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In a very insightful post to his blog for the New York Post, Joel Sherman points out that while Willie Randolph is not disliked in his own clubhouse, his players may be indifferent towards him.
According to Sherman, “There is not a wholehearted disrespect, but critically there is not respect either. Not hate, but not love. And this is bad for Randolph…The fans don’t like this team and the media has picked up on that plus the uncomfortable environment that exists in the Met clubhouse. And the Wilpons are very susceptible to fan and media choruses. That is why Willie is in big trouble.”
Sherman continues on to write about the Nationals and Devil Rays, as well as Johan Santana, who will have more than a baseball in his hands tonight.
I don’t even agree that Willie has a warrior mentality. I don’t see it. Just because he trusts his guys, or thinks they have each other’s backs? That’s just blind faith at this point. Or because he doesn’t appear to panic when things reach critical mass like they have now? Let’s not confuse stoicism with a warrior mentality. A warrior mentality is more than just saying you want to win or taste the champagne, or saying don’t worry, let’s turn the page and we’ll go get ‘em tomorrow.
It’s protecting your guys on the field when they are arguing with an umpire. It’s about pulling guys from the game when they are under performing. It’s about creating a vision for your ball club and a strategy for success. It’s about calling team meetings every once in a while if necessary to give your players a chance to gripe and get things off their chest.
Wright mentioned earlier in the year that in 2006 they came to the ballpark expecting to win and last year they came hoping to win. That culture has obviously carried over into this year. And that is not the GM’s fault, who assembled the best team possible under the circumstances. What’s needed is a manager who can facilitate a culture that creates the proper chemistry for winning. Not just statements about winning. Willie is not that guy.
well put
although i dont even think a warriors mentality matters, i just dont see hunger. i dont see slitting your best friends throat to win. great, have fun, but i want BLOOD with these guys.
Wow, you would slit somebodies throat just to win, and your best friend, no less? Who is this, Elijah Dukes?
LOL!!!
The players aren’t merely indifferent towards Willie. They play as if they’re indifferent to the outcome of the games. With the notable exception of a few players (i.e. Wags, Wright, Maine, Alou), they don’t seem to care.
I don’t know if it’s all Willie’s fault or not, but he has to go. This team is in shambles. I don’t care about the fact that they’re “only” 2.5 games out.
Can anyone say that they’re satisfied with this team’s play over the past year? Relatively speaking, yeah, they’re right in the hunt. But objectively speaking, this team stinks.
It’s funny, but Alou seems to bring a spark to the team. He is a geezer and ready to break in half, but the guy can still hit. That is obvious. He also has a fire that guys like Beltran, Delgado, Castillo, etc. don’t seem to have. Taking the extra base, stealing home….he plays with passion and thats all I ask.
1B next year?
how ’bout next week?
I would love willie to sit delgado down for a week.
Not a chance. In all fairness, yesterday wasn’t Delgado’s fault. All you can do is hit it hard.
Passion is something that is sorely missing in this team. We had it in spades in 2006, but it disappeared last year. 2007’s team had a sense of entitlement. This year’s team has a sense of indifference.
This is what happens when you overpay a bunch of Mary’s. They get fat and sit back and wait.
My goodness, the Marlins have an entire team they pay 22 million and they play to win. The news here is that Beltran sucks, Delgado sucks, Castillo sucks – only when you consider what you pay for them. How can you compare these guys to the lowest paid counterparts and be happy? There is no value here.
Ladies and gentelman we now know what it feels like to be our crosstown rivals.
Not saying I’m going to stop watching or that I ever would. But this team has become very difficult to watch. The lack of clutch hitting. The fact that we constantly get beaten by D’Angelo Jimenez, Felipe Lopez, Carlos Ruiz, Eric Bruntlett, Ronny Cedeno, Jesus Flores (please let’s not kill Omar at the mention of his name. of course he kills us. every marginal major leaguer does).
I just don’t get it. It’s more annoying than watching Luis Castillo hit. It’s more painful than watching Reyes pop the first pitch up to shortstop. Jose, if you’re reading this…just because you play shortstop, doesn’t mean you have to hit it to the other team’s shortstop.
I need some pills.
