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Alderson Defends Plan, Addresses Talk Radio


By Mike Silva ~ December 11th, 2010. Filed under: Mike Silva, New York Mets.

This year’s Winter Meetings was, at least for New York fans, filled with a lot of idle speculation. The Yankees chased Cliff Lee while his agent methodically worked through offers from them, Texas, and a bunch of “mystery teams.” The Mets went chasing in the bargain bin, coming back with a middle reliever, backup catcher, Rule 5 hopefuls, and a former first round pick on a minor league contract. A solid week, especially with the position they are in, but not one that makes for five and a half hours of good talk radio. That’s why the team’s flagship station, WFAN, had its afternoon drive show spend nearly twelve hours of programming inciting the fan base to not buy tickets, or purchase merchandise. As I said last week it’s lazy radio out of the dusty textbooks of program directors that have seen media pass them by. It’s the kind of lazy radio that is executed by a host mailing in their day.

As many other independent media site (aka blogs), I was able to attend a conference call last night with Mets general manager Sandy Alderson. There probably were about 25 questions I would liked to ask, but having the ability to only choose one, I thought it would be interesting to see his thoughts on this type of radio, and what he would say to Mets fans who believe this offseason is more about saving money than a long term plan. Same old Mets is what a loud minority of the fan base continues to preach. Remember, these fans are stakeholders of the organization.

Alderson was thoughtful, transparent, and detailed throughout the call. His answer to my question was no different. First, he will appear on Mike Francesa’s show next week. We sometimes forget that Mets fans on the internet – who largely support the Alderson regime- are not the total package. There are a good chunk that look to only talk radio for their analysis (unfortunately), and believe the hype built by a Francesa or Craig Carton. This usually leads to frustration, and ultimately, angry discourse at the ballpark.

I suspect Alderson will go on Francesa’s show and answer him as he did me last night:

I don’t think what happened over the last week should have surprised anyone. I think what we did last week, and what we foresee doing over the next few weeks, is pretty consistent with what I’ve said from the very outset. I’m not sure that the majority of Mets fans are disappointed with the direction we’re taking. I think most Mets fans are pretty sophisticated, understand the situation that we face in the near term, and hopefully are supportive of it. I’m not foolish enough to think that when the bell rings and we don’t play well — if we don’t play well — people are going to be tolerant of that. I don’t expect that at all. For the moment, I don’t think anything we’ve done in the last couple weeks is inconsistent with anything I said over the 4-5 weeks before that. We’re going to keep our nose to the grindstone, keep working at it. As I said earlier, it’s important for us to put everything that radio talk, etc., says into some perspective. I think we do have a plan. I think Mets fans have been disappointed probably for a long time, at least the last few years. I don’t see any reason why the last couple weeks should have made them equally disappointed. We’ve still got lots of time before Opening Day.

That has been my point over the last few weeks in a nutshell. You go from a regime without a plan that focuses on “marketing moves” to one that has a vision about where this team wants to go (think Red Sox of the National League), and sticks to it even when public pressure mounts. Let’s not get into the prior regimes “honesty factor,” or lack thereof, when it came to offseason spending. I believe if Minaya were still around he would at least give Mets fans enough hope where they would believe there is a punchers chance at landing someone like Cliff Lee to help season ticket sales.

I fully expect Alderson to clean Francesa’s clock on the air next week. Unlike Omar, who couldn’t think on his feet, Alderson is too smart for the “traps” that Francesa puts out. Hopefully the angry portion of the fan base listens to what he has to say, and understands that the Mets will spend money when it’s the right time. As Alderson told Matt Cerrone of Metsblog he “wouldn’t have accepted the position if he had to run the team on shoestring budget.” I challenge anyone to tell me how Jayson Werth, Carl Crawford, or even a Jon Garland, would make sense for this team? Would you feel comfortable with the Mets giving Lee an 8 to 10 year deal, since probably it’s the only way he comes to Queens?

There should be complete confidence that Alderson knows what he is doing. It’s really no different than the Yankees, but their infrastructure gets overlooked by big spending free agents. I wouldn’t expect unprepared radio hosts to understand the inner working of a modern day baseball team. Their limited skills sets make them forensically incapable of such dialogue on the air.

Perhaps people should stop listening as Ted Berg of SNY mentioned last week. Unfortunately many do, and a 50,000 watt signal still does yield great power. That’s why someone, like me, needed to address the situation with the Mets GM. The louder I talk the more this gets back to WFAN, and yes I know they read. Fans need to be educated since a majority of WFAN hosts won’t, or at least they won’t until they clone another dozen Evan Roberts.

