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Various reports say that the Mets have added Al Avila to the list of GM candidates.

I’m not going to disagree with this statement on MSNBC’s website:

“Call me cynical, but this sure feels like the Mets simply fulfilling their obligation to consider a minority candidate before hiring who they really want.”

I too am cynical, so I’m going to hope Al blows the doors off the place, gets the job and leads the Mets to 10 straight pennants.

Mr. Avila is the assistant GM of the Tigers.   I would hate to think the Mets would bring him in just to waste his time and get his hopes up high.

I’m supporting Avila/Mazzilli ’11

The below was emailed to the Flushing Flash mailing list and is signed by Jeff Wilpon.

It’s odd to send things out late on a Friday afternoon, especially with the ALCS about to start, but I can rationalize that this was sent to a database of opt-in Mets fans and not released as a press release.

October 15, 2010

Dear Mets Fans:

We have heard from many of you over recent weeks offering suggestions and ideas on how to assemble a winning team. Thank you for taking the time to contact us. Your interest and support of the Mets is greatly appreciated.

We have been hard at work since the end of the season exploring ways to improve our club. As you likely know, this week we interviewed five candidates for General Manager – Allard Baird, Rick Hahn, Josh Byrnes, Sandy Alderson, and Logan White. They all are intelligent, creative and passionate about winning. They conveyed their honest assessment of our franchise and discussed how we can move forward on our pledge to give our fans the winner that they deserve.

We are continuing our search and expect to hire our new GM in the next few weeks. We will be in contact with you with more information and details soon.

Thanks again.

Another good one from the comments, this time from Greg from Faith & Fear. I’m also writing this post while half asleep on Thursday night so I haven’t fact checked it, but I would bet a dollar that Greg is right, he always is:

Tim Corcoran was around as Mex insurance in case his suspension for cocaine use stuck, which it didn’t once Ueberroth gave each suspendee the option of community service. Keith was actually hesitant to accept the out, on principle, but eventually caved in (thank goodness).

Corcoran did not receive a WS ring. Cashen was unbelievably stingy when it came to players and rings: The 24-man roster plus Foster, Berenyi and Lynch (all gone before September) were the only recipients. Randy Myers raised an unrelenting fuss on behalf of the callups and part-timers and a few were eventually (years later) ringed: Myers and Magadan, I know, maybe a couple of others, like Gibbons, who remained in the organization. But I’m pretty sure Corcoran got no reward other than his presence in discussions like these.

Faith and Fear in Flushing is a great great Mets blog….add it to your rotation if it isn’t already.

If anyone can hand in a Tim Corcoran edition of You Own This Mets Jersey I will be impressed.

A good comment by Greg about Back on Black:

I think the problem with the Mets PR rep’s statement is it does not address the core issue which, if he was listening, he’d get a sense for. Casual fans want a more casual look. They want the real team gear, and they want something a little more casual than a wash of strips, pinstripes, outlines, dropshadows, and clashing colors. The ardent historic-conscious fan wants most of all for the franchise to respect itself, and not, pardon the term, whore itself out. So, having a home uni, an away uni, and a third uni, is about as much as hard core fans will approve of, and it’s enough to appease the casual fans too. (This isn’t hard to understand is it?) The people generally want some consistency. Home uni w home hat, ditto for away, ditto for alt uni.

Yep.  Look good on the field, sell whatever you want in the stores.

When I have more energy (writing this one Thursday night) I’ll walk everyone through the mess of Angels uniforms and how they now have a nice clean look I associate with winning baseball.

This is from a Times article published yesterday that is really about Darryl’s restaurant in Queens…but the below caught my eye:

When asked to reminiscence about his 20s, when he was feted as the future of New York baseball, he can still recall little details and the temptations. “Every place I walked in, I was the party,” he said. “They made it clear that I was in the house, and I could have whatever I want.”

But he catches himself before the memories grow too fond. “It’s very sad, it’s a very sick place to be,” he added. “But a lot of guys do it.”

via Up Close – Darryl Strawberry Opens Queens Restaurant – NYTimes.com.

Anyone who knows me is that I have used the above logic to not judge the mistakes the young Gooden made.   Had I been a superstar pitcher at 19 making a ton of money, I would have worn my jersey to the bar to make sure everyone knew who I was.