Divergent Paths

February 2nd, 2008: Johan Santana is traded by the New York Mets to the Minnesota Twins in what turned out to be a lopsided trade.

September 21st, 2010: The two teams that were involved in that trade were involved in elimination games … one team clinched, the other was eliminated from post-season contention.

That the team that got the better end of the Johan Santana deal was the one that was eliminated, and the one that has been eliminated in Game 162 last season and has had two horrid seasons since, while the team that got the short end of that stick was the one that clinched their second division title in the three seasons since that trade shows you all you need to know about how a good organization operates, and how a bad one operates.  That it isn’t obvious to certain people who run the Mets scares the ever loving crap out of me.

But at least it’s nice to know that Joe Torre apologized to Snoop Manuel for talking about his job that he still has in name only.  Well that’s just great that everyone is getting along.  I love you, you love me, one big happy family and all that crap.  I only have one question about the whole thing because it’s nonsense, but how on this earth can Snoop publicly question Joe Torre’s integrity about something he said when Snoop hadn’t even bothered to read what the hell was said by Torre to make Snoop question his integrity?  On what planet does that make sense?

But whether Torre was wrong for answering a question about the Mets job or whether Snoop was hypocritical in blasting Torre while Willie Randolph had the same issues with Snoop back in 2008, the simple fact remains thus:  The Mets suck donkey testicles and all things relating to donkey testicles.  And Drew Butera (pictured above) has more beer showers than the guy he was traded for, one Luis Castillo. So none of that other garbage really matters, does it …

And if you’re waiting for Kevin Towers to ride in on his white horse and save the day as the Mets next GM, forget it.  He’s going to Arizona to work some sort of magic which involves trading Aaron Heilman back to the Mets for a 12-year-old batboy who will grow up to be the next Albert Pujols.  I never thought it would make a difference if the Mets had axed Snoop and Omar Minaya in July or August, but now I see where the difference could be: The Snakes didn’t have to worry about offending interim GM’s or managers, so they could go talk to and hire whoever they want.  The Mets, meanwhile, remain in the discussion phase possibly to avoid awkward situations such as people like Joe Torre discussing jobs that aren’t vacant.  And by the time the deed is actually done, all the good candidates will probably be gone.

Oh, and now that the math is official, don’t forget to buy your greeting cards, decorate the house with tinsel, and take advantage of the department stores marking down their items for the big Apology Day celebration.