Mike Silva is a freelance writer and radio host since March of 2007. This website is his own personal "digest" of New York Baseball He's also hosts NYBD Radio on Blog Talk Radio and 1240 AM WGBB. Check out his sports media commentary at www.sportsmediawatchdog.com. Check out his official website, www.mikesilvamedia.com
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23 Responses to Alderson Defends Plan, Addresses Talk Radio

  1. James K.
    December 11th, 2010 at 11:05 am

    Hey man, maybe next time give credit to where you pulled the transcription from. You might say you transcribed it yourself but in that case the grammar, spelling and style would be 100% consistent with the transcription at this location:

    http://www.amazinavenue.com/2010/12/10/1869167/transcript-of-sandy-aldersons-conference-call-with-bloggers

    And this from someone who makes a big stink about others’ failure to correctly attribute his work.

    Great question, by the way — maybe next time you can ask him about Joey from Bayside’s ‘Murphy/Parnell for Votto’ trade proposal! Talk radio ftw!

  2. Mike Silva
    December 11th, 2010 at 11:08 am

    Properly cite my site and perhaps I will do the same.

  3. James K.
    December 11th, 2010 at 11:18 am

    I have never once referenced material from your website without properly citing the source. That is a fact.

    You pulled material straight from my website, put it on yours, and are passing it off as your own. You’re a hypocrite.

  4. Mike Silva
    December 11th, 2010 at 11:21 am

    You cited me as from themikefrancesa.com last i looked. That is not proper citation. If it’s been corrected I apologize but on my iPhone right now and can’t correct a post.

  5. Lou Di Falco
    December 11th, 2010 at 2:41 pm

    Excellent post. I have been saying the same thing for weeks now and Matt Cerone’s survey proved that the vast majority of Mets fans support what Alderson is doing. I hope Alderson cleans Francesa’s clock also but he’s far too professional to get caught in the fat boy’s snare. There is a good chance the Mets will become a perennial winner within three seasons while the Yankees are aging themselves to the middle of the AL East. Then Francesa will likely jump on the band wagon. To coin a phrase from Al Franken who wrote a book about another radio bag of wind, Mike Francesa Is a Big Fat Idiot.

  6. Kyle
    December 11th, 2010 at 2:54 pm

    joe and evan are dope

  7. Damian
    December 11th, 2010 at 3:19 pm

    Only issue is the Reyes situation. zhe needs to be resigned and any true Mets fan knows that. He is the teams best player hands down. His way of addressing the situation is dangerous and short sighted. There is no one they can get to replace Reyes. You can replace just about anyone else. Reyes is a top three to five SS in baseball. Sign him and then the PLAN becomes a little more believable.

  8. Merkle's Boner
    December 11th, 2010 at 3:45 pm

    Hey James K, didn’t you just use that same ‘Murphy/Parnell for Votto’ trade quip on Twitter? Way to recycle your own lame jokes.

  9. B Barile
    December 11th, 2010 at 3:52 pm

    I challenge anyone to tell me how Jayson Werth, Carl Crawford, or even a Jon Garland

    I will, they are better then we have so therefore, we would be a better team. And as a Met fan what I am upset about is I do not get big time ball players, and Werth would not have worked here but Crawford makes the team better. So why would I not want him.

    Instead the Mets think like they are KC or some little team, and they do just enouph to make sure that they could never be a Marlin or a TB and rebuild from the bottom

    And if we are going to suck, and that is what I feel like they are telling me, why would I spend any money on them. the Mets would never think spend 200 mill to get back 205 mill, instead lets spend 130 and lose money

  10. mojo
    December 11th, 2010 at 4:19 pm

    Francesa’s point was that if you are re-building in 2011…fess up. Don’t pretend that you aim to be competitive. The starting rotation is 2nd division, the bullpen no longer exists, the offense is so-so and the bench is just that…a piece of wood. So we sign Boof and…poof…there goes another season…which is fine if it’s 1978 and you can sit behind the dugout for $5, but don’t charge Broadway prices and give us dinner theater on Long Island.

  11. Mike Silva
    December 11th, 2010 at 5:36 pm

    Mojo

    Alderson has been honest from Day 1 in the press conference. When did he say they were going to be players in the free agent market this year?

  12. Mike Silva
    December 11th, 2010 at 5:37 pm

    B Barile

    I don’t think 150 million for Crawford is a good deal. Give me Bay for 4 more years and normal production and they will be fine. I personally wouldn’t give Reyes 7 years for 150 million. If I had a choice between the two, I rather have Reyes since he is a SS.

    Player whose game is predicated on legs at age 29 might not age gracefully. At least someone like Bay could provide power.

  13. Mike Silva
    December 11th, 2010 at 5:39 pm

    Merkle

    James is a well know lurker here at NYBD. Says he doesn’t come here, but his IP address is all over the site. He is angry at me for some reason, probably because he wrote a nice piece about NYBD when he had Mets Tailgate, and I challenged his thought process weeks later when he was on AA.

