hey, guys....first off....i KNOW there is NO such thing as a sure thing....BUT....this one's 99% done and should be announced shortly after the WS....art howe is on his way to manage the NYM....if your book has MAXIM PROPS it's probably worth the juice....i got it at -500....if you're interested!!!
this directly from MLB site....
SAN FRANCISCO -- Art Howe's move to New York will go without confirmation from the Mets or A's until the Fall Classic concludes, appropriately so, but right now it's no secret how Howe's managerial address is expected to change next week.
Howe, multiple sources have said, is as good as gone from Oakland. And it's clear that someone has leaked the news to the New York media, which has been critical of the Mets for missing out on Lou Piniella and "settling" for Howe.
The Mariners allowed Tampa Bay to pursue Piniella, who needed the Mariners' permission because he has one year remaining on his contract with Seattle. Piniella was widely considered New York's top choice. But the Mets and Mariners struggled to reach agreement on appropriate compensation for talks between the Mets and Piniella to take place.
Meanwhile, Piniella is said to have agreed to try to right the ship in the Tampa-St. Petersburg area, his home.
So Howe is being presented as a consolation prize in the New York press. Never mind that the guy helped turn the low-budget A's into perennial title contenders -- and who did so this season despite the departures of Jason Giambi and Johnny Damon.
But, no, Howe is not Lou, a former Yankees star and manager who still gets big love in the Big Apple.
Never mind that Howe guided the A's into the playoffs for the past three seasons. Oakland lost each time, twice to the Yankees and this year to the upstart Twins. That, apparently, makes Howe -- and now the Mets -- according to a tabloid headline: "Lou-sers."
HOWE STUPID IS THAT?
Howe deserves to be respected, plain and simple. From 1999-2001, he earned more American League Manager of the Year votes than any other man. And he's sure to finish near the top again this season.
You don't get those votes by being a good guy, which Howe is. You don't get them for being popular among your colleagues, which Howe is. You get them for being among the best at your craft, and Howe is that, too.
General manager Billy Beane deserves a ton of credit for Oakland's success. And he gets it because he has worked magic with a miniscule payroll and because he always seems to pull off a midseason deal that gives Oakland what it needs to get over the proverbial hump.
In 2000, it was setup man Jim Mecir, who played a huge role in the Athletics' frantic drive to the American League West title, which they won -- over Piniella's Mariners, it should be noted -- on the last day of the regular season.
In 2001, it was acquiring Jermaine Dye, who provided powerful protection to Jason Giambi. This, in turn, propelled the A's to one of the best second halves in history en route to the Wild Card.
In 2002, it was lefty reliever Ricardo Rincon and infielder Ray Durham, both key contributors down the stretch as the A's again won the AL West. Piniella's Mariners came in third and out of the playoff money.
As astute as those moves proved, the trap the New York press has fallen into is in taking the all-too-convenient tack that Beane is the reason the A's make the playoffs and that Howe is the reason they lose there.
HOWE SHORT-SIGHTED IS THAT?
If Howe weren't so good with his team, the A's aren't in a position to justify those midseason moves each year. The cautious Oakland owners wouldn't allow Beane to add payroll. They'd make him dump it.
But Howe, in expertly handling the annual blend of young phenoms (Tim Hudson, Mark Mulder, Barry Zito, Eric Chavez, Miguel Tejada) and wise-but-over-the-hill veterans (David Justice, Randy Velarde, Greg Myers), always managed to keep his team in the hunt. And that kept Beane in the game.
So don't buy into this consolation-prize business. Howe is going to be just fine for New York, and this move is the best thing for both teams.
Howe gets the kind of security the A's would never give him, and he gets to go back to the National League, where he will be reunited with a good friend on the bench: Matt Galante. Howe also will be able to manage the style of game that Beane's wait-and-whack philosophy won't allow.
The A's get a new voice in the clubhouse, and maybe that's what they need after three years of coming so close.
But it's utterly ridiculous to suggest that Howe is to blame for the playoff losses, just as it's utterly ridiculous to suggest that Beane is all that got the A's to October.
