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…i took most of today off, and did not 
watch the game…instead, i listened to it on the radio, while running in and out of a few appointments with my wife…
…each time i caught the score, i could just sense the doom and gloom bubbling up around Shea Stadium…
…sure enough, i get back in the car, flip on the radio in time to hear, “1–0 Nationals,” and i could only shake my head…
…seriously, i was speechless…
…i just can’t believe they dropped three of four to the Nationals…i really can’t…i mean, collectively this site’s readership agreed that 5–2 would be an acceptable home stand before playing the Yankees…the Mets went 3–4…against the Reds and Nats…
…to say the pressure is on this weekend, in the Subway Series, which is basically a public relations war for the affection of the New York media, would be an understatement…
…fact is, the Mets have essentially been a .500 team since last summer…and, frankly, i’m getting edgy…and judging by your reaction, management’s reaction and the team’s reaction, i am not alone…
…i’m trying real, real hard to stay positive, which should not be difficult since the team is just inches from first place, but it is…
…if i owned the team, my biggest concern right now would be that fans will begin tuning out because of frustration and a lack of fun…sure, there are plenty of organizations and fan bases who would embrace a .500 team…we, however, as Mets fans, have been led to believe this organization would be better than that…which is not to say they still cannot be…but after last season, when we felt like we were sold a false bill of goods day in and day out last September, it makes it that much harder to stay tuned in today because it feels like the same script is being replayed…
…fortunately, you and i are total die hards, so we’re not really going any place…but, i cannot say the same for other fans…
…i will continue to believe this team can turn it around…however, to do so, some changes may need to occur because .500 is not going to hack it…
What a letdown today…a major opportunity wasted against the Nats.
As much as I hate to say this, Willie will be gone within two weeks unless we can get to 5 over .500.
You want to give Randolph another two weeks? Come on, we know everything we need to know about Randolph and this club after a quarter of the season together: they are a bad fit.
If the Wilpons were decisive they would put Randolph out of his misery tonight.
I’d give him the next 10 games. Come home from a winning road trip and Willie gets to keep his job (provided the Mets don’t follow it up with a .500 or worse homestand). Anything less than a winning road trip and he should be fired.
It really is ridiculous everytime I see Willie Randoplh give another depressing speech i just want to crack him in the face, I mean is it me or does it sound like he gives the same speech over-and-over again everytime the mets lose, and hell even when they win he sounds depressed he should be gone. I wanted him outta here ever since he came to the mets, I’m a mets fan so why do we always get washed up yankee managers they sicken me I Hate the yankees so please don’t bring in another Yankee manager!!
You know it’s bad when the normally even keel Cerrone is getting edgy….
“Even-keeled” is the adjective. “Even keel” is a noun. Whattaya expect from a former yankee catcher?
Groan @ the grammer police.
I hope you’re being ironic.
Agree, but Matt nailed it…I am personally in minor panic attack mode yest still hopeful that the team can start a winning streak.
We need one.
I hear you. This team is too talented to be playing like this. But I am dumbfounded as to what it will take to turn them around. I watch them take these listless at bats and it’s like ugh, do you even want to win anymore, or are you just showing up because you have to? It’s frustrating. I don’t go overboard on here like most other fans, but I have to admit, I can understand their frustration.
I agree with everything Matt said, but cyclone, you say that this is too talented a team to be playing like this. And I’ve agreed with that, and probably all mets fans have also. But maybe we are all wrong. Maybe, this team really is not that good. The problem is that just about everyone on the team at one point or another in their career has had an unbelievably amazing season. And if they all had another one at the same time, we’d be world champs. But in reality, maybe some of their “great” years were just flukes. Maybe they really are not that good. Wright is a good player and probably a great defensive player. But maybe he isn’t an amazing player. Reyes, well maybe he is just an average player, and so on. I love these guys and I’m not putting them down. I love Reyes and Wright and I hope I’m wrong and it’s just a bad year and the next 12 years they put up hall of fame numbers. But what if? What if we are all being fooled into believing that this is a great team and should be playing great and winning now? And maybe all we will ever get is a .500 team. That is unless something changes. And I think that something is Willie’s departure. We’ll see.
Agreed. Everyone talks about Willie not getting this team to over-achieve but maybe he has, in 2006. Some players over-achieving last year. On paper they look fine but in reality there are too many holes in that paper. Look closely at all the players on this team and see how many of them cant perform based on age, or injury, or inconsistancy. In reality they maynot be anything but a .500 team.
I’m with you, miker.
I think the frustration (exemplified best, by the booing) percolating amongst Mets fans is one of disappointment. I, like you, thought the world of this team before the horrific collapse last year. I attributed it to just bad luck, a fluke. Once we got Johan, I started saving pennies for PLAYOFF tickets. I thought, for sure we were ticketed to the World Series.
This year has got me thinking differently. Like you said, maybe this team just isn’t as ‘talented,’ as we all once believed. Every 2, 3, 4 game winning streak will continue to titillate my hopes but 40 games is a quarter of the season (25%) and if that sample isn’t big enough then I don’t know what is. Whether Willie gets the boot, or not, the talent on this team might be revealing itself to be problematic for ANY manager…
No, I definitely hear what you guys are saying. But I look at this team (on paper at least) and I see -
The cornerstones of the franchise in Reyes and Wright, who still have not hit their prime.
In my humble opinion, the best centerfielder in the majors, in his prime.
A Cy Young winner in his prime in Santana.
One of the top closers in the game in Wagner.
A great young pitcher in Maine, and a young fireballer (even if he is inconsistent) in Perez. Pelfrey is also looking like he may be righting the ship.
A good defensive catcher and a guy playing better than we thought in Church.
What was advertised as great strengths in the bench and middle relief.
Even without Pedro or Duque, this was still good enough to win the division. So I am sitting here like, WTF happened? I mean, I try to keep it all in perspective, and I keep a good sense of humor about this team because, it is just baseball, but like I said, I am just wondering, for a team that was a basehit away from the World Series 2 years ago, not to mention one of the most exciting teams to watch, how and why they have morphed into this listless, not to mention boring, team over the past year or so? As a Met fan for 28 of my 33 years, It’s disheartening.
Oh well, at least I will always have the memory of 1986. Some of you guys on here don’t even have that, except on Mets Classics….
I still have memories of 69
cyclone
i think you have overlooked overlooked one major flaw that is at the root of this teams hitting woes: the lack of a true clean up hitter who puts fear into the heart of pitchers.
By saying this I am not attacking Beltran but pointing to the glaring fact that Delgado is not doing the job he was brought here to do and that there is no other bat in the lineup that approaches that quality.
If there were I think it would improve many of the other hitters.
While Wright and Beltran are streaky very good hitters with pop they are not true clean up hitters.
The bench and some other bullpen spots are sketchy at best.
Matt, imagine if you missed the only no hitter in Mets history
impossible….the Mets weren’t gonna score in this one if Pelfrey had thrown 21 no-hit innings
At this point, I think he’d have gladly signed up for that with the way this one actually ended.
