Mets GM Sandy Alderson doesn’t seem to take himself too seriously, even though plenty of Mets fans take just about everything he does way too seriously. The longtime baseball exec and former Marine seems to especially revel in making light of the latest talk-radio controversies surrounding the team, a habit he apparently maintains even in jury duty.

The Wall Street Journal relays the story of Alderson’s experience performing his civic duty — serving on a jury alongside his wife, oddly enough — and the story contains this fantastic exchange:

Question: What do you do for a living? Alderson: I’m the general manager of the New York Mets. Question: What does your spouse do? Alderson: Actually, my wife’s sitting right behind me. Question: What do you do in your free time? Alderson: Well, now I’m looking for a shortstop. The courtroom burst into laughter. (Alderson emphasized that he meant his remark as a joke.)

The Mets were linked in rumor to Rockies superstar Troy Tulowitzki earlier this offseason, but failed to acquire Tulowitzki or any other shortstop this offseason. They appear likely to entrust a combination of Wilmer Flores, a promising hitter with questionable range, and Ruben Tejada, a steady fielder without much offensive upside.

Presumably Alderson’s OK with his options or else he would have done more to improve them, unless, of course, the Tulowitzki trade fell apart while he as out on jury duty. Either way, the whole Wall Street Journal story is worth reading.

Unrelated, but here’s a photo of Alderson and his dog, buddy: