM's again.
Terry Collins was soon brought in to be the next manager. An unpopular pick by the fans, who wanted either Bobby Valentine or Wally Backman, Collins is best known for rubbing people the wrong way, which led to his firing in both Houston and Anaheim in the 1990s. This is Collins first managerial job since 1999.
Did I forget to mention Bernie Madoff? Oops, silly me.
Yes, the Mets are also getting sued for $1 billion from former Madoff trustee Irving Picard, who is trying to claim the losses of Madoff's investors. Apparently the Mets made money on the scheme, making them as much of a culprit as Madoff.
Fred and Jeff Wilpon have offered upwards of 25 percent ownership in the team, with the likes of Martin Luther King III and Donald Trump throwing their hats into the ring, but it is presumed that either would want more than 50 percent control of the franchise.
Then there is a baseball team. That's right, a baseball team and a baseball season to be played. Expectations are very low for the 2011 Mets, who are pinching pennies in light of the lawsuit. In the first part of a three part series, we will take an in-depth look at this year's Mets everyday lineup, and continuing in Parts II and III with the starting rotation, bullpen and bench.
- Login to post comments