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| NY Mets |
Unfortunately, and despite his possibly unjustified popularity, there’s little to no chance he’ll ever manage the Mets again. Reason one is his price tag; the Mets will not pay top-dollar for a manager, even if that manager could result in a boost in ticket sales. Reason two is the same reason he was fired almost ten years ago: control. The straw that broke the camel’s back in 2002 was Valentine’s request to be more involved in personnel decisions. Such involvement is taboo in Sandy Alderson’s grand plan, who deems field managers as glorified sock puppets, whose job is to faithfully carry out orders sanctioned from above.
Mets Today
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.
ESPN
And credibility won the day as the Mets yesterday told Sandy Alderson he is going to be the next general manager. The Mets were impressed by the other finalist, Josh Byrnes. But Alderson was the front-runner and unless an underdog such as Byrnes could state an overwhelming reason for his hire then the organization was going to favor the elder statesman, whose gravitas provides the Mets an instant jolt of that credibility they desired.
No one in baseball is going to believe Wilpon is going to push around Alderson, an ex-Marine with a reputation for integrity and a steel spine. I championed Alderson's candidacy in a Sept. 19 column because I felt the Mets needed his principles, stature and unflinching character to reverse their reputation as an undisciplined, uncreative front office. So, obviously, I think the Mets did a good job here.
NY Post
Alderson's first order of business is expected to be the hiring of a new manager to replace Jerry Manuel. A person close to Alderson yesterday doubted that popular Wally Backman, who guided Single-A Brooklyn this past season, will be the choice. Alderson is believed to seek a candidate with major-league managerial experience who is polished in dealing with the media -- a large component of managing a team in New York.
NY Post
Mets fans should not expect to see Holt in Flushing any time soon. He's never pitched above Triple-A and it's unrealistic to assume that he will get a shot with the big club until late-2012 at the earliest.
That doesn't make him a bust, but it probably does put him a year behind where people thought he would be.
Still, if he has continued success in the Fall League--where some of the very best hitters in the Minor Leaguers play--then it is safe to say that he will be in a much better place, mentally and physically, by the start of the 2011 season
Bleacher Report
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