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Following the Mets 1 to 0 loss to the Nationals today, reporters attempted to interview Billy Wagner, but were unsuccessful.
Wagner, on the offense and pitching, said:
“Hits, we’re not getting consistently. Pitching, today, Pelfrey pitched a fantastic game. We had our chances, we didn’t get that hit. The other day, we’re coming back and we don’t get that hit and we don’t make the pitches. It’s a culmination of
just not getting it done. We’re not earning our money.”
According to eye-witnesses, Wagner directed his final comments in the general direction of Carlos Delgado’s locker, saying:
“Can somebody tell me why the (bleep) the closer being interviewed and I didn’t even play, while they’re over there not getting interviewed? I get it, they’re gone. (Bleeping) shocker.”
To watch a clip of Wagner’s statements, courtesy of SNY, click the play button below:
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Can we get a post game recap first. Sheesh!
Is a post game recap really necessary? Just go back in the archives over the past year and I’m sure there is a recap similar to the one that can be used today. Great outing by Pelfrey. Abysmal performance by the entire offense. Brutal and excrutiating loss. If you feel the need to rehash the game, I am sure it’ll be replayed on SNY this evening.
The point I was making is put the recap of the game before you start talking about Wagners comments that pertained to the game. It’s ok dude i understand I’m frustrated too. We all are.
Fair enough. Understand your point as well. Hopefully, we can have a great series this weekend to help get over this past series.
I know it’s completely off the topic but can someone tell me why Wagner is wearing a Patriots hat? I mean the man can wear anything he wants, but of all teams a freakin Patriots hat!!!!
why? to fulfill some sort of self-loathing, woe is me, Mets fan mentality? why do you need a post game recap? you saw the team lose, it wasn’t pretty, they lost, what can a bunch of bloggers on a site say about it that you don’t already know?
maybe he had to work and couldn’t follow the game….. either way THIS TEAM SUCKS, there’s the recap
Right I saw the game… but most people (especially since it was a day game) did not. One of the reasons I started coming here regualry because the site was constantly updated.
I was gonna write my own postgame recap but what’s the point…..Anyway it’ll probably go something like this:
The Mets (20–19) lost to the Nationals (18–24) by the score of 1 to 0 in Shea Stadium this afternoon being shut down for the first time this season..
For a recap and boxscore, go to SNY.
Mike Pelfrey…..blah blah blah no hitter blah blah blah.
Willie Randolph blah blah blah booed blah blah
Lifeless, Gutless, etc, etc…
Wagner is spot on again – the mental errors and fundamentals mistakes, should have been addressed by the players themselves.
This team looks pathetic, uninspired, and dying.
A Least Wagner has some heart and balls…
“Wagner is spot on again – the mental errors and fundamentals mistakes, should have been addressed by the players themselves.
This team looks pathetic, uninspired, and dying.
A Least Wagner has some heart and balls…”
Agree, 100%. But I keep saying over and over again, it all stems from the manager, period. This team will never, I repeat, NEVER reach that next level with Willie. Mr. Delgado has to go, period. What we’re painfully seeing 39 games into this season is just a continuation of last season………….. a 500 ball club at best, period. There will be some drastic changes come July.
TO ALL WHO KEEP SAYING, AND TRY TO MAKE EXCUSES FOR WILLIE RANDOLPH NOT TO GET FIRE, KEEP MAKING THE SAME ARGUMENT. THAT THIS TEAM PRIOR TO 05′ WAS BELOW A .500 TEAM. WHICH IN THIS CASE THEY ARE RIGHT. THEREFORE MAKING A CLAIM THAT WILLIE WAS BEHIND THE TEAMS SUCCESS.
BUT LITTLE DID THEY ADRESS THE FACT THAT ACQUIRING PEDRO MARTINEZ AND CARLOS BELTRAN MADE THIS TEAM A .500 TEAM OR EVEN BETTER.
WILLIE HAS LOST CONTROL OF THE TEAM. THERE IS NO VOICE IN THIS CLUB HOUSE. NO ONE SEEMS TO BE LISTENING TO HIM. THERE IS DEFINITELY A PROBLEM. MINAYA DO SOMETHING QUICK BEFORE IS TOO LATE….
what’s that button there next to the “a”?
Well played, mOOkie. Well played.
Where is Cliff Floyd?
he’s busy playing in 7 games and getting 28 AB on the season. i’m SURE he’d put us over the top.
/rolls eyes
The gutless Carloses are not stepping up and answering the tough questions? Why does this not surprise me?
I don’t care who answers questions. I care who gets on base.
