IPCT (In Press Conference Transcript) Introducing Sandy

[Frayed Knot]

Since his hiring last week, Alderson has been back on the west coast (teaches a class at Berkley among other things) so today is sort of his first gettin' down to business day w/los Mets.

[metirish]

Random thought here, the Mets are hiring some very smart people

[TransMonk]

I've said it before...I have no problem with a front office full of ex-GMs.

[metirish]

@AdamRubinESPNRicciardi calls it "a little bit of a homecoming" because he played two seasons of minor league ball with Mets

Alderso to start interview process with internal guys Thursday through Friday

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

So... we're not making a play for Dunn, I suppose.

[Benjamin Grimm]

METS NAME J.P. RICCIARDI SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO GENERAL MANAGER SANDY ALDERSON FLUSHING, N.Y., November 2, 2010 - The New York Mets today announced that J.P. (John Paul) Ricciardi has been named Special Assistant to General Manager Sandy Alderson. From November 14, 2001 through 2009, he was the Senior Vice President, Baseball Operations and General Manager for the Toronto Blue Jays. Ricciardi spent last season as a baseball analyst for ESPN. "J.P. brings a wealth of knowledge and a breadth of experience to the organization," said Alderson. "I worked with him for over a decade in Oakland and I know first hand he's a superb talent evaluator. He'll be a tremendous resource in a variety of areas." In his new role, Ricciardi will assist Alderson in all aspects of the baseball department. The 51-year-old worked for the Oakland Athletics for 16 years (1986-2001), including 12 years (1986-1997) when Alderson was the team's General Manager. "I couldn't be more excited about being reunited with Sandy," said Ricciardi. "We enjoyed tremendous success together in Oakland and it's my goal to help duplicate that here with the Mets. As a former Met farm hand, it's a double homecoming for me." Ricciardi played two seasons in the Mets minor league system after signing as a non-drafted free agent. In 1980, he was a teammate of current Oakland GM Billy Beane in the New York-Penn League with Little Falls and in 1981 he played for Shelby (A) of the South Atlantic League.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Other guys they played with include Ronn Reynolds, Lloyd McClendon, Randy Milligan, John Gibbons, and Lenny Dykstra, and I wouldn't be surprised to see one or two of those end up on the interview list.

[Centerfield]

This is cool. Last week we hired the first smart person in years.

A week later, we doubled that number.

[metirish]

Just heard Ricciardi on SNY , I didn't realize until I heard him speak that he's from the Boston area, pretty thick accent. Alderson said it was a family decision so he thank Ricciardi's wife and " one of his sons who I hear is a die-hard Mets fan".

[batmagadanleadoff]

Centerfield wrote: This is cool. Last week we hired the first smart person in years. A week later, we doubled that number.

'Bout time we got smart.



Apparently, baseball uniforms weren't the only garments that went powder blue in the '70's.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Really this whole thing is a continuation of the long-running Costanzonian Met strategy of doing the exact opposite of what was done previously as a path (shortcut?) to success.

Get criticized for trading off Scott Kazmir? Rush all pitching prospects to the majors.

Bullpen fails in 08? Stuff 09 roster with big-name relief pitchers at any cost.

Saddled with high-priced, untradable capitalists? Make them pariahs with vague swipes at their patriotism, and swear off free-agent spending.

Finish under .500 with illiterate general manager with strength in old-school scouting? Hire Harvard egghead with background in space-age analytics.

[Frayed Knot]

String of bland field managers? Compensate with colorful spitfire (Wally, Bobby)?????

[HahnSolo]

"Hi, my name is Wally. I'm unemployed and I live with my parents."

[metirish]

Frayed Knot wrote: String of bland field managers? Compensate with colorful spitfire (Wally, Bobby)?????

Which would be funny because Howe could have been seen as the opposite of Valentine .

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

metirish wrote: Frayed Knot wrote: String of bland field managers? Compensate with colorful spitfire (Wally, Bobby)????? Which would be funny because Howe could have been seen as the opposite of Valentine .

Absolutely, that's part of the longstanding pattern.

[HahnSolo]

Little power in '09? Jason Bay, come on down!

[A Boy Named Seo]

Might be foolish optimism, but THIS decision, these two Harvard eggheads, I'm way OK with, even if it feels like 'opposite day'. Bring DePodesta, too. A team of smarter dudes should (hopefully, hopefully) keep the org away from as much guessing and knee-jerk moves to pacify rabid newspaper peeps & angry bloggy/WFAN fans. Hopefully.

Hopefully.

[Benjamin Grimm]

I do like having smart guys making the decisions. I hope the manager also fits that category.

[Guest Edgy DC]

It's not like a lot of ball teams and other organizations don't swerve away from the failures of previous administrations. Dallas Green was hired to get control of the clubhouse and was fired for being a strong-arming control freak.

I guess the key is correcting but not overcorrecting.

[metirish]

I feel that there is now a long term view for the org, maybe there was before but I feel now it will get implemented.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Oh, I think Omar had a longterm plan. It just didn't work.

[metirish]

[Guest Edgy DC]

Sure he did. And it's to his everlasting credit that he left the remnants of the plan in place to blossom for his successor and passed on two years worth of opportunities to try and desperately save struggling seasons by trading on that plan for a quick fix.

[Ceetar]

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: Oh, I think Omar had a longterm plan. It just didn't work.

Everyone has a long term plan. But things change, and Omar didn't adjust his plan fast enough or well enough.

But this is why I'm not goingto get all giddy for 2012 or 2013. It's not a given that Alderson's plan will work either.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

A Boy Named Seo wrote: Might be foolish optimism, but THIS decision, these two Harvard eggheads, I'm way OK with, even if it feels like 'opposite day'. Bring DePodesta, too. A team of smarter dudes should (hopefully, hopefully) keep the org away from as much guessing and knee-jerk moves to pacify rabid newspaper peeps & angry bloggy/WFAN fans. Hopefully. Hopefully.

The smarts are a bit of a PR tightrope, though-- you've gotta relate to get along. DePodesta got crucified for some iffy results (the Loduca-Encarnacion/Penny-Choi trade being the big one, along with giving J. D. Drew the opt-out clause) despite a generally rock-solid process in LA; press guys like Plaschke and Simers painted a picture of him as an inexperienced nerd* in over his head, with talk-radio following suit, and McCourt apparently bought it after a few years/field-manager-related travails. Plus, both Alderson and Ricciardi have caught flak about being "haughty" or "condescending" with the press. (They should REALLY enjoy the constant Francesa-ing.)

*Leaving aside the joke of a non-athlete like Plaschke giving verbal noogies to the ex-varsity football/baseball player DePo, this inexperienced nerd came to the Dodger job with 2 years of scouting experience and 6 years of front-office time/management experience under John Hart and Billy Beane.

[metirish]

heyman

Alderson today tells Mets employees his managerial list is long, suggesting process could take a while.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

metirish wrote: heyman Alderson today tells Mets employees his managerial list is long, suggesting process could take a while.

He also said last Friday he'd have it done within 30 days.

Mark Nov. 29 on your calendar.

[Benjamin Grimm]

The list may be long now, but I suspect it will shrink rapidly to about five or six people at most.

[Ceetar]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: The list may be long now, but I suspect it will shrink rapidly to about five or six people at most.

I suspect it'll shrink to about 1.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Eventually, yes. But I think that it will only take a week or less for the long list to get down to five or six.