Sandy Alderson’s Vision for the Mets
Yesterday afternoon, Sandy Alderson had a lengthy conversation with WFAN’s Mike Francesa, and spoke about what was important to him as the general manager of the Mets.
Alderson said, during the time of his interview with Mets ownership, he had four things written down about his vision, values, and style, which were the following:
- To be a perennial winner.
- To be an “Iconic Franchise” and to be mentioned in the same breath as the Yankees, Phillies, and Red Sox as among the greatest in the sport, and in all sports around the world.
- Respected for WHAT and HOW.
- Fan Pride.
He also said there is a cache about the Mets franchise which is best demonstrated by the passion of the fanbase in their “underlying loyalty”, but also recognizes there is friction in the relationship between the fans and the team and wants the fans to “enjoy that relationship again”, saying:
“If we can be successful in the WHAT, we can make it safe again for Mets fans to be passionate and supportive, and happy about that.”
I think restoring the relationship, as Alderson put it, comes with winning, as does achieving everything his itemized list. I think its fantastic that he, as an outsider to all of what’s happened over recent years, immediately recognizes and acknowledges the general negativity and frustrations among the fan base and that it’s a primary concern of his to restore that lost faith. Of course, it’s hard not to have an idea about the feelings on the fan base considering the negative trend of the franchise since 2007.
I suppose the first step in distancing the organization from the past and the friction between the team and the fans is acknowledging the fact that what has happened since 2007 is the result of a variety of organizational failings and looking to repair and prevent those problems from re-surfacing, but most importantly, being able to leave the past in the past and begin moving forward, which I think was part of his message in the objectives he laid out. Like I said, the only cure for this from our standpoint is winning on the field.
As a fan, I’m beaten up, and have come to expect the worst, but I am also tired of all of that, and sick of talking about it here and on the social media sites, and want to look ahead and hope and dream of what the new possibilities are, and I think the Mets have installed a great individual who is not only capable of making the past a distant memory, but can create that bright and positive future I badly want.
I don’t think it’s going to be quick and I don’t think it’s going to be easy, especially over the next 365 days, and Alderson even acknowledged that he might have to make some “unpopular” decisions about certain players, but no matter what, I believe the culture and philosophy is not only about to change, but will be streamlined throughout the organization from this day forward.
I think the Mets are better today than they were on Thursday with Alderson at the helm, and that in and of itself is a step in the right direction.
