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…i am constantly being accused of only posting polls following a win, or a positive moment…
…for the record, i post the Willie Randolph 
poll on Monday, win or lose, and i post the Confidence Rating poll on Wednesday, win or lose…it has always been this way…
…unless you think i have magic powers and know in advance that the Mets will play well only on Mondays and Wednesdays, there is no conspiracy theory here…
…similarly, i do not ban comments that demand willie be fired…sadly, comments get pulled for a variety of reasons, all of which you can learn about by reading this site’s policy on posting comments to MetsBlog…for what it’s worth, there are over 4,000 comments in on this site that include the phrase “Fire Willie,” and none of them have ever been deleted…so, if yours disappeared, you may want to consider another reason other than me protecting anything other than this site’s reputation…
This is YOUR blog. You can do whatever you want and if people don’t like it then they should start their own blog!
2nd that
For the record… so far this year, the Mets are 1-3 this year on Monday’s. (opening day win, 3 straight losses with a rainout thrown in there) They are 5-1 on Wednesday’s. However, if the polls are posted on Monday’s and Wednesday’s that’d mean the fans memory will be most likely affected most by how they played in the previous game (Sunday and Tuesday) Those records are:
Sunday – 3-3 (3 straight losses followed by 3 straight wins) & Tuesday – 3-4
Seems pretty even to me. Who started the conspiracy?
In case you’re curious… here’s the Mets fair so far each day of the week:
Sun – 3-3
Mon – 1-3
Tues – 3-4
Wed – 5-1
Thurs – 2-1
Fri – 4-1
Sat – 2-4
Total: 20-17
5-2 after last night on Wednesdays.
Matt, you do a great job with the site. I do think that the Willie poll disappeared after his rating was in the 40s and re-appeared after the AZ series when everyone was sky high. I’m not accusing you of anything, I just think that is where the criticism comes from.
I would like to suggest that you keep the “Is Willie Responsible” poll after games, win or lose.
Also, I don’t know if its possible, but maybe a sidebar poll that is a rolling confidence meter, not only on Willie, but the team (on the field, not the organization).
It did, because it was a simple Yes or No question, which was way, way too basic.
It disappeared, was re-tooled and is now back.
Here’s a suggestion, Matt … Instead of a poll that simply asks is Willie responsible, which has the effect of pre-determining responsibility, simply ask who is responsible for the team’s record. Then give as possible answers — Omar only, Willie only, Players only, and finally, Omar, Willie, and the Players.
That’s the only fair way to do it. I don’t know why Omar has not been a frequent subject of your polls the way Willie has been, Matt. That’s not very fair. We may be in the minority, but there are a fair number of us who think Omar is primarily responsible for the way the team performs on the field, win or lose.
Personally I think asking any kind of question like that after the game is stupid. Do we really need to answer a question like that? Are we that concrete in our thinking that we need to judge everything on a poll where you can only select one person? Life is not black and white. I know it makes life easier for a 1-2 minute segment on SNY, but this is getting ridiculous. Not only is the comment section coming apart at the seams, but now Matt seems to be pandering to the mindset so apparent in the comment section, playing down to that level of concrete intelligence, instead of raising above it. I’ve said it before, the level of discourse evident in the comments section has dropped incredibly since Matt became so popular, but now it appears the site itself is taking that course. I think these polls do a disservice to the intellectual banter that used to be prevalent on this site and to the entire mindset of fans.
Don’t give the site veterans (myself included) too much credit. It wasn’t “intellectual banter” as much as it was long-winded. But yeah, the grammar was better, and there was less vitriol, probably because the Mets were either out of the running (in the very early days) or meeting or exceeding expectations. Is there a site with a better message board or comments section?
darkstar, I am not even asking to run a poll after each game which is stupid. I think even once a week polls are too often.
I am saying if you run a poll asking the fans to point fingers, why are they giving only Willie as an option? And if you notice, I did not suggest letting fans choose “only one person.” The other option I gave was “Omar, Willie, and the plalyers.” That’s at least 27 people there!
IMO, run a poll twice a month and include everyone.
Thanks for the clarification Matt…
Maybe I am in the minority but I am so tired off the WIlly and Heilman apologists… I don’t know how much longer the Wilpons expect Met fans to endure this constant disappointment. Last night was a perfect example great feel good story only to let Willy and Heilman destroy it for us!
Listen, Willie trusts his guys….it’s a marathon, not a sprint…we’ll just go out and get them today….and remember the champagne will always taste that much sweeter at the end of the year….
