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Willie Randolph, while speaking to WFAN for the final time this season, had the following to say when asked about…
…his team’s top-step dancing…
“Any time one of my players gets out of line they called on it, guys. But, you have to understand, these are young players in the heat of battle, and we live in a culture where, you know Sportscenter and the hip-hop culture, and every body wants to style and show off and they just react…That’s just the way these kids are, too, you can’t take that away from them, because if you do then the fans say, ‘Well, you’re not letting them be themselves, it’s colorful, it’s nice,’ so you can’t have it both ways. So, when these kids do these things you have to call them on it, and after a while they get it. It might take a couple of times, but, believe me, they will get it.”
…whether or not teams around the league hate the Mets more than other teams they play…
“If that’s the case, then we need to step up and meet the challenge…You know what, when it gets down to it, I like it that way. I don’t like the Phillies, I don’t like the Washington Nationals, I don’t like the Cardinals. Okay, so, if that’s the way you wanna be then let’s get it on, let’s play, that’s what baseball should be.”
To listen to Randolph’s entire interview, go to WFAN.com.
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I think there just has to be some structure on the whole celebrations thing. You don’t want to change who these young kids are? Thats fine. But they have to learn discipline.
They have to know when its not ok to do it. They have to know the difference between celebrating and blatantly sticking it in the other teams face when its not called for. Keep it in the dugout … keep it out of games that are blowouts, or games in which you are losing.
If its “being addressed” and they are not listening, that is a huge problem.
I think Willie forgot to add Atlanta and Florida to the list of teams he hates, but I’m with him on the whole ‘let’s get it on” scenario. Bottomline if we can’t get up to play the Nationals and Marlins for the chance to get into the playoffs at the end of the year, then maybe we didn’t deserve to be in the playoffs.
Yeah man, the Mets got exactly what they deserved this year. They deserved to go home.
Next year I just want to see better focus, better discipline and better play. I’m all for the fun and celebrations … but lets back it up and do it professionally.
I liked Willie’s answer about being brash better than Omar’s the day before. We are the Mets, you don’t like us, we don’t like you…now lets get it on. That is the type of fight he needs to instill in his players, not the laid back look. Pound them. No more putting the AA team out there after winning 2 games in a series. Step on their necks and put the foot down hard!!!
I almost fell over. NY Cuban complimenting Willie. WOW
Hell must be chilly today…
wouldve been nice to hear these words oh i dont know TWO WEEKS AGO!
why does it matter if he says it to YOU. how do you know he isnt saying that to his players? were you there? you were? can you get willies autograph for me the next time you are in the clubhouse? i love that guy!
well wise ass, theres no evidence that he said it just like theres no evidence he didnt say it, so i have just as good a chance of being right that he didnt make this known to his players and you that he did and didnt tell us.
*as you
Nah NY Cuban is being objective which we all should be.
Willie gave a very good answer to a question. Hes probably tired of seeing his team fraternize with the opponent all the time.
You can be friends off the field and hate each other on it.
I’m turning over a new leaf. ;-) Anyway…2008 can’t get here soon enought. LETS GO METS!!!
WHO CARES ABOUT THE DANCING AND THE CELEBRATION?
Why is this all of a sudden an issue? Nobody cared last year when the Mets steamrolled their way to the division title but now that they aren’t in the playoffs people care. It was celebrated more then anything last year that this team was young and had great team chemistry and it showed in the little celebrations. Now everyone wants to use the celebrations as an excuse. They want to use it as firepower for why Willie should be fired. It is ridiculous how many people are hypocrites. The same people who enjoyed the dancing and celebrated it are the same people who are criticizing it now. It is ridiculous.
Brilliant post. These guys have been doing it all year. Gary Cohen mentioned how Reyes was working on a new “high 5″ for Alou during spring training and everyone was amused and enamored of the convoluted dance moves.
Its ok when they win but if they lose then its awful and disrespectful.
The only thing Ill say is keep it in the dugout. This taunting will lead to brawls not losing. Its the reason the NBA and the NFL have instituted no taunting rules (allow with corporate sponsorship).
As for teams wanting to beat us down the stretch even before the “brawl” the Marlins held back Willis for us.
Manny Acta used 6 pitchers against the Phillies and there was no brawl there.
All these teams did the right thing and played to keep each other out of the playoffs.
* Correction
(allow with corporate sponsorship)
should read
(also the corporate sponsors)
Dead on!
You’re right….when you steamroll over the competition….who cares.
