When the Mets hired Buck Showalter as their manager, he was pretty straightforward with how he would approach his leadership strategies.
Showalter, who last led an MLB team in 2018, is a three-time American League Manager of the Year. But when he was introduced as manager, he told reporters that there is “no magic sprinkle dust” involved when it comes to winning baseball games.
Quotes like that from Showalter, which are simple and to the point, will become typical during his time in New York. He had another example that indicated as much during his press conference on Tuesday.
A little more than halfway through the presser, Showalter was asked how he can help players to “win back” a New York fanbase that may have previously soured on them.
You won't see a Ted Lasso "Believe" sign in the Mets clubhouse anytime soon
Buck Showalter: "If I would have one if I put it up, it would say 'Play Better'" pic.twitter.com/N823ENdOjr
— SNY (@SNYtv) March 15, 2022
Showalter started to answer the question before eventually drifting into a tangential non sequitur about locker room decor and controlling your own destiny (via SNY):
“I’m not big on putting all these signs up around … Mark Twain … They read them one time, and then they’re just wall space. If I would have one, if I put it up it would say: ‘Play Better.’ I mean, really. You control it. Play better.”
Frankly, I think the Mets should use that exact quote (“Play Better”) as their rallying cry around the clubhouse. Why not? It is exactly what they will need to do when they are slumping and down bad. Just play better!
Showalter had a few other noteworthy comments, too. He said he is getting ready for his fourth booster shot to get vaccinated against COVID-19, noting that they can “stick it anywhere they want to stick it” if it protects him.
He also added that he wants a pair of “those green shoes” that Mets infielder Francisco Lindor sports. Showalter says he thinks those shoes will make him look fast.
Watch the full press conference:
LIVE: Buck Showalter addresses the media at spring training: https://t.co/tfOHxB3bSK
— SNY (@SNYtv) March 15, 2022