Flores was a Rule 5 pick. The Mets couldn’t afford to keep a green 19 year old their roster since they were competing for a championship. The Nats could.
You can’t kill him for that. You can for a lot of other things, though.
I’ve never killed Omar for that move. Just that every time people talk about Omar’s shortcomings on this site, they mention Jesus Flores. Gimme a break. Look at his numbers vs. everyone else.
If you have a team full of people that beat up on you and you only….that would be a pretty bad team. How much you want to bet we make a play for Pat Burrell this offseason? That is when I stop cheering for this team. Hate that guy.
Pat Burrell has been a consisten run producer for a long time now. He can play on my team every single day.
Yea…as long as the NL adopts the DH rule. I don’t understand why nobody can see the fact that this guy sucks. He has made a career of hitting against the Mets. What does he do against every other team?
It is exactly that attitude, “we’re only x games back,” that led to the trading of Kazmir. It doesn’t matter if we’re only a few games back because this team doesn’t seem poised to take advantage of other teams’ struggles.
We traded Kazmir because we were only a few games back, ignoring the fact that we were a terribly flawed team.
Yes, we’re only a couple back now, but we are a flawed team. We shouldn’t be any games back with the way the rest of the division has played. Especially early on, the standings don’t mean much, so don’t look at how many games back we are, look at this flawed team and figure out how to get more out of it.
Oh I’d give anything for the in-game Willie Lover’s to come out of hiding today. I think finally after that Washington series they’ve gone into hiding for good and when Willie gets fired and the Mets start to play better baseball they’ll act like they called for his head all along. Where are you Willie Lovers? FIRE WILLIE!
Why are you making this an us against you argument?, We all want a better team, we just have different opinions on how it should be done..Although at this point I just want them to play better, no matter how it’s done.
Fire Wade Phillips. Actually, keep him. This way your team will suck again.
Wade is doing ok. We will keep him and yes I’m a diehard cowboy fan.
Dude, why r u PacmanJones anyway?
Did you see Wade Phillips’ had at Tom Coughlin’s charity golf tournament?
2007 NFC East Champions hat. Oh, and he was playing in Coughlin’s group. Pretty funny stuff.
Cowboys suck? Really? The Cowboys are BY FAR the class of the NFC. Giants made a spectacular run but it would be absurd for you to try to tell me the Giants are better then the Boys. And I am not a fan of either.
Metsblog fellas. They play baseball.
The class of the NFC let an inferior opponent (by your standards) walk into their building and beat them. This was during the Cowboys’ season, with a clear path to the Super Bowl. The class of the NFC. Time to start looking at Romo as either playing over his head in the regular season, or choking in the playoffs.
All I know is there was no skipping off the field in that playoff game. Hahaha.
Anyways, maybe sucking is a little harsh. But Wade Phillips is a joke. Just ask Buffalo and Denver. I hope the Cowboys keep him.
Tidewater,
You’re right. But us optimistic fans are looking forward to training camp haha.
Can we please take 2 of 3 this weekend then roll over Atlanta?
No need to hide. Wright & Castillo messed up. And there is no need for Willie to castrate them for your sick pleasure.
I didn’t see the Reyes play, but I read that he was just being aggresive, the way you want Reyes to be playing. And they would have had a tie game or a win if not for the best catch this season from Willie Harris, I still don’t know how he held onto the ball.
But, that’s what happens when you are losing, breaks go the other way. Trust me, the Mets will get their fair share before it’s over, karma is funny that way.
Willie is fine.
I’m not a Willie supporter so I don’t know if I’m one of the people you’re talking to. I don’t think there are very many actual Willie supporters. But if we need to take sides, I’m not on your side, I’m on the anti-hysteria side. Just so you know, when it’s obvious these threads are going to be full of ranting, I (and likely all the others who find it tiresome) stay away. Nobody’s in hiding, we’re just not interested in dealing with you all when you’re in your frothing-at-the-mouth state.
and if they turn it around without firing willie, what will you say?
Or they don’t turn it around by firing willie. or they fire willie and turn it around at a different point.
