3 things Billy Eppler must do to become the Billy GOAT of GMs

Billy Eppler needs to understand the NY Mets fans

This might not be so important if he’s winning every year but who is capable of that? Eppler can say something about the mothers of every Mets fan out there and get away with it if he’s bringing a championship to Queens every October, occasionally in November. That’s just the way fans are. They forgive with winning.

I do think a general manager having a grasp on the fan base is essential to keeping his job. Fans direct the narrative. They pay the salaries. Without them, you just have a bunch of grown men standing on grass, swinging tree branches, and cow skin.

Although born in San Diego, Eppler’s experience working with the New York Yankees should have at least given him the mindset needed to understand the Big Apple sports fan. We’re demanding. Anything less than perfection will fill the phone lines on sports talk radio.

Mets fans are different from Yankees fans but not enough to the point where Eppler will feel like it’s a foreign planet. The demands of the fans in this city, regardless of the team we’re talking about, are the same: win.

More than just understanding the Mets fan, Eppler needs to show it. He can’t get away with speaking down to them. He won’t be able to get away with too many clichés or lies. In the concrete jungle, there are too many people around to unmask this attempted deception.

A general manager’s job is ultimately to get fired one day. By being on the side of the Mets fan and understanding what they want and need, Eppler can delay the inevitable.

Maybe then he can become the Billy GOAT. No promises.