Hour 2: Mike Lupica

SPEAKER_1 (0:00)

Rich Eisen here with some advice. If high interest credit card debt is grinding you down, it might be time to call an audible with a SoFi personal loan. It consolidates your debt into one low monthly payment with no fees required. And with as soon as the same day funding, you can make the right play fast. Call an audible on your debt today at sofi.com/debtplay. Loans originated by SoFi Bank NA, member FDIC, Terms and Conditions Supply, NMLS 696891, Fast Funds, Terms and Supply at sofi.com/debtplay.

SPEAKER_2 (0:31)

This is The Michael Kay Show Podcast.

Michael Kay (0:34)

I got to get more Kay.

SPEAKER_2 (0:35)

Listen live weekdays at one on the Espn New York app and your smart speaker.

Michael Kay (0:41)

Welcome back to the show, everybody. Michael Kay with you until three. At that time, Don Hahn and Rosberg, I just walked into the meeting. They're planning a great, great show. Looking forward to it. I'm glad that you're watching us on the Espn New York YouTube channel made possible by good friends at the Parisman Affirm. Thank you so much for making this possible. And you could listen to us on 880 Espn and the Espn New York app. I've been saying for a month now, I don't understand why the Mets would not look at Andy Green to be the manager of the team. I like everything that he's done. And the most important thing for a manager now is the messaging of the organization.

Can he give you the organization's message, explain it in a way that fans can embrace it and understand it? And I think Andy Green has been exceptional doing that. He's comfortable in front of the camera. He's got a good look about him. And he's able to explain things. And it seems like he's tapped in to the young players and the veterans have accepted him as well. To me, that's the smart play. Now you might say, well, what don't you like about it? You got Andy Green. You know you got him in your back pocket. So why don't you, at the end of the season, conduct a search for managers? And what you do then is you gain intel into what people around baseball think of your team and your organization. You're gaining intel.

Now if somebody just knocks your socks off and you go, you know what, we like this guy better. We're going to hire him. And then Andy Green goes back to the job that he has with player development.

But in all likelihood, you go back to Green because you really like what you've seen. But why are you wasting the opportunity to gather information? Now, maybe David Sterns just thinks, I'm the smartest guy in the room. I'm the smartest guy in any room I walk into. Who's going to tell me anything that could actually impact the way I do my job? Who? Now, if he's thinking like that, that's bad.

If he's also thinking Andy Green is going to get away, Andy Green is not getting away. Andy Green was not on anybody's radar to hire as a manager. In fact, he came out publicly, said he didn't want to manage. That changed.

He has an older daughter who's in college.

He has a pair of twin daughters who are in high school, seniors. So they're going to be in college anyway. So Andy and his wife are going to be empty nesters. So if he wants to get back into managing and he did get the bug again, he told the Mets at the beginning of September, you know what, you should consider me when you're thinking about a manager. But again, I don't think that people are going to be knocking down the doors to get Andy Green. I think he would have been there for the Mets. So in all likelihood, if you like them as much as you do, and they should like them because I think it's a good choice, I'm not knocking the choice at all. I'm knocking the fact that you did not interview all these candidates to get intel on what people around baseball think about what you have and the way you do business. Why? Why would you waste that opportunity? It's free info. In a world where information is king, you turn down the opportunity to interview like eight people to find out what they think about your organization and your structure and your players. You just had to sign Andy right now. I don't understand the urgency. He was there for you. He's in your organization.

In all likelihood, I think he is the right choice. You would have signed him. He would have been the manager, but to do it now and to give up an opportunity to talk to other people, and maybe somebody just knocks your socks off. Did you see what the Jets did when they had their opening? They interviewed everybody and their mother to find out, what do you think of our roster? What do you think about the draft picks that we have? Blah, blah, blah, all of that. That's what good organizations do. They find out what people think about them. They hear the outside noise in their own building, and the Mets passed on that opportunity. I think Andy Green is a good choice. Again, I've been really impressed with him, and if you've listened to this show, you know that I've said it over and over. This should be the guy. But take advantage of every opportunity you have. Take advantage. It's not that difficult. But they do things in such a way, like, again, there's going to be managerial openings, right? There's going to be managerial openings. But do you think that Andy Green is going to be on everybody's list? Really? You know, his value to the Mets is that all the young players are going to play a big role on this team. He has dealt with them in the minors. He has a relationship with them. He won't have a relationship with other teams, young players. That's why he's a perfect fit for the Mets as their manager.