Tuesday, June 10, 2008

The Buck Stops Here?.......

...and not Joe Buck, or the greenback buck. Showalter, that's the Buck I'm referring to.

Here's the way I see things, and correct me if you believe I'm wrong. The Mets organization is a top to bottom, bottom to top mess. I believe this has largely occurred because the Wilpons, as well-meaning and sincere as they might be, have relied on the advice of the wrong people, and have allowed their desire to compete with the Yankees each and every year, and fill Shea Stadium to capacity each and every day get in the way of sound baseball decision-making. Not to mention their desire to ensure a successful launch of SNY, and filling the seats in the soon-to-open CitiField...

So I think they've had a lot on their plate, and somehow the organizational personnel and the team have almost become afterthoughts to them; this has to stop, and they need to pay attention to what it all revolves around, and what will either make them wildly successful in the baseball arena, or make them laughingstocks in the baseball community, if that hasn't already occurred -- the building of a successful, competitive major league baseball franchise, and one that will continue to regenerate and nourish itself by its design.

The first step in this process is to choose the right person to be its architect. I've thought about this, and have tossed it around and around, and have sought sage counsel from some of my more savvy and knowledgeable baseball friends, and I believe the answer to all this might be in the form of one Buck Showalter.

Now, we all know Buck's had problems in the dugout. That's a given. I'm not offering him up, so to speak, to manage the team. What I want is for Buck to be responsible for all baseball operations. Hire him, and give him free rein to put his own people in place, and free rein to make the types of sweeping changes that this organization desperately seems to need. Right now, the organization has the feel of an old-boys-club of sorts, a stodgy group with old and dated ideas. Buck, if he's done nothing else in his many years in baseball, is certainly neither stodgy or full of old and dated ideas, nor is he lazy, which is another curse I believe permeates the Mets organization, from top to bottom.

In case some of you have short memories, Buck was a big part of the metamorphosis of the mid-90s Yankees into a four-time World Championship team. As if that weren't enough, he moved on to Arizona, where he became the force in the reshaping of that franchise, and made it into not only a respectable one, but one to be reckoned with for years to come, as we are now seeing. In between all that, he managed to be named AL Manager of the Year a couple of times, and is widely recognized for his uncanny ability to spot talent and cultivate it.

He's also fiery, opinionated and passionate, three things I think most Mets fans would give their dying breath to see in the organization right now.

I know Buck's had his problems; he's brash, and butts heads with those in charge, and probably has seen his last days in the dugout, but when it comes to knowing how to build a team and make a franchise competitive for many years, he's the guy.

16 comments:

DINGOMETS said...

Buck has certainly shown that he's capable of building a winning team...

I have to say that while this year is turning into a disaster, I'm not quite ready to pull the plug on Omar YET... Though he's walking on VERY thin ice right about now....

Deb said...

Think about it a little more, ding dong... I think you'll see the clear logic of bringing The Buck in. The guy simply won't tolerate the shit that we all believe goes on in the lazy and driftless Mets organization, and will certainly clean house and shape it up, if nothing else. The only question is -- do the Wilpons have the guts to make this type of move? I'm hoping they do, but betting they don't, sorry to say.

DINGOMETS said...

Along those lines, I still want John Stearns as manager...

And, despite his play lately, still dump Delgado...

Fire Tony Bernazard right now...

And yeah, I hear you about Buck, and think he'd try to whip these guys into shape and turn around the organization, but once again, we've heard the phrase "total autonomy" before, when they hired Omar, and that hasn't made a damn bit of difference...

Deb said...

That's why it all hinges on the owners, ding dong; and I just don't think the Wilpons have the brass, the cojones, or the guts to do it.

DINGOMETS said...

Or the desire, maybe?

Maybe the last thing they want is a guy like Buck who REALLY will demand autonomy and that the owners do no more than write the freakin' checks...

And heck, maybe that's actually happening now... I certainly haven't heard much from Freddie or Jeffie regarding personnel moves, and they do seem less intrusive than the last couple of years with Phillips and the disasterous year that they let Jim Duquette run the team...

I just think Omar's been burned by some BAD moves, and some bad luck, to be fair...

But, bottom line is that this is a results-oriented business, and right now, the Mets aren't putting up the results that their customers demand...