It is obvious that the manager of the New York Mets is not loved by his players; the problem here is that if they need someone to go to with a problem they go to Omar Minaya or Tony Bernazard. This was a problem last year and it showed its affect on the field. Francesca on the FAN , who knows nothing about the Mets (except that he hopes they lose) just made 2 statements : 1) Willie Randolph will not be fired by Mets mangement 2) Mets fans hate this team and Yankee fans love their team. Well I don’t know where he received the first part of information.; this fan does not hate this team—-I don’t like the way they are playing. I wish he would speak about things he knew something about.
At this point, who cares what he says? The Yankees are the best and the Mets stink. That’s what he would have told you on October 25, 1986. So why listen to him now
Well based on the reaction of many posters on this blog, it is very easy to see where one could think that Mets fans hate the team.
“Francesca on the FAN , who knows nothing about the Mets (except that he hopes they lose) just made 2 statements : 1) Willie Randolph will not be fired by Mets mangement 2) Mets fans hate this team and Yankee fans love their team. Well I don’t know where he received the first part of information…”
Take it from a former professional broadcaster… not in NY, but the rules are the same everywhere you go:
Willie does a paid spot on their show. The first rule of broadcasting is supposed to be to serve the public. The first actually enforced rule is you don’t screw around with your paid spots. Don’t even matter who’s paying whom. Even if Francessa got a definitive date when Willie will be fired (not saying there is one), he would still say it’s not happening. Nobody is going to screw around with financial aspects of the station to give the listeners a scoop.
Lost in all the anti-Willie hoopla, after the Nats acted like kids against Figueroa. The 1st pitch out of John Maine’s hand the next day was aimed right at the hitter.
I don’t think Maine did that on his own. I think Willie does what he can, he is no magician. But, you have guys in the dugout who are not all that friendly or good in the clubhouse.
Obviously, Wagner has proved that, I always thought that Pat Burrell was the one with the issue. But, Wags is proving that to be untrue. It’s a shame, because he is actually one of the guys who is performing. Beltran is not that open or friendly. Reyes is giving to having huge swings of high and low.
Maybe, the team is just flawed structurely. Who knows? There are no easy answers.
Well, there is one answer … Just win, baby!!!
Winning takes care of everything.
“Winning takes care of everything.”
In this case, it will just mask everything.
No winning is everthing.
I can give a flying f- if my team is 60-102 and holding hands and singing Kumbaya in the clubhouse.
Who are some other potentil suitors as new mets manager. is joe mccewing way to im possible oe could he be considered, how bout ho jo.
side note–any news on if 2nite’s game is rained out?
Wally Backman or Keith Hernandez for manager. Ron Darling as pitching coach.
The only problem is that Gary is alone in the booth, oh well, we can stick his mini-me (Kevin Burkhardt) with him.
wally backman, i WHOLE heartedly agree…he got a raw deal by AZ and never got a 2nd chance, meanwhile born losers like torborg get chance after chance…and backman is JUST waht this team needs…and he can manage too…but it will never happen
Just fire him already so that we can discuss baseball again. So that the spector of last year is no longer hanging over us. As much as I hate Willie, there isn’t much more to say…he is what he is…an ok AL bench coach, not an NL manager. Get rid of him, Wilpons…put him (and us) out of our misery.
Feel free to discuss baseball whenever you want. You are one of the major reasons that all this fire willie nonsense creeps into every thread.
Well, he is one of the major reasons this team is in under-performing. Once he is gone, I think we will all be able to “turn the page”…finally.
What baseball related matter would you like me to comment on?
Heilman?
Delgado?
Castillo?
Reyes?
Wright?
Wagner’s mouth?
You can’t talk about any of those things until willie is gone? How come? multi-task, buddy. Learn to interject some baseball related topics into your ranting and raving.
Don’t get me wrong, feel free to talk about anything that you want… just don’t say that willie is the reason you can’t discuss baseball.
Oh, and Wagner’s mouth is also not baseball related.
Not really and that’s the crux of the argument.
Maybe I am missing something here. So, Heilman stinks and Wright and Reyes have been nowhere near the players they were last year, but none of this can be discussed until the Mets have a new manager? Why?
Ok here goes. The biggest problem with this team is Willie. Its hard to be critical of anything else because it is the biggest flaw in my opinion. If he is gone, I think alot of the things will get better.
