Wilie Randolph Fired

The wait is over, Willie Randolph has been fired. Also fired were pitching coach Rick Peterson and first base coach Tom Nieto.

As firings go, this one was handled with little class, suspect timing, and poor communication. The obvious question being, why make those guys travel across the country to win a game and get fired right after?

Moreover the Mets have won 3 of 4, and played some of their best baseball of the year.

Ken Oberkfell, Dan Warthen and Luis Aguayo will join the team’s big-league staff.

Oberkfell had been the manager of the team’s Triple-A New Orleans affiliate, while Warthen had been the pitching coach, and Aguayo the team’s field coordinator.

According to an AP report, Minaya and Manuel will address the media before Tuesday’s game in Anaheim at 5 pm EDT.

Name	Years managed	Record
Willie Randolph	2004-08	302-253
Art Howe	2003-04	137-186
Bobby Valentine	1996-2002	536-467
Dallas Green	1993-96	229-283
Jeff Torborg	1992-93	85-115
Mike Cubbage	1991	3-4
Bud Harrelson	1990-91	145-129
Davey Johnson	1984-90	595-417
Frank Howard	1983	52-64
George Bamberger	1982-83	81-127
Joe Torre	1977-81	286-420
Joe Frazier	1976-77	101-106
Roy McMillan	1975	26-27
Yogi Berra	1972-75	292-296
Gil Hodges	1968-71	339-309
Salty Parker	1967	4-7
Wes Westrum	1965-67	142-237
Casey Stengel	1962-1965	175-404

Mets Misery

Another superb start wasted, but this time there would be no 13th inning heroics, only a crushing defeat and a team that, for all intents and purposes, is starting to look defeated.

David Wright, the poster boy for accountability and optimism, looks absolutely crushed right now in the dugout. The losses are taking a toll on the Mets young star.

The Mets faithful, who have supported this team to the tune of 3 million visitors per year, are angry--and they should be.

Change is a coming my friends, and it will be Willie--it has to be Willie.

Has he done anything egregiously wrong of late in his game management? Absolutely not, in fact I would say the opposite is true.

But as we've reported here for months, accountability starts with the leader, and Willie Randolph, as the Manager, is the leader of this bunch.

It's time for a change....maybe too late, but maybe soon enough to salvage 2008.

Momentum Swept Away: Willie Randolph May be Fired Today

In a series where everything was right in front of the Mets for the taking, they did the opposite and gave away the momentum and post team meeting energy they built over the weekend.

Pitchers didn't pitch; hitters were in consistent; fielding miscues abounded; baserunning errors cost them runs.

And now what? Have the Mets hit rock bottom in 2008, or is the worst yet to come?

At sub-.500, on the road, with health concerns still tearing away at the fabric of the team, we all sit and wonder what the future holds?

One thing is certain: the Mets need to make a change at the top, and whether that is the right or wrong move isn't really the subject for debate any longer, it is simply reality.

Willie Randolph could be fired as quickly as today--in fact I expect it to happen.

My gut says Jerry Manuel is named interim manager this afternoon, and then the team can go about and try to pick up the pieces for 2008.

It should never have come to this.

National League
East	W	L	Pct	GB	Home	Road	East	Cent	West	Streak	L10
Florida Marlins	27	19	.587	--	16-11	11-8	12-5	9-8	5-4	Won 3	5-5
Atlanta Braves	26	21	.553	1.5	20-5	6-16	13-12	5-5	6-3	Won 5	7-3
Philadelphia Phillies	27	22	.551	1.5	13-11	14-11	7-8	10-6	9-6	Won 3	6-4
New York Mets	22	23	.489	4.5	12-9	10-14	13-14	4-6	3-3	Lost 4	3-7
Washington Nationals	20	28	.417	8.0	11-13	9-15	13-19	6-7	0-0	Lost 2	5-5
Central	W	L	Pct	GB	Home	Road	East	Cent	West	Streak	L10
Chicago Cubs	28	19	.596	--	19-8	9-11	4-4	17-13	7-2	Lost 2	6-4
St. Louis Cardinals	28	21	.571	1.0	17-10	11-11	3-0	14-12	9-8	Won 1	5-5
Houston Astros	27	22	.551	2.0	13-8	14-14	5-5	10-7	11-8	Lost 1	5-5
Pittsburgh Pirates	22	25	.468	6.0	13-10	9-15	10-11	8-12	4-2	Won 1	4-6
Milwaukee Brewers	22	25	.468	6.0	11-9	11-16	4-7	14-13	4-2	Lost 1	4-6
Cincinnati Reds	21	27	.438	7.5	14-9	7-18	6-7	7-13	5-7	Lost 4	6-4
West	W	L	Pct	GB	Home	Road	East	Cent	West	Streak	L10
Arizona Diamondbacks	28	19	.596	--	19-8	9-11	3-7	3-6	20-5	Lost 3	5-5
Los Angeles Dodgers	25	21	.543	2.5	14-9	11-12	5-4	8-6	11-9	Won 3	6-4
San Francisco Giants	19	29	.396	9.5	11-15	8-14	3-3	6-14	10-9	Won 2	3-7
Colorado Rockies	18	29	.383	10.0	10-13	8-16	3-2	6-6	7-20	Lost 2	3-7
San Diego Padres	18	31	.367	11.0	10-12	8-19	2-7	6-8	9-14	Won 1	4-6

Are Willie Randolph's Days Numbered?

Terrible homestand, inconsistent offense, shaky relief, and a club that cannot seem to gel.

Willie has two weeks to right the ship, ie get to 5 over .500, or he is gone. It may be less time than that if this weekend's series against the Yankees is disastrous.

The Mets Yankees regular season subway series means a lot right now, and for all the wrong reasons for both teams.

We like Willie, but the simple fact is the Mets are 74-75 in their last 149 games, and that is simply unacceptable when you have the biggest payroll in the national league and a team chock full of stars.

Is this Willie Randolph's fault? That is a subject for debate, but regardless of where the blame lies, it is the leader who ultimately must take the fall for the performance of his troops.

A friend of mine was recently relieved of Command at Minot Air Force Base. You may recall the incident where nuclear weapons were flown from Minot Air Force Base to Barksdale Air Force Base...live nuclear weapons...this should NEVER happen. The people at fault were subordinates to my friend.

So though the troops were responsible, he took the fall, and rightly so. This is the way of the military.

In Willie's case there is a similar situation, though the Mets winning and losing is only life or death to those of us so fanatical that our daily emotions rely on where the Mets fall in the National League East win-loss column.

So this is it...a last gasp, a dying managerial breath...one shot at redemption in 2008.

Get to 5 over .500 in the next two weeks or go.

It's that simple.