Deb said...

If that's the case, then they shouldn't have a problem with Buck, then, should they? Of course, he won't kiss their asses or be as non-confrontational as Omar appears to be, but what is it they really want? They need to decide that, and quickly.

DINGOMETS said...

Well, not sure quite how quickly, as I'm pretty sure that they wouldn't fire Omar before the end of the season, if they'd even consider doing THAT....

It's a messed up organization, that's for sure...

And the worst part is that they NEVER seem to learn from their mistakes...

Deb said...

So, meanie WAS right, then *sticks out tongue*! lol

DINGOMETS said...

I'll bite my tongue...

And no, he isn't right because he makes the assumption that the Mets are the only organization that operates that way, and he always has the benefit of viewing things with 20/20 hindsight...

To be fair, the only AWFUL, inexcusable move they've made over the past 5 or so years was the Kazmir deal...

EVERY other trade, FA signing, etc..., I could at least see a reason for, even if they didn't work out in the end...

Some have (Maine for Benson)... Others have had mixed results (Perez for Nady)... Other have been awful (Heath Bell)...

Willie was an excellent manager in 2006 when we won 97 games... Nobody was bitching about him then... Not nearly as loudly as they are now, anyway...

And, he's the same manageer now that he was then... The difference is that the guys on the team are underperforming...

Beltran is having a lousy year... Delgado sucks... Heilman is having BY FAR the worst year in his last 4... Duaner is no longer anything really special...

Being able to point BACKWARDS and point out all the mistakes is EASY, and that's all Meanie ever does...

Deb said...

LOL, man I really pushed your buttons, there, didn't I, ding dong? I do agree, btw, that the problem isn't necessarily Willie, or even necessarily Omar, the problem permeates from the top, with a little bad luck thrown in to boot. I think the entire organization needs to be overhauled, and Buck's just the guy to do that. The only question is whether the Wilpons will ever have the guts to do it.

DINGOMETS said...

You know you'll push my buttons every time you bring him up... Sorry...

And, it's not just Meanie... The Mets board is impossible for me to read right now, what with all the bashing, etc...

Meanie has ALWAYS had some valid points, which I have ALWAYS acknowledged...

I have little problem if they decide an overhaul is in order, and Omar, Willie and the entire front office and coaching staff is booted...

But, I also feel that part of the Mets problems over the years has stemmed from inconsistency and lack of patience in the manager and front office... ESPECIALLY the front office...

And again, YES, Omar has made mistakes... So has EVERY GM in the history of the game...

Deb said...

I wish it were that simple, ding dong. But to me, the biggest problem in the Mets franchise is that the hunger to win and to keep the franchise consistently competitive and successful simply isn't there. Sure, they WANT to win, but they just don't seem to have the backbone to do whatever it takes, and don't seem to listen to the right people.

DINGOMETS said...

When compared with our cross-town rivals, you certainly don't hear the same loud comments from the owners about winning the World Series every year.. That is true...

When compared to the other 28 teams around the league (NOT including the Yankees), I think the Wilpons are well above average in terms of their desire to win and giving the GM of the team all the things needed (mostly lots of cash) to get it done...

You really want an ownership group like Hank and Hal and Georgie, where they're constantly shooting their mouths off to the media, and placing TONS of pressure on their team?

Again, if there's one thing that tends to unite fans from every team it's a distrust and, in some cases, hatred, of the team owners...

Deb said...

At this point, I'd take Attila the Hun running the team if he'd set it on the right course, lol.

Anonymous said...

Deb, please take down that Joe Buck photo ... it makes me sick just looking at him .... LOL

I'm liking this Buck Showalter idea ... hopefully the Wilpons are reading ...

Deb said...

Bwwwaaaahhhh JoeBuckJoeBuckJoeBuckJoeBuckJoeBuck...bwwaaaaaahhhh! lol

Hey, I could take it down and replace it with a McCarver, lol!

I like Showalter's baseball savvy, knowledge, acumen and attitude, and always have. He's the guy could do what needs to be done here, but he might be too much of a slash and burn type for the Wilpons... still, if they really want to shake things up and really get serious about baseball, there's few better in the game WHO IS PROBABLY AVAILABLE qualified to rebuild an organization and build a team as is Buck.