I personally whole-heartedly believe that the Reyes decline is tied into his “respect” for Willie. I have played with a few players like Jose in my days and I have seen similar primadona, childish behavior from them. Now, we can get rid of Reyes or we can get rid of Willie…I don’t see any other alternative.
Delgado is totally a waste of a roster spot at this point. I do like him hitting 7th, because there is less expectation from him in that role, plus maybe he can incorporate the bunt to eliminate the shift which will help the batting average. His defense is putrid, but we are stuck with him. But I can’t wait until next year to see some one else there.
Heliman, he has value on this team, but currently not in the role that Willie wants to use him. You cannot bring him in in a close game. He is this year’s Scott Schoenweise. Something is in his head. His splits are equally bad at home and on the road, so its not the booing or the fans. Maybe Peterson needs to take him on a picnic or practice some buddhist ritual, but he needs a “cleansing”.
Castillo – worst signing Omar has made (unless there was some back room negotiation to ensure Santana signed the extension here). He is good defensively, but he is tough to watch at the plate. He may lead the NL in infield singles, but that is because his batted balls rarely leave the infield. I don’t mind him in the lineup, I just don’t think he is a #2 hitter any longer. Another stubborn decision Mr. Randolph refuses to acknowledge.
And David, well he is just trying to do too much. I for one wish he would stop being the chior-boy, Mr. Political-correctness and just rip the team. It might be very freeing. I think hold all the frustration inside is finally getting to him, and he just needs to release.
Wagner’s mouth. I love what he said. But just cuz its appropriate…”Know your place ‘closer’”
Maybe it is time to trade reyes. Get some real talent in return for the most exciting player in baseball. His main asset is his legs and he will probably begin to deteriorate sooner rather than later. Perhaps he already has. I know he is still very young, but that doesn’t mean he will just magically keep getting better. Maybe he isn’t a very hard worker and once he signed his contract, he decided to stop working as hard as he had been. I am not saying that is what happened, but it can certainly be considered a possibility.
I like Delgado as the 7 hitter and 1B. I think he is a great compliment to the batting order down there just beacuse too much shouldn’t be expected of him.
The only way to fix heilman is to give Peterson a shotgun and a copy of Old Yeller. His time is done. He is a wreck emotionally. At least it is safe for me to stop watching games once he is brought into the game.
Castillo will be fine. He is what he is. He will play solid to above average defense, see alot of pitches, put the ball in play and hit a hollow .280 or so over the life of his contract. His knees may look like they are shot, but he is still an effective basestealer (7 for 7 this year)
I did like to see Wright fire his helmet to the dugout after popping up yesterday. But more than that, I would actually like to see him get a few hits. I hope that Reyes’ lackadasical play won’t start to rub off on him. Forget Reyes, the team should realize that the offense goes as Wright goes, not Reyes.
I don’t see why a closer can’t be the vocal leader of a team. The Mets’ last captain was a closer. Wags hasn’t given up an earned run this year, so he can call out anyone on the team that he wants to. Lead by example and through words… Kudos to Wags.
it is possible to discuss the team without an overtone of everything being the managers fault? I really hope this can be a trend going forward.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – look at Bobby Cox. It’s no coincidence that he has the record for ejections, and the Braves won a dozen titles straight.
Anyone who played for Bobby Cox would take a bullet for him – how many Mets could you say that about Willie? An no, hoping Heilman takes an actual bullet for Willie doesn’t count.
So, the last two years Cox’s team didn’t like him as much? Or could it be that the best baseball team has won the division for the last 15 years? Taking a bullet for your coach won’t make you get a hit with runners in scoring position. It will just lead to different articles in the media.
And it’s not like Cox has a whole drawer full of rings either… I guess his players only like him during the regular season.
“Anyone who played for Bobby Cox would take a bullet for him”
A little dramatic no?
The Braves won 14 titles because they he had 3 first ballot Hall Of Famers at the top of their rotation and had a farm system that churned out blue chip after blue chip.
Scherholz is without a doubt the best GM in baseball, hands down. And you had Rocking Leo turning lemons into lemonade. My favorite example of that is John Thompson who sucked with us and turned into a world beater with them.
Also with all that talent the have only won one World Series.
How good is that?
