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