Billy Wagner is showing the frustration us “fans” are currently living with. So much criticism was thrown towards the fans for being too short tempered, not enough patience. NOW I see the so called “analysts” jumping on the bandwagon the fans have been riding since last year. It takes no genius to realize this team was in trouble from the beginning (really from last year) We have spent the last 15 years worrying about the Braves. Now that the Braves struggle, we can’t do anything! Just plain pathetic performance by the offense, sloppy base running, and just plain bad attitudes. Willie must go, and send some of the coaches packing with him as well.
What happens when the new guy comes in and they continue to struggle?
Fire him, too. That’s apparently what the fans want. Just keep firing managers no matter how idiotic the reasoning behind it.
Everyone who says “Oh, what will firing Willie Randolph do to help the situation?” must not be seeing the same Mets. I’d have never hired him to begin with, but the bottom line is this: Yes, he helped change the culture and did a decent job in 2005 and 2006, we are all very thankful, but he single-handedly has blown a bunch of games every year he’s been here. He can’t manage a bullpen, he is stubborn, and there is no chance he’ll win a pennant here in 2008 or beyond. It’s over. No, it’s not his fault that Aaron Heilman is the new Mitch Williams/Jose Mesa/Brad Lidge. No, it’s not his fault that the Mets offense and in fact, the entire organization, is widely inconsistent. Yes, he has to pitch Heilman because he only has so many guys, but he can pick and choose his spots and be a lot smarter about it. The truth is his team does not perform to the level they are supposed to, the exhibit absolute calm and no passion just like their manager. It’s time to change the culture, it’s time to shock the players and make them think. This team is lackluster and it may or may not be Willie Randolph’s fault, but he has got to go! It’s time! Managers get fired all the time and sometimes a mid-season change can spark something. Bob Lemon took over for Billy Martin in 1978 and the Yankees won the World Series and so did the 2003 Marlins after Jack McKeon replaced Jeff Torborg. It can happen!
Fire Willie!
For Pete’s Sake, the guy blew a 7-game lead with 17 games to go! Since when do Mets fans except mediocrity? It’s wrong!
Right on. 7-game lead with 17 to play. You don’t need to know more than that. This team can never, EVER move forward and get past that historic, all-time collaspe with the same manager at the helm.
Willie must go, it’s really that simple.
Omar should be gone too. He assembled this team.
I BET YOU WHERE SAYING THE SAME THING WHEN THE METS SIGN SANTANA, “ROGASM”.
IF AT THE BEST MINAYA HAS ASSEMBLE ON PAPER A .600 TEAM.
IT IS WILLIE AND THE PLAYERS WHO ARE TO BLAME..
HEY ROGASM, I BET YOU ALSO COMPLAINED ABOUT THE MILLEDGE TRADE. DONT YOU???
DUDE I UNDERSTAND THAT THIS TEAM HAS NOT PLAYED TO POTENTIAL, DONT GO BLAME THE PERSON WHO HAS TRIED EVERYTHING TO ASEMBLE A PLAYOFF TEAM. HOW ABOUT PAGAN PICK UP?
YES HE DID BAD SIGING CASTILLO TO A 4YR DEAL. WHICH IS BY FAR HIS WORST DECISION YET. OVERALL MINAYA CAN KEEP HIS JOB IN MY BOOK….
fivepoints, those are all excellent points.
the problem is the manager not the GM.
but do us all a favor fivepoints, please don’t post in all caps, it’s rude. really rude.
i mean unless you have something you need to shout like ….
FI-RE WIL-LIE!!
clap clap
clap clap clap
FI-RE WIL-LIE!!
clap clap
clap clap clap
FI-RE WIL-LIE!!
clap clap
clap clap clap
I don’t really get it. why are so many met fans loyal to willie? he’s a yankee, and was not even a great one at that.
he hasn’t done anything for the mets. its not like he came in and turned the organization around, that was handled by, Jose Reyes, David Wright, Pedro Martinez and Carlos Beltran.
Ooooohhh Willie told everyone no facial hair in 2005. ooooohhhh master stroke there.
how about not going to Mota ad infinitum in 2006
how about telling cliff to lay one down in 2006
how about reminding the young and excitable Jose that you can’t attempt to steal 3rd with two outs in 2007
how about benching someone other than Jose Reyes (delgado) for not running hard to first. What, was Delgado’s massive .225 BA weighing him down running to first?
Willie, you sir, stink. Please do us a favor and go on another 11 managerial interviews and leave us alone.
If you know your guys so well, you should know that they have tuned you out since last June.
Do the honorable thing
QUIT!!!!
We need to deal with the problem at hand…. and that problem is not going away. The Marlins are 8-1 against the Nationals. Willie has lost this team.