Ha, excellent.
You knew this would all come out once that SNY deal went through, Cerrone. Just like Michael Kay gets crushed all the time on 1050 radio because he is an employee of YES. Comes with the territory.
That being said, you should be laughing all the way to the bank!
Kay gets crushed because he sucks.
While its true that Kay sucks, you have to expect that people could think it is difficult to be objective when it comes to the covering the team he is now partnered with.
Yeah, that too….but a lot of it comes from being paid by the same team you are supposed to cover objectively.
Cerrone is a good business man. He took a blog and made it a big enough thing to make sick money off of it. Good for him.
But to complain about people calling him out b/c he won’t be critical of the Mets is kinda off base. He is partial to the Mets and he has to be. Doubt they would want him to be super critical….and if he was, he would likely go down the same path LoDuca did.
does anyone ever consider that SNY approached him partly BECAUSE he is easygoing and positive?
if someone like me had a blog that was just as popular, comprehensive and well-written, SNY would probably still stay away because i am a crazy, angry lunatic.
So the Wilpons aren’t paying you off to not include a Willie poll after a Mets loss on your personal baseball blog? Shocking!
Also, I’m disappointed that you don’t have magical powers.
Just stopping in to see if “Willie Randolph has been fired as manager of the Mets” has been posted yet. I see it hasnt. Ill keep checking every hour or so.
Huge tailgate at Shea the day it happens…it will mark the re-birth of the NY METS.
We will have the leftover champagne that is still on ice from 2007….
One can only HOPE, NYCuban….
Wishful thinking for now! And if I am not mistaken, the organization will look into this at the end of the month into early June. His time is coming!
Right on, Matt! Keep up the great work. If there’s something people don’t like about this site, they could always start their own to get their opinions out there.
do you believe that colorado was the best team in the NL last year? do you believe that STL was better than the Mets in 06. How about this year, tampa, florida in first. StL contending. These teams are not that good.
If a manager doesnt matter, why have manager of the year awards? The braves were not the best team for 14 straight years, yet bobby cox always kept that team in contention even year after year.
The florida marlins players in 03 will even tell you they credit Jack McKeon for getting them in the right frame of mind to beat the yankees in the world series.
Bottom line, there are no more players we can go out and get. No more trades to be done. Roster is the roster, we need a manager who will get the most out of these players and I dont think Willie does that.
Excellent argument!
They give awards out so fans have a reason to pay attention, and so player, manager, rolaids relief man, batboy, etc feel left out. It doesnt have as much to do with usefullness as you think. Remember Rafael Palmeiro won the gold glove one year while playing 30 something games at 1st. Awards are as useful in determining how good someone is as the Win statistic. Its nice to have, but who cares?
Fair enough. Who then? Please don’t include the words “carter” or “bowa” in any reply.
Willie is dead man walking. I’m not sure things will improve after he is gone though. Just my opinion, I hope I am wrong.
Could it get worse? With the amount of money invested in this team and the expectations, 85-77 is just as bad as 70-92.
No, probably not.
But if they can sort out the pen and start throwing santana, maine, perez, pedro, pelf with regularity the new guy will look like Earl Weaver.
Frank Robinson or Felipe Alou
You know, I like them both.
Can alou stay awake for 9 innings at this point though?
moises alou for player-manager
I never really criticized Willie or the player, because I don’t know what it take to play baseball or manage a team of professionals. But last night, I was very very lost at the decision to leave Heilman in when it’s clear that he couldn’t get outs if he’s life/job depended on it. Not jumping on the “Fire Willie” bandwagon yet, but…
in a response to earlier that someone is “sick of the willie and heilman apologists”
Heres the thing, I’m not happy w/ Willie, and if he was fired, yes, i’d probably be happy, but I am just TRYING to enjoy the season and this blog.
Some people on this blog are fun to discuss things with, others are absolutely insane with what they say and it makes you dumber to even respond to them. (both apologists and haters alike)
I for one, miss the way this blog was even early last year, and yes part of it is the continued poor performance, and its also some of the new trolls that come here.
Mrose, you aren’t enjoying reading some of these posts? This blog provides me my much needed daily dose of comedy…
I enjoy reading SOME of the posts…
some are just a waste of time
I’m not happy with willie or the team’s play, but the “fire willie” screaming gets a little tiresome because for all the justifiable criticism (last night for example) there is a alot that is not. I prefer to read about other things that are right/wrong with this team (and there are plenty) sometimes.
