The Howe Era Begins

Well, the Mets finally have Commissioner Asshole's permission to announce the signing of Art Howe to be their manager for four years at over US$9 million.

No matter how frustrated I got from time to time with his relentless overmanaging, I was always a fan of Bobby Valentine's. In retrospect, it was likely personal; he just seemed like an honest, genuine guy to me. That said, I'm excited about seeing Art Howe come to town. I've never read a bad word about him from any player he's ever managed, and he's largely easygoing--a stark contrast to Bobby Valentine's style. Coming into the 2003 season, Howe won't have the baggage that Valentine had with several players, and he certainly won't share Valentine's animosity toward Steve Phillips.

That's not to say that I'm overly optimisitic about the Mets' chances in 2003. They're still saddled with some killer contracts (Burnitz, Ordonez, Vaughn) and players (Burnitz, Ordonez, Vaughn) who are only a year older after poor years on all accounts (though Vaughn wound up with respectable numbers, and may have just been shaking off rust for the first three months of the 2002 season). The Mets' future beyond 2003, however, is bright: Howe is regarded as a young player's manager, and the Mets have some very promising prospects (Jose Reyes, Scott Kazmir, Justin Huber) coming up through the system that could be starters by 2004.

Naturally, I'll have the eternal optimism of any Mets fan through the winter: maybe Ordonez will be gone by April, maybe Phillips will come to his senses and resign Alfonzo, maybe Burnitz will be a major leaguer next year. But the real excitement is probably a few years away.

And it all starts with Art Howe.

October 28, 2002 - 04:22 PM

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