Yes he has. Willie has lost this team, that was plain to see last year towards the end and this year is no different. There is a natural resistance to making a “knee Jerk” reaction when it comes to firing a manger this early in the season, I understand that. What’s also saving Willie is that they are only 2 or three games out of first place and no one is running away with the National league East. But the writing is already on the wall folks, if this continues, Willie will be thrown to the wolves, trust me. There is no other choice. Unfortunately, it’s going to take at least another month of bad baseball to finally end the ‘Willie Era” and move on. I just hope we’re not too burried to salvage the season.
YOU GO WAGS !!!! The debacle of 2007 was never really addressed by the team and by keeping Willie and the the coaching staff the same a message was sent that its business as usual. Well its time to change the message, FIRE WILLIE !!! Let the team know the honeymoon is over. The only way to change the direction of the team is to make a change, Fire Willie and the whole coaching staff. After the Yanks take 2 -3 from us we will be 4-6 on this 10 game set, that is NOT acceptable.
The Braves are licking their chops to play the Mets. The Mets will make the Yankees look like the Bronx Bombers of old. Willie has lost this team. 2007 all over again. If it’s so obvious to all of us and every Mets fan, why isn’t it so obvious to the team owners? Willie must go, period.
Losing is one thing. Acting like losers is another.
And I think that is at the heart of Billy’s argument.
Exactly. Billy sees what all of us are seeing. A team that has no life and plays with no urgency.
If we can just fire Willie, we can really boost the morale of the team and the fans.
And that will score runs how?
Well, by that token, keeping Willie scores us runs how?
The point is the manager has set the *it’s just one game, we’ll get-em tomorrow* tone that this team seems to really believe in.
A change is in order. Their play is unacceptable. I’d like to get rid of a bunch of players too. But you have to be reasonable and the best place to start is with the manager.
Agree also!
Slob,
You asked earlier what happens if the new manager doesn’t turn the team around. The answer is that then we will know that it is the talent/chemistry of the team as much as the manager and we can can Omar and start again. In the meantime, with such a talented group (on paper) it would be nice to see if they can turn things around with different leadership.
Really, what have we got to lose?
Fire Willie!
I agree!
I hate to say it because I have been a Wille supporter throughout, but with that being said, if the Mets have a bad roadtrip (anything under .500) I think Willie is gone and at this point rightfully so. The team is not playing anywhere near its potential and the players are making careless plays and useless at bats (see: Reyes letting a fastball down the middle go, but swinging at 2 breaking balls in the dirt). Someone needs to kick this team in the ass and at this point I don’t see Willie being that person.
Erik, I agree with you. To be honest, .500 isn’t good enough considering this past homestand. At a certain point, you run out of games to prove that you’re better than the mediocre record we currently have. With a winning road trip, at least there would be a sign that this team might finally turn the corner. If this team were playing .625 ball at home, a .500 road trip would be okay.
NO HUSTLE, NO HEART!! This is a clear message that the Mets need a change. This is NY and we don’t wait and sit around. Mets need a change and Omar is not that person. Its Willie!! Omar is a bright GM. Bring GARY CaRTER back people!!!! He will fix this mess.
Oh Yeah! Bring the “Kid” back. At the least he’ll infuse some life and some character back to this team which currently has NO spine! I’m tired of seeing Willie’s “Ho-Hum” look and tired of hearing “we’ll get’em tomorrow. Give me a freaken break, geees. The Guy was never manager material and the Yankees knew that.
Lets just keep this in mind. If Willie goes before the end of the season, Jerry Manuel will most likely be promoted as the interim manager until the end of the season. You’re not going to bring in a new manager unless he can build his own staff and you can’t do that in the middle of a season.
it’s been done many many many times before.
I understand that, but we as fans need to realize what we are getting into if Willie goes and Manual becomes manager. IE: Can you live with that for half a season?
i could live with the phillie phanatic managing this team at this point
I could live with Manual managing them for half a season. They’re a game over .500 and the clock is ticking.
And for the last few weeks I have laid off of Willie. I have said time and again on here that the best course of action for this team is to win WITH Willie. That would be my first choice and I don’t like him. It would be the path with the least amount of distractions and interruptions.
But they’re not winning with Willie. And we can debate for the next 123 games over who is at fault, but as of right now there are no signs that things are going to just get better on their own.
What percentage of people said 5-2 was the only real acceptable record vs these two teams? Well they failed. 4-3 would have at least been a winning record, and I could go on about winning with Willie. But they’re losing with him. It will come to a point where his time will run out, and it won’t matter if it was all his fault or not. He’s steering the ship. He’s never shy about taking credit. How about taking some responsibility?