    I like James work, just wish he would drop the frat boy attitude. He can’t bully me like he tries others, that’s essentially why I believe he is angry at me.

  14. AC Wayne
    December 11th, 2010 at 5:57 pm

    I’m impressed that Alderson reached out to Mets bloggers. However, it seems that there is a common thread throughout the Mets blogosphere which is to maintain a company man approach to Alderson’s philosophy for 2011. I, on the other hand, refuse to buy into Alderson’s “coaches’ talk.” I’m with ‘mojo’ in that it sounds like the Mets are re-building, isn’t it obvious, they let Feliciano walk.

  15. Mike Silva
    December 11th, 2010 at 6:15 pm

    AC look at other LH relievers and what they produce and compare to Feliciano and then tell me if he is overpaid. Letting Felicano go shouldn’t be viewed as anything more then walking away before the expiration date

  16. sd
    December 11th, 2010 at 6:57 pm

    “There should be complete confidence that Alderson knows what he is doing.”
    You sound like a Kool Aid drinking shill when you say that. Alderson and the rest of his crew need to show me first. Don’t start swooning just ’cause he graciously answered one of your questions. It wasn’t all moonpies & candy whistles in Oakland & SD. He made plenty of mistakes there, and he’ll make mistakes here as well. With that said, I’m glad he’s GM, and look forward to maybe, possibly winning a title in 4-6 yrs.

  17. Russ
    December 11th, 2010 at 8:41 pm

    I’ve exchanged emails with Mike on this in the past, and WFAN is just a stagnant mess. They, and their hosts, are so far behind the times and it’s catching up with them now. They are paying the price for failing to keep up with the changes in society, technology and how sports are covered.

    A few examples…

    1. Look at how long it took them just to get an internet presence. It’s largely forgotten now, but they were so late to the party on just having a web site, it was ridiculous. Even now, they have a site but it’s a virtual non-factor with nothing of value. They were also years behind everyone else on streaming audio and pod casting as well. In fact, even today their podcast management sucks as they often miss interviews completely and at times have been 24-48 hours late in updating. For years we saw on YES, both Francessa (& Russo) when a question came up about a stat, go to a media guide book when it could have been found on-line in 15 seconds. So, you have to believe that those computers in the studio didn’t even have internet access. This from the “highest grossing radio station in America” as they love to remind us and a billion dollar parent company media conglomerate.

    2. Their talent is totally stale. Francessa can no longer guest guests. It’s the same long time regulars and no one new. You have to wonder if his “Dr. Knows It All” act has turned off many in the industry. The fact that Somers and Neer are still employed is ridiculous. I’ve heard so many stories about Somers being lost w/o a producer feeding him answers. He knows nothing and if you pay attention to what he says, it’s all shtick and no substance. Neer is so dull (although his WNEW book is an awesome read) and is the epitome of that station’s go through the motions mentality. A show hosted by one of these guys in 2010 sounds the same as a show from 1992, only the names have been changed and nothing else. These guys are just not very knowledgeable and have become dead weight. They should have been cycled out a long time ago. Carton and to a lesser extent Benigno are unprofessional clowns who deserve to be called out for their behavior. Why do they continue to give Sid Rosenberg fill in shifts? The guy has a successful show in Miami and doesn’t need the airtime when a young voice could be getting a chance to show their talent. Sid is mentally unbalanced, with an unhealthy obsession in regards to WFAN. He’s like the guy who breaks up with a girl and then spends years stalking her. That’s Sid with FAN and the management keeps supporting this behavior. Every show there is the same. Other than people rooting for different teams, there are no such thing as diverse styles at the fans. No one has the pop culture sensibilities of a Bill Simmons. No one has an advanced metrics view of sports. No one has a fantasy sports friendly approach. No one brings any comedy to the table. Everyone is exactly the same, including the new overnight kid who sounds like a complete parody of a WFAN host (and no one their cares enough to stop and tell the kid to slow down, he speaks too fast like he’s wired on something)

    3. It’s 2010, but where is the fantasy sports show? Where is the gambling show? Where is the show about combat sports? UFC has had one million buy PPV events and is the fastest growing sports league in the world and WFAN ignores them. Yet, they keep a boxing guy on staff. Then they wonder why their demographics are skewing so old now. It’s sports, you should be going for 18-49 year olds, and WFAN seems like they are targeting people from age 50 through death. It’s become depressing to listen to. Next time you turn them on, I urge everyone to count the number of commercials for doctors, nursing homes, cancer care, pharmaceuticals and other depressing or old people stuff.

    4. I’m not a Mets fan, but if I was I would be totally annoyed with how WFAN has treated them lately. For them to give up on the Mets, and just assume they would do nothing and not even bother sending Ed Coleman to the winter meetings was a disgrace and yet no one called them out on it. They are their flag ship and yet they sent the message to their own fan base that the Mets are not interesting and are not even worth covering or following. If I was a Mets fan, I would have been totally pissed off when I heard that WFAN was not even sending their Mets’ beat reporter to the winter meetings. Then to have the gall to rip the Mets for doing “nothing” when WFAN assumed that would be the case from the start of the off season is totally hypocritical.

