The Mets have announced the hiring of J.P. Ricciardi to be a special assistant to GM Sandy Alderson. Ricciardi was offered a job with the Red Sox and he turned it down once he heard about Alderson coming to the Mets.

“I’ve never had the luxury to work for an organization with these type of resources – And that’s exciting.”

I’ve had a bunch of managerial jobs in the past and there is an excitement added to it when you are hired to clean up a “mess”. Of course I’m not comparing my jobs to MLB at all, but this seems to be the same type of situation.

You have a shot to go to a new store and make a good thing even better, then you hear a friend of yours takes a position at another location. You talk on the phone, have the same ideas and know this place needs help and you want to get together and get it running like a well oiled machine. It gets you super motivated, you try new things, bring in some fresh ideas and a fresh crew and people start to notice. Few months go by and see a difference in consumer loyalty and average sales. Before you know it, it’s the best store in town and everyone wants to be a part of it.

Ricciardi & Alderson go back to the Oakland days – looking to get that old magic back and bring it over to the Mets. I’m all for it, even though I’ve seen a few bloggers already blow it off as nothing. That couldn’t be farther from the truth and from a business standpoint, it’s a great move and the beginning for things to come for the Mets.

It’s only the beginning…