Daily Archives: October 2, 2007
The Braves have announced that they will not re-sign OF Andruw Jones, who will become a free agent this off-season.
Jones, as quoted by the Associated Press…
“I’m fine with it. I’m appreciative of the chance they gave me to play for Atlanta all these years. I understand the decision
they have to make. That’s just the way it is. It’s a business.”
…one jones down, one to go…
In 655 career at-bats against the Mets, Jones hit .260 with 26 HR and 90 RBI.
…thanks to jon mc for the link…
Mets GM Omar Minaya recently appeared on WFAN’s Mike and the Maddog, and had the following to say regarding…
…the idea that he let Willie Randolph twist in the wind, by not making an announcement about his future sooner…
“It really started more after the Sunday game…I went to Willie’s office, and he was very emotional about losing. And, I feel, being the GM, I have to be there to answer the questions, because you’re the head guy. And the first question that came to me was, ‘Hey, is Willie gonna be back,’ and, for me, at the time, I have to sort of sit back and think about this. I’ll be honest with you, when you have the kind of season we had with the type of team we had…I felt I had to at least pause and at least review these things. It’s only fair…
“I told Willie, too, ‘These things happen,’ and Willie understood. I also feel, in looking at that, I had look at Willie’s body of work that he’s done here…It was my decision. I didn’t have to go to ownership, and ask if it was okay that I do this. I run the Baseball Operations department, so those managers are my decision. That being said, I did tell Willie, and he understood.”
…the relationship between Randolph and Minaya’s Assistant GM Tony Bernazard…
“There is not a problem between them…He has a great relationship with the players because he used to be with the Player’s Union…and that actually helps the manager, because the person has a great relationship with the player and is able to convey things to the manager that help out.”
…whether he feels it is important to have unity among the coaches, i.e., let Randolph choose his coaching staff, as opposed to Minaya making the selections as has been done the last two seasons…
“I’m half way on this, in that I think a manager should have the freedom to pick his coaches. So, lets look at our coaches: Rick Peterson came on board, and when we came on board, we decided to keep him…Jerry Manuel is Willie’s guy…Sandy Alomar was picked by Willie…Tommy Nieto, I had never met Tommy Nieto, he’s done a great job, and that’s Willie’s guy…Rick Down was Willie’s pick, and that one we disagreed on this year…and we went back and forth. He wanted to pick Howard Johnson, I said that’s no problem…
“My philosophy is such that the manager should be able to pick his guys, but I also believe that as a GM I have the ‘veto power’ to say no to a guy…If Willie doesn’t want a guy, he will not be back…and I think it’s fair to say we are going to sit down and evaluate all our coaches.”
…the relationship between Luis Castillo and Jose Reyes, and whether it had a negative impact on Reyes…
“That’s news to me, as far as being out late with Reyes…As far as Reyes’s decline…I think there’s a combination of things, I think he got tired and part because Jose had never been through a pennant race and I do believe he got in to a rut and could not get out of it mentally and physically – and I’m pretty sure he started to press.”
…the idea that the Mets were too confident, and got complacent…
“I think you guys are right, a lot of times I think there was a sense of over-confidence. There was that because we’re good on paper we’re gonna win this. I hope we learn from this that you don’t win on paper.”
…the idea of immaturity, the hi-five celebrations, lack of discipline, and dancing on the top step of the dugout, etc…
“I don’t know that the word is immaturity, but there is definitely inexperience and yes they do need to mature…That’s why I say, you know, understanding that you’re on the big stage, you’re in the pennant race for the first time…I do think there is a way to play this game correct, but I also am understanding of young kid’s emotions and how they express themselves…and that’s why the model is one of veteran players and younger players.”
…whether he feels he must make wholesale changes…
“I have always believed that you make change if it makes sense, not just changes for the sake of making changes…To me, we have the nucleous…We’re going to sit down and evaluate those things and if it means we need to make major changes we will make them.”
To listen to Minaya’s entire interview, go to WFAN.com.
Tagged Omar Minaya |Mets GM Omar Minaya will be a guest on WFAN’s Mike and the Maddog today at 4:05 pm.
To listen live, go to WFAN.com.
From a press conference at Shea Stadium a few moments ago, Mets GM Omar Minaya told reporters that Willie Randolph will continue to manage the Mets.
According to Minaya, he had the final decision and the team’s 
ownership had no reservations about his choice.
Minaya, talking to reporters this afternoon…
“After thinking about this, I have decided that Willie should continue to manage our club. It was a decision I made as a General Manager, it’s my decision to make, and I felt that, it’s just the way we lost, the way it was, I just had to think about those things…
“I do believe that, when we came on board here with Willie, when I decided to pick Willie as the manager, I think that we’ve worked well, we’ve communicated with each other, and I do believe that his passion for winning is there – and I know sometimes that people question that, because of how he is, but the bottom line is that I know how he is in that clubhouse after wins and losses…
“I do believe that Willie is going to continue to work hard, and it’s a challenge to all of us – from Willie to myself to the whole organization – to get our guys back winning…
“It’s my decision. I told ownership that this is what I’m doing, and they are in support of my decision.”
