Omar's back -- what about Jerry?
The Mets have scheduled a conference call at 11 a.m. to announce a three-year extension for general manager Omar Minaya, which locks him up through the 2012 season. The presumption is that the Mets will have exorcised their September demons by then.
Whether or not Jerry Manuel will be the manager to get them over that hurdle remains to be seen. Removing the interim label from Manuel was supposed to be a slam dunk this week and the Mets had expected to hold a news conference by Wednesday or Thursday. Ideally, that might have helped them move past this season's fold a little quicker.
Last year, Minaya made a public decision on Willie Randolph's future after letting him dangle for 48 hours, but Randolph was in the first year of his own three-year, $5.65-million extension. This time, the Mets already have offered Manuel a two-year contract, but he has yet to accept it. Why?
Manuel probably thinks he can do better than a two-year deal. After all, Randolph got a three-year extension, and Manuel can argue that he deserves the same, at the very least. Manuel has six years of experience as manager of the White Sox on his resume and he helped salvage the Mets season after taking over for the fired Randolph on June 17. Plus, Manuel is immensely popular in the clubhouse.
If this drags on, however, Manuel has to be careful not to overplay his hand. Bobby Valentine may enjoy managing in Japan, but an offer from the Mets could bring him back to the States.
Two bizarre stories from the Mets yesterday -- but very different. Johan Santana was the best pitcher on the planet in September, despite pitching on a bad knee. I don't know what else to say about Ambiorix Burgos. It was humorous in a stupid way when he had $270,000 worth of jewelry stolen out of a shaving kit in his hotel room during spring training. But then he was arrested for allegedly beating up his girlfriend and now it appears he was involved in a hit-and-run accident that killed two women. Sad. Very sad.
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Comments (16)
Is it too late to get Brian Bannister back?
Must be the length of the contract holding up the deal.
Jerry shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth.
Go the vault...bring back Valentine !
I personally would not want Valentine back. Yes, he overachieved in 2000... But his act with the fake mustaches, ridiculing Pulsipher in the game against the Yankees by gesturing to McCarver in the booth after he gave up a hit to O'Neill, his press conference on hitting while stoned, etc. was really starting to get hard to stomach. Did not like the way he treated players like Todd Hundley, leaking stories to the press... and remember how some FA's, like Cliff Floyd, swore to never play for him? It is all about Valentine - might as well call them the NY Bobby V's rather than the Mets.
Manuel did a good job, he deserves the opportunity to continue managing. 2 years might be a little harsh, go for 3 - it is not like there are many other appealing candidates out there that would manage for 2 years...
I hope the press holds Jeff Wilpon to his "addition by subtraction" comment - I hope that means we have seen the last of the Castillo's and Heilman's of the world.
Looks like my prediction from game ONE is coming too fruition yet again.....Red Sox vs. Phillies !
Put your mortgage on it!
You can thank me later, and if you did it when I told you, you would of had 35 -1 like me !!!
We must sign KROD, period! We must sign Manuel, resign Delgado, and revamp the bullpen. As a base, we have Joe Smith, Pedro Feliciano, Brian Stokes, Luis Ayala and Parnell.
Everyone is done with Pedro Martinez but I'm not. I know it's not going to happen but for $4-5mm, he could be a better than ,500 bottom of rotation starter, giving Neise another year to develop in AAA.
Gone are Heilman, Castillo and Anderson. Resign Endy and Oliver
Invite Sanchez to spring training to see if his velocity returns.
Tatis is still young enough to be a starting left fielder or in a platoon with Murphy. Why isn't anyone suggesting Evans as a back-up RH hitting 1st baseman?
So Gary wants the same bunch back...Genius! Do yourself a favor and go watch the playoffs and see how far away these guys really are.
It's amazing how "anonymous" individuals always make anomalous comments with no positive rebuttal. I want the core position players back and I want the bullpen revamped. A better bullpen and we're in the playoffs. A great bullpen combined with fewer key injuries (Maine, Tatis, Wagner) and we win it all.
i think Chavez has another year left on his contract
We win it all Gary??? Way off....Look at these other teams injuries and bullpen problems....At least tehy made the playoffs. Mets need a heck of a lot more than to stay healthy and add some arms.
Do you realize this is one of the first times ever that a core teams stars played an avg of 160 games each.....That's right....Wright, Reyes, Beltran, and Delgado played an avg of 160 games each. So for us Mets fans to talk about injuries is simply EMBARASSING!
As for Manuel....My God, let this guy walk. Was he not on the bench in 07? Did he not have a 4 game lead in mid September and on his way home to paly the dregs of the league? Let him go and take his MORONIC GM with him !
Gary you lost credibility when you revealed you would want Pedro back. So stop complaining.
I liked Manuel, but I still think this team needs a manager who scares his players a little more, a la Pinella. Manuel still let the dancing and celebrating continue throughout the season. And I just have to think that plays a part in the attitude on the field.
Look at the Mets after they won last Saturday. They were dancing around the infield like they just won an easy game, and then came out Sunday completely flat. On the other hand, on Sunday the Marlins were serious--they meant business and they only celebrated after their season ended on a minor good note.
The Mets expect things to just happen for them, and they do not seem willing or able to do all that's necessary to get the job done.
I really think the Mets need to look at their hitting coach. Down the stretch, it seemed like Wright completely forgot how to go the other way--he tried pulling every pitch. Even that infamous at bat where he struck out after Murphy's triple, Wright tried to pull a pitch that was 3 feet outside. Did anyone else notice this?
Just remember, just 4 more wins would have gotten us the division with this lame a$$ bullpen. They blew at least 7 of santana's starts. If they won those games, would we be having this argument?
Comd on Alph....Every team can say that. Was it the bullpens fault in 07?
Every team can say " Well if we did not get injured...Well if we saved that game....blah blah blah"
Bottom line the core did not step up down the stetch to win. As putrid as the bullpen was (Omars fault,) they still had a 3 1?14 games lead and BLEW IT !!!
Not to mention they were ahead of TWO TEAMS !! One of them being a Brewer team with a bullpen as bad as ours, and NO COACH !
Omar was at the helm for all of this....Wilpons show their frustration by giving him a 4 yr deal and saying the MEts over achieved ??? THE TOP IS EMBRASSING !! BUNCH OF CLUELESS MORONS !!!
Come on, Fire Omar..the division is won or lost in May/June/July. The big three didn't give up leads in the 7th-9th.
Think of it this way...if the Mets would have been up 7 games with 17 to go this season, they would have blown it again!!!!!!
The Mets were 3.5 games up on the Phillies with 17 to go, and finished the season 3 games behind the Philies. Aka the Mets lost 6.5 games on the Phillies with 17 to go. How unreal is that?
Credibility? I said I wanted Pedro back as a bottom of rotation starter for $4-5mm not that he was a must sign. It depends how we do in the free agent market.
Chavez is a free agent!
Wagner was having a better year than anyone else in the bullpen despite some blown saves. This was a key injury especially with the rest of the bullpen imploding.
The bullpen was just as bad in 2007!
We need to look at the nine pitchers behind Santana, Pelfrey and Maine.
If you consider Stokes, Alaya, Smith, Parnell and Feliciano, then you need two starters and three relievers. How you fill this will determine next year's success. Our problem is not with position players.
Gary...Get a clue...The bullpen in 07 was no the problem AT ALL !!
Keep drinking the kool-aide!
Mets problem is in the core of the team and in it's owner and GM...Until they are changed, you will all blame somethingelse next year!
LOOK AT THE BREWERS AND PHILLIES BULLPEN !!!
Good teams over come it ! Mets cannot b/c they do not have a clutch bone in their bodies !