Fire Omar as well. He said he would fix the Mets minor league system, and all he has to prove it, is Mike Pelfrey. We have one of the worse minor league systems in all of baseball. Omar needs to take the blame for that. All we have are good single a ballplayers and Fernando Martinez.
Did you want Johan Santana?
Yes, but we were lucky the Twins were desperate. Think about it, if the Yankees or Red Sox were actually serious about getting Johan, they could have easily had him and still would have a good farm system. We already had a mediocre farm system and now it is horrible. It wasn’t good when Omar came, and it won’t be good when he leaves.
Well put. The Santana trade drained a mediocre (at best) farm and made it lousy.
He also brought us Schneider & Church for Milledge. I was ready to absolutely kill Omar (first time I felt that) over this deal. And so far, I have been proven wrong, Brian S. calls a good game and Church has been solid. I can only hope this keeps up. Also, Figueroa and Pagan have performed very admirably.
Omar has been right most of the time, and people losing Bannister and Bell wasn’t the worst moves of all time.
Sorry, but I’ve heard that too many times.
I wasn’t trying to hang out Omar there. The fact is, the Mets haven’t had a rich farm system in a very, very long time. It’s why they continue to repeat the cycle of being competitive with veterans (mostly from other teams), sucking with those veterans one or two seasons later when they are over the hill, improving by replacing those ancient veterans with less ancient ones, competing with those new veterans, sucking when those new veterans themselves become ancient.
If we invested in the farm, we could sustain a high level of play for longer. Other teams that invest in their farms only start to struggle when they can no longer afford to keep their own home-growns. That would never be a problem with this team.
If the Mets maintain mediocrity through the end of the season, talk about firing Omar all you want, but I still think it’s unjust to rake him over the coals about the farm system.
The first two years of Omar’s tenure was spent rebuilding the mess of a roster by signing top FAs like Pedro, Wagner or Beltran (and reliquishing 1st round picks) and trading prospects for ML-ready players. A lot of the most highly touted minor league acquisitions are so young, they’re years away from being contributors, and at least we’re getting some contributions from recent draft picks like Pelfrey and Joe Smith. Quite frankly, I feel this year and next are critical to evaluate how Omar has restocked the system, because that’s when a lot of his first international signings become old enough to drink, and this is really the first time in his tenure where he’s had multiple first round picks at his disposal to pay above slot and get some solid prospects the way the Yanks and Sox did in ‘05 and ‘06.
Let’s revisit this debate a year from now if guys like FMart, Ruben Tejada, Francisco Pena and others aren’t progressing and if Omar goes out and drafts three projected middle relievers in the first round next month.
No blame the Wilpons for sticking to the MLB slotting system for signing bonuses, this prohibited them for going after the big fish.
And Joe Smith. And Jonathon Niese, and Eddie Kunz. All the other prospects were sent for Johan. So I think he’s done a fine job with the minor league system. Prior to the Santana trade, Baseball America had the Mets in the middle of the pack.
We can debate all night, but I’m giving my opinion. I understand that it is too early to fully review Omar’s choices for the farm system, but as of now I am not happy with it.
You happy getting Santana?
I was practically giddy. And I don’t do giddy.
Willie to me seems like a nice guy but i have said it many times that hes not over the past few seasons. That is what is infecting the clubhouse. He took a big ego shot last year and just as heilman hasnt been the same, so hasnt willie. Perhaps this would be best for the team. They need to relax and have fun again. This team has become the yankees who are always pressed to win but they actually do (until the first round anyways lol). Im glad that the mets are regarded as high as they are but i kinda miss the underdog personality…idk im just ranting here. Its only a matter of time before willie gets the boot….
Anyone know when/if they will call tonights game?
Hopefully they will call it by 5 or right around there. But that’s probably not going to happen.
My guess is that we sit through 4 innings of on and off baseball, are miserable for 4 hours (and i don’t mean just by watching our team play).
I remember going last week to a game when It was raining, and they waited an hour after the start time to call it. There is a number you can call that gives updates, but it doesn’t look good. The weather channel is saying a 90% chance of rain.
Is there anywhere to check for updates? About to hop on the train but I don’t really wanna make the trip to stand in the rain for a couple hours and go home
“According to Sherman, ‘There is not a wholehearted disrespect, but critically there is not respect either. Not hate, but not love.’”