When you get your brains beat in like this team did, and you’re still doing dances and God only knows what else, you look like a bunch of dumb asses…….so the only solution is to win.
Deal with it.
I’m surprised at Willie calling out the Washington Nats. What does this say about his feelings towards Manny Acta? Is it just because the Mets fell apart against the pitiful Nats or is there something deeper there? It’s not just divisional, because he didn’t mention the Marlins or the Braves.
Who’s “guy” was Acta, anyway? Omar’s or Willie’s? If he was Omar’s, and maybe there was some sort of behind the scenes friction last year, that’s the only way I coupld see anything personal in those comments. I’d think Willie would respect Acta for the job he did this year. But who knows.
I do not think it is so much he is calling them out but saying these are the teams that kept us out of the playoffs. Maybe he didn’t mention the Marlins because that is a given.
this is why i like willie randolph as our manager and i am personally happy that he is staying. i like his demeanor and attitude, his humility and confidence.
is it spring training yet? i miss listening to the mets…
There is not much help out there in the free agent market.
Francisco Cordero, Scott Linebrink and Eric Gagne are the only names that truly stand out in terms of relief help. I hardly would believe anyone to be confident in Gagne after seeing his Boston decable. Linebrink seems to be on the declining stages of his career. And even if you were bold enough to throw in Octavio Dotel as an option, he is almost always injured.
Considering that, who would be in favor of just overpaying Francisco Cordero to become our set-up man?
In order to get a lock down arm out of the pen, I think there is no other alternative. Hopefully, Dauner comes back strong and goes back to the excellent form we had seen him in.
Unless ofcourse, Omar can work out a trade for an arm …
But it sure would be a satisfying feeling to have Feliciano, Heilman, Sanchez, and Cordero with Wagner.
Keep in mind, the way the bullpen market has risen the past few years. The realization is that we would most definitely need to pay a ridiculous price for any sort of bullpen addition. Look to Schoenwesis’s contract as a perfect example of it.
So, my question is, why not just overpay and get the premier reliever available of his class?
I actually agree completly. Along with those relievers, I would be fine with also having Schoenweiss and Smith for lefty/righty work. I know Scho had some brutal games, but near the end he seemed to come to some better form. Now, onto Mota…………..
Gotta wonder if Cordero would want to come here to set up after being a closer for so long.
TIME TO MOVE ON!!!!!
I know most of you are still depressed as well as I am. So, my bar is throwing a Jets v. Giants meetup on Sunday for the game. This is the 1st time we are trying this. We are attempting to setup a home away from the Meadowlands to watch the games. The bar is called Butterfield 8.
It is located on 38th St between 5th and Madison Ave.
The special for the game is $25 all you can drink Bud and Bud light draft and all you can eat wings for the duration of the game.
A post has already been set up on http://www.thejetsblog.com. The website for the bar is http://www.butterfield8nyc.com – check it out, it’s a really nice place. Also I will be bartending this for the game.
I hope you all can come out.
Cool bar but small. That said I prefer that crowd to the McFaddens crowd
Good place, great grub.
Gentlemen, we are breaking down parts of the Mets that need not be addressed.
As another poster referenced above, last year celebrations weren’t a problem. why? because winning cures all.
I don’t care if teams don’t like the Mets. I don’t care if Reyes starts doing the cha cha on the dugout bench….as long as he hit a double, stole 3rd, and scored prior to the cha cha.
These are all FRIVELOUS things that we want to blame the Mets for….as reasons for the downfall.
The only reason for the downfall of this team is the personel.
Old battered men, most who are not leaders, not vocal, and don’t care about this club winning. And then other younger players who lets face it…can’t hack it for this team. They might be nice, stand up guys who can contribute on a .500 team.
But if Fred Wilpon wants to fill seats and win a ring….he’s going to have to bring in better players.
And once that happens…when the Mets are 20 games over .500 in late September, winning the division..watch the entire team do the freakin hokey pokey on the dugout steps….and not ONE person say a thing about it.
WINNING IS ALL THAT MATTERS!
Thank you…..if you win…noone gives a crap.
exactly, just win.
some people have said how this team needs fire and grit, like the 86 team had. ex: pitchers need to dust guys off/hit guys. Id love that as much as the next guy but does anyone think there will ever be a team like that? i mean nowadays with ejections/suspensions the 86 mets wouldve finished with 70 wins bc everyone wouldve gotten huge suspensions at one point or another. I mean geez a pitcher hits someone now he misses his next start. wtf is that.
as far as the Milledge Celebrations go from last week, that is all ridiculously petty. I can understand the teams being upset about him raising his hand when he was rounding first. But it seems that everyone is making a big deal about his celebration at the on deck circle after his 2nd homerun.
