Local sports news columnist:
Quote:
Among the publicly known candidates, Buck Showalter stands out as the obvious favorite in our view. And the reasons are clear:
1. New York experience
2. Baseball IQ
3. Culture builder
Seeing as this is the Mets, those are significant qualifications. Especially when you consider this was a team that last season had:
1. Players strangling each other in the dugout
2. Crediting fictional coaches for their early success
3. Spending the mental energy to give a coordinated thumbs-down gesture to their own fans
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It's the last three items that I want to concentrate upon. Number 3, I know about. The first two, what the heck? I don't follow the Mets closely but I do live in the area. What is he talking about?
"Players strangling each other in the dugout": Is this about the rodent in the Citi Field dugout tunnel that Lindor and McNeil fought over whether it was
a rat or a raccoon? (Likely a cover story for what really happened: a miscommunication on the field in which McNeil crowded Lindor at 2B, leading to a throwing error and a nasty discussion in the dugout tunnel.)
"Crediting fictional coaches for their early success":
That's this story, I believe. Why Alonso and Conforto would think it was a good idea to fashion such a yarn is hard to fathom, especially since two days later, a couple of real coaches that they did like were fired. (This also could be a sign of something more serious, like players taking it upon themselves to manage team personnel.)
"Spending the mental energy to give a coordinated thumbs-down gesture to their own fans": This I recall vividly. Spoiled, prima donna behavior. It's an indication that the team needs a firm, seasoned hand to guide them.
So maybe the columnist is right: Rather than hiring another debutante as the manager, choose an experienced guy like Buck Showalter.