It’s amazing to me that everything at Shea this season seems to just scream “middle of the road” at you.
It’s not just the record. It seems to be everything. Nothing is hot or cold. Everything is just luke-warm. Maybe that’s the way it’s always been, but it’s just more noticeable now.
There is just a feeling of despair. It’s almost like a car with flat tires, you can try to drive it all you want, but you won’t get very far. Omar gave us the car, but can the Wilpons get us some new wheels?
I like that!
You’re good. You’re good.
Problem at this point, is that there are no wheels to be had. Though my friend is convinced that Matt Holiday will be available by the break.
From Newsday:
THE DECREPIT FIRST BASEMEN
CARLOS DELGADO VS. JASON GIAMBI
You know how, in basketball practices, the coach won’t let the players leave until everyone hits a foul shot? Imagine if Joe Girardi or Willie Randolph said, “No one goes home until Giambi/Delgado throws accurately from first base to second base!” Even the Bush administration wouldn’t advocate such torture. At least Giambi still draws some walks.
lay off Bush.
besides, he’s having a better year
If somebody, anybody, would just start to hit they can win games regardless of who is managing.
And Pedro wouldn’t hurt either, although I hate to even utter his name. Even if its just to loosen this bunch up.
I hope they play tonight, late would be better for me, I’m sorry for all you guys/gals with tickets though, 50 degrees at game time.
John Heyman is a dolt, by the way.
the big question is who will be the interim manager..my guess is ho jo. Who you got?
Jerry Manuel, since he has managing experience? Just a guess.
total nitpick, but here goes …. who are the Devil Rays??
MBFTSH and that idiot mongrel are talking about the Subway Series. MBFTSH is saying how much he loves interleague play and the Subway Series. The angry puppy disagrees with him. It just shows how stupid Francesca is. Then he says we always come to the games. You should –you are gettting into for nothing. He does not realize how unfair it is especially to the Mets because neither the Phillies not the Braves have had to play the Yankees when they were good. In addition since there is a wild card , while the Cardinals are playing the Royals the Mets are playing the Yankees and the ubs play the Sox. He just does’nt get it . I hate games with the Yankees so much , I will sell my tickets when the games come to Sea. No way I sit with scuzzy Yankee fans and hear threm brag.
who care if Willie is hated or loved. The Mets hated Bobby V and the Yanks hated Martin.
I am not sure of fire matters in the Mets case. I really do think they want to win. However, I do think they aren’t playing smart baseball, and executing when they have to. I think that is a matter of concentration over not caring.
ohhhhhhhh my god,, did you guys just hear this guy say that Mets fans don’t understand baseball.. And that we should feel sorry for him.. He a friggin millionaire.. and a terrible manager.. why should we feel sorry for him?
Yea, I heard it and Matt you should post the audio if you can get it please. This is ridiculous I am listening to him spewing the same bull that he was last year. “I know my guys and we feel in the end we’re gonna be there”. Thats all I heard last September. The he has the nerve to insult the fans; it was real under his breath too. “This is what happens when people don’t know the game” No Willie this is what happens when guys don’t know how or choose not to play the game right. Dude you’ve had alot of rope. I have already lost respect as Willie the Manager. Today listening to that interview I lost respect for Willie the Man. In case you missed it ; other highlights included him saying Castillo was looking out for his quad. He’s so full of it!. Castillo was clearly loafing it. Castillo wasn’t quad was fine and that was obvious when he bunted for a single in the beginning in a game. “Its just what people want to see” in regards to the bad play. I’m so sick. Goodby Willie you can’t be gone soon enough. FOr the record I supported this guy for 4 years, I’m done!
pacman you should stick to the strip clubs and makin it rain, your ridiculous banter here on this blog i becoming stale, if you dislike the ball club bein led by willie then speka with your $, dont watch, dont come out to the park, dont post here on the blog….there is no manager in the wings that can or will come in here and change the tone here, its up to the players to respond to this weeks miscues and come out for blood
if anyone just heard willie on the fan w M/MD he sounded fired up and ready to go, really going to suck if Mets are forced to play double dip tom. and again on Tues
looks like Marlon will be the DH tonight, bc Alou has said he doesnt liek to sit around all game
we need that audio from Willie on Mike and the mad dog..