All it was was like a high five and 2 elbow hits, it was seriously like a 5 second thing, it wasnt like he was Doing th Icky Shuffle, lol.
Seriously guys, get over it, everyone in the league, hell, everyone in the country does not like Lastings Milledge, so no matter what he does hes gonna getgreif for it. All he needs to do is go out and put up Big numbers and he can dance all he wants. there are players left and right that stand in the batters box and watch their Homeruns and they dotn get half the grief Milledge gets.
I say Screw it, let them whine all they want, go out their next year and Pound them into the ground. Guranteed if the mets were a better team this year the whoel Milledge thing wouldnt be an issue.
Amen. I hate that Milledge gets the grief he does.
Anyone remember the ‘86 Mets? Every team hated them as well. They hated the celebrations, the cockiness, the curtain calls, the fans chanting We Will We Will Rock You, the fact that they didn’t stand down to anyone (evident in the brawls and the nickname Fightin Mets). I say screw it all. Next year go out there and steamroll everyone to submission. Show Why we should be considered the best team in baseball and back it up by bringing the World Series back to Shea Stadium. If we have to brawl a few times throughout the season so be it. Next year is the statement year. They can fold or they can show that there is actually heart and fire in every last one of them.
the milledge thing on saturday was no worse than the mcguire high five-stomach punch thing, and no one though that was “classless” or “over the top” and he did that in the on deck cricle on the way back sometimes right after he touched home.
The homerun I can deal with, I’m just upset they didn’t ask him about Milledge not running after the ball D Willis hit and got a triple off. Mike and the maddog are awful, they never ask Willie the hard question and when they kind of do they always give him an out or they tip toe around it.
Agree totally — the media, M+MD especially, want to turn the collapse into some kind of Shakespeare tragedy, with villians and betrayal and secret backstage plots, and a team undone by its own hubris.
It’s all alot of crap. The only pertinent questions are “Where do we go from here; what areas of the team need improvement, and who do we set our sights on over the winter.”
M+MD didn’t ask any of this, it was all “Willie hates Tony,” “Lastings danced too much,” Castillo/Reyes rumors, etc. Bunch of jive. I’m sure Omar was glad to just shine them on for 20 minutes and get it over with.
mr. randolph,
i know we have one winner in the management/front office/ownership. let’s hope the players will “get it” next year and that tony bernazard will stop flirting with the opposition on game day.
Yes Willie, I don’t like the Cardinals either!
I must say, reading and hearinf this interview has really gotten me behind Willie. I know he is on a short leash, but I hope he pulls through next year.
All talk and no action, I’m getting tired of this awful manager. The team is supposed to take the managers persona. If he doesn’t like a team, they shouldn’t like the team either. I didn’t hear any of that all year. All I heard was, I trust my guys, I know my guys, the champange will taste even sweeter, we’re still in first, blaa blaa blaa….. Show it in the clubhouse and on the field, if you don’t like a call go out there and get thrown out. Show the fire you had next year, not now. If you don’t want to scream, take a base with you to the dugout. By the way, get rid of the jacket and bring in David Cone…
NY Cuban, you are right on! Willie did this a lot last year and it drove me nuts! If we won the first two games of a series he would put his AA line up out there and concede the games! he cannot do this anymore….he must put the hammer down on these teams….Also, how many times did willie put the AA line up in on day games after night games? Their record on Sundays had to suck….
There is not much help out there in the free agent market.
Francisco Cordero, Scott Linebrink and Eric Gagne are the only names that truly stand out in terms of relief help. I hardly would believe anyone to be confident in Gagne after seeing his Boston decable. Linebrink seems to be on the declining stages of his career. And even if you were bold enough to throw in Octavio Dotel as an option, he is almost always injured.
Considering that, who would be in favor of just overpaying Francisco Cordero to become our set-up man?
In order to get a lock down arm out of the pen, I think there is no other alternative. Hopefully, Dauner comes back strong and goes back to the excellent form we had seen him in.
Unless ofcourse, Omar can work out a trade for an arm …
But it sure would be a satisfying feeling to have Feliciano, Heilman, Sanchez, and Cordero with Wagner.
Keep in mind, the way the bullpen market has risen the past few years. The realization is that we would most definitely need to pay a ridiculous price for any sort of bullpen addition. Look to Schoenwesis’s contract as a perfect example of it.