He gets blamed for EVERY loss here, every single one. Lets face it, he is getting run out of town. Not the first manager, and certainly not the last. This has been happening to managers for a long time and you don’t need a “willie poll” to get it done.
I don’t see any decent alternatives out there. And who will we blame when he is gone? I’m not bashing the willie-bashers, I am just curious what they will post about when the team continues to struggle under a new guy. Omar maybe?
As probably one of the most ardent Willie-bashers on here, if this team fails to turn it around after Willie’s dismissal, the criticism at the end of the year will be solely on Omar.
Here is the order of things that should happen, in my opinion:
1. Fire Willie – horrible in-game strategist and seems like he can’t motivate THIS team.
2. Hire ______ – right now, probably Mazz, but I don’t really care who. If the team doesn’t turn it around, the blame goes on the players. They get to get bashed on here for the remainder of the season. The new manager gets a pass until next year.
3. If you still fail to make the playoffs, Omar is in trouble. Either fire him on Oct 1 or put him on notice and he has 1 year to fix this, but I think we are past that.
personally i feel willie was much to blame for what happened last year
so even if the team performs the same under someone else, i will feel much better having “turned the page”
I just think they need somebody in there who will preach more urgency rather than the whole “sprint/marathon” philosphy.
I dont blame every loss on Willie. Just the games that he loses. Monday was Figgy and Sosa’s fault, and I would have been calling for Omar’s head if he had chosen to keep Jorge Sosa over Joe Smith, but Omar did the right thing, and I continue to be confident with him as our GM.
I don’t want to hear one single “but how could Willie know Heilman would suck?” last night. Ill tell you how he could know…LISTEN. Claudio was getting a huge ovation until Heilman walked out of the bullpen, then all of a sudden, dead silence followed by boos. Maybe, just maybe this should set off an alarm in Willie’s head.
And surprise, he blew it, just like every Met fan in attendance knew he would.
1) Send Heilman down to re-work his mechanics. He has no control and that nice cutter he developed is MIA. Bring up Carlos Muniz, or one of the 80 other relievers we keep drafting.
2) Get a competant manager.
I think Mazz would be a mistake. Didn’t Johnson manage for them a few years ago? I think someone from inside the organization would be a better choice at this time and for this group.
I bet they feel its tough to fire willie now after not doing it in october. Obviously, he isn’t going to last. what a mess.
Heilman should go down, you can’t use him at this point and he is taking up space.
Agreed. Let people complain if they want. What other outlet do they have? At least everyone here is passionate about the Mets…..(and disliking Luis Castillo……right?)
In regard to Castillo, I almost feel bad for him because it’s not his fault Omar decided to be absolutely ridiculous and make an Isiah Thomas move, and I think he should be a useful player at least for this year once he gets healthy, but it kinda sucks to have to dislike the guy because you know you are going to be stuck with him til he can’t even move anymore. Was Omar high?
You guys hear about the NYU grad tackled during Yankee dash… Just read he was a Met fan, too bad he didnt get to homeplate.
the pics on the Daily News site are funny, I thought that whole thing was hysterical…and Yankee fans were like, how dare he disrespect the House that Ruth Built…the same House that Ruth Built that they are tearing down….
hA would have been even better if he had a santana jersey on under that gown… not that hank needs to be reminded any more…
they always say that the fans should voice their displeasure by not going to the games so i won’t pay to go to another game at shea until willie is gone or this team turns it around. and i don’t see the team turning it around under willie
The funny thing about this is that I read somewhere Willie Randolph’s brother actually pays attention to fans reaction to Willie, and he may actually be a Metblog reader…
if only
I think his brother posts on the screen name NY Cuban….lmao
Thanks cyclone…I definitely needed that laugh today.
No problem, we all have to laugh to keep from crying at this team sometimes lol
“Randolph needed to come out and argue Alou’s ejection when it happened. And if he also got thrown out, so much the better. Jerry Manuel might have actually taken Aaron Heilman out once it was clear that Heilman was unraveling. ”
Best thing I just read in the Daily News…
HE IS FAR FROM THE NEW YORK KIND OF GUY HE CLAIMS TO BE
my take on Willie is that he is at minimum a distraction, and probably should go soon if the team does not start clicking.
And no, I can’t tell you who should get the job (I would go with Oberkfell), alhtough Mazz would be fine. Honestly, I don’t think they will do any worse, but could do a bit better, ut at least it will be a breath of fresh air, and take some of the pressure off.