And I know someone will say it, so I’ll say it first. I said Manual. I know it’s Manuel.
Mazzili’s should be the next Manager!! He would bring a different mindset to this team
Hasn’t anyone been watching for the last 4 years? Jerry Manuel has been managing the Mets. He and Willie are joined at the hip! You think Willie is smart (or dumb) enough to make the decisions you’ve seen? Bring back Gerry Hunsicker as GM. He was in the organization in the early 2000s and got the Astros to the World Series.
I think Carlos Beltran going on one of the hottest hot streaks in the history of MLB was really what got the Astros into the World Series. I know Hunsicker went and got him, but I dunno if I can give him too much credit for that.
For all the fans who are against firing Willie, please explain your solution for getting this team back on track. Weren’t we supposed to be back on track this year? This team is playing below last year’s level, and we know where that got us. Look, Willie is just not up for this job. We heard what Manny Acta had to say about Willie’s “questionable” decisions, as well as some players (Cliff Floyd) WE SEE IT EVERY FREAKING DAY ON SNY!!!!!!!
It debatable whether or not we have the solution.
It’s not debatable that Willie does not have the solution.
And that is the point.
Not debatable! Really? Monumental collapse, lifeless start to ‘08, locker room meltdowns, and lost confidence from ownership. HE DOES NOT HAVE THE SOLUTION.
Um…that’s what he said…
“It’s not debatable that Willie does not have the solution.”
perfectly said. It’s really that simple. Willie is clueless.
Right on the money.
why cant i see this??? it isnt working.. damn i want to watch it lol
me too
Not working for me either.
I can’t see it either
Me either
Good for Wagner. He’s absolutely right.
Alright, let’s say Guzman doesn’t make that great play to get Reyes in the 8th, Reyes scores, and we go on to win. Then we’d all be talking about Reyes’ hustle, his heart, blah blah blah.
But Guzman makes a great play, and now our fundamentals suck.
You can’t have it both ways.
The Mets aren’t hitting because our offense is mediocre. That’s it. We can still win the division with our pitching, but it will be tough.
Again, to repeat. This isn’t a heart issue, or a balls issue, or a Willie issue. A new manager won’t make anyone hit any better. And that’s the problem. Our middle of the pack offense isn’t scoring a ton of runs. Why anyone is shocked by this is beyond me.
If we had Tom Seaver, maybe then we could win the division solely on pitching.
We do have Johan.
Great play? He caught a freaking ball from first base and had Reyes dead to rights. As for Willie, yes it always comes down to the players, but CLEARLY whatever Willie has done to motivate or to get his players to execute has not worked. The guy deserves to be fired. He’s had more than enough chances.
so we’ll just forget that willie harris made the best catch we’ve seen this season and that aaron boone’s glove was in the way of delgado’s piss rocket in the 9th. convenient.
OK, please explain the other 8 innings of nothingness.
How about the year of nothingness?
Its always a different reason.
there’s always a different reason when you win or lose.
Yes Wagner’s great ! he’s got passion and honesty going for him.
I would give my left baseball to know what Wagner thinks might be an effective solution.
All he’s getting at is that chickensh&t players like Delgado and Castillo disappear whenever the team loses, it has nothing to do with answers to the teams play.
….. and Beltran
Beltran actually talked, to his credit
and Reyes talked also….although his explanation for his baserunning in the 8th was pathetic
This isn’t Willies fault, let’s face it
Our allstar SS has been below the league average for his past 500 at bats. That’s not good. That’s bad. Maybe Jose Reyes will never be a dominant player like we all assumed he would be.
Our allstar 3B has been up and down. He’s driven in enough RBIs but his AVG is below .270.
Our clean up hitter is off to quite a bad start, with tiny power and RBI numbers.
Our “slugging” 1B is god awful, and will continue to be god awful.
Our 2B is oft injured and having a bad year thus far, with almost no extra base hits.
Our two top catchers have been hurt a lot.
The bullpen has had two people doing so bad to drag the entire pen down with them – but other than Heilman and Sosa, the pen has been top notch.
That is why the mets are 20-19. If you want to blame all of that on Willie, it can’t be proven either way…
Yes, but the team needs change, and Willie is the only guy who is expendable. We know what Willie has to offer, so what is there to lose by making a switch?
Metsfan119, thats the most reasonable explanation you have given for letting him go and its the right explanation. Dont add anything else to it. Dont say motivation, or kick in the pants or anything else. They need a change and he’s the only guy expendable. Its not all on Willie, its not all on the players, but eventually somethings got to give, and the only solution is to let him go. A change of managers might not work but it is the only option available right now.
If you ever managed a team at a job you will notice that the failure of your team is the managers. There is no fire with this manager and it reflects with the team. Fundamentals are not there.
