Welcome back to Mets Chat Room.
The story swirling around the Mets is about Willie Randolph. I just filed this based on our briefing with Randolph a little over an hour ago. This will be the backdrop Mets Chat Room.
DENVER _ It wasn’t supposed to be this way.
Two months into the season, the Mets, wounded from last September’s collapse, vowed they would be a focused, inspired team this year.
Carlos Beltran called them the team to beat, and he’s been right, they are the team everybody is beating.
“The worst is only over if we start playing better baseball,’’ manager Willie Randolph said of being swept by the Braves. “Losing three games is bad enough. Losing four games in a row is a hind-kicking.’’
Randolph wouldn’t comment on his meeting next week with owner Fred Wilpon and his son, chief operating officer, Jeff, nor would he say he was disappointed his apology hasn’t been publicly acknowledged.
“I’m still here,’’ Randolph said, then added, the only penicillin needed for the Mets to get well is winning.
So, with general manager Omar Minaya en route from New York and his players defending him in the clubhouse, Randolph speaks of perseverance.
“This is one of those tough spots of the year where you’ve got to fight through it and not overreact and keep fighting to get back,’’ Randolph said.“We’ve just been really inconsistent, so we’ve got to turn that around in Colorado.’’
Not once did Randolph speak of winning to save his job, which has been a hot-button topic since he trampled the sensitivities of ownership this week when he suggested criticism of him was racially motivated, and then said the club’s cable network, SNY, delighted in showing him in a negative light.
The Mets are more in front on the issue of race than most professional sports entities _ they will have a Jackie Robinson Rotunda to highlight their $800 million ballpark _ and that had to sting the Wilpons.
Minaya has not spoken out for Randolph this week, and a phone call from him to the manager “on behalf of the Wilpons,’’ as said by a club spokesman, doesn’t carry much support weight.
Minaya, who missed the carnage of the Atlanta series, will be in Denver, perhaps to prep Randolph on his meeting with the Wilpons next week.
“Omar is the GM,’’ Randolph said about whether he reads anything into the visit. “He comes and goes as he pleases. … I don’t read anything in that.’’
It’s easy to tell when a manager loses his team. You hear it in the whispers, but that hasn’t been the case with Randolph.
“The problem isn’t in there,’’ said David Wright, nodding toward Randolph’s office.
“We’re professionals. We’re getting paid a lot of money. We shouldn’t need a manager to motivate us. As players, we need to take that responsibility.’’
Wright noticed anguish Thursday he didn’t see in the first three games of the series. He sensed hurt and embarrassment among his teammates.
“I refuse to believe that,’’ was Wright’s response when asked if he considered .500 might be as good as gets for the Mets this year. “I think we have too much talent. We are too good a team to be average and mediocre.
“We don’t want Willie to be fired. But, we want to win to win. We’re not thinking of winning to save Willie’s job.
“Guys were hurt. Guys were upset. We got embarrassed in Atlanta.’’
And, fair or not, if the Mets are embarrassed here, then Randolph gets the blame. It doesn’t matter that he hasn’t thrown a pitch; hasn’t swung a bat; he didn’t assemble the roster.
“I’m the manager,’’ Randolph said. “Fair or not, that’s the way it is.’’
Reach me at jdelcos@lohud.com or here on the blog.
269 Comments
F—k this stupid piece of sh*t team…
pathetic
Thanks Heilman. Can he please be sent away. Any where would be fine. Also, will wait until tomorrow to see what Wagner has to say about this one!
Gil – was talking about a fiery player rose, dykstra, knight etc…. not a criminal
I’m actually enjoying watching this team lose, this is fun. I wonder how long they can keep this streak going?
Good thing I’m drunk
With first base open, it is absolutely inexcusable for a struggling pitcher to be pitching to a hitter like Holliday.
That decision is on Willie and The Jacket. Terrible decision. This season is rapidly circling the drain.
Send all of them here to Savannah and bring up our Single A Sand Gnats.
I actually think wagner blowing this save is allot worse than Oliie not making it out of the third inning against the pirates. Wagner should never say another word because he is known for blowing saves, usually in a big game.
Tomg Kevin and Gil are managing our gay mens baseball team this summer, leave emails if interested. Mets are too Spanish.
Scott: You are just too clever for any of us. Wow. Not only are you a racist, but a homophobe, too. You’re a real asset to our scoiety. You have the intellectual capacity of a dust bunny.
Thanks for hanging around tonight. It was a lot of fun. Talk with you tomorrow … er, later today.-JD
Fun?
This is what fun feels like?
Good Lord.
I sure don’t wanna know what “awful” feels like, then.
Just because I work at the River Street Hee Haw restaurant and have to cater to Colordes and wetbacks does it mean I have to cheer them on when they screw up. Reyes is a mutt head, and I want to participate in the gay tourney, as I catch alot of balls at HABS INSIDE/OUT
Firing Willie, by itself will not fix the Mets troubles. Omar built a sub par team. Too old, too injury prone, too little pitching and too many guys who just don’t give a s**t!
http://www.myteamrivals.typepad.com/mr_mets_daily
“It was terrible. Guys used to come to the clubhouse and say before each game “who is going to blow it for us today?” ” Cleon Jones in 1969 recalling his callup in September 1963.
I’m sorry but I still say this is on Omar, he has built a flawed team. It’s time for Omar to wake up and get rid of whatever relics he can on this team and promote some young blood from the farm system. The kids can’t do any worse than these muts.
Yes, this team is built very badly.
Delgado and Castillo’s skills have degraded with age and injury to the point where… except for their ridiculous contracts… they really both should have retired last year. Ditto for El Duque.
Alou can still hit and Pedro can still pitch… but only when they’re healthy, which is basically never. Heilman seems to have given up on trying unless he is magically made the closer or a starter. Schoeneweis WILL be exposed as crap once he starts getting put into high-leverage situations against righties.
The bench was built as pinch-hitters and spot starters for a healthy club, none of them are competent everyday players when the injuries come down.
However, all of this said.
Reyes, Beltran and Wright are All-Stars. The Mets have some potentially outstanding starting pitching. Most of the bullpen are guys that should be very competent.
That core? Discounting all the old-and-injured crap that Minaya hung onto for their “names” and Willie loves for their “experience”?
That core alone should not be THIS bad.
That core has given up on Willie.
And Willie needs to go.
...then if this keeps up, Minaya needs to leave in October.
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I agree with the above post. Personally I cannot understand why you would not want to make an effort in this regard anyway. Only the other day, at work we had exactly the same conversation and came to a similar closing