Your New GM is Sandy Alderson

[G-Fafif]

Multiple sources are reporting it as done. Nice leak-proofing there, Fred, Jeff and Saul.

Anyway, congratulations, welcome aboard and please fix this mess.

[metirish]

Congrats, looking forward to the manager you will hire.

[Frayed Knot]

I guess the fireworks are hailing over little Eden tonight




... er, this morning, whenever.

[Centerfield]

Cool. Ivy League-educated Marine. Smart and tough. Sounds like a good move.

[TransMonk]

Don't fuck this up, Sandy.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Clapping.

Let's get to work.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Edgy DC on September 21 wrote: Depends on what you call qualified. I personally don't think there's necessarily any reason to believe a person can run a college or a library system or a military camp, but can't run a ball team.

There you go, Sandy Alderson, successful GM from a non-baseball background. Hopefully any success he has will inspire other teams to think outside the box.

[Guest Vince Coleman Firecracker]

Smiley face.

[Guest sharpie]

My Sandy connection:

I used to work at the same law firm he worked at in San Francisco. I never knew him, but still.

He was hired away from that firm by another former employee, Roy Eisenhardt, whose father-in-law owned the Oakland A's and made Roy team president. During the baseball strike of '81 I attended a talk by Eisenhardt, who was a liberal among the neanderthal owners of the time. I imagine Sandy must've been in that room. That's all I got. Welcome aboard, Sandy.

[Guest metsguyinmichigan]

Welcome aBordick, Sandy! Now go make us proud!

[Guest Frankenstein]

GOOOOOOOD!

[Guest themetfairy]

Good luck - we're all counting on you!

[bmfc1]

themetfairy wrote: Good luck - we're all counting on you!

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Does he have any plumbing experience?

[Willets Point]

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: Does he have any plumbing experience?

Why? Shea's already been demolished.

[metirish]

Mets Spring Training 2011

[Lefty Specialist]

Hoo-rah. Hopefully he can find out why the color yellow makes Oliver Perez sad. Then he can release his ass.

[bmfc1]

Hopefully things end better for Sandy than they did for Gunnery Sergeant Hartman.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Influential (thanks in large part to a forward-thinking Alderson) analyst Eric Walker discusses working with Alderson in the eighties, and answers some forward-looking questions, besides:

Based on your dealings, what qualities does Sandy bring to a GM job? Sandy is, of course, extremely intelligent -- you don't coast through Harvard Law. He is also methodical and focused. Also very important, he has a definite "command personality"; he is not at all belligerent or authoritarian -- in fact, he is quite personable -- but there is never any least doubt who's in charge, and when he's angry about something, I wouldn't want to be the focus of that anger (which, fortunately, I never was myself). All in all, for any business he would be a first-rank manager. If that sounds like butter, it is not: He is really an impressive person. In this day and age, it is easy to forget what a pleasure it is to converse with someone who speaks in whole, grammatical sentences. If the Mets do indeed go with him, there will be, I reckon, some deep changes throughout the organization, and it will come out much the better for it at the end. It would be real fun to see him working with a decent budget in an era in which he would no longer have to be fighting superstition.

It's okay to get a little excited? 'Cause I'm getting a little excited.

[Guest Edgy DC]

That's what we're here for, isn't it?

[metirish]

I'm excited....Fman?

David Lennon accesses the winners and losers, and on Walker's " there is never any least doubt who's in charge" with Alderson look out Jeff Wilpon you loser