Minaya, on the past few days…
“You know what makes this week tough, for us, it’s that, we, when you look at our organization, and what we’ve done over the last three years, we’ve generated so much fan interest…and I feel bad, and take full responsibility, in building all this interest we were not able to close it out. And that’s what makes it so hard. But, that being said, it’s like, I feel like we’re just going to keep working at this.”
Minaya, on why he is confident about Randolph…
“Willie is a competitor…I do believe that he is passionate and this is a new challenge for him. I do believe, up until two or three weeks ago, we had the best record in the National League. Look, slumps happen, and I just believe that Willie Randolph is gonna give me his best and give me his all and we talked about how we can continue to find ways to improve in this organization. I do believe he is going to his best to get this team back to the playoffs.”
…omar re-introduced willie, shook his hand, looked him in the eye, as if to say, ‘gotta love new york, buddy,’ patted him on the back, and left willie to speak to the media…
Randolph, talking to reporters this afternoon…
“Thank you Omar for that vote of confidence from you and ownership, I really appreciate that. I came here to win, and that’s what I’ve always been about. So, I’m looking forward to the opportunity to get back to where we should be, which is winning the division and moving forward.
“The way the season ended, obviously, is unacceptable. We had opportunities to get this thing done, and as manager of this ball club I take full responsibility for that…
“I’ve always been associated with winning, and it hurts deep down inside to be associated with this type of collapse. That’s not why we play the game, and there’s no way in the world I thought we’d be talking about this…It’s some cruel lesson in life and in baseball, and you make your bed you live in – and we definitely set this up for disappointment.
“It’s disappointing for the fans, the people who came out and really wholeheartedly rooted for us…It just hurts right now. It’s been hard sleeping the last couple of nights, trying to come to grips with what happened…
“I’ve been through a lot of these wars, and so I handle myself a certain because that’s what I know, as the leader of this ball club. But, when the finality comes down and you know you didn’t reach your goal and you didn’t achieve what you wanted to achieve it really tears you apart inside…This is probably the worst pain I have felt since being in baseball. But, like my mom always told me, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, and I believe that, and my team will learn from this and we’ll be bigger and better and a better team next year. That’s the challenge we’re looking forward to.”
…this was awkward, because willie
Tagged Omar Minaya, Willie Randolph |During his final interview of the season with WFAN, Paul Lo Duca told the show’s hosts that he wants to return to the Mets, but he is stull unsure if the team feels the same way.
According to Lo Duca, he believes they were interested in keeping him during last off-season; and although they soured a bit during the spring and summer, he feels his strong September during this season may have changed 
their mind. Regardless, he is still uncertain of their interest.
Lo Duca said he is very broken up about Sunday’s loss, and that it ‘really hasn’t hit’ him yet, adding that he can’t watch Sportscenter or turn in to the post-season, because he still feels his team is the best in the National League, although they will not be playing in October.
As for the rest of his team, and next year, he believes their failure falls squarely on the players, not the coaches, because the pieces were in place, and are in place for next season, as well. However, at time this season, the Mets just ‘never came out and competed,’ he explained, especially when falling behind in games.
Lastly, because the ‘core of this team learned a tough lesson,’ he is confident they can win next season with the talent they have, as long as a) they play hard all season, and b) every one is healthy, specifically Carlos Delgado and Duaner Sanchez. Also, according to Lo Duca, Mike Pelfrey ‘grew up a lot,’ and is ready to make a major contribution to the rotation next season alongside John Maine, Oliver Perez and Pedro Martinez.
To listen to Lo Duca’s interview, go to WFAN.com.
Tagged Paul Lo Duca |…i’m getting a lot of e-mail and fury about this photo, by the AP, which shows Carlos Delgado walking through the locker room yesterday at Shea Stadium holding a Derek Jeter jersey…
…from what i can gather, delgado collects the jerseys of his favorite players and top competitors, ether from each season or from over the coarse of his 
career…in the box he packed up, which eventually included the jeter jersey, it also contained a Tom Glavine, Carlos Beltran and Albert Pujols jersey, among others, on hangers in plastic…
…that’s cool…i can dig it…that’s probably a nice way to mark his trek through the big leagues…a word of advice, though, carlos…in new york, when playing with the Mets, do yourself a favor and keep the Yankees jersey a bit more private, especially following a season during which you hit just .250 and made comments about you and your teammates being bored, all while jeter and company get set to start yet another post-season…seriously, man, think about it…
In his blog for ESPN.com, Buster Olney writes that the Angels, Dodgers and D’Backs likely have the best collection of prospects to trade for Twins LHP Johan Santana.
