For Willie, It's Win and Go Home
Willie Randolph had been on the brink for more than a month.
A week of more losses than wins pushed him closer to dismissal as manager of the Mets.
A string of victories, coupled with blanket reassurances from the team's front-office management, pulled him away from the clubhouse exit – at least for a few days.
This past weekend was supposedly it. If the Mets didn't win, Willie was gone.
The Mets did win – three of their last four, in fact – and Willie is gone.
Did he deserve to go? Mets fans can and will debate the merits of the firing until October.
Was he too laid back? Maybe.
Did he have too much faith in "his guys," the mix of flashy young stars and injury and slump-prone veterans he so relied upon? Perhaps.
But, did he deserve the way he went? Absolutely not.
Not after taking two of three from the Texas Rangers at home, including the split of a straight doubleheader.
Not after flying 3,000 miles for the first game of a six-game West Coast swing.
Not after a resilient 8-6 win Monday night over one of the best teams in baseball, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
Not after giving a ritual post-game press conference, in which the theme seemed to be "Willie lives for another day."
The Mets' decision to dismiss Willie came in a press release after 3 a.m. Eastern time, well after all but the die hard, overnight radio caller-type fans had gone to bed; after the newspaper deadlines and the last cycle of Sports Center and Baseball Tonight.
The Mets sneaked Willie's firing into the news cycle the way an unfaithful husband slinks into the house, smelling of booze and another woman's perfume, in the early morning. They seemed confident to do what they did, but not enough to let anybody know about it.
Players learned of their manager's firing through text messages from the reporters that cover the team. Randolph, in that post-win press conference, was a lamer duck than he knew.
Classless.
The end of the Willie Randolph era as the 18th manager in the 46-year history of the Mets had been in the works in some fashion since the team's epic collapse that caused it to miss the playoffs last season, after getting to within a run of the World Series in 2006.
A slow start this season did not help.
Neither did injuries and poor play by some of the steely veterans brought in by the general manager Omar Minaya, who at last check of the late-night e-mails, faxes and Shea Stadium smoke signals, still has his job. Moises Alou, disabled list. Carlos Delgado, underachieving. Luis Castillo, hardly the speedy second baseman who lit up the diamond in Florida.
Too many fading stars eclipsing the young talents – David Wright, Jose Reyes and Ryan Church, who played the unsung hero in right field before concussions forced him out of the lineup.
The starting pitching, save for Johan Santana, has been hit or miss. The bullpen has been mostly miss.
But not Monday night. Monday night, the star center fielder Carlos Beltran showed his worth with two home runs. Mike Pelfrey pitched well enough to win and the relievers held on. Billy Wagner, the closer who blew three straight saves last week, appeared back on track.
The whole team did. Then came 3 a.m.
A week of more losses than wins pushed him closer to dismissal as manager of the Mets.
A string of victories, coupled with blanket reassurances from the team's front-office management, pulled him away from the clubhouse exit – at least for a few days.
This past weekend was supposedly it. If the Mets didn't win, Willie was gone.
The Mets did win – three of their last four, in fact – and Willie is gone.
Did he deserve to go? Mets fans can and will debate the merits of the firing until October.
Was he too laid back? Maybe.
Did he have too much faith in "his guys," the mix of flashy young stars and injury and slump-prone veterans he so relied upon? Perhaps.
But, did he deserve the way he went? Absolutely not.
Not after taking two of three from the Texas Rangers at home, including the split of a straight doubleheader.
Not after flying 3,000 miles for the first game of a six-game West Coast swing.
Not after a resilient 8-6 win Monday night over one of the best teams in baseball, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
Not after giving a ritual post-game press conference, in which the theme seemed to be "Willie lives for another day."
The Mets' decision to dismiss Willie came in a press release after 3 a.m. Eastern time, well after all but the die hard, overnight radio caller-type fans had gone to bed; after the newspaper deadlines and the last cycle of Sports Center and Baseball Tonight.
The Mets sneaked Willie's firing into the news cycle the way an unfaithful husband slinks into the house, smelling of booze and another woman's perfume, in the early morning. They seemed confident to do what they did, but not enough to let anybody know about it.
Players learned of their manager's firing through text messages from the reporters that cover the team. Randolph, in that post-win press conference, was a lamer duck than he knew.
Classless.
The end of the Willie Randolph era as the 18th manager in the 46-year history of the Mets had been in the works in some fashion since the team's epic collapse that caused it to miss the playoffs last season, after getting to within a run of the World Series in 2006.
A slow start this season did not help.
Neither did injuries and poor play by some of the steely veterans brought in by the general manager Omar Minaya, who at last check of the late-night e-mails, faxes and Shea Stadium smoke signals, still has his job. Moises Alou, disabled list. Carlos Delgado, underachieving. Luis Castillo, hardly the speedy second baseman who lit up the diamond in Florida.
Too many fading stars eclipsing the young talents – David Wright, Jose Reyes and Ryan Church, who played the unsung hero in right field before concussions forced him out of the lineup.
The starting pitching, save for Johan Santana, has been hit or miss. The bullpen has been mostly miss.
But not Monday night. Monday night, the star center fielder Carlos Beltran showed his worth with two home runs. Mike Pelfrey pitched well enough to win and the relievers held on. Billy Wagner, the closer who blew three straight saves last week, appeared back on track.
The whole team did. Then came 3 a.m.
posted by Michael Sisak at
3:53 PM 
2 Comments:
If the Mets knew how to run an organization, perhaps they would have known how to handle firing their manager. Hell, Art Howe was allowed to leave with more dignity.
"The Mets sneaked Willie's firing into the news cycle the way an unfaithful husband slinks into the house, smelling of booze and another woman's perfume, in the early morning."
That's a great line. Shipp would be proud. I think you should just convert to a Yankee fan now.
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