An Open Letter to Terry Collins

Dear Mr. Collins,

Congratulations on beating out Bob Melvin, Chip Hale, and Wally Backman and becoming the 20th manager in franchise history. You inherit a team that went from contenders to choke artists to master choke artists to injured to just plain garbage. And that's putting the last five years eloquently.

I'm not expecting 2011 to be much better. I'd be happy with the team finishing 81-81 and Johan Santana returning to form. And for Carlos Beltran to actually show up to the park. I understand 2011 needs to be a rebuilding year. And I'm okay with that.

Along with becoming the manager of this team, you also automatically become the scapegoat Mets fans turn to if things start to really suck...except for that time Luis Castillo dropped the ball; that was totally his fault. A lot of Mets fans are unhappy with your hiring because you're not Wally Backman. They'll overlook the fact that you were the Mets Minor League Field Coordinator and probably know the farm system inside and out, coinciding with Sandy Alderson's strategy to rebuild this team from within the organization. They just see that you quit your job with the Angels and fear you'll do the same thing with the Mets, and in some ways, their worries are legitimate.

However, I think most of us are being too quick to disregard you in any sense. I mean, you haven't managed a game for this team yet, and there are quite a few who have counted this team out for the next two years. This is a team whose fanbase has suffered. Over the last four years, we were mismanaged, injuries were mistreated, and ticket prices went up. Ownership was taking our hard-earned money and not giving us a product that we can actually root for. I mean, when Oliver Perez pitches, you can put it in the books as a loss. Yet, he is getting $12 million a season to suck at his job. That's just bogus man.

I'm willing to give you a shot, because nobody can predict the outcome of the next two seasons. However, my only stipulation is that you get Bobby Valentine's Groucho Marx mustache and wear it in the dugout. And have Paul Lo Duca just walk around with his crazy eyes.

Again, congratulations on the job and Godspeed!

Sincerely,

Jessica

Eeyore: A Tragic Symbol of Mets Fandom

I have a stuffed Eeyore that sits on my bed wearing a Mets jersey, not only because my bedroom can rival Jimmy Fallon's in Fever Pitch, but also because the Mets jersey was to big for my Yorkie to wear. I was talking to my brother on Skype yesterday and I happened to pick Eeyore up, and I said that Eeyore would make a good Mets fan, because of his Debbie Downer nature. He would say, "Aww shucks, the Mets lost again." And then he would go about his day letting the outcome of the game get to him. Which is something I do...on a very regular basis.

Eeyore expects things to go wrong and is never surprised when they do go wrong. He simply says, "I knew it." That's kind of what the 2010 effort was to me. Because the Mets had failed to string together a thee-game winning streak for the better part of two months, I was able to successfully predict the outcome of most of our sets this past summer. And even though I was expecting the Mets to lose on a certain day, it still got to me.

There are certain times in a Mets game where I can expect something to happen. Whether it be Luis Castillo dropping the ball, David Wright hitting an unclutch single to left field, or Oliver Perez pitching there are things every game that you just see coming. And when these things happen, Eeyore goes to his Gloomy Place: Rather Boggy and Sad. Mets fans go to Citi Field, which, for argument's sake, is also rather boggy and sad.

Despite his gloominess, Eeyore is also capable of love and compassion. Mets fans are also capable of love and compassion, considering we still watch this team year after year because rooting for the Yankees is like being married to a movie star. Eeyore made a plant grow because he gave it the love it needed; Mets fans sent suggestions to John Ricco and the Wilpons as soon as the calendar turned October 4. It takes a lot of compassion to root for a team that has virtually eliminated itself by the All Star Break.

The Eeyore on my bed wears a Mets jersey. It may hurt to be a Mets fan. We might be gloomier than Eeyore's Gloomy Place, but the promise of a big payoff keeps us hanging on. And when we do get our day, it will be a lot sweeter than expected.

Looks Like Sandy Is Dandy

Sandy Alderson is expected to be announced as the new GM for the Mets as soon as Friday. Both my Twitter feed and my Facebook feed exploded with the news as soon as the business day ended on Tuesday. That was quick, guys. Note to self: Come up with better word play for Sandy.

But lets face it; most fans expected the Wilpons to go through the interviewing process only to name him the GM. Now, we are only waiting for spam from Jeffy to confirm this. This is the man we want. This is probably the only guy that can fix the team.

The way I see it, there are two winners this week: John Ricco, who will likely be taken under Sandy's wing and ultimately be groomed to be the next general manager of the New York Mess...erm...Mets, and Bengie Molina, who will get a World Series ring no matter who wins it because he's played for both the Giants and the Rangers this season.

