As I awoke to the splash of reality and the realization that Lee Mazzilli was not managing the Mets, flanked by Keith Hernandez as hitting coach and Ron Darling as pitching coach, I groaned and turned off my alarm.
Once the cobwebs cleared from my brain, so did the visions of Wally Backman coaching third, Tim Teufel coaching first, and Howard Johnson filling the role of bench coach.
My one thought was, "where is Ray Knight?"
What? What's wrong with a dreaming of a 25th anniversary reunion tour in 2011? We just need Mookie Wilson roving spring training as a special base running coach and Mets fans are in Heaven.
I can guarantee you one thing, losses would not be met with music blaring from the clubhouse. In fact, some of those fancy stereo boxes would stand a good chance of meeting the wrong end of a bat.
That group of guys would immediately instill a winning attitude and an expectation that players will play the game hard. That means running everything out, even though you think the ball will go foul.
Backman is the name du jour for becoming the new Mets manager. I love the idea of it, but I’m not sure it’s the right move right now; Bobby Valentine is the sentimental favorite, but I think his shine has more to do with the state of despair Mets fans are in and less to do with a genuine desire to have a sequel.
In both cases, I think the manager will be more the focus than the team, and I think the organization needs to realize it’s about the team. That’s not to say, I don’t want them— I’d welcome either one with open arms.
If Hernandez or Darling wanted to manage the team, I’d give them a shot in a heartbeat, but why would they give up such a good gig with SNY? I’m not really expecting Jeff Wilpon to call me and ask for advice but since I’m in a dream state in this post, I’ll pretend my phone is ringing.
My choice is Lee Mazzilli.
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