Mr. Cerrone, this club has played sub .500 (74-75) baseball since June 1, 2007. I see no reason to believe they will turn it around. Can you please write what it is that gives you hope, or is it just blind faith?
…Because it’s a long season?
JDuelz, are you suggesting the length of a season has some bearing on the belief that the Mets will stop playing poorly, especially when they have played poorly over the course of 150 games?
and they should have decent starting pitching
read between the lines
specifically the last three lines
The Mets are a good offensive team if Reyes is Reyes and Wright hits in the clutch and Beltran drives in runs and Church keeps surprising us. The two major problems I see why this team won’t be anything more than a 500 ball club is No. 1………Willie Randolph – he has to go, the team has stopped playing for him. No. 2………………………Delgado is washed -up. You can not have your so-called clean-up hitter (even though he is now batting 6th or 7th he is still your clean-up hitter) hitting 200 and barely getting the ball out of the infield. He is a major clog to this offense and this offense will never reach it’s full potential with him killing rally after rally. Unfortunately there is no real solution to the Delgado problem so this is why I think this team is just a 500 ball club. Hey, this is not new, they’ve been playing 500 ball since last June! That’s enough body of work to come to that conclusion.
I feel the same way, Matt. I’ve never been an advocate of “Fire Willie” scenario, but last night and today may have pushed me over that cliff. Since we can’t seem to put a finger on exactly WHY this teams has been failing, since they are failing on SO MANY levels, I’m starting believe the manager may be the one to blame. As for the fanbase tuning out, I know I will be this weekend, and we’ll see where it goes from there. I refuse to subject myself to misery all summer. And it’s a shame, because for 20 years, with my expectations low, I’ve always been able to enjoy the game. But with heightened expectations the past 2 years, it’s nothing but sickening disapointment.
the words “first place” should be banned from the mets locker room and organization at large
much like eric mangini banned the use of “playoffs” in 2006
if we learned ANYTHING from last year, it’s that the standings don’t matter
we cannot control what the rest of the division does when we aren’t playing them
I was a willie fan, but this is unacceptable. Even f it isn’t his fault: we can go .500 with him we can go .500 without him. This is awful. You can’t go 3-4 against the reds and nats
Right now, the Mets are a very mediocre team. If their players step up and perform to their capabilities, they’ll be better than mediocre. Whether that will be good enough to make the playoffs remains to be seen. Finally, how about a round of applause for New York’s baseball teams. The New York Metropolitans (20-19, tied for 3rd place in NL East pending tonight’s Phillies-Braves game) will head to Yankee Stadium tomorrow to face the New York Yankees (20-22, last place in AL East).
They have been 500 for a year
you’re right. they have been mediocre for the past year. maybe, we’ve all overestimated how talented this group is.
I’m a huge Reyes fan but he’s regressed, Castillo has bad knees and a terrible contract. Wright has been inconsistent (he used to be the one thing we could always count on). Beltran is hitting below .240. Alou has played 2.5 months out of the last 6 months. Church has actually outperformed expectations. Delgado has declined and is really a streaky hitter (his entire Met career has been one good month followed by one bad month; unfortunately his good is no longer what it used to be and his bad is worse than it used to be). Schneider has been solid but missed time due to nagging injuries. Overally, the offense really isn’t there.
As for our pitching, outside of Santana and Maine, the remaining starters have been mediocre (with the exception of a few outings by each of Pelfrey, Figueroa and Perez). The bullpen has been good in some spots (Wagner, Smith, Schoeneweis) and terrible in other spots (Sosa and Heilman).
The sum total is a mediocre team. While I think it may be time for Willie to be fired, the really frustrating thing is that I don’t think it will make a difference. The players play hard and want to win but most of them don’t take losing hard enough. As a result, they get dressed after games and go home without being held accountable in front of the media. The only thing that might wake these players up is the fear of losing their jobs and I just don’t see that happening.
i totally agree, as i posted up above a very similar comment
Bravo
Wait a second. Jose Reyez, David Wright, Carlos Beltran. Johan. Thesse are parenial all stars. We need someone like Bobby V
Just sickening. This whole homestand has ruined my week. Cranky, dyspeptic, morose. This team needs wholesale changes at the top. If I were the Wilpons, I’d fire Willie and the whole coaching staff. Yes, that will be tough logistically, but it can be done.
To add insult to injury they are replaying the game on SNY. You can see a replay of the lifeless Mets. Just in case you think Willie is doing a fine job. NO LIFE MEANS HE HAS TO GO……
No team unity. The manager is supposed to bring these guys together. This is not the case here.The team is not having fun and it shows. Willie’s going to take a big hit here and I don’t think the Yankee series will help him. The key to his downfall was when he told Reyes to tune it down. I’ll say it over and over.
Schmoozer on a roll. Just called Willie Art Howe.
Ouch
Could have been worse. Could have called him Ray Handley.
LOL
I have only 1 question……ALOU played 1 inning!………….Why wasn’t he in the line up today?
I don’t even know what to do with myself.
I’m sure it’s the same with many of you, but my heart and soul is with the Mets. What I mostly want is just some hope for a few months each year that my team has a shot and it all. I haven’t felt this hopeless this early in a season in a decade. But even then, the Mets were fun to watch. We just didn’t have the talent to win it all. This year, and last year, the Mets have the talent. They’re just doing nothing with it.
I’ve said many times on this website that I’ve always been a Mets fan and I’ll always be a Mets fan. But there’s one thing I’m about to proclaim for the first time ever…
FIRE WILLIE!!!
Fire Willie!
Anyone remember when Leyland ripped his team in ‘06 for playing pretty much like the Mets are now. That team responded immediately. Mangers play a large role in the mental make up of a team, and as an individual on a team. Its always hard to say goodbye to a manager, but this seems to be necessary.
the players dont seem to care, willie randolphs move dont infer that he seems to care so y should we?
Every damn Met fan has to calm down. Since game 1 it’s all about last year, though all i heard was last year is over when Johan came. Stop with the fire willie after they lose 1 game. This was a disgraceful week, but after 40 games, you cannot fire a manager who’s team is 2 games behind a bad marlins team. The met fans have been a disgrace this year too. Maybe Aaron Heilman would be doing better if you idiots didn’t boo him on Opening Day. How bout booing the Teflon 3b. DAVID WRIGHT STINKS! GIVE ME THE LAST BIG HIT HE HAS GOTTEN? .160 WITH RISP!
“Maybe Aaron Heilman would be doing better if you idiots didn’t boo him on Opening Day.”
i can’t believe people seriously believe and post sh*t like this
He is right about Mr. Wright lately, as much as that pains me to say.
mets fans suck, but we should boo david wright
in the same post? seriously? split personality disorder anyone?
Well, I was more referring to the fact about Wright stinking up the joint lately and amazingly dodging the fans wrath lately….he is Teflon Dave….
David Wright is always up in the MVP voting. Year after year.
