Sons of Steve Garvey

The Delino's East Coast/Mets leanings have not been the best-kept secret on SoSG. (The best-kept secret? Steve Sax is actually one of the lesser-known Kardashians.) But during weeks like this, it's hard to keep silent.

Where to begin with this so-called team? The talented pitchers they let go over the years, including most recently Heath Bell and Scott Kazmir? The monster contract they gave to OLIVER PEREZ? Well, right now, all of that pales in comparison to the daily activities of the head office. Last week, VP for player development Tony Bernazard got in touch with his inner Hulkster and challenged the minor-league Binghamton crew to a fight.

According to the report, Bernazard pulled off his shirt and challenged some members of the Double-A Binghamton Mets during a postgame tirade.

A source told the News that Bernazard directed a slang term associated with a woman's anatomy at [second baseman Jose] Coronado, who is hitting .250 in 58 games for Binghamton.

Omar Minaya's press conference to announce the firing of embattled executive Tony Bernazard turned into another Mets circus Monday when the GM tried a smoke screen tactic - assailing Daily News reporter Adam Rubin, who covers the Mets and broke several stories detailing Bernazard's transgressions.

About three hours later, in another odd scene, Minaya, with his boss, Met COO Jeff Wilpon, standing by his right shoulder, came to the press box saying he stood by his rips of Rubin, but apologized for not doing it in the "proper forum."

There's little joy in Queens nowadays. Maybe the Mets will limp into the wild card. Though at this point, I think it's more likely the Nationals will overtake them. I'd call the Mutts an asylum run by the inmates, but that implies SOMEONE'S making decisions.

At least I have these...

Newsweek magazine, profiling Dodgers assistant general manager Kim Ng in their "Who's Next 2007" issue, puts her "in the best position to become the first female GM in a major U.S. sport—as well as an Asian-American pioneer":

While she may be the most prominent woman in the 30 executive offices of baseball's various teams, her colleagues no longer notice the novelty. They just know the 38-year-old assistant general manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers knows her baseball stuff—from negotiating player salaries in the back rooms to assessing talent on the field.

As much as I would like to believe baseball has suddenly become blind to gender and race, the reality of a league which has to mandate minority-hiring measures suggests there are more Bill Singers than Omar Minayas among baseball's decision makers.

Yet, winning trumps tradition. Here are some scenarios in which Kim Ng could be hired as a major league GM:

A small-market team hiring Ng makes sense. The attendant positive publicity combined with a lower payroll and lower expectations from fans and media alike would create an ideal market where Ng could thrive. Plus, the team's owners would be able to get away with paying her a lower salary for "giving her a chance."

Conversely, the Giants could pull a retaliatory reverse-Colletti and hire Ng, simultaneously weakening the Dodgers' front office and burnishing San Francisco's image as the most progressive city in the U.S. Brian Sabean's tenure as Giants GM will be inextricably linked with Barry Bonds; replacing Sabean with Ng would give their organization a clean slate after Bonds finally departs.

And there's another scenario which greatly increases Ng's odds: the Dodgers winning a World Series. After all, isn't kicking everyone else's ass the great equalizer?

photo by Gregg Segal/Newsweek