SANDY ALDERSON ... We Believe .. so far

Some of you might be wondering why we here at MetsFanClub.com have waited this long to write a bit about our new General Manager, well we wanted to wait and see how he handled himself. Not just with the press, media, players, but with the organization itself. Admit it to yourselves. How many of us have gotten elated when it looked good on paper, then when the season started it all would go down hill. We have been New York Mets fans for toooo looong to let that happen, again.

When ownership relieved GM Omar Minya and Manager Jerry Manuel of their duties last year, the fans knew that it was more than long over due. I believe that this single fact was the cause of most of the frustration, for want of a better word, of the New York Mets fan base. We here at MetsFanClub.com have been pointing this out with the help of our members. eMail after eMail had been filled with sediments to the like. I understand loyalty. I admire it more in a company, especially today, when most employees are again seen as pawns to be discarded then cultured, but there comes a point when you have to cut your losses and move on. This organization just never seems to know when that is.

So, when we here at MetsFanClub.com first heard that both Minya and Manuel were let go, there were a few here who had to check the calendar to make sure that it was not the 1st of April. When we realized that it was no joke, the same words were uttered not just by us, but most NY Mets fans; "Well, it's about time!" And boy was it. The next thing naturally to think of was who to take their places. First, the General Manager, then the Manager for the GM should always be the one to select the Manager that his tenure would rely on. Although there was a big debate going on here at the MFC.com Ballpen with many of our membership, when the final selection of Sandy Alderson was announced, most of us accepted the choice as a solid one. My thoughts then were in the line of: "Hey, maybe ownership has finally seen the light."

Sandy Alderson. Finally, a true baseball man. Alderson, a Dartmouth and Harvard grad, has accumulated six division titles, three pennants, albeit in the American League, one World Championship, served almost ten years as MLB's Executive VP of Baseball Operations, handling a multitude of concerns from umpiring, on-field operations, security, etc. In doing so, this has helped Alderson gain the ability to multi-task amongst the many aspects of the position. He also had a hand in the 2000 Summer Olympic Team that won the Gold in Sydney, Australia. This I hope, hate using that word, will help him in bolstering the Mets Minor League system. Recognizing young talent that is home grown.

In 2005, Alderson made it back to the National League as the CEO of the San Diego Padres and brought them to prominence by bringing them to back-to-back playoffs (2005-6) for the first time in the Padres history. So all the talk that I have heard when he was first announced about him being out of baseball for some time is a waste of words. Maybe that is what this team needs. Someone who has been out of the daily operations team operations a bit, because the other way was definitely not working.

Most of all, what really sold me on Sandy Alderson was when I heard that he was in the military and served a tour-of-duty in Vietnam. To me, this was the guy who was not going to take guff from any of the players and hopefully management. The was the man to move this team forward, and he proved it by not using kid gloves and firing Charlie Manuel, unlike former GM Omar Minya and his investigation delays with Tony Bernizard.

There is one thing, we as fans need to keep in mind, for the season of 2011, is that Alderson has much that was left behind by former GM Omar Minya to untangle. After this year much of the over priced, bad contracted players drop off, leaving much positive happenings for the 2012 season to look forward to which leaves this season as one for fun and enjoyment. If they lose they lose, if they win they win. Just have fun. If you were like me and encased yourself in a self-impose exile for the past two years, freedom is going to fee so so so good. Come and hop on and join the ride into a new era of New York Mets Baseball.

We can only BELIEVE ... so far ...