I was thinking about the Mets managers in my conscious lifetime and which I like(d) and which I don’t.
Is Jerry Manuel the Best of the Worst?
Here’s my criteria: if the manager made the playoffs he’s off the list.
For me that leaves:
Joe Torre: this little boy couldn’t understand how a team loaded with the ERA leader (I had the Topps card. Swan was as good as Guidry it told me) and Lee Mazzilli coudlnt’ win. Must be the manager.
George Bamberger: quit because he couldn’t take the losing. Who quits?
Frank Howard: I barely remember him, it was so short.
Bud Harrelson: Buddy’s second year was worse than Willie at his worst. Buddy got boooooooooed and wouldn’t make pitching changes. Can’t pick Buddy.
Interim Manager Mike Cubbage: 3 and 4. Never liked Mike Cubbage.
Jeff Torborg?
Dallas Green?
Art Howe?
Nope, the answer has to be Jerry Manuel out of this group. One choke (those 30+ blown saves with no closer (cough, Omar) didn’t help) and two no-chances.
If you old guys wanna stick up for Roy McMillan or Wes Westrum let me know. (You can’t pick Casey, that’s just boring.)
…
Speaking of managers, Willie Randolph has a .544 career winning percentage and won a division title. Bobby Valentine is .510 in his career, .534 with the Mets and has never ever finished first in the major leagues in 15 tries.
If you’re looking for entertainment to sell tickets, we did the Groucho glasses already, let’s watch Wally scream at umpires instead.
I don’t feel qualified to judge that far back. So that leaves only Howe as a non-playoff manager. I’d take Howe.
Jerry got more games without a playoff berth than Valentine or Willie did. That’s what disturbs me most. He did nothing but fail.
I’m confident if we replayed 2010 right now we’d finish at least with 85 wins.
by the way, I cna’t see a new GM ever picking Wally.
This Mets fan hopes they pass on Wally for a few years, until they can put him in a situation where he can succeed. 2011 will most likely not be that.
It would suck for him to take over and have the whole fan base begin hating him just because management stuck him at the head of a losing team.
Art Howe hands down. At least Jerry ‘s OG act was humorous—– Art was humorless, clueless and as entertaining as the Astros teams he played first base for. I’m all over the electrical tape and groucho glasses guy…..
Worst manangers of all time hands down were Art Howe and Jeff Torborg. 2 Clueless souls with no passion.