Not if he keeps up his current pace…
The marlins are playing better than us right now. I consider myself a optimistic met fan and ive gotten over the collapse, but these games are frustrating and you cannot disagree with me that they are not. Vargas and Pelfry, two guys that you do not expect much from just gave back to back dominant pitching performances and we lost it for them. KEEP IN MIND ITS THE NATIONALS WE ARE GOING AGAINST…if im not mistaken the worst baseball team in the majors right now. We are losing and being embarrassed at home. Yes we are 2 games out of first but you have got to think about how fortunate we have been in regard to the other teams in the division. I have long given up my fight against the booing because frankly theres nothing anyone can do about it but at the same time i understand the frustration. Something is missing and i hope they find it before its too late.
Blame goes to:
Jose Reyes, who is having a pretty bad season.
Carlos Delgado, who is having a terrible season.
Omar Minaya, for the Castillo deal.
Aaron Heilman, for pitching terribly all season long.
Willie Randolph, for not lighting a fire under these guys.
And the Gods of injury, for yet again pointing their fickle finger of fate at a few of our key players.
I am the most optimistic Met fan around, and today just flat out sucks.
I agree matt. I have tried to stay positive and defend this team but its getting hard to do. Yesterdays game was hard enough but this one was a complete heart breaker. They say the game isnt fair, but this is too much. Pelf pitched his guts out there and what do we reward him with…an L. Its the same story different day with this team. I have no idea how to fix it and im running out of excuses. Its still a long season but these heart break games have got to stop. Im almost glad the no no didnt happen so we wont live with the embarrassment that this kid pitched one but couldnt get the win. I didnt see the game but if carrying a no no through 7 was not enough to inspire this squad then truly i dont know what will. Im getting a bit fustrated with this team and something has got to change…the fans deserve better. I truly do not even care about the subway series anymore to be honest, we got enough problems at home that we dont really need to entertain our inferiority complex with the yankees. Right now we need to focus on getting back on the right track. I mean the marlins scored 6 runs in the ninth inning to tie a game…its been 2 days straight that we needed less than half of that to tie and we couldnt get it done. WE CANNOT AFFORD TO KEEP PISSING AWAY GOOD PITCHING PERFORMANCES ONE AFTER ANOTHER. I hope they start looking around the league and find out what they are missing……..
DAVID WRIGHT STINKS! I LOVE THE GUY BUT H HAS GOTTEN A COMPLETE PASS!
He far from stinks. Streaky is the better term, and yes he does seem to get a free pass. I believe that is at the result of always giving interviews and being a voice for the team and that tends to distract criticism from him. He also plays hard out in the field diving for balls and trying to be a leader. Cut him some slack.
Frankly, there wasn’t a single good baseball reason to bring Willie back after the Choke. Whatever Willie has or doesn’t have as a Major League Baseball manager, it was all on display for everyone to see last season. He’s iffy at best on the X’s and O’s skills and has basically zero effective clubhouse and dugout motivational skills. Maybe he’ll do a Joe Torre and learn to become a better manager 3 or 4 teams later 15 years from now, but the New York Mets with this roster and team salary level should not be serving as Willie Randolph’s apprenticeship years of hard knocks.
as far as heilman, dont laugh it off because as fans you should support your team when its a fresh start and 2 years ago it was booing Beltran on O.D and this year Scho and Heil. Mets fans have been a disgrace all season
I agree with you about the booing, ive never booed nor support it. That said i know you can agree that heilman has not been himself as of late. He has been given various chances to get his confidance back and time after time he has failed to do so. While i agree some met fans are rediculous, but to say that we have been a disgrace is a bit much…I think we deserve a better product….loosing a 4 game series to the nats…..talk about an eye opener….at least i hope it is.
METS08WSCHAMPS-
Is it ok to boo NOW?
Mets are playing to the level of the teams they play. I am optimistic but that doesn’t mean these games don’t hurt, ouch. Willie cannot lite a fire under a team when he doesn’t show any! Sorry Pelf for the non-support.
When the people before you and after you on the lineup stink, you better believe you won’t see anything good to hit.
It annoys the hell out of me when I hear that Willie has to come out of the dugout and kick dirt to fire up his team. What a joke. How many times did Joe Torre do that and how many W.S Titles did he win? What should Willie do when Alou gets tossed last night? Go out and argue what?
Agree, not going to do squat for this team’s chemistry. What we need is players that play the game as if they wanted to kick some serious a$$. We need players that want to beat the crap out of the water cooler, turn over tables and break their bats when they fail to execute. We don’t need these pretty, rich, and spoiled LOSERS!
Different teams, different players. Not complicated.
Team is at a seriously scary low point right now, kind getting the “spiraling out of control” feeling going on.
There NEEDS to be some sort of shake up. Somebody on the front office needs to do something to show these players how much they want a championship this year.
Or do they?
Willie deserves a lot of blame but it comes down to this with me. You remove Willie, I’m not sure this team improves. This leads me to feel that the problems with this team go far beyond Willie.
This team needs an enema. I’m just not sure where the hose should go.
Metaphorically accurate!
Willies done, no way he survives barring a dramatic turnaround over the next 4 weeks or so. They will do it just before the ASB I bet.
But I agree, I don’t think it will make a difference. I also don’t think the players don’t care or any of that, key players are slumping and the pen has been erratic. I think it makes you look like a dead club.
I think we will have the answer soon enough though. And if things aren’t better by the deadline, Omar should make some bold moves to either restock the farm or get ready for a run in 09. That could include some difficult and unpopular moves.
Excellent metaphor.
Also, I agree that firing Willie may not be the solution. But if it isn’t the solution after we can Willie, then that just proves that the hose should next go into Omar.
Juuuu know what I’m sayin’?
I can dig it
Fire in the belly when with the team before or after games, not on the field, sheesh!
Read the following carefully:
“I learned that history is shaped by the use of power, and that different people, leading the same army, with, therefore, approximately the same power, applied it so differently that the army seemed to change from a pack of noble fools at Fredericksburg to panicked cowards melting away at Chancellorsville, then to the grimly determined, stubborn soldiers who held the ridges at Gettysburg, and then, finally, to the disciplined, professional army that ground Lee to dust in Grant’s long campaign.
It wasn’t the soldiers who changed. It was the leader.”
– Orson Scott Card, remarking on the Union’s struggle to find a leader capable of defeating Lee in the Civil War.
If Willie must go, then there must be a manager that we believe is more capable of turning these “noble fools” into a “disciplined, professional, army”….who is that?
GARY CARTER!
oh god no. that would be a mistake, I’m sorry. His teamates hated him and found him self centered and insecure, I don’t need Orson scott whoever to tell me he is not a leader
To clarify:
In context, Card believe that a “magnificent army” was already present, but a capable leader was still needed….If we believe that Reyes in merely a mediocre ballplayer, that Beltran will hit 15 HRs and bat .220, then I guess this may not apply.
Felipe Alou is the best IMO amongst the non-working managers currently. He would command instant respect in that clubhouse. It’s a no-brainer! Nobody else out there (jobless) has the resume Alou has.
Felipe Alou is still alive?