“Its unfortunate that people that don’t know the game and don’t know what were dealing with, call for peoples lively hoods.”
Willie Randolph
I am IRATE!! Jeff Wilpon if you are reading this I will never spend another dime in your building until you get rid of Willie Randolph. Cause obviously I and millions of other people obviously don’t know what we are watching.
If I had the means… I would make a “Fire Willie” T-shirt with that quote on the back.
I had no problem with the interview, not sure what set you off Doc.
The team will either play better, or they won’t and he will lose his job. I think wright and beltran will get it going because their history says they will, and the pitching is good enough to win. Reyes is the wild card for me, if he can get going they can do some damage and Willie will keep his job.
I dont care what they do, he has to go. He’s already proved his worth or better yet lack thereof.
I mean, thats ok, but the fact is if they start winning, which they absolutely are capable of, and they are in 1st hes not going anywhere. If they don’t have a very good offseason, then 09 will be a different story.
what set me off is his comment about how we shouldn’t be able to voice our opinion whether or not he is doing a good job as manager. Don’t we the fans pay his salary? Aren’t we the ones that make this team great. If we weren’t so passionate about this team they would just be another club. We are New Yorkers and we have passion for baseball and when we watch our team consistently underachieve it kills us. We’ve spent most of our history with lousy teams and when we finally get a group of guys that can contend we want them to play to their potential.. Its killing us watching them play like this.
It is painful to watch.
But you have to admit alot is said and written that we simply have no idea about. We are not in the club house, we don’t know whats going on with injuries, especially the pen, and we certainly don’t know what its like for a professional hitter to struggle at the plate. Yet all of us make statements at times like we know.
I think thats what he was referring to. However, that is the way it has always been with managers and the media/fans, and it will never change. Its not always fair, he is a big boy and he knows it.
agreed jacket
I second that.
hes gonna get the whole season
Only if we allow it.
5 out just before the ASB and he is toast. Otherwise, I think he survives.
This post is right on, and it shows why we are where we are. The players don’t love Willie and they don’t hate Willie. It’s just sort of blah. Which is exactly what his personality is, not mad and angry, and not happy and motivating. This in turn reflects on the team, just sort of going through the motions, with no Emotions.
maybe, but why do we always take what the media feeds us as fact? These guys will write anything, they have to churn after all for a living.
If willie gets fired, and the team continues to struggle they will then write the “willie was scapegoated” article. You’ll see.
if he ran out there 2x a week yelling and screamin like cox, hed be seen as a loose cannon and it would get old really quick–willie did raise a valid point during the interview in that the camera only seem to pan over to him when something bad happens, and hes calm and stoic about it. hes right in that we dont always get to see him talkin to his guys when things are going good, i mean really fellas as bad as it might be this week, were 2 games out of 1st, a game over .500 with 3/4 of the season to go, no way we see willie fired with the team one weekend series from being ahead of the fish
Dude, this is not about just this bad start. You know its that mentality that cost us the post season last year. For the record I was for him getting another shot after last year. This way a quarter of the year in I’m watching the same mistakes, same apparent lack of focus, even worse decisions by Willie (letting Heilman come in and blow one run games completey out of hand.) Its one thing to watch what transpires on the field and question his decisions but when you hear his interviews and his rationale it really doesn’t make sense. He’s just not a good manager folks. Great player, ok manager.
None of you Willie-haters know Willie Randolph – that’s clear. Willie Randolph is a funny, fiery guy with a huge, competitive, passionate, heart who REALLY cares about winning and his players. You want a Pinella? Maybe a Pinella of today but not the Sweet Lou you all think is there. Remember these guys played together under the most animated, feisty, (I’m trying to be kind to the dead) over-the-top managers ever. Lou hasn’t won a World Series. Gil Hodges didn’t come out and fight with umpires – EVER! Willie is a winner and worked with winners taking his style from quite an assortment of managers. If his players don’t have his back it isn’t because he doesn’t have theirs.
Willie shows no emotion because he’d be going crazy with this old, hobbled line up. And the young guys that can run – why aren’t they running? You don’t think that Willie Randolph, a GREAT 2nd baseman hasn’t taught them to run the bases? You don’t think these guys learned this in the minors?
