Patience is a virtue, everything happens for a reason, good things come to those who wait, Rome wasn’t built in a day, and you have to look before you leap.
Cliches aside, the Mets (and us fans) will have to be patient in finding out who will be running the show next year and hopefully beyond.
I thoroughly enjoy all the speculation by fans listing who they think will be the next GM or manager. In fact, I will more than likely be releasing my own picks soon. Truth is no one has been interviewed yet, and the dust from the old regime has barely settled.
From various reports, it looks as though the Wilpons would like to have a GM by the end of the month. That is certainly a reasonable task and would give the new guy some time to adjust in preparation for November, December, and January (the crux of the offseason).
There are a few loose ends that need to be tied before a manager is selected, such as Reyes’ option, a multi-year deal for Pelfrey, and what to do with Takahashi as well as some other issues.
As for a manager, I’d have to think that we won’t see anyone hired before mid-November and maybe even as late as Thanksgiving. The Wilpons and the new GM will take their time to decide on who will be the next captain of a once-sinking ship.
We’ve heard the names: Valentine, Backman, Melvin, etc. For all we know, the new manager could be someone who sat in the dugout all year (Chip Hale) or has coached in our minor league system for years (Ken Oberkfell). But the point is that I’d rather see the team be patient in making this decision than be rash and wind up in this same position in another three or four years.
Had it not been for that dismal collapse at the end of 2007, Willie Randolph may still have been our guy. Though he proved he could win, he couldn’t seem to win in the big spot (2006 NLCS, how does Endy make a catch like that and we lose?). The collapse will always cloud his Mets legacy.
So Mets fans, I’m begging you to be patient with the franchise over the next few months. New personnel need to be hired, and player moves need to be made. Whether the moves are geared toward winning now or rebuilding, we won’t know until we have our men in place.
Are we willing to sacrifice 2011 for success in 2012, 2013, etc.? That’s where our old friend patience comes in. Based on the current payroll and lack of overall options, I don’t think the team will be able to rise to World Series greatness in just one offseason.
But two or three offseasons from now, when we look back on these upcoming months and say, “Our patience is what led us to our third World Series title in 2013,” we will commend the organization for their patience. Granted, this is wishful thinking, but who knows what a little patience can do for this organization?
So to reiterate: Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither will the Mets.
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