Good call, I’m on board with Felipe Alou.
showalter?
Moises Alou as player-manager.
Yea I could go with Showalter. He’s kinda been blacklisted since Arizone but I think he’s a better manager than Willie. I think Alou would have a better repoire with the latin players.
Other managers who I’d like to see but unfortunately they are under contract with other teams.
Ron Gardenhire (ex-met) would be my number one choice
Bruce Bochy (currently stuck with crappy giants roster)
Bobby Valentine (loves Japan too much to leave)
Here are Alou’s Managerial Stats.
Team Year Regular Season Post Season
Won Lost Win % Finish Won Lost Win % Result
MON 1992 70 55 .560 2nd in NL East - - - -
MON 1993 94 68 .580 2nd in NL East - - - -
MON 1994 74 40 .649 1st in NL East - - - -
MON 1995 66 78 .458 5th in NL East - - - -
MON 1996 88 74 .543 2nd in NL East - - - -
MON 1997 78 84 .481 4th in NL East - - - -
MON 1998 65 97 .401 4th in NL East - - - -
MON 1999 68 94 .420 4th in NL East - - - -
MON 2000 67 95 .414 4nd in NL
East - - - -MON 2001 21 32 .396 5th in NL East - - - -
SFG 2003 100 61 .621 1st in NL West 1 3 .250 Lost to Florida Marlins
SFG 2004 91 71 .562 2nd in NL West - - - -
SFG 2005 75 87 .463 3rd in NL West - - - -
SFG 2006 76 85 .472 3rd in NL West - - - -
Total 1033 1021 .503 1 3 .250 -
Mostly with bad Montreal teams. Yes i am opening campaigning for alou. Later Willie!
lincoln went through two or three generals before he found the right one. he made a change, unsure of the result, because he was sure what he had wasn’t the solution.
Part of that was because Robert E. Lee was so badass.
Of course, that’s what they teach me here in VA at least.
I can’t believe someone is quoting Orson Scott Card on this blog. He is a horrible, horrible writer.
And comparing baseball to a war is really just beyond the pale. I think I am through reading comments on this blog.
Good point, baseball is far more important than war!
I just got home from the game and I can’t believe I subjected myself, my son, or my wife to that torture.
3 tickets, $115…gasoline for the long ride to Shea, $50…toll over the Whitestone Bridge (both ways) $10…parking, $15…4 hotdogs, 2 pretzels, and 3 ice creams, $45…watching this team perform like lifeless dogs and squander a 2 hitter by (of all people) Mike Pelfrey……
ABSOLUTELY F**KING PRICELESS!!!!
Enjoy my money Fred and Jeff!!!
I truly, truly feel your anger. I bought my dad a season ticket plan as a retirement gift this year, and its been no fun at all.
I think you hit the nail on the head Sunset. This team is simply not fun at all to watch or even follow. It’s a flat, joyless team and watching them play is like watching a Snuff film…..only a real sick bastard would take joy in watching.
what was the atmosphere like today at Shea?
Well, early on it was real quiet, there wasn’t much to cheer about, except Pelfrey, but as the game wore on the crown was getting restless…Willie was booed pretty good when he vcame to get Pelfrey in the 8th and Reyes heard it good too after that stupid, STUPID base running mistake in the bottom of the 8th. Then the crown was loud and pulling hard for the team to pull this game out in the 9th. It got pretty loud after Flores threw the ball in to CF and allowed Beltran to reach 3rd with one out. Then, well the end of the game was kinda like a bullet to the head, instant death. I don’t think the fans knew what to do after the DP that ended it, I didn’t. There was a little disbelief that it was over.
And for all those reasons, thats why I go to minor league games. Cheaper, closer to the field, and you know the players out there are giving it 100% all the time.
Problem is we have players who are USED to losing, getting paid insane money (Beltran, Delgado) Delgado is used to losing, he couldn’t do anything more to help the Blue Jays, never went anywhere. When you’re used to losing, its just another day at the park.
Here are some of the issues: Reyes looks lost at the plate. Heilman looks lost on the mound. When Delgado has to bunt to get a hit, that’s not a good sign. When your starting pitchers gives up one run in 7 ins each (Vargas/Pelf) that is unacceptable. When you leave more men on base then you have actual hits, that’s a problem.
DW might be in the MVP running by the end of the season but we are in May and those rbi’s look good, they came in clumps, and his risp is bad and look at what RH pitching is doing to him, just eating him up and pleny of k’s. He is one of my favorite Mets but when you are bad you tell the person and you work on it, not say in a few months he’ll be ok. Yet the current season is slowly leaking down the pipe. How many games out did we finish last year? All these games count. Even if your players are not hitting for high avg yet they get timely hits, 69 Mets, or hits with risp then you can handle the low avg and ops. There are other teams that last year scored less than they gave up yet had the best record in NL, Snakes!
No excuses just more concentration, every AB counts guys.
all i want to hear is carlos delgado say “Im not doing what I get paid to do” or some type of accountability…. I don’t boo the guy, but its as if he thinks to himself its because of those stupid fans this is happening
Delgado is done. FINISHED. He has a hip impingement, which is a precursor to arthritis. Will probably need hip replacement sometime in his near future. I am absolutely sure his hip bothers him everyday. Just like Jeff Bagwell didn’t want to retire because of a bad shoulder, Delgado will stay as long as he can, even if it means hurting his team’s chance of making the playoffs.
We can’t wait any longer. This team is in a complete downward spiral on and off the field. Its brought to our attention again today how divided the clubhouse seems to be. The once great chemistry this team had is completely gone and this team is completely lost.
How quickly things can change. Seemed like just yesterday I was walking out of Shea stadium with the feeling of hope and optimism. The feeling like this was going to be our chance at a World Series and a chance to finally stand side by side with Yankee fans.
There is a cancer on this team. I don’t know if its a player or players or manager or whatever but something has destroyed this team from inside. Omar needs to fix this right now or he is the one to blame. We’ve been screaming foul for almost a year now and you haven’t been listening. Omar Do you even know your own team?
Its sad that Omar let this go unchecked for this long. If the end of last season was rock bottom, then I’m not sure what this is?
I just can’t believe Omar let this get to this point.. You were well aware of the problems last season and you turned a blind eye. These things do not fix themselves.
The team from the 80’s had its fair share of issues but when it came down to it,,, right down to it,, they had each others back. They played for each other.
Didn’t Keith and Darryl get in a huge fight at a team photo session or something? and I’m sure the very same night they drank Buds together.
Maybe its the language barrier? Maybe the latin guys and american guys don’t hang out enough. I don’t know,, its not our job to know these things.
Divide in the cluhouse? did I miss something?
if there wasn’t one before, there might be one now
I see now, sorry, wags had some more to say.
interesting, no doubt.
Its hard to watch these games.
Big deal , they fire Willie (I hope) but they’ll just give the job to Manuel to appease all the hispanics Omar and his cronies have brought here.
But as ANY REAL FAN KNOWS they are a boring, disgraceful, pathetic, putrid team because of ALL THE BAD FANS BOOING.