Omar also should continue his recent actions to try and stabalize the pen. Muniz and Kunz should be the next guys up. Like someone said above, why keep drafting relievers, if you don’t plan to ever use them?
Castillo, especailly if he has been having knee pain all year, should just go on the DL so he can rest and rehab. Hey, we have him for 4 years, so no need to rush! At least if he hits the DL, they can get someone up that can play to give them a full bench (and eliminate the need to have Easley out there everyday).
What kind of kills me is that the Willie Protection Patrol (copyright Mikey_FF) gets annoyed at the Willie bashing on the site, and is like well, who can we get that’s going to be better than Willie? Truth is, we don’t know who if the next manager is going to be better than Willie. But we do know that over the course of the last 162 games, the Mets are a .500 team, and they should be better than that. They have too much talent not to be. People say the manager doesn’t make a difference, it’s the GM. Well, one step at a time….but for now, and for the past year, this team has needed an attitude adjustment. It’s just time for new blood at the helm. If the ship continues to spiral downward, then you fire Omar. But you can’t let things get too out of control before you decide to make a move with Willie. Don’t be 10 games back and fighting for a wild card spot. Make it early.
I for one am not on the “Fire Willie” bandwagon. Personally, I felt he shouldn’t have been allowed to come back after overseeing their historic collapse in September. I mean you don’t give the captain of the Titanic another cruise ship to drive – do you?
That said, Omar made the call on keeping Willie and sold it to the owners. I didn’t agree with the decision, but I support Willie and Omar during this season. However, if things don’t pan out then you have to re-evaluate and the truth is that if the Mets don’t make the World Series or at the very least have a competitive series in the NL Championship series then Willie has to go and maybe even Omar.
I don’t buy that the Mets need a firey manager because Larry Bowa was firey and the Phillies didn nothing until Larry Manuel, a manager in the Willie mold, came on. Still, Willie’s in-game gaffes cost this team at least 4-5 games a season, which in the grand scheme of things can be the differences between playoffs and early vacations.
As for Omar, yes, he got Pedro, Beltran, and Wagner. But those 3 were had because we outspend everybody. True, you have to give credit to his recruiting skils, but in the end they followed the money.
As for the trades for Delgado and Lo Duca? They were salary dumps and we offered the most prospects. We bought on the cheap.
I do give him credit for his tenacity in going after Johan, which paid off. I do give him credit for getting John Maine. However, I think people give him too much credit for Perez, which was sheer luck. He was willing to spin Perez to the Padres for Linebrink, but they backed out and we got stuck with Perez. Thankfully he blossomes – soft of – but Omar was going to trade him so he doesn’t get much credit for him being here.
I think the real indictment of Omar has to be his handling of money and his staff’s lack of development.
Giving 3 year contracts to middle relievers is not a good use of money since middle relief is such a volatile market. You never know what you get from year to year.
You don’t give 4 year contracts to speedsters with bad kneees. Castillo’s contract is terrible. The benefit he may provide does not outweigh the risk and dollars.
You don’t give 2 year guaranteed deals to 40-plus year old pitchers with a history of breaking down (i.e., El Duque).
You don’t give 2 year deals to 46 year old pinch-hitters who can’t play a position more than 1st base (i.e., Julio Franco).
As for development, where is it? If Omar was a farmer, we’d starve. He is supposed to be this great scout, but we got nothing in the farm system. He’ll state that the strength of the farm is evidenced by Johan’s trade and how we were able to trade prospects for him. True, but Gomez and Humber were drafted or signed prior to Omar getting here.
charlie manuel is in the willie mold? dunno about you but when he almost fought a reporter (right before the phillies turned it on early last year) i didn’t say to myself, yeah that’s a page out of the willie playbook.
yeah, I think Manuel has a bit of fire. And Bowa’s dominant characteristic is not that he’s firey. It’s that he’s a jerk and people can’t stand him after a while. You can be firey and not be a jerk.
Omar has made some strides with the pitching staff, but its one step forward, two steps back. He has not been able to assemble a championship-caliber staff thus far and this more than anything is holding this team back.
Not easy to do of course, but he has not gotten it done in this regard.
Suck it up, Mets fans! Good always triumphs over evil!
Just testing the machinery…
Matt, please add Omar as a component to your future polls in terms of responsibility for the team’s record.
We may be in the minority, but there are many of us who feel Omar is primarily responsible for the team’s record.
