After toiling in the Boston Red Sox organization for 17 years, Zack Scott caught a break and was hired as the Mets’ assistant GM before ascending to the top spot after the termination of former GM, Jared Porter, last year. despite his role as general manager of a professional sports franchise, especially one with as storied a legacy as the New York Mets nestled in a major market, Zack Scott was hardly a household name.
But unfortunate events have changed that somewhat as Scott was found napping in his car at 4:17 on the morning of August 31st, only a short distance from the White Plains, New York police station, and the federal courthouse. After being roused from his slumber, Scott refused a breathalyzer test and would not issue consent to give blood. He did allegedly fail a field sobriety test which was the cause police needed to lug him for driving while intoxicated.
The Mets have been a middling, at-best, team this season and will likely miss the playoffs for the fifth consecutive season. Certainly, the expectations for New York’s senior circuit entry by the national pundits were not high entering the season as very few, if any, had the Mets in their MLB picks to win the NL East. However, a publicity hit is never good for any team, corporation, or brand and the Mets are no exception.
The following day, the team issued a press release which stated, “We were surprised and deeply disappointed to learn this morning about an alleged DUI involving Zack Scott.
“We take this matter very seriously. Zack will not be traveling with the team for our upcoming road trip while we learn more and determine the next steps.”
Apparently, Scott has been incommunicado with his employers since the event and is scheduled for a hearing on October 7th. Mets’ President Sandy Alderson was asked about Scott’s status with the club, and his well-being, to which Alderson replied, “That’s a good question. Difficult for me to know at this point.”
“We were all caught by surprise, it’s very unfortunate, and there is not a lot that I can say beyond the statements that we previously made,” Alderson said. “It’s a criminal case at this point and until that is resolved there won’t be any further comment from us or anyone else in the organization.”
This most recent incident is just another in a series of embarrassing public scandals involving the Mets’ brass, all of whom were hired by Alderson. The previous GM, Jared Porter, was put out to pasture just over a month into his position after it was revealed he had sexually harassed a female journalist by sending her over 60 unsolicited texts, including a sexually explicit picture, when he was the acting Director of Professional Scouting for the Chicago Cubs back in 2016.
If that wasn’t bad enough, one of Alderson’s other hires, manager Mickey Callaway, was terminated in 2019 after less than two years at the helm for sending unsolicited correspondence and inappropriate pictures to female members of the sports media.
Alderson was grilled about his hiring practices after taking questions regarding his suspended general manager. “It’s incredibly unfortunate and I am personally chagrined by the whole thing, but to a large extent they are unrelated, each one of them, and I am not sure it points to a single flaw in our hiring process,” Alderson said. “But it’s obviously caused us to take a hard look at it, which we continue to do.”
Another public relations disaster occurred when members of Alderson’s underachieving team decided to show their displeasure to the fans who jeered their on-field performance by giving them the thumbs down. It simply compounded the team’s shoddy play with a highly public dose of arrogance and disdain for the people who ultimately pay their salaries.
One of those players is Francisco Lindor who, upon signing a mega 10-year contract for over 340 million, has proceeded to struggle through the worst season of his career. The Mets’ fans have voiced their displeasure on numerous occasions and he has taken the unique step of responding in kind.
When asked about another of his hires, manager Luis Rojas, whose contract is up after this season, Alderson responded, “I think that is a decision that will be made at the end of the year or right thereafter,” Alderson said. “I look at the first half of the season or the half through the All-Star break and I think Louie did an exceptional job keeping this team afloat in spite of all the injuries and in some cases underperformance.
“Not surprisingly in some minds we hit a rough stretch against some good teams, a lot of close games, but we rebounded from that so I think the credit for that resides among the players and I think to some extent it resides among the coaching staff as well. We’ll see what happens and we’ll make a decision at the end of the season.”