This team has no heart, guts or desire. They don’t care because Omar and Benazard have their backs covered and the Wilpons just sit there and watch this pathetic display. At least the Yankee owners open their mouth when they see garbage and hold the players accountable. But the bunch of whinning overpaid babies cry because the fans boo. The poor babies, maybe they should take their millions and go home. Or better yet maybe they should only let the clapping fans into Shea.
Wiillie must go
Omar and his cronies must go
Delcrappo must go
Where are all the people around here who two weeks ago were saying Mets fans shouldn’t boo?
Where are all the people who said that it was too early to worry?
Guess they climb back in the same holes they were in last September.
I just wish when they do that they would take Randolph with them.
I’m still here. We may not be good enough to win the world series, but the playoffs are not out of reach. We are what, three games out of first? Who to say we dont make a good mid-season trade or call-up that puts us over the top. Its still too early in my book, frustrating, but too early to abandon all hope.
That’s a severe lowering of expectations though. This is the team that was supposed to be good enough to win the NL (at the least) and now we’re down to “well, we can make a good mid-year trade”?
I’m a Willie supporter, not a basher but this team needs a kick in the butt. Time to send a message. Sending Figgy and Sosa down did crap. I think Willie’s job is all but decided at this point but there is no way they fire him right before the Yankees series.
I don’t know who the answer is but Willie’s style won’t work anymore.
I am DEFINITELY not in panic mode. I still think this is the Mets division to lose but this team NEEDS a message. Thanks for 2005 & 2006 Willie but you need to be in a smaller market with a team with less expectations. I think the decision comes before Memorial Day.
one final point. I blame the players and not Willie but they can’t fire the players.
A month ago, some people were upset because I and some others were calling for Willie’s head. There were many “it’s too early,” and “it’s only 10 games” and “give this team a chance,” comments.
Well, the season is now 25% done and the team is still playing .500 ball, still playing without passion, still making the same mistakes. As well, the manager still appears clueless, the players still don’t play hard for him and he’s still giving the same excuses in post-game press conferences.
Is it late enough now to make a change? My guess is Mets fans will look back at the end of the year and wish Willie had been fired right away. After all, it wasn’t like he was knew and we didn’t know what we were watching day in and day out.
I don’t know/ It’s not Willie’s fault that Delgado sucks. It’s not Willie’s fault that beltran gets doubled off to end the game. I can go on.
I just read and watch Billy Wagner and I want a manager like that for this team.
Willie is what he is. The Mets have the talent but they are not performing for Willie. I have no ill will towards Willie. He is who he is and ownership knew that going into this. At this point, I would rather try to win with a Billy Wagner type manager.
The players wont play for a Wagner type manager. The players didnt want to play with him in Philly and he’s not making friends here telling it as he sees it. So they wont respect or listen to that type of personality as a manager.
Amen
First off, that was one of the most awful exhibits of baserunning in a game that I’ve ever seen. Forget about Reyes bonehead play at least he was trying to being aggressive but why weren’t Wright and Castillo especially running hard around the bases when Kearns dropped that ball, Castillo could have possibly scored on that play if he ran hard out of the box and Wright should have been on second. But the absolute worse was Beltran in the ninth. What the hell was that? Contact play, you can’t be running on contact on that play plain and simple. It’s hard to defend not firing Willie after the last two days but when is the man who put this team together going to get some heat? Omar has not got the job done, yea he has done some great things with Santana, Martinez, Beltran, etc., but this team is old for the most part, we have an awful minor league system – not signing players above slot in the draft has killed us the last three years , and how would Matt Lindstrom and Heath Bell be looking right now in our pen? Yea Willie manages but Omar is the architect and deserves just as much blame. You all want Willie gone, Omar should follow him out the door.
Simple solution:
1.) Fire Willie, see if team improves.
2.) If team impoves, it was the manager, no issue with Omar.
or 3.) If team doesn’t improve, it was a poorly constructed team, so you fire Omar as well.
Got to start with step one, though.
not going anywhere long run, but I tuned out today after the run was scored to go back to work, I didn’t move my schedule around to make it happen .. I didn’t argue as passionately with my wife who didn’t want to watch the whole game yesterday, and missed the beginning and end .. this team is definitely in jeopardy of losing my full attention at this point.
I agree, I’ve stopped watching when the other team is batting lately, even when Santana is pitching. I just turn it off, I prefer my bad news to come in one big clump as opposed to watch each run score.
mOOkie,
You, of all people, a fair-weather fan?? I am disheartened!
lol .. not giving up, this team just hasn’t made my usual obsession worthwhile.. They still can, and again, I haven’t given up, but it’s hard to argue for a depressing game. If the game is interesting and fun, my wife is all in, but if she sees heilman coming in, it’s all over ;)
I read on MLBtraderumors that the Rockies are considering trading Matt Holiday. The do not want MLB ready talent but low level high upside prospects. Not even that many.
What do you guys think about FMart, Neise, other A prospect and Heilman for Fuentes and Holiday?
Hoilday would give us that consistant everyday threat in the OF to go with Church. As for Alou he can stay and get some starts for Beltran and Church (Moving Church to CF and give Beltran a break).
Heilman could be a starter there and Fuentes is a FA at the end of the season but would give us a big lift in the pen.
Would this be too desperate?
No way! Look at his skewed home/road numbers in his career. No thanks!
Yeah, that’s not happening. At all. Plus Matt Holliday is a Coors Field player.
that deal qualifies as a no brainer.
Holliday instantly becomes their best position player (at least the best hitter, although he is great all around).
i consider myself a die hard mets fan.
but in reference to your point, matt, today i actually did reach the decision that it is time for me to start tuning out. at least to some degree.
i’ve maybe missed watching/listening to 10-15 games over the last 3 years.
but i’ve reached a point where i’ve realized that watching this team day in and day out thinking that maybe today is the day where they start playing the baseball we’ve all been led to believe that they’re capable of is a fool’s pursuit.
instead, i just feel angry and pissed off half the time (the days they lose), because this team is, as we all know, no better than a .500 team.
sure, i’ll continue to watch/listen to plenty of games, and i’ll watch the highlights/baseball tonight to see what happens in others.
but until this team proves to me that they can play good baseball for an extended stretch, then you can count me out of the daily ritual of reading metsblog and every paper in the city on a regular basis to track all the minutiae and making sure i’m home for 1st pitch or watching on mlb.tv when i’m not home, etc, etc.
i’ve been in the “fire willie” camp for a while now. as although i have nothing against the man personally, i just don’t see how given the way that this team has performed since really the ‘06 nlcs he is allowed to continue managing them.
no, i don’t think he’s to blame for the fact that aaron heilman couldn’t get a high schooler out right now. or that the offense is atrocious.
but at some point you have to do something to let players know that this lackadaisical attitude and effort comes with consequences.
maybe they continue to play this way under a new manager, maybe they don’t. maybe i’ll think a new manager is also horrible when it comes to strategy and doing things like running an occasional wheel play or benching guys if they can’t hit the ocean if they fell out a boat. then again, maybe they hire someone who can comprehend these things.
either way i think it’s clear that things aren’t going to change unless someone forces the changes on them.
when that happens, maybe they’ll start playing “like they are capable of” and then maybe i’ll be back…
Man, you dont tune out your team unless your kicking your dog too much! Stick with them through thick in thin, thats what being a fan is all about.