I don’t know why Omar continues to get a free pass here on Metsblog. While most in the media point fingers at Wilie, some have rightly been pointing them at Omar.
it’s irrelevant. willie will lose his job before omar’s is questioned. the fingers will point at omar once his willie shield is removed.
No, it’s not irrelevant. Without the poll on Omar, the FO will get the false idea that the fans are okey dokey with Omar. Which is far from the truth.
The real problem is Omar.
I bet that no one gets fired during the season and that both him and Willie will be on the hot seat at season’s end. It’s not necessarily one goes before the other.
The FO needs to know how the fans really feel. Not a one-sided view.
Fire Willie
As a person, Willie seems like the kind of guy I’d really like, although not for the same reason most might think.
I’m a jazz musician, and Willie talks like a jazz musician. That’s silly, I know, but when I hear Willie talk, I’m thinking, Here’s a guy who (I bet) knows about Charlie Parker and John Coltrane and Miles Davis. Being into jazz is a little bit like belonging to a secret society, so whenever you see a fellow member, you feel a bond (Ron Darling, btw, is an extremely knowledgable jazz fan).
That said, he’s not cutting it. He’s gotten a chance and it’s not worked out. This season a repeat of 2005–win one, lose one, win two, lose two–only that ‘05 team didn’t have nearly as much talent. There’s tons of talent here, now. The personnel has gotten better, but the leadership is demonstrably worse.
At this point, I don’t think the outcry for his firing matters much. I’m sure the Wilpons are actively considering his replacement. It’s just a matter of time. Luckily, no one else in the division got off to an ‘84 Tigers-like start, so we’ll probably hang-in there until a change is made. I just wish they’d do it soon, because games like last night ain’t good on my middle-aged heart.
…unless you think i have magic powers and know in advance that the Mets will play well only on Mondays and Wednesdays, there is no conspiracy theory here…
You have the Biff Tannen sports almanac, don’t you? I knew it….
The “approval” polls are kind of a pointless exercise, in my view, but if people like them, Matt likes them, and the Mets’ marketeers like them, play on. The bullpen poll in a later post was kind of interesting, though. I can’t believe it, but I voted for Schoeneweis, a guy I wanted cut. Ikes.
Ken Oberkfel has paid his dues….he has rode the busses in our minor league systems for nearly a decade…with championships and manager of the year awards to show for it….sadly he knows many of these players better than Willie….I dont want Herzog…but sure like someone who played for him…Whitey use to first and third you to death…there was always life on those teams….they were fun to watch….and they would scare you because no lead was safe…the Mets are boring even when they win….Willie is boring….shows no loyalty to his players (any body know how many times Willie has been tossed in his tenure?)
ONE LAST NOTE: WE WENT TO OUR LAST 2 WORLD SERIES WITH OUR FORMER AAA MANAGERS (VALENTINE AND JOHNSON)
willie had no managing experience when he was hired
and it shows
oberkfell is the guy
I used to like but it’s slowly fading. Heliman in that situation you could pretty much give the Nats that run before he came looked into Schneider. you knew he was scoring, it’s time for Heilman to go. Hey amybe we can bring up one of our minor league managers and send Willie down to work things out!
Hopefully WIllie doesn’t play the B Line-up I think todays game is going to be a must needed when before heading to the Bronx. we can not have a losing homestand against the two worst NL teams
sorry for the lack of editing.. i guess boo me too. Bottom-line. Lets Win today and get some momentum before heading across town. oh, and bring up a Minor league manager and send Willie and Heilman down to work things out.
Hey Matt,
I think you should expand you coverage on former players and managers. How about using your pull and do a few articles on ex mets we haven’t heard from in a while.
After watching the “Zen of Bobby V” I’m really interested to find out what Bobby V’s future is. Does he ever want to manage again in the MLB, does he follow some of his former teams. How does he feel about his time in New York/ the Wilpons. When does his contract expire. What are his thoughts on Japanese baseball fans compared to to MLB fans.
PLease please do this piece. It at the very least will clear up all this recent Bobby V talk. Seems like he is having a tough year with his Chiba Marines.. How do his fans deal with success and then a year of failure?
ok…hotshot..If you fire Willie, which I am 50/50 on..then who to replace him?
yeah, agree
Can you maybe incorporate the Responsibility poll as part of the Post-game recap? …since that is done on a consistent basis.
Thanks for the response and keep up the great site…you know how many phone calls it would take to get out this frustration without your site.
Please don’t post that after each game!
Too many crazies on here.
I’m not a willie supporter – but that’s asking for pure emotional responses.