There were a lot of skeptical looks at the New York Daily News last week when one of its writers came out in support for Mazzilli for Mets manager, a name that at that point of time was not being thrown around by anyone. I've been thinking about it for a week, and I think under certain conditions, that is exactly right. First a preliminary introduction of “canididates”, names that different people in or outside the organziation have thrown around, with a brief amount of information of what they bring to the table:
Joe Torre: He has been incredibly successful in New York and has a fantastic record for winning. Torre is known for being a great manager for teams that are veteran heavy (in some odd world, maybe a good match, at least for the players, if Omar was GM).
Bob Melvin: Has had failed gigs in Seattle and Arizona and is currently in the Mets organization. The advantage for Melvin, who tends to be mellow, is that he is already in the Mets system.
Wally Backman: Fiesty, Firey, and Popular. Mets fans would embrace him quickly and he's cheap. He has essentially 0 experience though.
Bobby Valentine: Expierenced, Popular and Expensive. The main drawback for Valentine will be the cost to get him to come here. Also, out of everyone in the group, he doesn't have to see this job as an upgrade, which would make getting him tough.
Lee Mazzilli: Misunderstood, middleground price, Popular. More on him later.
We can toss out a bunch of names on this list from the start. Bob Melvin, Joe Torre and Jerry all are wrong for this young team who need some passion from who ever is managing the team. That leaves Backman, Valentine and Mazzilli. The problem with Backman is we really don't know what we will get from him. He doesn't have the experience, and in this critical junction in Mets history, trial by fire is not the way to go. He could be very successful, but we need more time to see. He should manage at higher level or join the bench somewhere for a bit to see what he can do.
In a perfect world Bobby V is the perfect fit. The problem for Bobby V is the money. The Wilpons are some sort of money binge and while they know you have to spend money to make money, their money over the last two seasons has been placed in all the wrong places and the deal to bring Bobby V to New York might be too much money over too long a period of time to get him here. In a perfect world, he is the perfect fit, but this isn't a perfect world.
Because we don't live in a perfect world, Lee Mazzilli should be highly considered. He has some experience, and he wasn't terrible as an Oriole manager and he has a lot of the other qualities that the other members of this list have, except he hasn't led a team to the playoffs.
To actually understand what life for Mazzilli was in Baltimore while he was here, you need to talk to a Mets fan living in Baltimore during that time. Lucky for you, I am that person, and I have a good amount to say. The public was pretty much against Lee from the beginning because he was a New Yorker. This ranged from fan, to media to owner. If there was something wrong with the team, it was that manager from New York's fault. Because of this, a lot of his success was forgotten. One season he essentially had the Orioles in first place until May and this was in the height of the Yankees and really that great Red Sox team. He was then handed one of the toughest situations that a team can handle. One of the best players on the team, the player who just got his 3000th hit that season and was immensley popular, Rafeal Palmeiro, turned up a positve sterioids test.
At that point the entire team fell apart as Lee couldn't help with the moral in the lockerroom and helping the players through the media boom. Since then Lee has been a part of the media in New York, and the media is something that the most of the players in New York are already used to.
Mazzilli also has fire. I was at the game where got thrown out for a disputed home run call as Mazilli was fighting for his players and ended up throwing bubble gum all over the field.
In short, Lee Mazzilli was a lot better in Baltimore than history will let one remember, and if the Mets cannot afford Bobby V, then Lee would make a fantastic choice to lead the Amazins and their players who could really use a firey manager.
