Baseball takes a backseat – Sandy Alderson to take a leave of absence to address health

Sandy Alderson’s run as general manager of the New York Mets has been controversial at best, with both good and bad moments. When someones life comes crashing down with real world issues however, the things we think are important don’t really matter. In a press conference, Sandy announced he is taking an indefinite leave of absence from the team. This is due to a reoccurrence of his cancer.

With Jeff Wilpon making a surprise media appearance with him, Alderson bravely spoke for several minutes. He previously had a diagnosis in 2015, after the World Series run by the team. From what was said, his prognosis is good.

While he is away, John Ricco, Omar Minaya and J.P. Ricciardi will each take over the duties of GM.

Mets GM Sandy Alderson announces that he will take a leave of absence as he battles cancer. pic.twitter.com/jAXPkRUTzJ

— SportsNet New York (@SNYtv) June 26, 2018

Taking over the GM role in 2010, Sandy has been a cornerstone of the Mets’ success and failures, not all his own fault. Whether he will come back as GM after this is over is unknown. While Wilpon didn’t give a specific answer, Alderson himself stated:

“With respect to the future, I would say two things: One is that notwithstanding the good prognosis, my health is an uncertainty going forward. Secondly, if I were to look at it on the merits, I’m not sure that coming back is warranted”

It is certainly a tough decision to be making on ones own, especially going through something as big as cancer. He also took blame for this season, where the Mets are 31-45. It is certainly something that can both shock and please fans/detractors of Sandy. None of it matters now. David Wright and manager Mickey Callaway both spoke about Sandy, with the latter simply stating he is a bad-ass marine.

This is certainly a somber moment for Sandy and his family. The team play takes a backseat to the life of a man who truly cares about the game of baseball. Ricco, the man that was set to replace Sandy down the line, may be able to finish the work Sandy started. For now, this is more than just a game.

We here at Double G Sports wish Sandy the best in all that he must go through, again.