Comments on: Can you top this?

By: dave

dave — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 02:29:45 +0000

Yeah. The Mets could have and should have handled this better. Everyone talks about this being the media capital of the world. Their business is about image, communication and service.

They should have fired him when they lost 8 in a row. It was the wrong way to fire him, not that getting fired is easy.

Out of self interest they should have handled this better. As people they should handle this better.

By: Miranda Givens

Miranda Givens — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 02:27:13 +0000

Well – I worked for a certain group of newspapers and was switched from one department to another without discussion. Others knew I was going, but I didn’t. When I resigned, the personnel department didn’t have time for an exit interview. I was told that the person who was going to interview me had “Priority Business” and I was never interviewed. It was a bad match anyway, but I think they could have been more professional. It was the same as being fired.

I cancelled my subscription.

I think Willie’s firing was worse.

By: Dan Gurney

Dan Gurney — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 21:56:21 +0000

I’ve never been fired, just had one company go bankrupt which was done with class. A couple of undignified sports firings.
1) Chicago Blackhawk coach Billy Reay was fired by having a note slipped under his door Christmas Eve.
2) Yankee manager Billy Martin (who didn’t speak to Casey Stengel for a decade because he felt Casey didn’t go to bat for him when George Weiss traded him to Kansas City) had two Yankee mid level guys, the PR man and traveling secretary, tell short stop Eddie Brinkman he was released. At first Brinkman thought they were kidding. When he realized they were serious he ended up chasing them around the room yelling.

I suppose I should take Steve Phillips with a large grain of salt but he had some interesting things on the Mets when he was on The Michael Kay Show (Fatso and Fruitloops got too unbearable). Said the Mets try to run a congenial atmosphere to foster a “we are all in this together”. It ends up causing problems because everyone can go over everyone’s head. Tony Bernazzard wants to win but asking players what they think of the manager causes problems no matter what they said. When Phillips tried to change the structure he was told he was a control freak. As Michael Kay observed most Met fans know who Tony Bernazzaed is, Few know who the Yankee assistant GM is. Phillips also said he wanted to fire Bobby V a year earlier but was not allowed to.

By: runnin rebel

runnin rebel — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 19:55:50 +0000

I think willie knew it was coming..I think he is just saving face.

He knew they mets had given him one final game..

I mean com’on he let Heilman pitch against the two hardest hitting guys in the line up..

By: Stick

Stick — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 19:36:55 +0000

At most big companies, you get processed. A manager shows up at your desk (often with a security guard behind them), and you get to take your coat and are escorted to a conference room, given papers to sign, then straight out the door. They will box up your personal effects (what they deem to be yours!) and mail them.

You get stripped of your badge, etc. in a very impersonal way, read the script, and booted. No goodbyes, just out the door so they can process the next peice of meat.

Having been through this recently (along with many others from my company), the way Willie got handled was IMO very classy.

By: runnin rebel

runnin rebel — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 19:24:08 +0000

I got laid off a few times as well. One time was from 9/11 and the after effects on their business the other was he could just not afford to cover me any more. Both went fairly well. The first one was pretty sad for both sides

I have been fired on fridays for two jobs. Not worse than what happened to Willie.

But you know what?

I didn’t feel better from either of them. The reasons for them were pretty lame but realizing it after we were not a good fit and I did not care for their work and their attitudes for how the resolved solutions anyways.

I wasn’t thinking “well it could have been worse.” I was more thinking “well f-them those f-ing a-holes, i will go work for their competitor” or I was like “well their stair case has rust and who uses smooth tile outside anyways, not to mention the mold in the storage area outside… since they designed their own office like this, they can’t be that good of designers.”

Class never once came into play…until the job that I am currently in for the past two years…

By: Ray Sadecki

Ray Sadecki — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 18:48:37 +0000

Several years ago, I was working for AT&T. After several weeks of rumors that the company was going to be opening up call centers in India, my team and I got called off the phones into a meeting room where we were told them company no longer needed us. Our severance package was the rest of that days pay. This is happening to thousands of people all over this country, so I cry no tears for a guy who is going to get paid millions to do nothing the next year and a half.

By: Jesse

Jesse — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 18:21:46 +0000

I’m more bothered by the fact that the way this was done illustrates a complete lack of organization and good sense by the team than by any sympathy I have for Randolph. He’ll be paid the remainder of his contract—most people are employed at will and get severance if they’re lucky—and will have made more in a few years than most of us will make in a lifetime. Having to fly across the summer sucks, yes, but given the current state of the economy, I have a hard time mustering up a whole lot of tears for a multimillionaire who was fired in large part because of his own stubbornness.

By: Franco

Franco — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 18:21:06 +0000

I had taken a Thursday and Friday off to visit my girlfriend (now wife) for a long weekend. I tried to be a good employee and check my email while away. I was locked out of my account. Called my manager, and she forwarded me to HR. Found out then I got laid off. Got home and there was a voice maiil for me.

so yeah, i think that is worse then flying first class to Calfornia to manage a baseball game then getting fired.

By: NCMETSFAN

NCMETSFAN — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 18:06:56 +0000

I donâ€™t see the big deal. Willie had it coming, this is an organization, you just donâ€™t walk in and say you are fired to someone, there is red tape you got to get through.

This team has under achieved since September 2006. He had to go. Plus he got a free trip to California, the rest of his salary as well as his 2009 salary. Guess what I get if I get fired today for reading LOHUD and not working,,,,unemployment if Iâ€™m lucky.

Bring on Backman!!!!!!!

By: David

David — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:49:06 +0000

Go ask the men and women of Enron this question. We live in a day and age where million dollar companies are laying of men and women with families and mortgages on a daily basis. So while i dont agree with the manner in which this was handled, all i truly care about is the team moving forward with a new manager and hopefully catching some fire. Im sure Willie will bounce back on his feet and unlike the folks at enron he will be paid on the remainder of his contract !