That’s what WE do. But most people, even in New York, are not like us. Why am I on a baseball blog at 8:30 on a Friday night? Well, I did just get home from Shea a little while ago, but the real reason is much more simple. I’m insane. I don’t even have a problem with that. And I’ll bet that everyone hanging around here tonight will still be here at the end of the season whether they make the playoffs or not. But most people aren’t like that. The organization knows they have our business, but there are way more casual observers out there, and they’re not a sure thing. And this is not an ownership that likes it when people lose interest and hurt them in the piggy bank.
Oh yeah, and it’s THURSDAY night. Well I did say I was insane. :)
Sorry AMS, I know it was only your first mistake but I got to bench you. I’ve got to spark the rest of the posters here somehow. It’s nothing personal.
lol
I don;t understand people who will “tune out: for awhile. I may loathe the manager and be negative towards the team at times, but I watch every inning. That’s what a fan does.
They are really hard to watch right now.
Wags comments are pretty troublesome, delgado has always been around when he does well, absent the rest of the time. Its nothing new. I wonder if he was calling anyone else out, we should find out as this will be talk-radioed to death.
I’m not jumping off any bridges, but I would imagine Omar has to do something. They are better than this, I don’t think there is any question. I’ve said before santana, maine, perez pedro and pelf is a pretty good 5 and they have to hit eventually.
at least I think they do
I’m not giving up on this team either since I’m a die hard fan. It’s just really tough to watch this year. They got so much talent on this team, and just a really pathetic manager. Maybe my expectations were too high this year.
The sky is falling; the darkness is descending; I’m losing all hope, and losing the ability to care about this overpaid and unenthused bunch of mediocrity. Nice hustle by Wright and Castillo on the fly to Kearns (sure it was supposed to be caught, but act like you care!). Wright didn’t even hustle out his next fly out, just looked disgusted with himself. I’m on the verge of giving up on this team. I gave up the last week of last season–I had no more enthusiasm left for them after hanging on every pitch through the 2006 postseason. Now my reserves are gone. Very glad I put off buying a lot of tickets for this year. Part of me wants them to really bottom out so that some serious changes are made. If they win 2 of 3 this weekend they’ll think everythigns fine, and the mediocrity will continue…
In typical Mets fashion the will win 2 of 3, maybe even sweep. But then we’ll catch the downside of the roller coaster and lose 5 of 6.
your right on.. they will win 2 of 3 from a last place injury depleted squad and he will still be here come monday.. And when they arrive back home from that road trip I will be at Shea with a sign as large as a scoreboard laying over the thousands of empty seats displaying my displeasure.
I don’t think its “The Mets division to lose” since they didn’t win it last year. It’s the Phillies division – cause Jimmy Rollins, no matter how much I dislike him, called it before the year started. Then not only won the division, but the MVP. Now Chase Utley is tearing up the league and theres not a Met in sight doing anything. I wish somehow Wags could do more. He has been outstanding this year, for the one guy I feel REALLY wants to win on this team, I can only imagine how pissed he gets watching Heilman and Co. blow these games before he can get in there and close it.
pressing, and feeling sorry for themselves. very young men being tested, not coming through it very well to this point.
If we boo’d every slumping player now every game would be one long boo.
I think you found the marketing slogan for the 07-08 Mets:
Your NY Mets: One Long Boo!
It’s sad because this could have and should have been a great day.
It was supposed to be cloudy with the probability of some showers and it ended up being a nice afternoon. Pelfrey flirted with history, and also got deeper into the game than he ever has in the majors. He was just great. And on a purely selfish level, I got some kickass pics of Gary, Keith, and Ron doing the broadcast nearby. This was a day that had so much potential, and instead it’s another kick in the gut. And it’s two straight games against the Nats where our starting pitchers get an L next to their name that they just plain don’t deserve.
I like Billy Wagner. He definitely has a point…..But in this city, That just made the pressure bounce higher a couple notches.
In the column with holliday, ti also mentions garret atkins who can play 1b? Cant get him here for delgado fast enough
Without reading any comments, to the post’s depressive tone: winning isn’t everything. If it was, we’d all be yankme fans, instead.
2005 was more fun, and we knew in all likelihood they weren’t going to win anything. But you never really knew what to expect. On so many nights they made the fans who left early look like fools. This year these games are over in the 7th inning for the most part whether we win or lose.
this team has had no spark since this time last year
and they don’t seem to care
perhaps to seem degree, there is a sense that this season doesn’t matter – it may be subconscious, watching Citi Field grow and loom, playing in a condemned building
in the back of your mind, this season doesn’t really count
well, we definitely want to make sure we are well positioned for the next few years, but who knows what type of team will win in the new building – we at least need to get to the postseason this year to start a trend
at least the team should show that they care – Willie pissed away yesterday’s game – that was inexcusable
fire him and the jacket, if he is the one who insists Heilman should be a reliever
and Heath Bell shouldn’t be
greta judge of talent…..
how did Kazmir do today?
The guy our wonderful pitching coach said wouldnt be a pitcher, won again today, beating the Yankees 5-2.
Hey Matt,
Believe this.. Willie needs to go Heilman needs to go Delgado needs to go! The season is over… yes, it’s over. Pathethic isn’t it? Stop thinking that is early… this team should have left everyone else behind by at least 5 games by now. It won’t happen until they start fresh…that means FIRING WILLIE!
Omar needs to make the change now… put the fans at ease and do it already.
You’ve all talked about the fans booing…now you understand why right>??? Right?
I feel for the Wilpons… they spent the cash and they get nothing in return but a major dissapointment. Willie’s gotta go!
I can’t believe some people still think that it’s realy.. what planet are you people in???????????
If the season is already over then why fire Willie? What’s the point of firing him, watching the games or even coming on here?
Good point. I’ve already stop watching… next step is not coming here…it will take me longer the ditch the blog though.
a few random thoughts:
1) It is about time for Willie to go. Just too many issues/distractions and dissension. Of course some questionable moves, but every manager makes them (and hindsight is 20-20). But mostly, a Manager has to control things, and willie seems to have lost the ability to do that.
Plus, the record speaks for itself.
2) Maybe connected to #1, but this team has to get its collective head out of its collective butt. If nothing else, hustle and play sound fundamental ball. Agian, not happening.
There need to be some tough decisions made soon on players. Including possibly deciding to cut bait with some more underacheivers (aka Delgado). ALready started with the pen.
Just please, don’t panic and trade whatever decent prospects are left for more old former big names. Either go with this group, and try to infuse some rookies in, or blow it up if possible and look to retool.
3) Doe sHeilman have options? Kunz and Muniz deserve a shot, so send him down and let him try starting. It just seems like time.
