Greetings from the Mets’ clubhouse. With a doubleheader, the boys will be here for a long time today. No sense being early.
John Maine is on a exercise bike with an iPod and watching SportsCenter.
The door to Willie’s office is closed. It will be an interesting pregame with him. If he thinks he’s being judged by race he’s nuts. How he’s being portrayed by SNY should be a fun topic. He says they are making him look bad.
Moises is here and he’ll be in left.
Church, Wagner, Pelfrey, Wise and Beltran are here. Talking, eating, on their cells.
Very quiet so far. But, these are the Mets. Something will happen. It always does.
13 Comments
John,
I’m really disappointed that Willie is playing the race card here because of the respect I have for him. I hope it is a misquote, but I doubt it.
The SNY thing is just bogus. Anytime they’ve either shown a replay of him or live, SNY has shown the gamut of emotions.
I think Willie may be beginning to grasp at straws here…
I think Willie’s right. I know I used to boo Rich Kotite because he was black.
Tiffany….good one
I think Willie’s comments are being blown way out of proportion. He was just saying that he feels he’s being unfairly criticized and he was speculating as to why. He is a black man after all. Although comparing yourself to Isaiah is not what you want do unless you are trying to be one of the worst teams in your sport with one of the highest payrolls year after year. Anyway, I read his comments and I think all this hullabaloo is much ado about nothing.
Hey, JD! Welcome back to our state.
Next, Willie is absolutely NOT saying he’s being judged by race. He simply answered a question posed to him in an interview about whether race is a factor in his being scrutinized.
Listen, I’m African-American and have been a Mets fan long enough to know, from the criticism heaped on EVERY OTHER Mets manager, the current doubts about Willie aren’t racially motivated.
But I also know that as a black man living in America in this supposedly enlightened age that we collectively and individually continue to encounter foolish doubts and misperceptions from non-blacks about our “ability to lead” based on stereotypes and prejudices, if we’re in or being considered for positions of authority and influence.
This persists whether we’re talking about the current Mets manager or a presidential aspirant.
That’s why many black parents wisely tell their children that in order to be seriously considered by the white establishment for highly desired positions, we better have twice the credentials as our white competitors.
On one hand, I’m encouraged by the millions of white voters who this year have shown their eagerness to vote for a presidential candidate they believe is most qualified to represent them, who happens to be African-American.
On the other, I cringe when a bar owner up the road from me in Marietta, Ga. sells racist t-shirts with an image of Curious George and “Obama ‘08” written underneath.
The country’s dichotomy in its collective racial attitudes is an issue we as black men wrestle with daily and Willie is no exception.
But as a Mets fan, the most important colors to me are our team’s: orange, blue, black and white.
If Willie REALLY thinks some of the criticism he has gotten is racial then I am very confused as I am sure people of EVERY color have leveled criticism at him for one thing or another. That’s why this whole “thing” makes no sense…are non African Americans the only people who have been critical of Willie? Don’t think so.
I don’t know if Willie is as ‘nuts’ as you say, though I’d like to know if he was asked about race directly, or if it’s something he offered on his own.(The article seemed to suggest that he brought it up, but you never know with some writers).
It’s easy for all of us to call it ‘nuts’ until we’ve walked a mile in his shoes.
Maybe he’s heard racial insults directed towards him?
Maybe he’s received hateful ‘fan’ mail?
I don’t know. But I will say that for some reason, mediocre managers who have done less seem to be treated like kings.
I mean, Bobby V is revered by many as a ‘baseball god’, yet he has never won a division title here as Willie has.
Even during that division winning season of ‘06, Willie still met some very harsh criticism.
If it’s not race related, than it’s certainly something. ‘I just can’t put my finger on it’.
And the fact that there’s so much attention every time ‘race’ is mentioned, is proof that it exists.
Willie’s comments are being taken out of context by the media (Surprise!!!!!). Bergen Record reporter Ian O’Conner asked Willie if he thought race was a factor in the public perception about him, and if he is held to a different standard to his white counterparts.
Willie did not bring up race. A reporter asked him a question. Willie answered it truthfully. That does not equal playing the race card.
Mr Met:
BobbyV was blasted left and right by many Mets fans when he was manager…but, as always happens when someone leaves NYC, he is now appreciated for what he did while he was here. And also, BobbyV DID take this team to the world series. I’d take that over a division championship any day.
I’ll add Phil Simms and Patrick Ewing as two others who were criticized and probably under appreciated while they were in NYC but now revered once they’re gone
One more thing…
JD: I have to say that I really love your posts like this, where you give us a great feel for the club and the atmosphere in the clubhouse. It’s a unique thing that I dont think you see on other blogs and it’s one of the reasons why I like reading your’s.
To Gil in Savannah Ga. –
Thank you for writing about your life as a black man in a country that is still wrestling with racial issues, long time passing. Your message is a powerful one, personal and well written. You’ve said some important things and I hope your voice is heard here.
Gil
Nice post. As you noted many people like Obama for his consistant msg and his thoughtfulness. He also has the courage to run which Powell unfortunately did not.
However although this country has a long way to go many corporations have embraced diversity for many reasons not least of which is profit.
I heard Kareem give a speech about diversity where he made a point that diversity means strength in the animal kingdom, in everyday life as well as corporate america.
Look at our city as an example. One of the things that makes this city so special is diversity of race, religion, sexual preference, culture, cuisine, etc.
As for Willie, he said what he said. He meant it, ay least at the time. The team is losing, he is being blamed and he is frustrated. If the start winning he will smile like this weekend and people will not be calling for his head.
Dave