    5. WFAN also keeps repeating the same mistakes over and over again. As Mike & the Mad Dog showed, differences of opinion creates debate and debate creates good radio. Yet for some reason, the last 3 times they had to put a new team together they made the same error every time, they teamed up 2 guys who root for the same team. How difficult is this concept to understand? It really should be obvious common sense, especially when their station was built on that concept for 19 years. Yet they continue to fail to grasp exactly why their most successful show worked and learn a lesson from it. I don’t know if their management is oblivious or just too arrogant to look in the mirror and see the flaws

    WFAN needs a big time shake up. New blood and new ideas before it’s too late, otherwise, they are going to be another victim of “big corporate radio”.

    It’s not a Mike Francessa problem, it’s a WFAN problem.

  18. cver
    December 11th, 2010 at 9:30 pm

    From what I understand, Garland got 8 mil for one season from the Dodgers. I’m not sure if the Mets offered him 10 million, if he wold have taken it, but I do think adding Garland could have made a difference. If he performs this year up to his norm, it could have maybe meant an extra 3 or 4 wins for the Mets – enough to make them more competitive and indirectly, with the team feeling like they actually had a fighting chance, could have translated into being close enough in the horserace to get the team afterburners to kick in and truly make a run for it. It’s not a given, but I do believe the team should be tossing in more money shortterm, if it can help, to give themselves a chance to actually contend in 2011.

  19. Mike Silva
    December 11th, 2010 at 9:39 pm

    Russ

    Bravo- I have nothing to add and couldn’t say it better myself.

    I didn’t know that Eddie C wasn’t in Orlando. Great point.

    You gave me some ideas for my weekly show as well.

    Thanks for reading.

    Mike

  20. Mike Silva
    December 11th, 2010 at 9:40 pm

    sd

    I can assure you I am no “Sandy Kool Aid drinker.” Just like with Jerry, Willie, and Omar I give personnel the benefit of the doubt before I criticize.

    I was very critical of the Collins hire, but understood their position.

    I trust Sandy, and believe he means what he says. That is not Kool Aid.

    Now, if he is talking the same nonsense a year or so from now……

  21. Patrick
    December 12th, 2010 at 7:35 am

    If you already think it is nonsense than why are you giving him the benefit of the doubt.

    I love what you do on nybaseballdigest Mike, but you have to give up your feud with WFAN. You are not beating them anytime soon. There is a market for what they do, plain and simple.

  22. Ralph on the car phone
    December 12th, 2010 at 8:29 am

    Nice post. I like that Alderson’s here, although having Riccardi & DePodesta also around to me amounts to Selig trying to put NYM’s Humpty Dumpty back together again. Could’ve used Garland in the backj end of their rotation, no question. Werth was on a money quest – would’ve stayed away from him and Crawford is a nice player, but again, a little too expensive. Still can’t believe Jason Bay’s people let him leave the cozy confides of Fenway for Citifield Canyon. To me, that’s the agent-version of Malpractice. THe guy ditched his career stats for an extra $5 mil? Kinda disgraceful. AS for Reyes, I like him, but I’m not 100% certain that he’ll ever be more than what he is now: A very nice player when he’s not hurt. I don’t think we ever see 19/80/.307/20 triples/50 steals again. I don’t think he’s a gut-check player, either. He’s not David Wright, who right now is maybe 1-2 notches below Mike Schimidt in terms of career value up to this point. If he maintains this record of performance, we’re watching a strong candidate for the HOF. I would’ve liked to have seen Backman instead of Collins. If Alderson’s public stance has been that 2011 will not be all that, then he should’ve given Backman a chance. As for the WFAN, I like Mike. I enjoy his show and believe he’s been very even-handed with the Mets the last couple years. Carton is a bit of a tool, though. Not quite as cool as he thinks he is.

  23. Mike Silva
    December 12th, 2010 at 8:44 am

    Patrick

    I am not trying to put WFAN out of business, that is foolish, I love talk radio (hence why I do the show). Rather, I am trying to get them to improve. To a certain extent they have gone through the motions of improving. I believe the fantasy phenom contest was partially due to the Mia Harris interview here. Chernoff is very aware of the criticism, but his old school rock radio background makes him unqualified to make the changes. If more awareness is brought to their attention, then perhaps some of the contributors of NYBD will eventually be guests on WFAN (some like Jed, Howard, Frank already have).

    This post was more about their unfair treatment, and lack of journalistic integrity, when it comes to the Mets offseason plan. Ties into my issues with FAN, but not completely aligned with earlier criticism.

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