Mike's Mets - I Asked for Craig Consell, But All I Got Was Carlos Mendoza

 

By Mike Steffanos

A few quick thoughts on our new manager.

I read this weekend how impressed David Stearns and his front office mates were with Carlos Mendoza, and I was pretty sure that Mendoza would be the next Mets manager. It's not that I'm clairvoyant or particularly smart. It's just that everything I read about Craig Counsell made me skeptical of his taking the Mets job. He seemed most interested in the Mets' interest as a device to push his value up, which is certainly his right. I didn't foresee the Cubs jumping into the fray while jettisoning their manager, but it made a lot of sense once the dust settled.

If Craig Counsell really wanted to stay in Milwaukee, he could have done so and made plenty of money doing it. But Counsell was quoted in the Milwaukee media that he was in a been-there, done-that mode when it came to the Brewers:

"I think as I was going through this process, it became clear that I needed and wanted a new professional challenge."

After spending eight years running the Brew Crew, Counsell probably felt that he achieved as much as he was going to there. His chances of actually winning a title were limited by running a club in baseball's smallest market. Although seemingly coming from out of the blue, the Cubs' job allows Counsell to have his cake and eat it, too. He makes a whole buttload of money yet stays pretty close to home. Of course, they aren't exactly erecting statues of Craig Counsell in Milwaukee, where he is no longer nearly as beloved as he was last week. But the $8 million yearly salary will easily absorb any extra security required.

Getting back to Carlos Mendoza, I figured he would be the new Mets manager because he was clearly the second choice behind Counsell. My initial thoughts on the man are that he seems to be as well prepared for the job as any first-time manager could be. Other than that, I really don't know enough about the guy to predict his chances of success.

Much has been made about the Mets' recent history with rookie managers. It certainly hasn't been good. But I feel more optimistic about this choice, knowing that David Stearns has made it. Nothing I have read about Stearns leads me to believe that he would be swayed merely by a really good interview, as the Mets reportedly were by Mickey Callaway back in the day.

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