An Amazin' Nightmare: Joe Girardi Is Phillies Manager

10 months ago the New York Jets had a chance to hire a Super Bowl winning head coach to mentor their young quarterback Sam Darnold, and coach a team that had $96 million to spend in free agency.

And reports were at the time, that coach, former Green Bay Packers coach, Mike McCarthy wanted the job, but would take if he had some say in personnel. The Jets wouldn’t grant that request, and eventually settled on Adam Gase.

From bugging eyeball press conferences to Darnold contracting mono, seeing ghosts and having his toenail removed, to playing a dangerous game of chicken with offensive guard Kelichi Osemele, the Jets under Gase have been a train wreck. And the Jets look silly for not giving McCarthy what he wanted.

Why is this important in an article about the New York Mets? Because it sets a precedent

The Mets are faced with a similar situation in their managerial vacancy search.

They had every opportunity to make former Yankee Skipper Joe Girardi their next manager, but decided not to.

Even two interviews were not enough to convince the Mets frugal ownership of Jeff and Fred Wilpon and General Manager Brodie VanWagenen that Girardi, a World Series winning manager, was good enough for the job.

Instead the Mets will settle for the unknown. Carlos Beltran? No coaching experience. Tim Bogar? Has Major League coaching experience, but still a virtual unknown. Eduardo Perez? A total mystery.

And speaking of mystery, the Mets have turned their search into a full-blown circus with their pursuit of the “bombshell candidate.” Maybe it’s Jessica Mendoza? Maybe it’s Bobby Bonilla? Maybe it’s the ghosts Sam Darnold saw on Monday Night? Who knows?

The fact is the Mets are going to regret this for a long time. Not only is Girardi not managing them, he is in the same division as manager of the Philadelphia Phillies. He has a chance to do to the Mets what Bill Belichick has done to the Jets for the last 18 years.

The Phillies to their credit want to win. They showed as much when they signed Bryce Harper to a 13-year $300 million contract last year, and they are showing it again by bringing in Girardi. The Phils haven’t won the World Series since 2008, and are thirsty for a return trip, and Girardi is the right man to take them there.

The Wilpon’s? They are oblivious, and don’t seem to care what their good paying customers think, and that is the problem. And why? Because of money and control? Really? Is that what this is all about?

Understood “money doesn’t always buy happiness,” but without it, you don’t stand a chance.

The Wilpon’s had a chance to give not only their fan base, but, the players who put on their uniform a chance at something special.

The Mets have a team with budding talent that needed a true leader at the forefront. Instead it appears that leader is whomever Wilpon and Van Wagenen deem a good “collaborator” with the front office. Is that enough to win games, we’ll know soon enough.

The fact is the Mets are about to settle for a manager who might be no better or worse than the man they fired three weeks ago in Mickey Callaway.