The A's have been winners, in large part because of their even-keeled manager, a winner himself. New York will see.
good luck if you decide to hammer this puppy!!!
this directly from MLB site....
SAN FRANCISCO -- Art Howe's move to New York will go without confirmation from the Mets or A's until the Fall Classic concludes, appropriately so, but right now it's no secret how Howe's managerial address is expected to change next week.
Howe, multiple sources have said, is as good as gone from Oakland. And it's clear that someone has leaked the news to the New York media, which has been critical of the Mets for missing out on Lou Piniella and "settling" for Howe.
The Mariners allowed Tampa Bay to pursue Piniella, who needed the Mariners' permission because he has one year remaining on his contract with Seattle. Piniella was widely considered New York's top choice. But the Mets and Mariners struggled to reach agreement on appropriate compensation for talks between the Mets and Piniella to take place.
Meanwhile, Piniella is said to have agreed to try to right the ship in the Tampa-St. Petersburg area, his home.
So Howe is being presented as a consolation prize in the New York press. Never mind that the guy helped turn the low-budget A's into perennial title contenders -- and who did so this season despite the departures of Jason Giambi and Johnny Damon.
But, no, Howe is not Lou, a former Yankees star and manager who still gets big love in the Big Apple.
Never mind that Howe guided the A's into the playoffs for the past three seasons. Oakland lost each time, twice to the Yankees and this year to the upstart Twins. That, apparently, makes Howe -- and now the Mets -- according to a tabloid headline: "Lou-sers."
HOWE STUPID IS THAT?
Howe deserves to be respected, plain and simple. From 1999-2001, he earned more American League Manager of the Year votes than any other man. And he's sure to finish near the top again this season.
You don't get those votes by being a good guy, which Howe is. You don't get them for being popular among your colleagues, which Howe is. You get them for being among the best at your craft, and Howe is that, too.
General manager Billy Beane deserves a ton of credit for Oakland's success. And he gets it because he has worked magic with a miniscule payroll and because he always seems to pull off a midseason deal that gives Oakland what it needs to get over the proverbial hump.
In 2000, it was setup man Jim Mecir, who played a huge role in the Athletics' frantic drive to the American League West title, which they won -- over Piniella's Mariners, it should be noted -- on the last day of the regular season.
In 2001, it was acquiring Jermaine Dye, who provided powerful protection to Jason Giambi. This, in turn, propelled the A's to one of the best second halves in history en route to the Wild Card.
In 2002, it was lefty reliever Ricardo Rincon and infielder Ray Durham, both key contributors down the stretch as the A's again won the AL West. Piniella's Mariners came in third and out of the playoff money.
As astute as those moves proved, the trap the New York press has fallen into is in taking the all-too-convenient tack that Beane is the reason the A's make the playoffs and that Howe is the reason they lose there.
HOWE SHORT-SIGHTED IS THAT?
If Howe weren't so good with his team, the A's aren't in a position to justify those midseason moves each year. The cautious Oakland owners wouldn't allow Beane to add payroll. They'd make him dump it.
But Howe, in expertly handling the annual blend of young phenoms (Tim Hudson, Mark Mulder, Barry Zito, Eric Chavez, Miguel Tejada) and wise-but-over-the-hill veterans (David Justice, Randy Velarde, Greg Myers), always managed to keep his team in the hunt. And that kept Beane in the game.
So don't buy into this consolation-prize business. Howe is going to be just fine for New York, and this move is the best thing for both teams.
Howe gets the kind of security the A's would never give him, and he gets to go back to the National League, where he will be reunited with a good friend on the bench: Matt Galante. Howe also will be able to manage the style of game that Beane's wait-and-whack philosophy won't allow.
The A's get a new voice in the clubhouse, and maybe that's what they need after three years of coming so close.
But it's utterly ridiculous to suggest that Howe is to blame for the playoff losses, just as it's utterly ridiculous to suggest that Beane is all that got the A's to October.
The A's have been winners, in large part because of their even-keeled manager, a winner himself. New York will see.
good luck if you decide to hammer this puppy!!!