Olney goes on to speculate and suggest the Twins trade Santana and SS Jason Bartlett to the Mets for SS Jose Reyes, OF Carlos Gomez and a young pitcher like RHP Mike 
Pelfrey.
…that is way, way too much for me to even think about right now, let alone break down and discuss…that being said, i still believe it would be a huge mistake to trade reyes, although i firmly expect Omar Minaya to work overtime on acquiring santana, which is the type of move that will redeem his status and get fans feeling positive again…
In a column about fan, media and team reaction to ‘the collapse,’ Neil Best writes the following today in Newsday…
“Matt Cerrone, who runs the popular MetsBlog.com, said his sense from readers was the same as he had himself.
“‘It was harder last year,’ he said. ‘This year, you saw it coming and almost could brace for it…The sense I’m getting is people just want to turn the page and get on with the hot stove. It’s like, ‘How are we going to fix this thing?’
“Last autumn, Cerrone believed the Mets would win the NLCS after Endy Chavez‘s catch. Three innings later, it was over. This time, he hadn’t believed for weeks. ‘It’s not a white-hot, intense anger like it was the day after Game 7 last year,’ he said. ‘This year, it’s been spaced out already.’”
…i am fairly certain i never specifically told neil that i lacked faith in this team…i mean, if you read this site, you know i could actually be accused of acting delusional, operating with blind faith throughout much of their demise…
…so, i can only assume this was a miscommunication on my part when speaking with neil, since my overt positivity on this site speaks for itself, for better or worse…and please note that i think neil does outstanding work in his columns and even better work at his blog, called Watchdog…i’m a big fan…but, i think you and i know i never lost faith, for better or worse…hell, in the final seconds of an interview i recently did, i blurted out a ‘ya gotta believe,’ on Friday, when talking to ESPN News…actually, i wish i lost faith, it would have cut down on all the hate mail i had been sent over the last two weeks of the season, which really messed with my head…
…anyway, that being said, i do believe we had ample time to prepare ourselves for this disaster…i mean, people who want willie fired are mostly the exact people who wanted him fired two months ago…people who expected this team to fail, watched it fail for weeks…people who hoped they would succeed, knew it was a matter of faith and hope…whereas last year, after that chavez catch, we all thought this team’s time had come…then, bam, pull the plug, carlos…we’re going home…
…in my opinion, based on e-mails and comments and reaction around me, compared to last season, we are far less stunned and angry this time around…and what was mostly shock and anger 12 months ago, is absolute frustration and fear today, which had been bubbling beneath the surface for weeks…
Tagged MetsBlog |Mets C Paul Lo Duca is scheduled to make his final guest spot of the season on WFAN’s mid-day show at 12 pm.
…now, whether or not he actually calls in remains to be seen…
To listen online, go to WFAN.com.
Tagged Paul Lo Duca |According to ESPN, Scott Schoeneweis received six steroid shipments from Signature Pharmacy while playing for the Chicago White Sox in 2003 and 2004.
Meanwhile, Schoeneweis told the Daily News, “I never received anything from Florida. I’m not going to comment. I never even heard of it.”
…at this point, to me, this is more of a White Sox story than a Mets-and-their-relief-pitcher story, since the alleged act occurred roughly three years before shoney came to shea…however, from a personnel stand point, this is just another man in a long line of acquisitions by this team that continue to end up with this headline, and that has got to be addressed whether it is their own fault or not…
…lastly, and this is just a hunch, but every time i read one of these stories, be it this one, or the one about Troy Glaus, etc, i just keep getting this weird feeling that the team’s are far more culpable in these stories than we are yet aware of…i’m not suggesting that the players were totally in the dark, oblivious to what they were doing, but i just have this gut feeling that they may not have been totally aware of exactly what they were taking, you know, sort of like, ‘hey, the trainer is a professional, he works for the team, who gave this to the trainer, and he says to take this, it will make me recover faster, etc, so, okay, i’ll take it,’ type approach, all while knowing it could be shady, but may not be, as well…again, this should not minimize their role, but it could expand the blame, that’s all i am saying…
…for what it’s worth, i am also stunned by the level of speed that is used in baseball, which was once amphetamines, or ‘greenies,’ but is now an unhealthy obsession with Red Bull, caffeine pills, and the like, which is typically followed by alcohol after the game to take the edge off…for more on this, listen to Buster Olney, at ESPN, who is very alarmed by the level of post-game drinking in baseball and how it is condoned by the teams…i also understand that anti-inflammatory medication is eaten like tic-tacs…i’m sure their livers will be thrilled by their behavior one day…it’s an odd culture, and the players tend to get the brunt of the fan’s wrath, but i just have a hard time believing that the players are always operating on their own…again, just a hunch…
Tagged MLB Steroids, Scott Schoeneweis | ← Older posts
