With a marine's work ethic and lawyer's analytical thinking, Richard "Sandy" Alderson '69 will bring a fresh perspective to the Mets as their new General Manager. Alderson officially accepted the position last Friday at Citi Field in New York.
Alderson was largely considered to be the favorite for the job from the outset, according to several reports. He is by no means a newcomer to Major League Baseball or the sports world. Before his appointment as General Manager, Alderson worked as the commissioner of baseball Bud Selig's point man in addressing issues of baseball corruption in the Dominican Republic, according to ESPN NY.
Alderson also served as the CEO for the San Diego Padres for four years, while lecturing at the University of California, Berkeley, Haas School of Business.
Prior to his position with the Padres, Alderson worked as the executive vice president for baseball operations in the Major League Commissioners Office from 1998 to 2005, where he oversaw everything from umpiring to special projects such as the 2000 Olympic games in Sydney, Australia, according to ESPN NY.
Alderson served as the General Manager of the Oakland A's starting in 1983, according to ESPN NY. During his tenure as A's General Manager, the team won four American League West Titles 1988, 1989, 1990 and 1992, three consecutive pennants (1988-1990) and one world series title (1989).
The A's farm system also produced three consecutive Rookies of the Year during the pennant years including Jose Canseco, Mark McGwire and Walt Weiss.
Alderson was recognized in Michael Lewis' book now a Hollywood movie in production "Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game." Lewis credits Alderson as the mentor to Billy Beane, who succeeded Alderson as the General Manager of the A's.
Before managing baseball teams Alderson, took a position as the General counsel for the A's in 1981, a position he held for two years before he was named the General Manager, according to his Major League Baseball bio.
Alderson graduated from Harvard Law School in 1976, working for the law firm Farella, Braun & Martel in California, before leaving for a career in baseball.
Upon graduating from Dartmouth, Alderson was commissioned as a lieutenant in the Marine Corps and went on active duty for four years, including one tour of duty in Vietnam.
Alderson said his unusual background as a lawyer and marine shapes his approach as a general manager, according to a 2008 interview with a San Diego Padres blog.
"As a lawyer, through law school, you're trained to be analytical, unbiased, more objective," Alderson said in the interview. "I think that was helpful. And having a legal background, too, you have an understanding of what the contractual issues are and so forth. I think it boils down to just being probably a little more analytical."
From the Marine Corps, he learned the importance of organization, process, philosophy and tenacity, he said in the interview.
"What people don't understand about the Marine Corps is that it does require absolute adherence to certain principles, but there are very few principles, and they're conceptual in nature," Alderson said in the interview. "It doesn't require you to do the same thing, the same way, every time. It really encourages initiative and a certain amount of creativity within a framework."
In an interview with DartmouthLife prior to the election, Alderson stated that as a Dartmouth student, he was very involved in the ROTC.
He said that because of his ROTC background, he felt left out from the College when the program was eliminated for a time, but is happy that it is back.
Alderson has worked with Dartmouth baseball by arranging for them to use the Padre's Spring Training facilities.
In 2007, Alderson ran for an alumni-elected position on the Dartmouth Board of Trustees, but lost to Trustee Stephen Smith '88.
At Dartmouth, Alderson was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity and Dragon Senior Society.
Alderson was not available for comment by press time, according to Jay Horwitz, the Mets' vice president of media relations.