So, my question is, why not just overpay and get the premier reliever available of his class as you know you are getting a sure bet?
Trade Delgado and eat some money and we could get a decent reliever and try to pluck one of the 3 relief guys you just mentioned. Does anyone know where the hell Sanchez is and is he throwing?
Not gonna happen,go through the league,who’s takin’
Delgado?&for what?&who’s replacing 25-35HR/90-110RBI
in the line-up?
Sanchez,after 2 surgeries & not pitching in almost 2 years
is a crap-shoot +he has no contract for next year!
Again,if someone would/could take Mota and/or Schoenweiss off your hands, Great but it’s not likely!
Adding a seious arm behind Wagner,Heilman &Feliciano
is of course a must but adding not just an Ace but an innings
eater @ the top of the rotation HAS TO BE DONE!—Since
This more than ANYTHING caused this collapse!
The Pen even patched together (Omar’s mistakes and all)
was Okay until the last month. W/Pedro still nursing,Duque
hurt and Glavine reliable past the 5th or 6th, there were
just too many innings to pitch for guys who are just not that
good!
I of course meant glavine NOT reliable past the 5th/6th
inning.
Also, Please Omar the Great, No more Lawrances,
Seles or jeremi gonzalez types! Please!
You know, Delgado is a PERFECT fit for most smaller market AL teams as long as the Mets pick up half of his salary.
KC, Sea, Oak (prob not b/c I think D Barton will be the guy there next year), Det, Bal
It’s about time Willie took a stand on something!
I know I’ve been bashing him relentlessly since Sunday’s last straw, but I will give him credit.
I’ll still boo him on opening day but that’s for past transgressions. After that it’s a clean slate, at least until he brings Mota in to put another close game out of reach :)
Hopefully this debacle was a good learning experience for Willie and he will decide to show some more backbone on the field, maybe he’ll actually get run from a game. But at least he’s talking tough, two months too late if you ask me, but hey, better late than never!
Lets go Rox!!!!!
“By the way, get rid of the jacket and bring in David Cone…”
If that happens, let’s hope Cone keeps on a jacket…and everything else when he’s out in the BP.
imagine it was willie not pinella who took carlos zambrano out after 6ip 1r 8k’s 85 pitches last night in the playoffs.
then the cubs reliever comes in to give up the two winning runs for the d-backs
why, there’d be a chorus of fans chanting “fire willie”!
what? Oh…
True Dat!— And unlike Willie, Sweet Lou has been a real good
Field Mgr.–Not just a push-button guy.
But hey he’s now managing the Cubbies!
I think I get a better idea now of Willie Randolph’s problem…
On the one hand he claims these “kids” are “called on it” when they “style” and “showoff” and on the other hand he justifies it and explains it away….
All Randolph seems to do is equivocate!! That is the quickest way for a leader/manager/boss to lose respect…
Much too wishy-washy!! He comes off very confused – guaranteed he DOES NOT have the respect of his players…
Yeah, I totally agree that adding an innings eater with a front-line ace starter is absolutely necessary as well. I think signing a pitcher like Jason Jennings who will most likely receive a one year, incentives based contract may be one possible route to go. Injuries aside, this guy was a workhorse up in Colorado for the better part of his young career. If he is back and ready to roll by spring training, I wouldn’t mind taking a flier on him.
As much as I would love to see Johan Santana on the Mets next season, I just don’t see it realistically happening. The Twins will most likely hold onto him and pick up the two first round compensation picks once he leaves. At that point, I think the Mets will be the favorite to sign him, just in time for the opening of CitiField in 2009.
Now, trading for Dontrelle Willis, on the other hand, is a door that is widely open for this upcoming year. I don’t think there is not a more opportune time for the Mets to get him than now. His value has dropped significantly and Omar will have to become a bit creative here. I really have a lot of confidence the Mets can strike gold here with the D-Train. Plus, pencil it in now, you can lock him in for 30 starts a year.
agreed!, ya know it’s funny i was just looking @ the
list of potenial FAs and Noted: Jennings, Livan and
Carlos Silva as the only starters who make sense to
pursue.
I’d really like to go after Shawn Chacon who’s Free and
has shown in a winning situation and in New York knows
how to pitch. Plus he’s young,healthy & can either pitch outof the pen OR start.
I for one don’t think Santanas out of reach but, It will COST
Think, Gomez,Pelphrey & Humber Plus?,Plus!
I’d be a little nervous Of Dontrelle because of the herky/
jerky (=wildness) & his really poor season and a half now
but I’d trade both kids Humber & Pelphrey for him.