You know what everyone on this board sounds like?
Phillies fans, circa 365 days ago.
It was another day another tough loss another press conference where Cholly had no answers, sounds a lot like Randolph does now.
I live in Philly now so I remember every day they were calling for Cholly’s head after another lackluster start. It took a radio reporter getting in Manuel’s face during a post game press conference Manuel cursed him out left in a huff, later had to be restrained from punching the reporter in the clubhouse in front of his players.
The phils proceeded to take off like a rocket from then (they were 5-10 games under .500 at the time if I recall correctly).
Eddie C? Schmoozer? we’ll bail you outta jail, pick a fistfight with Randolph, it just might work!
Yeah, but none of that would have mattered if the Mets beat the teams they were supposed to beat.
All well and good about the manager firing that team up, but they had 3 MVP-caliber players. This team currently has maybe 1
i’m so pissed I misspelled EARLY!
did anyone else read that Alou was suprised that he didn’tplay today?
Maybe that was Willie sending a message to a “veteran” that if you are going to get thrown out in the first inning arguing a stupid call when your team needs you the most then you can just sit your normal day as well. You guys want him to come down on the veterans but maybe he does.
Again, don’t say I am an appologist because I want Willie gone too just to do something different. Not because he is at fault but to experiment.
Since June 1 of 2007 this has been a .500 team. That’s basically one full season of .500 ball. If the Mets had been a .500 team all year last year, Willie would have been fired. Time to make him go, now. And the jacket who presides over a pitching staff that loves to give out free passes.
And Omar needs to work the phones to dump some of these guys. Given how bad the division is, they could go with younger less experienced guys and still have a shot. There is no way this team as currently managed and put together has a shot at winning a post-season series even if they make it (unless the other team makes uncharacteristic blunders in the field — thank you Arizona). OIlie, Delgado, Castillo, Heilman, Endy Chavez, maybe even Beltran — get what you can get and re-develop. Who needs a 38 year old backup 2B who makes 2 errors in one game? I can’t believe there aren’t takers for these guys if you eat salary. We can’t be doing much worse with replacements. And someone needs to get Reyes to a shrink or into rehab or something because he’s been a shadow of the real Reyes since mid-year last year. Maybe Willie’s firing will get him straightened out. But it’s quite disturbing to see this play out over what is essentially a full season.
man alot of tough post today but its to be expected after an awful home stand. i myself being a life long fan feel the exact same way as all of you and i probably would be right up there post angry comments and placing the blame everywhere but today i was so bad i did something different, i took a while after the game to calm down before i came here to post. now something is wrong with this team, we all have opinions on who to blame, some blame willie some back him, some blame omar some support him, the point im trying to make is that every team is different. the makeup and players are different. a laid back manager might be good for one team but completely wrong for another. there is no garauntee that firing willie or omar will turn this around. i might make things worse but this has gotten out of control and i think right now the whole organization needs to look in the mirror and really think about what the identity of this team is. right now we are still only 2 games out so lets be thankful that noone is really running away with this but we are on a downward spiral and whatever the next move is will be critical and either make or break this whole season.
Capital letters are our friends.
At this point, I’m ready to join the ‘Fire Willie’ bandwagon. I’m not even gonna go into great lengths talking about it, I’m just going to wait for it to happen.
I don’t think he’s to blame, and I don’t think the solution requires for us to find the right person to blame – we just have to change what we can. It wouldn’t be reasonable to get rid of the supposedly ‘quality’ players that are under contract, nor would it help. We can change the manager though, and this could change the attitude of every player on the team.
At this point, why not?
Agreed if nothing else just for experimentation purposes.
watched the game on the encore cause i was working during the day, when the nats scored i knew it was over and it was only 1-0. i turned off the tv and went to metsblog and didn’t even need to see the score to know they lost…how sad. last year some of us who complained were called chicken littles, who are the chicken littles now?
willie should have been fired on september 30, 2007 at 4PM. it does not matter now this season is done, this team is pathetic and ALL players not named johan and maine are expendable (yes that means wright too).
tired of this s$%#$!
btw: matt saw this loss coming by not even bothering watching the game.
Let me start with this- I’ve been with this team since 1982. So don’t sit there and think I’m some newbie bandwagon-jumper fan when I say this:
Mr. Wilpon needs to understand the nature of the serious problem he has here. A large segment of his paying customer base basically hates his team – and that is NOT too strong a word, nit by a long shot.
The players are mostly hated. The mnager is despised. And the GM….well, we can take or leave him.
Wilpon has SNY to feed and a new stadium to fill. And he’s NOT gonna get that done with the current crop of chokers, overrateds, softies, and has-beens.
Keep Maine, Johan, Wright, Church, Schneider and Smith.
Everyone else must go,
Destroy this “team” and rebuild while Johan and Maine have time
You hate Beltran and Reyes? That’s tough man. And to beat that you keep Joe Smith over them?
Reyes and Beltran are weak, weak minds and no guts.
NY needs tough players not twinkies.
but this same customer base that hates them keeps going to the park. Will be going next year to view the new park and the following year those who could not get in the opening year will go. Just like the Rangers and Knicks, as long as the people keep coming, nothing drastic has to happen in their eyes.
The silver lining if they fire Willie during the season is that it will shut up the portion of the Willie bashers who are incessant whiners
And it will prove to the Omar Protection Patrol that the main issue is with the laid back aging often-injured veterans he’s assembled. Particularly Delgado. And no manager can change them.
The SF Giants have had the same problems under Sabean the last few years as he kept assembling old farts year after year.
I’m pretty confident firing Willie is not going to change things with this current crop of players. The team won’t play much differently until they change the cast of characters. There’s a good nucleus of young players already on the team, but they need to clear out most of the veterans and bring some new energy into the mix. Omar, if he’s not fired at the end of the season, needs to get over his obsession with veterans who are way past their primes. 1 or 2 are fine. But 5-6 are too much.
I’m sure Willie’s a good guy but the team is not performing. You say no to Gary Carter but he might relate more to these types of players. They could hate him but he will ensure they perform. How about Wally? Do we believe in second chances? These guys will restore the franchise and the team will play hard. I know it seems far fetched but if you want to light a fire under this team, this is it. Showalter would also be a good fit but the veterans might get ticked and I say so what? You need to get rid of Willie to shake the team up. Willie will get another job somewhere but I think he needs to learn from his mistakes. Good guy and all but not for this team. These guys are sensitive and the only way to break them out of this is to shake ‘em up and show them what playing hard really means. You need to bring the same passion that you experienced as a kid and bring that everyday. Never let up and bring it hard each time. Teams are lining up to play the Mets because they know they are weak and don’t have any killer instinct. That’s something that the manager has to take the fall for. “we’ll get ‘em next time” is not working anymore. Sorry Willie.
yeah willie will get another job
he will go full cycle and end up where he started
managing the pirates
Cut your losses with Willie now before it’s too late.
