Daily Archives: June 14, 2008
Tonight’s game between the Rangers and Mets has been postponed due to rain and will be made up as part of a doubleheader on Sunday.
John Maine will start Game 1 at 1:10 pm, while Pedro Martinez will start Game 2.
Tickets from Saturday’s rainout will not be honored. Instead, they can be exchanged for any 2008 game, subject to availability.
For the record, I do not want the Mets to fire Willie Randolph, if for no other reason than I do not understand how he or any other manager is going to make Carlos Delgado turn quicker on an inside fastball, or make Jose Reyes keep his elbow in, or make Moises Alou younger and healthier, or make David Wright stop swinging at pitches out of the strike zone, or give Luis Castillo new knees.
I like Willie. He is not the greatest baseball mind of all time, but I do not think that is necessary.
Randolph was a blue collar, scrappy, under-appreciated competitor – like the Mets – always playing second-fiddle to the more popular, more expensive Dave Winfield and Reggie Jackson.
As a player, Randolph was well-respected for his hustle, hard-nosed style and his consistent play, while Winfield and Jackson, like the Yankees to the Mets, were glitzy, powerful and mainstays among the national conversation.
On the day he took over as General Manager, Omar Minaya promised that he would build a young, athletic, hard-working, sustainable team, with a strong minor league system, that could compete for a decade, ‘like the Braves.’
He has not done that, mostly because he was charged with bringing instant credibility to a struggling organization – and I’m not sure he could ‘win now’ and ‘build for tomorrow’ all in one motion. In other words, ‘Minaya did what he had to do,’ by relying on ‘aging, injured, unproductive and expensive players,’ as John Delcos wrote today on his blog for the Journal News.
However, had Minaya stuck to his initial philosophy, I believe Randolph would be considered among the best managers in baseball right now, instead of fearing for his job, because he embodies a gritty, New York, blue-collar sensibility that is making a come back in Major League Baseball.
Tagged Willie Randolph |…the buzz from Shea Stadium is that Chris Aguila will be 
demoted tonight, when newly acquired Trot Nixon arrives to the ballpark…in fact, aguila was seen packing up his stuff last night, as though he had already heard the news…
…which means, the Mets have just six regular position players, surrounded by seven multi-position bench players, including nixon and Endy Chavez in the outfield, Damion Easley, Fernando Tatis and Marlon Anderson, who can also play infield, and two back-up catchers in Ramon Castro and Robinson Cancel…
When I was in Philadelphia in April, filming a video for SNY, a little boy in a Phillies jersey approached the camera and with a small voice, wide eyes and a big heart, enthusiastically said, “The Phillies lost last night, but they’re gonna win today.”
He smiled, believing what he said, and walked away.
I miss being that innocent and positive, especially when it comes to the way I watch baseball.
Now that I work so close to the game, it 
is very hard not to get caught up in the business of MLB. It’s hard to ignore who did what, why they did it, who should pitch, who shouldn’t, how much is a player is being paid, who can be traded, whose job is on the line, who should be fired, and who should be traded, demoted and promoted.
In the end, baseball is sustained by hope and the idea that tomorrow is a brand new day. And so, though it isn’t easy, I try my hardest to be that little boy.
In the end, despite any creative ways I may feel the team can improve, I want Willie Randolph, Carlos Delgado, Aaron Heilman, Carlos Beltran, and every one else on this team’s roster, to rise up, fight to the finish and have the last laugh.
In fact, in some ways, seeing this team two games under .500 – with it’s back against the wall – clicks with me more as a fan, because I have always been one to embrace the underdog.
I want the Mets to push through this adversity and win, which would be dramatic, compelling and a lot of fun to watch, because, to me, that – not firings, trades and money – is what baseball has always been about.
According to Newsday, Willie Randolph handed out black T-shirts to a select group of players in the clubhouse, which read, “Mets Baseball, This is the Year, Estes es el Año.”
…nice touch, willie…good luck, we’re all counting you…
Tagged Willie Randolph |
The Mets announced the signing of first-round pick SS Reese Havens and supplemental first-round pick RHP Brad Holt at Shea Stadium yesterday.
According to the team, both players will next report to Single-A Brooklyn, who will begin their season on June 17 against the Staten Island Yankees.
Tagged Reese Havens |Jose Valentin went 4-for-4 last night, in 
his fourth game since joining Triple-A New Orleans.
In 17 at bats for New Orleans this season, while playing first base and designated hitter, Valentin is batting .235 with one extra base hit, four strike outs and a perfectly groomed mustache.
…if he’s hitting, i would like to see him back with the Mets, because i believe he can serve as a player-coach so to speak…not that the Mets can afford such a roster spot, but it’s getting to the point that leadership may trump talent…
In a late-night report for Newsday, Ken Davidoff and David Lennon wrote that, according to ‘sources,’ the Mets were strongly considering firing Willie Randolph as early as today, had the team lost to the 
Rangers last night.
…this is the sense i got yesterday, as well, noting that much of randolph’s previous support had dried up, leaving all sorts of people connected to the team in a state of preparation for life after willie…
According to Bob Klapisch in the Bergen Record, “There’s only one man standing between Willie Randolph and the unemployment line - Omar Minaya, who’s emerged as the manager’s last line of defense at Shea.”
…fortunately for the manager, willie is omar’s last line of defense as well, because if willie is gone than all eyes will turn to minaya…
the Daily News, Adam Rubin quotes an anonymous player as saying, “It’s time for a change. Unfortunately, but it’s time.”
Randolph has a 300-252 record as manager of the Mets, and is second only to Davey Johnson in winning percentage.
However, since June 1, 2007, the Mets are 86-90.
Tagged Willie Randolph |…for whatever reason, some of the embed video on this site has not been working of late…this is not isolated to any one browser…it’s something else, but i can’t figure it out…i’m working on the problem…
…in the meantime, i will try to always add a link to the bottom of the post, which will launch an old-school, pop-up video player…
…sorry for the inconvenience…
In the final moments of Willie Randolph’s post-game press conference with reporters, the team’s public relations guru Jay Howritz informed the room that Omar Minaya would be making an announcement.
Randolph then began to kill time, making jokes with the reporters suggesting that the announcement may have something to do with his job security, when in reality it was to announce the acquisition of Trot Nixon.
If you are unable to see the video above, click here instead.
Tagged Willie Randolph | ← Older posts