Alderson's hiring: Winners and Losers 12 m ago By David Lennon Sandy Alderson emerged from the six-candidate scrum to be the Mets� next general manager, but he wasn�t the only winner to come out of this process. As always, there were some losers in this derby, and we take a look at some below: WINNERS: Sandy Alderson: Some may question his sanity, given the dysfunctional state of the Mets. But Alderson has never shied away from difficult tasks, and if he can fix the Mets, it would make a nice bookend to a GM career that began with three straight World Series appearances � and a ring � with the A�s. John Ricco: The Wilpons determined that Ricco wasn�t ready to succeed Omar Minaya, but definitely seem as a potential GM down the line, and probably with the Mets when Alderson�s tenure is over. Ricco already has a good relationship with Alderson after their time spent working together in MLB offices, so his voice will continue to be heard. Josh Byrnes: Yeah, we know. He didn�t get the job. But after his firing in July by the Diamondbacks, Byrnes� reputation received a major boost by his callback as a finalist for the Mets. That means he finished ahead of four other bright, young executives � Rick Hahn, Logan White, Dana Brown among them � and Byrnes should be at the top of the list for the next job that opens. Fred Wilpon: Hiring Alderson means fewer potential headaches for the Mets� principal owner, who has dealt with plenty during the past four years. Alderson won�t tolerate the nonsense that has plagued this team recently, and Fred will be happier with less time at the podium explaining what went wrong. Saul Katz: Virtually unknown by the fan base, �Uncle Saul� � he�s Fred�s brother-in-law � Katz was described as a pivotal voice in the GM search. He never speaks at news conferences, but usually sits in the front row, and insiders say he has plenty of input during the high level meetings. Omar Minaya: Hiring Alderson was the only move that would possibly keep him with the Mets in some capacity, even though that situation remains very much up in the air. He�s friendly with Alderson, and could wind up staying. Bud Selig: Gets a trusted ally in the Mets� front-office that gives a shaky big-market team it�s best chance to restore respectability � and get back on prime time TV. Fred Wilpon already followed the commissioner�s lead on just about everything from the slotting system to contracts, and that will now continue with Alderson at helm. LOSERS: Jeff Wilpon: Early in the process, I was told that Alderson won�t tolerate any meddling from ownership � period � and that is likely to mean a diminished role for the Mets� chief operating officer. Jeff�s primary responsibility is still overseeing the Mets, but Alderson should have more �autonomy� than Omar Minaya ever did, and Jeff�s role might be relegated to approving the budget and signing the checks. Giving an assistant GM a shot at the top job would have kept him more in control. Wally Backman: The Mets probably could have forced the popular � but volatile � Backman on a rookie GM, but Alderson is unlikely to go this route. Backman just doesn�t fit the profile for Alderson, whose philosophy is to have a manager that simply follows the blueprint of the front office. Jon Daniels: Timing is everything, and as far as Daniels is concerned, the Rangers picked a bad time for the first World Series trip in franchise history. Not only was Daniels unable to interview for the Mets job � a dream shot for the Bayside, Queens native -- he lost the chance to use that as a negotiating chip for a new deal in Texas. Daniels is sure to get a great contract extension anyway, but the Mets� GM job just opened at the wrong time for him. The rest of the NL East: The Mets� days as a division doormat could be coming to a close. Alderson won�t make this franchise into a World Series contender overnight, but the Mets already are a better team than they were yesterday, and with the resources to rebuild, it shouldn�t take long

[Fman99]

I'm erect with optimism.

Anyone who can tell Jeffie Wilpon to slag off and have it stick gets my vote.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Jesus Christ. When did a .500 season and a 10-game improvement off one really bad season following a title and 3 2nds make the Mets a "doormat"?

[Guest Edgy DC]

Yeah, and I also have no problemo with a plan to turn them into a contender overnight. They were one as recently as late June/early July.

[Vic Sage]

it is easy to forget what a pleasure it is to converse with someone who speaks in whole, grammatical sentences.

s'long Omah, and don't let the door hitya where the good lord splitya.... knowhatimean?

[batmagadanleadoff]

Fman99 wrote: I'm erect with optimism. Anyone who can tell Jeffie Wilpon to slag off and have it stick gets my vote.

Me too. The clincher for me was learning that Sandy wasn't Jeff's choice. My guess is that Fred's the lesser of two Wilpon evils.

[Valadius]

Looks like our front office may wind up being stacked with SABR all-stars:

http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/mets/strong_willed_manager_not_in_alderson_GcOXSRl7lQxDh6TxTfuewL?CMP=OTC-rss&FEEDNAME=#ixzz13fmBGRwz

Alderson will work to bring in a few loyalists from his past to help implement his philosophy. According to several sources, he already has reached out to Paul DePodesta, whom he hired in San Diego, to help strengthen the Mets� statistical department and J.P. Ricciardi, whom he worked with in Oakland, to assist on player personnel. DePodesta, the former Dodgers GM, has to decide if he wants to leave the Padres for whom he is executive VP. A few executives briefed on the subject said they think DePodesta will join the Mets. Ricciardi, the former Blue Jays GM, is an analyst for ESPN who is weighing several options.

[Guest Number 6]

Wow, do I ever love all of this.

[TransMonk]

A front office staff of former GMs sounds pretty cool. Sandy could probably find something for Omar to do too.

[metirish]

Looks like our front office may wind up being stacked with SABR all-stars: http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/mets/strong_willed_manager_not_in_alderson_GcOXSRl7lQxDh6TxTfuewL?CMP=OTC-rss&FEEDNAME=#ixzz13fmBGRwz Alderson will work to bring in a few loyalists from his past to help implement his philosophy. According to several sources, he already has reached out to Paul DePodesta, whom he hired in San Diego, to help strengthen the Mets� statistical department and J.P. Ricciardi, whom he worked with in Oakland, to assist on player personnel. DePodesta, the former Dodgers GM, has to decide if he wants to leave the Padres for whom he is executive VP. A few executives briefed on the subject said they think DePodesta will join the Mets. Ricciardi, the former Blue Jays GM, is an analyst for ESPN who is weighing several options.

That would be totally awesome to have those guys on board.