Something needs to happen and quick.
I agree with you to a point. I certainly don’t blame Willie for guys not hitting, or poor pitching or injuries. However, he has instilled in his players a lackadaisical attitude. Now, I agree, that these are grown men and they shouldn’t need their manager to make them play with focus but the fact remains, they aren’t and something needs to change.
You can’t release the whole team. You can’t bench the whole team. The easiest thing to do is fire the manager. If/when Willie is fired, you are of course correct that it won’t be because of things that he had complete control over. But it never is in professional sports.
Something is not working here. Something needs to change. Getting a different manager in here with different expectations and a different style may just be the way to go.
Wagner is right.
These losers are so quick to leave the stadium after the game. It’s like those people in the office that leave at 5:00pm on the dot. These Mets look like they can care less, with the exception of Wright, Church, Schneider and Wagner.
I never was a Willie fan. I never will be a Willie fan. He’s a gutless wimp of a manager and needs to be removed asap. There’s no other managerial solution in this organization right now. I like Omar should put on a uniform and manager this boring collection of “talent”. Hopefully, he’ll get himself fired eventually too.
What’s to see and hear? Look at today’s performance on the field. Uninspired ball by a bunch of losers. Willie is not joe Torre and he needs to understand that. He stumped a couple of young players hopes and didn’t allow them to be themselves. The excuses are endless and lifeless. The team has no chemistry at all and at least WAGS cares.
Bingo, and clearly when you show that you care you’re on the chopping block with this team.
It is certainly why LoDuca wasn’t brought back this year. Because he cared and ripped the same teammates last year as Billy did. Apparently in Omar’s book, it is not acceptable! But not being accountable is.
Minaya can ride his magic broom the hell out of here too!
I applaud Wagner!!!
Sad case is we will lose arguably the best closer in the NL. Either if they trade him or if he walks after this season. This team is a mess!
Please — LoDuca was a shot player and everyone knew it. Schneider is an upgrade. The Nats are learning that the hard way.
Something tells me Omar is holding on to Willie to make sure all the bashing is directed towards Willie and not him. Has anyone seen Omar comment on the state of his team lately? I’m sure he’s at the stadium everyday.
Seriously, the guy was all over the place early on when he was touting Santana and kissing his own a$$, but now that the team has continued to play like mediocre crap, he’s become Carmen San Diego
Not only haven’t I seen him on TV. I used to see him all over Shea, and I don’t think I’ve seen him since the home opener. And Omar loved to be seen. Hell, I loved that Omar loved to be seen. I miss this teams swagger. Then again, you can’t really expect to see it when they’re a game over .500. Something’s gonna have to give sooner or later.
Omar is no dummy. Willie is on the front line and he’ll take the hit first before he Omar ever has to
Okay, let’s all talk about the elephant in the room. What we are seeing right now is the direct by-product of constructing a team largely from Latin players. It is widely considered that they become very cliquey on a major league roster and do not promote team unity.
You can’t blame Willie Randolph for any of this. It is all the responsiblity of the misguided focus Omar Minaya has done while constructing this team.
meh. I don’t like the Latin players excuse. But this team does look clique-y. especially on the bench. latins sit with latins. whites with whites. blacks with blacks
Really? It’s not the manager’s responsibility to control the personalities and divisions within his own team? I wish you were my boss.
Yeah, that Latin clique of Wright, Wagner, Church, Schneider, Heilman, Smith, Scheoenweis, Pelfrey, and Maine should be busted up ASAP! At least they got rid or Glavine, Lo Duca, and Milledge, so it’s not as Latin as it used to be.
Man, I’m not trying to be a jerk, but look at the names on this team now. Not that it should really matter where the players come from, at least it doesn’t to me… But it’s not even true.
What about the other 16 guys? You’re right though, it shouldn’t matter where anyone is from. The most important thing is that they get the best available player. Unfortunately with Omar that hasn’t always been the case.
OK, 16 guys on a 25 man roster. If it actually is 16, because I just rattled off some names without actually counting. So lets say the team is around 65% Latin. I would say two things to that.
1. Who cares?
2. What % of MLB is Latin? Probably somewhere around that number, but again, I’m not counting.
If anyone wants to really address race, I’ll open up a can of worms right here. And it’s just my opinion. But baseball has lost in large numbers an entire race of people. The young black athlete is getting interested in, and sticking with, other sports now. And while that has happened, kids in Latin countries have been playing baseball with anything they can get their hands on.
