Recap: Willie on WFAN
Yesterday, on WFAN, while at the Yogi Berra Museum, Mets manager Willie Randolph talked with hosts Chris Carlin and Kim Jones, and had the following to say regarding…
…how best to deal with criticism and fan-pressure while playing in New York City, such as Eli Manning had to do, who, by the way, 
he gave a pep talk to in a jewelry store in New York during December…
“Well, you obviously have to have thick skin and not listen to a lot of what you hear or read. But, you just have to believe in yourself, that’s the ultimate thing you can say to a guy. You’re gonna get those arrows thrown at you, people are always going to have things to say about you, but just believe in your ability and don’t react to that stuff. Because, that’s really all you have, that and your teammates and your family. I mean, obviously, a lot of fans love you, but you can’t really let your psyche get swayed by a lot of what you hear in the media, because here in New York every one’s got an opinion.”
…looking forward to 2008…
“Going in to the new year now, I feel real good about this year because I think we learned a big lesson. I think we did it as a group. I’ve been talking to a lot of my guys on the phone, and every one that I’ve talked to cant wait to get back at it. They know that we wasted a golden opportunity and they can’t wait to redeem themselves.”
…Jose Reyes, and whether he may have been a bit ‘full of himself,’ which led to several bad habits towards the end of last season…
“Well, as far as being full of yourself, when you get 50,000 people serenading you with, “Jose, Jose, Jose,” it’s easy for a young kid to get caught up in that…But, I think what really happened to Jose last year was just the timing of when he went in to the funk…I mean, he went in to a slump, and I think sometimes when young players who never really went through that mentally, you have to learn how to deal with that. I don’t think he understood how to get going the other way. There was a lot of pressure on him at the time to get us going…So, it’s a good lesson for him, but a tough lesson to learn at the wrong time…
…what he’ll do if the team becomes to slide next season, like it did last season…
“Well, I’m gonna whip them all (laughing), you know, get the whip out early (laughing). Nah, you know what, you can’t prepare for something like that, because you don’t really even see it coming. I mean, down the stretch, up until the last day, I believed t hat we were gonna pull it out, that we were gonna play well, my guys were confident in the clubhouse. But, baseball is such a strange game, and sometimes you can’t get out of your own way…I feel very strongly that what we experienced last year will not happen again.”
…Tom Glavine’s first appearance at Shea this coming season…
“(Laughing) Oh, boy. I don’t know, ask the Mets fans (laughing). Look, I’m sure with the way things ended he’ll get some adverse reaction…But, I think you have to respect the fact that the kid’s a Hall of Famer, he’s gonna be there, he handled himself great as a Met, and, you know, you can boo him a little bit, but not too much (laughing).”
…Jimmy Rollins, and while he must hate to compete against him, does he respect him…
“He can play for me any day. I’d have to move him to second base, though, because Jose is at short, you know (laughing). I respect Jimmy Rollins because he had the guts to come out in spring training – and those are the kind of players I like, the ones that come out and say, ‘You know what, you guys may be the division champs, but we’re the team to beat.’ Now, you gotta back that up, but he did…We need to make him eat those words next year.”
…who he’ll be rooting for in the Super Bowl…
“I’m kind of in the middle, I’m more of a Jets fan than a Giants fan, I must admit that. But, I still love the Giants, I really do…because this is great. I’m a New Yorker…To have this excitement in the city, and watch the Giants and the way they bounced back, stayed together and fought on the road, that’s unbelievable. I’m really happy for them…Go, Big Blue.”
Randolph also took questions from the live audience, and talked about Luis Castillo’s performance last season and his influence on Reyes; the idea of team chemistry; trading prospects for an ace; the struggles of Carlos Delgado; the importance of John Maine and Oliver Perez; and learning from last year.
To listen to the entire 30–minute interview, go to WFAN.com.