Now, that the top priority of the offseason has been settled, we need to get a manager. There are conflicting reports about Wally Backman; Twitter exploded with reports of Bobby V. going to the Brewers, which were quickly shot down. Some are even suggesting the remote possibility that Joe Torre could be considered. All though he might be too laid back. It has to be either Backman or Valentine with my vote going to Valentine, as long as he brings the Groucho Marx mustache with him.

Hey, we're doing something right!

I'm a Public Relations student at school and have been steadily watching the Mets handle this GM search and seeing how this all relates to what I'm learning.

Most recently, we've learned about crisis managment and what a company or an organization should do if a situation such as a crappy team should arise. I must say, bravo to the Mets PR department in handling this situation.

They are putting the fans first by acknowledging that we are disappointed (and some of us are downright pissed off, namely me) and then by saying that fans have actually reached out to the organization to give their suggestions. Next, maybe they can lower ticket prices but for right now, handling this GM search is the main priority.

They took responsibility by saying the organization and the ownership is at fault. Whether or not we actually believe this is up to us. Lets face it, 9 out of 10 of us probably didn't believe it, because Jerry and Omar would have been replaced at say, the end of July instead of October 4.

Most importantly, they are being honest. Those of us (which is probably all of us) who suscribe to the Flushing Flash can get updates on the GM search. And if not, you can follow the team on Facebook and Twitter. I wish I can get paid to update the Mets Twitter page. I would fix that up.

So, on the PR front, I guess if you're going by my textbook, the Mets are doing everything right. Or at least Jay Horwitz is.

The Mets Have a Long Way To Go

Jeff Wilpon has a long way to go when it comes to re-building his team. The Mets have been interviewing candidates for the Mets GM position all week, and according to Wilpon, they hope to have that man in place by the time the World Series begins.

According to the Mets Twitter page, Josh Byrnes has been interviewed and Sandy Alderson will meet with Wilpon and John Ricco today. At this point, according to MetsBlog, Alderson appears to be the front-runner for the job because of his excellent relationship with Fred Wilpon and even more important than anything in the history of life....Alderson wants the job. I think the Mets should hire anybody willing to clean up this mess.

Whoever the new GM certainly has a lot of work to do, starting with hiring the right manager. Hey, Bobby Valentine withdrew his name from consideration for the Marlins job! Wally Backman lead the Brooklyn Cyclones to the playoffs! Whoever the new manager is, need to have that special spark that lights a fire under this team.

With this team, one misstep could result in another sub-par season. I think at this point, I'd be happy if the team finished 81-81 next season, mostly due to all of the dead weight we have. If only there was a team stupid enough to trade for Oliver Perez and Luis Castillo. Of course, that's a pipedream. As is the hope that the Mets win the division next year. Or that the Phillies won't get to the World Series this year...of course, that's a bit more realistic.

People Get Fired, Jessica Is Happy

In unschocking news, Omar Minaya and Jerry Manuel were both fired. Or, if you prefer the Mets press release, Minaya was "relieved of his duties" and Manuel's "contract option wasn't exercised."

Minaya was offered a front office job, but has declined. No word yet on who might be the next Mets GM, but insiders say it will be a veteran GM.

Rumors continue to swirl about the next Mets manager, with Wally Backman and Bobby Valentine being the focal points. Tim Kurkijan said on SportsCenter this afternoon that Valentine makes the most sense for the Mets, but it probably won't happen. Very typical for the Mets. Other names being thrown out there for speculation include Bob Melvin and Ken Oberkfell.

Personally, I was waiting for this day for a long time. Actually, Minaya's time was about 2 years overdue. Even though we were all expecting this, I feel as though we won something. That being said, Omar and Jerry are both good baseball people; it was just their time.

This should all make for a very interesting offseason.

Final David Wright Strikeout Counter: $16.10

Can We Forfeit Yet?

There's four games left in the 2010 Mets season. Four. And three of them are against the Nationals (although this might actually be a point in our favor). For the Mets to crack .500, they can't lose again. But this is the Mets we're talking about, not a team that...gee, I don't know, wins games! (By the way, I'm fully endorsing the Tampa Bay Rays in this year's playoffs)

Nick Evans is shut down. Carlos Beltran is shut down. Although I can't find myself too upset about the latter. I strongly dislike Beltran and fully blame him for the Mets trading away Frenchy. However, since things have been pretty downhill since the team went to Puerto Rico, I can't blame him for entirely breaking up the team's chemistry.

Is it possible for this team to cry "Serenity Now!" and forfeit the rest of the games? I wish they would. Maybe it would give Jerry and Omar extra time to clear their offices out. Come Monday, hopefully we will also have some answers as to the future of this team.

David Wright Strikeout Counter: $15.90