People laugh at things like desire and heart around here, but the kids playing baseball using sewed up rags and milk cartons are thriving on it, along with a world of talent, but without even shoddy equipment. They’re making their own stuff with what they can get their hands on. Those are the kids who are playing this game practically from the minute they can walk. They are establishing themselves as the best players in the world. It’s not a Mets thing, it’s a baseball thing.
And as for me, I just want to see the best players my admission price will allow.
Schneider is not Latino?
Please shut up.
LOL…. be nice.
for the guys whining abt the post game, its in the prior post w the video, after a game like this, im glad its minimal
I can’t access the video, is it still up?
the video is no longer available.
I think the Mets were smart to co-opt Metsblog, if it gives them editorial control.
Was this video posted on the SNY site. If it was, and if they took it down, you can’t blame metsblog. Not for this one anyway ;)
um, too bad it was/is a SNY video
no reason get all pissy at metsblog
seriously, do you have any idea how much money in broken electronics the metsblog comment section has saved me?
Seriously, I want Willie gone and am down on the team…but enough with the silly conspiracy theories about Metsblog.
It’s all downhill from here.
We were built to win NOW. Delgado will be gone next year. Who will replace him? Teixeira is rumored to be seeking somewhere around $20 million per season.
the video doesnt work
Willie can’t hit, he can’t field, he can’t pitch. But if he can’t get his players to do that either, he can’t manage.
A lot weaker teams have won. A lot better teams have lost. The funny thing is, when the good teams lose like this something always happens. They fire the manager.
And guess what, managers have been fired throughout the history of the game, so firing Willie won’t hurt the team anymore than he has it hurting now.
how about hojo for the rest of the year and maybe beyond??
Hojo couldnt manage his was out of a paper bag.
Agreed. I don’t understand all the love for HoJo — he has the same bland personality that everyone complains about on this board.
Video works now. And please, conspiracy theorists (about metsblog,) you guys need to stop.
What does Wagner mean by “they’re gone”? Who’s gone, and where did they go?
He pointed to Delgado’s locker. Delgad left early, didn;t face reporters, etc.
I like what I saw from Billy. Anger. Anger is not bad.
Anger, when controlled, is a good thing.
Wagner just wants people to be held accountable for their actions. When Wagner messes up, he sits there and admits he sucked, or that he didn’t have control. The guy is a man. Everyone else runs away because they don’t wanna deal with the media. I don’t know exactly whose lockers he was pointing to, but I like it.
Willie countdown…t-minus 15 days and counting.
Warm up Oberkfell.
OK, I just watched the video.
So we’ve kind of seen a pattern here. I think it actually started last year. Wagner says something to the media, Willie tells the media he had a talk with Wagner, Wagner says something else to the media, Willie tells the media he had another talk with Wagner. Rinse. Repeat.
It’s gotta be time for a team meeting. Where are you when you have a team with players that don’t apparently trust each other? And if there is one, and it works, I don’t even care to know about it happening. Just fix it if it can be fixed. It’s not early when stuff like this leaks. It’s getting late.
As far as I’m concerned, a team meeting will do nothing unless Omar calls it and rips into the guys. Not Willie. He needs to demands these players stand at their lockers after games and answer to the media. And they start playing up to their baseball card stats…or else changes will be made. Then will see if that helps change the culture of this team.
Screw a team meeting. They need to get rid of Willie and Hojo and put some pressure on these guys to keep their jobs.
But that’s exactly the problem — do you think Carlos Beltran really worries about being benched for Endy Chavez? Does Delgado worry about being benched for, no one, since there’s no true backup first baseman?
They’ve become a team of Kevin McReynolds.
or, as Homer Simpson would say, Kevin McReynoldses.
Darn right, Wagner is right on. This team shows no heart at all. Losses seem to mean nothing to them. They just got their asses kicked at home by the Nationals? Are you kidding. This all starts and ends with the manager. Willie is a nice guy, but nice guys finish last. They have been a .500 team since last June. Delgado, Castillo are awful. The pitching coach hasnt exactly been as advertised (Genius?) and the manager keeps making excuses. Here is a thought, start by firing Willie and his bench coach. Give Oberkfell a chance to manage the rest of the season. Right now this team is dead. They are .500 team that cant get out of tis own way. How much longer will this experiment continue. They are pretty much unwatchable most of the time.
Oberkfell would have to bring in his own bench coach otherwise he’ll believe he is looking at his replacement if anybody else brings one in.
At least it’s good to see that the consensus from us fans is that Wags is spot on with his comments and in no way is he out of line.
I’ve had it w/ these effin’ guys. I don’t care if it IS Willie’s fault, or Minaya’s for that matter. They’re all crap. We’ve got one of the best teams in the majors….on paper. The problem is, you can’t win a game w/ players on paper…they actually have to play.