I have been a Mets fan for over 20 years but I hate this team. There are certain teams I have loved more than others like the 99 and 06 teams. The reason I loved those teams is because they played with urgency and those two teams constantly came back late in games. This team since last June has been the exact oppisite. How many times last year after a bad loss did we hear “We are still in first place.” This team lacks urgency which comes from the manager, they lack fire which comes from the manager, and they lack passion which comes from the manager.
This team has no heart. They miss guys like Valintin and maine who came out of nowhere and inspired. I do think Pedro will be a boost in the arm though
Wally
Backman
And get Beane from the A’s. Pay him millions, just get him.
May 15, 2008, the day the honeymoon officially ended for Omar Minaya, Willie Randolph, David Wright, Jose Reyes, etc.
This is NOT a championship caliber team.
We all know it now.
Ok guys….it can all be summed up in 2 words…FIRE WILLIE. I can write about a 10 page essay as to why. People on here have even suggested sarcastically that I write a book. Well, for those of you that choose to read some of them…please feel free to read below…if you have better things to do, just skip it…you get the idea…(I just need to vent)
excerpt from “I Trust My Guys: The Willie Randolph Managerial Experience” by NY Cuban
The Collapse
…so we all lived through what factually can be considered the worst collapse in baseball history. Some may say that argue that the Yankees losing a 3 game lead to the Red Sox was worse, but I beg to differ. This team lost a 7 game lead with 17 games to play. These games were not versus tough opponents, 13 of those games were versus the Marlins and Nationals. We stood by this team, game after game. And every post-game was the same. We heard how Willie trusts his guys. How this team needed to find a rhythm. How it was just one game. And game by game, the time dwindled. But it was all ok, because we heard about champagne and how great it would taste when they won the division. Well, Sept 30th came and went and we all know how that turned out. And then came October 1st and 2nd, and we waited and waited. We waited for the inevitable. Someone had to pay, and it obviously had to be Willie. Well, we were wrong. Omar came on and said that Willie was a winner and he would continue being manager of the Mets in 2008. And just like that, the organization that was on the right path took major steps back. It was like quick sand.
The Mets Go As Reyes Goes
…it is often said that the “Mets go how Jose Reyes goes”. Well, then, Willie deserves much of the blame for ruining young Reyes. Sure Reyes is a bit of a primadona; he deserves criticism. However, on July 7, 2007, the respect young Reyes had for Willie was erased. Reyes check swung at a pitch and grounded it down the third base line. Thinking it would roll foul, Reyes watched the ball stay fair and was easily thrown out at first. Willie was irate and subsequently benched Reyes. Reyes looked at Willie in disbelief, mostly because Beltran and Delgado were notorious for not running things out hard. This was a typical Willie doublestandard where he treated veterans and young players differently. Reyes never looked at Willie the same. He adopted a “who-cares” attitude and struggled for the remainder of Willie’s tenure. The “Mets go as Reyes goes”, which meant the Mets also subsequently struggled for the remainder of Willie’s tenure.
I Know My Team Better Than Anyone
…loss after loss, Willie was questioned about his managerial decisions. Interview after interview, Willie stood his ground that he knew his team better than anyone. For Met fans in the Willie era, there are names that sound like nails on a chalkboard. Think back to 2007. Now say the name Guillermo Mota. How about Scott Schoeneweis? Julio Franco? Night after night, Willie would go to them with some rationale about his gut guiding his decision making. Even after the Collapse, fast forward to 2008. Say the names Aaron Heilman or Jorge Sosa. How does that make a Met fan feel? Time after time, we saw these players fail. The fans knew way before the manager the outcome of the managerial move. Yet, Willie Randolph was steadfast. He was out to prove that he was smarter than the average Joe(…or was he.) …
Willie is not Lou Pinella
…over the course of his tenure, Willie Randolph was always hesitant to stand up for his players and risk ejection. Apparently he felt that his strategic superiority would be drastically missed and his absense would consequently hurt his team. It would be a fine assumption, but it was at the expense of the respect of his players. Willie’s players never got the sense that he was there to defend them. They could clearly have a case with the umpires and Willie would just blandly discuss the situation, nod his head and walk back to the dugout. Well, in a way, Willie did get through to his players; he instilled the same passive malaise that he portrayed in the dugout. By the end of his tenure, the team was a shell of itself, going through the motions game after game…
I Treat These Guys Like Men
…perhaps the biggest flaw in Willie Randolph’s managerial tactics was his refusal to deviate from his personality. During a 2 year span, the NY Mets went 74-75. In this time, Willie continued to affirm his notion that there was no reason to yell or call out his team. “I treat these guys like men” was repeated on multiple occasions. Well, that would actually be commendable if that approach worked for the players on his team. However, perhaps, there were players on the team who needed to be treated differently. Perhaps, Willie should have tried different approaches to find a fit that worked for his team’s personality. Instead, like many tragic figures, Willie was a victim of his own hubris. He expected all players to conform to HIS style and personality. Unfortunately, that conformity was never adopted and Willie continued to be steadfast in his ways…
The End of the Willie Experiment
…in 2005, after 14 interviews, Willie Randolph finally fulfilled his dream. He would be the manager of a New York baseball team; he would be the manager of the NY Mets. After just over 3 years, Willie Randolph was relieved from a nightmare. After being spared his job in 2007, the NY Mets floundered during the first quarter of a season in 2008. The Wilpons became increasingly anxious to see the Mets turn the ship around. After 2007, Willie lost the team’s confidence. Shortly after, the fans turned on him. Even the most ardent supporters could no longer find rationale to keep Willie. In May, after a horrid homestand, the Willie experiment was over…
Upon hiring a new manager, the Mets promptly went on a 5 game winning streak and found a new energy that had been missing since 2006. On the shoulders of Johan Santana, and a re-energized Jose Reyes, the NY Mets won the NL East and returned the NL pennant to Flushing…
If willie goes so should Omar.
he is the one that brought this group together.
he is the one who didn’t bring in a suitable back up as insurance for Delgado.
He is the one who signed a bum legged Luis Castillo to a FOUR year contract.
He is also the one who put ultimate trust in Alou, Pedro and El Duque-all fragile players who cannot even play 75% of a season never mind 100%.
He also didn’t improve the bullpen he put his trust in Sanchez coming back after a 1 1/2 year layoff.
also he did nothing to improve the bench-no back up ss, no righty power hitter(unless you coulnt Tatis) and 2 guys who are just pinch hitters for the most part(anderson and easily).
All these minuses far outweigh getting Santana(handed to him) and acquiring Church and Schnider.
So if Willie goes Omar should be shown the door too.
Unless the Mets sweep the Yankees, Randolph will be gone next week. I don’t even think it would take a sweep by the Yanks to make it happen. The Wilpons and Minaya are deciding on his replacement now. Count on it.
I said it in a comment a few weeks ago that this is the team through the rest of the season and it’s not going to get any better. Suck it up and accept it now, I have. Mets fan since 73.
Blame Breakdown:
Willie Randolph – 15%
Omar Minaya – 35%
Players – 50%
Anyone else care to take a stab at the blame percentage breakdown?