Why can’t you see that Willie stays inanimate during press conferences because he knows he’s in NY and he is trying to protect his players from you the fans and the press? That’s one of his most difficult jobs – protecting a sub-par team that cost a lot of money and is “expected” to win a world series. You guys better get over this really soon or you’re going to be wishing you had a guy like Willie.
I expected more from Sherman but again, it’s the NY Post.
Sherman’s known Willie a long time and knows the type of guy he is he’s just feeding all of the Mets fan paranoia. I guess he needs copy but that’s 4 down.
tiki that was excelent, and couldnt be any more true
Wow looks like some sane individuals are coming out of the woodwork! I could not agree more with you fellas.
I have to add though that,if he does not turn this thing around at the end of the year, he will have to go. He has failed to mold his team to his image. I would love to see this team approach the game like Willie did, but they don’t. Why is that?
I’m not ready to give up on Willie. I’m more disappointed in some of the players who don’t seem to give a rip.(Delgado, Beltran)
It’s still early, Lets all hope Wright gets it going and Reyes plays up to his potential.
Not to throw more fuel on the coaching fire, but can peterson stabilize this pen? They have the arms, if the middle of the pen can shore up they should have the offense to win.
Willie showed some fight on Mike and the Mad dog. Like to see some passion out of him. His days are numbered. Wagner is now back pedaling big time.
what i dont see in willie is the ability to manage people…who ever said that just because you played the game, you can now be a manager?
II has the respect of eaca manager in my professional life; I am sure there are thousands of people in the tristate area who manage others for a living; i have been a subsidiary president, managed a large company of over 150 employees, and owned my own business. I am a good manager; but i never in my life actually ran the mamchinery in my plant.
and, I am sure that most of us know of superstar employees, who know their business inside out, but could never become a good manager
a good manager has the respect of each and every one of his workers; and, every day, those workers try to do better today than they did yesterday…willie does not instill that in the mets
willie hasnt gotten the respect of his players; he has issues in the clubhouse (the same issues he has this yr with wagner, he had last yr with loduca…and he hasnt been able to fix that)
his players function as individuals, not as a team, and willie doesnt appear to be able to change that environment
I am sure willie is a nice man, but…he can rant and rave like pinella, or get run like cox, or think hes a genius like larussa…doesnt mean he can manage other players
(and, anyone who has spent a lifetime in his craft…and still doesnt know that when the opposing team bats out of order, you say nothing unless the other team gets a man on base…)
maybe the time has come to emulate nyc mayor bloomberg…he wasnt a politician before becoming mayor…maybe we need to see non baseball people as managers…business leaders…successful business leladers..instead of successful baseball ‘players’
wow… the SNY payroll is out in full force tonight. I really can’t believe some of this pro willie stuff. Sure he’s a good guy and I would love to here his thoughts baseball,, but that doesn’t make him a good manager. Guys this guy is not a leader!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He said it himself today.. Mike asked him about the leaders in his locker room and he said Delgado and Alou. He doesn’t want to lead or maybe he doesn’t know how to lead. But if a manager isn’t a leader and isn’t that great with his managerial decisions then I don’t know what he’s there for.
the clubhouse is a mess
they are playing like a last place club with no confidence
and these situations have been going on for well over a year now. come on guys… wake up
joe mccewing for manager
indy, we all kno willie was answering that ? based on what PLAYERS he views as leaders, he cant be a leader for the players, the players need to have a leader, he can only guide them as the manager, hes not makin the throws, the catches or the hits out there on the field, he has no control what so ever once the plays start happening
im really interested to know how the whole pitching decison is made in a batter by batter, inning by inning case, like was there a specific reason heilman was brought on in vargas’ start? did he have a good career number vs those hitters, we already kno show was unavailable and wise had pitched 2 nights in a row(one in AAA, one w Mets) so he was out……does peterson make the pitching calls? i would just love to be in the dugout to see how the whole dynamic works, and until we are there, none of us is really able to say anything abt the calls being made by the manager, etc
we get those outs wed night, and reyes scores to tie game yest, we win it in the 9th…none o this fickle BS is being mentioned, like PAcino says in “any given sunday”, its a game of inches