Oh wait, I forgot, our guys don’t play.
Reyes….non-existant.
Wright…while he’s 3rd in RBI’s, he’s not been so “clutch”
Beltran….is no where near consistant and not even close to earning the salary he’s currently being paid
Delgado…don’t even get me started
The two guys w/ the most heart (offensively) on this team are Church and Alou. One guy just came over from the GNats and the other is 40+ yrs old!!!
I’m tired of this crap, something has to change and it has to be now. We can’t wait until the bleepin’ All-Star Break…it’ll be too late by then.
Well said…these are the only two guys I look forward to watching. I enjoy the entire starting staff too as I think they have done their job. Alou is ready to break any minute but he plays 110% every play. Pay attention Luis and David.
Also, I don’t see the point in blaming Minaya. He has put together a good team. They just don’t seem interested. The Wilpons and Minaya have done everything to put a winning team on the field. Criticizing Minaya or the Wilpons is not fair…at least in my eyes. I feel the blame falls on the anemic offense, the lifelessness in these guys, and Willie who has already mismanaged the bullpen 1/4 through the season.
Thank God for Wags.
Rule #1 – Don’t hire a former Yankee to lead your team.
Rule #2 – If you disregard Rule #1 – Get Paul O’Neil not Willie Randolph.
Rule #3 – Screw rule #2 – Never hire a former Yankee to lead your team.
We are the freaking mets for gods sake and the sooner we cleanse ourselves of this cross time evil – the sooner we start hanging banners.
AAMen billy wagner,, I dig it, at least you haven’t lost your identity.
Whats with the Patriots hat? C’mon Wags
tell wagner to start taping the opponents signs with that hat!
Wags starting his own Spygate scandal probably will not help. Why? Willie will still put Heilman in a 1-1 ballgame with men on base in the late innings?
I dunno. Like many, I have to do the work of three men to survive my job on an intern’s wage. My company makes millions, but it’s very cheap, cruel, and suffers from short-term thinking. I know Willie’s not perfect. (Neither was Tom Coughlin before January 2008.) But if I was given a team with two oft-injured starters (PMtz, OHdz), an oft-injured left fielder (MAlou), an oft-injured backup catcher (RCastro), an aging and limited 2B for four years (LCastillo), a 1B known to be on the decline since 2007 (CDelgado), and a SS (JReyes) who looks like toast at age 25 because he is very self-destructive off the field per what I’ve heard from Mets employess, not the yellow press, I’d feel that I was treated unfairly while my GM and front office is getting a pass.
I think the Mets organization will part ways with Randolph after the Braves series. Fair on some points, very unfair on other points. Maybe Mazzilli—who seemed to be auditioning for the job on SNY after last night’s loss—may bring a bit of a boost. But I’d really like to see this organization take an honest look at itself, an honest look at its players, and an honest look at the long-term future before making a move. I’m not really concerned who can “motivate” a Delgado, an Alou, etc. I want to know who can work with Reyes—or get Reyes help. Who can loosen up a DWright, who’s too streaky and not really clutch; who can amp up a Beltran. Who—honestly—is out there?
c.1970,
If you have some inside info on Reyes’ off field activities, please share it with us? I’m curious!!
Drugs? Family problems? Late nights?
I’ve been thinking the same myself. It’s just too swift a turnaround in his level of play starting the second half of last year. I always attributed it to immaturity…but if you know something….please share!!
Sadly, a substance derived from a certain leaf. It’s not Castillo, an HGH dropoff, immaturity, Willie-caused sulking, or any of the other rumors. It’s tragic, because I worshiped Reyes in the same vein I worshiped Seaver as a young man. I cannot give away my sources. I wish Jose well, and am saying this so he gets the help he needs and re-becomes the player he was next season.
c.1970,
weed? really? that’s what caused Jose to stop hitting? You believe that?
You do realize that 95% of the NBA smokes the absoultely harmless (much less harmful than cigs and booze) tasty green weed.
The only thing some maryjane might do to jose (assuming that’s what he has been up to) is make him fat from all the times he would raid the fridge late at night.
Don’t you get it? There is nothing wrong with marajuana, it’s only been stigmatized because the gov’t hasn’t found a way to profit off of it, other than stigmatizing it and making it a political issue
Oh wait? dd you mean coke? cause if that’s the case, well then that’s a not so good.
still, i think your sources are bs. but maybe that’s the cynical NY’er in me?
That’s a serious statement you make about Reyes. He lives with his family and he is a quiet guy. He might go out here and there but I don’t think what you are referring to unless you have hard evidence. That’s pretty lame to say about Reyes. You can say that about any player.This guys gotta be a yankee fan.
not sure thats what he meant.
