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.
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