Yesterday Jerry Manuel got the sort of security he was hoping for after the Mets second straight September collapse. Even though the Mets went 55-38 after Manuel took over as skipper on June 18, there were many that believed that Manuel would not get another contract after the Mets collapsed again. All those rumors were put to rest last night when Omar Minaya gave Manuel a two-year contract with a team option for a third year (2011). A well deserved contract in my mind as Manuel took this team on his shoulders and quickly turned them around while along the way showing the players who was boss. Manuel, known as the quintessential players manager, quickly showed the team that when he took Jose Reyes out of Manuel's first game on June 18 against the Angels and also when he benched Luis Castillo. He also knows how to handle the media extremely well, something that is a huge necessity to surviving as a manager in New York, as he often makes many jokes during his post-game news conferences, win or lose. Good move by Mets management, we'll see if it pays off.
1 comment:
Hey Jared:
I completely agree with you, a no-brainer decision for the Mets to retain Jerry. An opposite style from Willie that will prove to be more effective over the long-term given the mix of players in the clubhouse.
I still have negative feelings about Minaya's extension . More of the blame needs to be directed toward his decisions over the past three years. They had the second highest payroll for the past two years and he has made some terrible moves along the way (Kazmir trade, Luis Castillo signing, Guillermo Mota, El Duque 2008 contract, Alou 2008 contract, Brian Bannister trade (despite a poor 2008 year for him), Luis Ayala, etc.
Look forward to reading future blogs.
-Justin Lipton (Husband of Ms. Lipton of Great Neck North)
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