They are seriously slumping, I don’t think its willies fault but he is toast. Please, not carter or mazzili. It will be someone from inside, probably manuel.
I think Beltran has stood up, he is struggling but is a pro. Wright does not yet know how to deal with all this. Delgado is delgado, hes gone after this year anyway.
Everyone, from schneider to wags (yes, even wags) has said that its a great club house, I don’t buy into all the race issues that have been brought up. Sure, some guys may not get along but my guess is its minimal.
They do lack a leader in the room though, that is obvious. Wags is trying but I don’t think a pitcher can be that leader which may have been his point if he even had one, as he is not the sharpest knife (or spoon) in the drawer.
not weed, which should be legalized. i have been a mets fan since 1970. i attend 25-35 games a year. i didn’t seek the info; it was offered to me. i was shocked, too. personally, i hope the info offered to me is false.
I met this promiscuous female at a bar who had pictures of Reyes and her in her cell phone. She said hes crazy, said even though hes got a girl and kids at home hes always out getting trashed. That was the beginning of last year, I thought good for him, now I think bad for the Mets.
I live near Baltimore, and it is widely agreed here that Mazzili was a total disaster with the Orioles — the players didn’t respect him and his handling of the media was worse than Willie’s. He didn’t last two years. Trust me, you don’t want to go there.
I love his honesty. Too bad Fred Wilpon spit out his Perrier when he heard this. I’m sure, if an of these old dogs are traded, Billy will be the first to go.
They’re going to can Willie and replace him with Oberkfell? You’re out of your minds, all of you.
So obviously there is a rift in the clubhouse. This team (I should rephrase that because this really isn’t a team) never plays with any fire or urgency. There have been numerous times this season where the wrong relief pitcher was in the game (see last nights game when Joe Smith was sitting on his hands while Heilman was getting bombed). Aren’t these the things a manager is supposed to take care of.
Do you guys hear the resentment in Wags voice.. He does not seem like he likes the people he is referring to. That is not a good sign guys,, not a good sign at all.
This ship is sinking
I went back and watched it again and you’re definately right. The way he said it is just as important as what he said. I’m so glad there’s someone on this team thats not willing to tread water anymore no matter the consequences. I swear if they trade Wags at any point I’ll stop caring at all about this team.
Wagner wants to win and it sounds like there are quite a few players who don’t care. Even if it means taking a step back those players have to go. Maybe Willie has to go to. Anyone who isn’t going to bust their butt everyday has to go.
BLUEPRINT FOR SUCESS
1. Send a message to Omar. Fire his assistant and let Jeff Wilpon work more closely with him until a replacement is found. Omar is a talent, and the Wilpons have always recognized that, but remeber that Omar turned down repeated offers to come back to the Mets to be assistant and even co GM, the Wilpons let over a year pass before they finally relented and gave him full responsibility. Clearly they felt Omar lacks in some areas and clearly preferred to balance his judgment with someone elses. For instance I think its very questionable, when trying to build a championship team, to essentially kidnap a player like Delgado after he turns down your free agent offer to play for the Marlins for less money -and slams you and your assistant in the media, and was vocal about not wanting to play in the NY market except for a brief period where he did the opposite to help drive up his free agent price.
2. Fire Willie-Hire Carter. Fire Manuel-Hire Backman. Fire Alomar-Reassign Hojo. Hire Edgardo Alfonso to fill hojos spot. According to MLBTR, the mets actually talked to him about trying to make a comeback as a player in ST. A coaching staff led by Met Greats instead of 1 ok Yankee. Each member complements the one next to him and brings a different element to the staff.
3. DFA Delgado and Heilman if they can’t be traded for something. We have 3 guys in AA (Murhpy plays first as well as third) who are raking and play better D than Carlos. Hope one of them can respond to being rushed but we could even piece it together with ML bench. Ditto for Heilman, We’ve got enough depth to cover his absence with guys on our own rosters
4. Do it all the same week. Clean. Consise. Fresh Start. Cut the dead weight. Refocus.
sorry, SUCCESS
wagner is not a good person. and hey billy, before you get critical of your teammates, they arent the ones that gave up a home run to so tagucchi in the NLCS. this man has done nothing clutch in his entire career, and hes acting like hes god’s gift to the new york mets. baseball is a team sport: stop calling guys out (ollie, delgado), antagonizing teammates (milledge), and get some important saves. billy is the least likable player on his team. hes one of those people that are hard to root for.
by the way, hes retiring to work on his alpaca farm. yes, his alpaca farm
I’m sorry for you if you really feel that Wagner is the least likeable player on the team. I really am.
YOWSA!