N.Y. Mets: New Manager Carlos Beltran Gets His Wish

From the desk of: HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET

Carlos Beltran Named 22nd Manager of New York Mets

Times are changing.  Traditional resumes need not apply.  The game is not what it used to be.  In this day and age the demands placed upon field managers are very different from those placed upon managers of my youth.  And therefore qualifications for the positions have changed.  In fact the whole business model has changed, and Brodie Van Wagenen appears determined to stay ahead of the curve, if not bend it in a new direction.

Carlos Beltran was not one of my top candidates.  He wasn't even on my list.  In fact, I'll quote myself:

"I have no interest in Carlos Beltran managing the Mets."

If I had my druthers Buck Showalter or Joe Girardi would be managing the Mets.  Their respective qualifications speak for themselves.  I believe the Mets in their present condition would have benefited most with either of these battle tested alpha figures in charge.  Sometimes players both young and veteran go about their respective careers unaware of their full capabilities until strong and tactful managers of their ilk extracts it out of them.  However Brodie Van Wagenen makes it abundantly clear the aforementioned are exactly what he does not want from a manager.

Otherwise this situation is not unique to the Mets, nor the modern era.  The list of novice managers is long and varied.  Fans of a certain age remember 1977 when then manager Joe Frazier was relieved of his duties and Joe Torre went from playing third/first base to managing the Mets for the next 4 1/2 seasons.  Up in the Bronx, Lou Piniella in 1984 played his last game for the New York Yankees.  By 1986 he was their manager.  Hall of Famer Frank Robinson in 1975-1976 served as player/manager of the Cleveland Indians before devoting himself full time in 1977 as manager.  Yogi Berra in 1963 played his last game as a member of the Yankees.  In 1964 he managed them to the American League pennant.  New York Giants Hall of Famer Mel Ott between 1942-1947 also served as player manager. John McGraw served as player/manager of the Baltimore Orioles and New York Giants for eight seasons until retiring in 1906 as a player.

Beltran's path most resembles that taken by Craig Counsel whom retires as a player in 2012 and immediately takes a front office position with Milwaukee.  By May of 2015 Counsel is managing the Brewers.  Beltran too takes a front office position with the Yankees soon after his retirement, and parlays his newly gained experience into one of 30 managerial positions in major league baseball.  He previously said he was interested in managing here, and only here.  He gets his wish.  Now that Carlos Beltran is officially on board I congratulate him, and as a fan will fall in line and support him the best I can.