Dear Omar

When the New York Mets hired you in the winter of 2004 as general manager, myself and millions of Mets fans had dreams of the World Series coming back to Flushing. However, after the near miss in 2006, when the Mets lost to the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Championship Series, and two monumental late season collapses the past two seasons, you've got me thinking you might not be the right man for this job. Not to mention this season's total disaster where everyone is dropping like flies and there's not enough depth on the roster to maintain a playoff push. I could go on and on about all the bad moves you've made over the years, but I won't do that. Instead, I'm going to outline you my blueprint on how the Mets could be fixed for next season.

Any foundation for a World Series contender begins with its starting pitching rotation. I love having Johan Santana as the ace of the staff but he can't do it alone. The Mets need a solid number two starter to help alleviate the pressure off Santana. Mike Pelfrey hasn't quite done the job this year as the number two starter. But I think if you slide Pelfrey into the number three spot, it will relax him and he will become more effective. I suggest the guy you go after is John Lackey. He will be a free agent at the end of the season and it would be wise to make a play for him. He's pitched in big games in the past, can eat up innings, and would be the perfect complement to Santana. If the first three starters in the rotation are Santana, Lackey, and Pelfrey, I think the Mets would be in good shape. Oliver Perez is an absolute joke and you need to do whatever you can to get rid of him. Every time he takes the mound, he seems lost and has trouble being consistent. Do you really need to put up with that headache?

Here is something I would seriously consider, trading Jose Reyes and getting a new shortstop. I know he's still young, got a lot of talent, and can steal bases. But at the same time, he can come off as being immature and has a reputation for failing in the clutch. Not to mention, at times he can make mental errors in the field. The deal I propose is sending him to the Tampa Bay Rays for Carl Crawford and Jason Bartlett. This deal would address a lot of things. First, Crawford would replace Reyes in the leadoff spot. This also would take care of having a left fielder since this is Crawford's position. He would bring a lot to the table such as speed, leadership, and clutch performances. I understand Bartlett might not be as flashy as Reyes at shortstop, but the Mets don't need him to be. If he can play a steady shortstop, I think everyone would be happy.

First baseman and catcher should be top priorities this off season for the Mets. Carlos Delgado is getting older and I don't see how you can bring him back to the team. All it takes is for him to have one tiny thing bothering his hip and he will be done. I would try to make a play for Adrian Gonzalez of the San Diego Padres, because he could hit for power and he is just about to enter his prime. He would be a good cornerstone for the Mets for years to come. As for catcher, Brian Schneider is a complete bust and he must go. Omir Santos is good to keep as a backup catcher. I wouldn't mind having Bengie Molina as the new catcher. He could hit for power and he would be a perfect bottom of the order hitter to lengthen out the lineup.

As for the bullpen, Francisco Rodriguez is a top notch closer. He has done a great job all year for the Mets. I really think J.J Putz deserves a second chance to be the set up guy. He was hurt for most of the year and he couldn't really get it going. Assuming he gets his injuries taken care of, he still has the ability to dominate opposing hitters. Bobby Parnell will only continue to grow as the 7th inning man. And Pedro Feliciano is as good as any left-handed specialist.

So there you have it. Ultimately, you are the general manager and these moves are your call. Who knows, maybe the Mets could be back in the playoffs next year. Only time will tell.

Taking Risks

When I was younger, I was afraid to take risks. I always had this fear inside that things would backfire on me. So it would be common for me to put everything off to another time. I had developed a comfort zone that I didn’t want to leave. About 3 years ago, my whole life changed in a way I couldn’t even imagine. I signed up for a workshop through work which basically was a self-help organization helping people to get the most out of themselves. One of the major things they preached was stepping out of your comfort zone and experimenting with taking risks. It didn’t matter whether things worked out or not, just as long as you attempted something. This advice gave me the confidence to go out and explore the many opportunities that I had missed out on when I was younger.

The biggest risk I ever took to date was going for my driver’s license. I was petrified of driving because when I was 15 years old, I went go-cart racing and I almost ran over one of the workers at the track. My father pulled me aside and said “Mike if you think you're ready to drive, you got another thing coming. Your concentration was terrible. You need to improve your focus 100%.” So this stuck with me for many years, and I never wanted to drive as a result of it. For a while I was content with not driving, but that changed when I got my job. I realized I would need to visit clients sooner or later, and the only way I could do that was to get my driver’s license. So I signed up for driving lessons, and I quickly learned that driving wasn’t as scary as I thought it would be. All I needed to do was put 100% concentration into it and always be aware of my surroundings. When it was time for my road test, I felt cool and relaxed going into it. That changed in a heartbeat when the instructor came into the car. She scared the daylights out of me and caused me to be anxious. As a result, I failed the test. I was devastated and understood that the only way to succeed was to work harder the next time. I practiced for a few more months, and by the time my second road test was set, I was ready. I passed it with flying colors. It was such a huge relief for me to finally get my license. I know there are still plenty of things for me to improve on as far as driving goes, but I can hold my head up high and be proud of myself for accomplishing such a big goal.

Not every risk I have taken has worked out for me. This past year, I finally decided to sit for the CPA exam. This was something I would always put off because I was worried about how studying for it would affect my social life. I was having so much fun and I didn’t want it to stop. One night I gave myself a reality check. I told myself it's time to grow up and focus on my career. With that in mind, I applied to sit for the exam and signed up for the review course. So for a month and a half, I had my nose in the books studying. I didn’t party at all, and I barely made it to the gym. Each day that passed, I was growing more and more confident that I was going to ace the exam. I had this swagger, if that’s what you want to call it, that I was going to dominate. Besides that all my friends and family were rooting me on. But the day of the exam, I was in for a rude awakening. It seemed like every question that was asked was something that I had not seen before. I completely blanked on most of the questions, and I knew I was toast. When I left the test center, I did not have a good feeling about it at all. About a month later, the inevitable happened. I found out I failed the exam. I was very disappointed about it, but I kept in mind that almost everyone fails the first time.

Now more than ever, I’m comfortable taking risks that I wouldn’t have dared take when I was younger. Because I know that whether it works out or not isn’t the point. It’s all about having the audacity and the confidence to go out there and stake your claim. You've got nothing to lose and everything to gain. You never know what opportunities are out there if you don’t try.