More disturbing than the Mets play as of late is the manner in which this team is run.  From top to bottom of the organization, the incompetence that oozes through all layers is disturbing and infuriating.

In today’s Newsday, Mets reporter David Lennon writes about Jerry Manuel announcement that Daniel Murphy will now play first base:

In announcing the move, Manuel added this disclaimer: “Sandy Alomar seems to think he can handle it.”

And what did the manager think?

“I . . . uh . . . I’m not really sure,” Manuel said. “I don’t know. I haven’t seen him enough as an infielder personally.”

HOLY SHIT!

How can the manager of the team be unsure if Murphy can handle first base?  Hasn’t Murphy been practicing for weeks?  Where was Manuel when this was going on?

This isn’t like the CEO of a multinational corporation not knowing if a low level employee in his London office should be moved to a different role in the company.  There are only 25 “employees” in Manuel’s “office”.  How can he be unaware of Murphy’s ability at 1B???

THIS IS GOING ON RIGHT UNDER MANUEL’S NOSE!

Moving Murphy to first has a huge impact on this team and the manager not only admits to not knowing if he has idea if this will work out but he also manages to throw Sandy Alomar under the bus should the Murphy move not work out.

What kind of leader is Manuel?  The kind that gets hired by Omar Minaya: incompetent and consistently making frustratingly ridiculous moves.

Minaya is incompetent as they come.  When a player gets injured, there is usually no adequate replacement on the bench or in the minors.  He tells us (what we already know) that HIS TEAM THAT HE BUILT has no edge, then he completely changes his tune 5 minutes later.

Minaya’s current manager makes pinch hitting moves that are baffling, he holds public grudges against his players, and he seems to ignore the most obvious of batter/pitcher matchup statistics  In short, Manuel isn’t all that much different from the idiot he replaced.

Minaya’s track record has been shaky and he was rewarded with a 3 year extension last winter.  Why????

The medical staff of this team continues to be completely unable to handle any injuries.  Players don’t get put on the DL and the team often plays 1-2 players short.

The unbelievable state of affairs right now with this team is no longer shocking or aggravating to me.  I’m over it.  I’m numb to it.   All of these problems are the result of a terrible corporate culture and the Wilpons need to change their ways.  I know they have nothing but the best of intentions but for far too long, this entire organization has been run like crap.

It is time for the Wilpons to take a backseat in the day-to-day baseball operations of this team and bring in someone who can fix this Amazin’ Mess.

In the 8th inning of last night’s game Mets Manager Jerry Manuel committed the latest in what is becoming a disturbing trend of mindboggling moves.

With the Mets down 2-0 and with the bases loaded and 1 out, Daniel Murphy was due up.  Manuel pinch hit for Murphy with Angel Pagan.

Murphy is hitting .357 this season vs LHP and .371 for his career.

Pagan, who was called up as a result of the Carlos Delgado injury, is a life time .225 hitter vs. LHP.  Pagan had but 1 other AB thus far this season.

The Giants pitcher, Jeremy Affledt, is getting lit up by lefty hitters this season to the tune of .391 batting average.

The numbers screamed for Murph to get the AB but Manuel did one of his Willie Randolph-esque “gut” decisions.  So what does Pagan do?

Grounds in to an inning ending double play, essentially ending the game.

Seems that Oliver Perez attended last night’s Magic vs Celtics playoff game in Orlando.

Ollie, I am glad to hear that you are enjoying your$36 million vacation courtesy of Omar Minaya.  May I also suggest while in Orlando that you visit Disney’s Magic Kingdom?

I think someone with your child like focus would really enjoy It’s A Small World.

In perhaps the most baffling decision in a long and illustrious history of bad Mets decisions, it was announced a short while ago that Oliver Perez is not hurt and will not go to the minors…he’s going to the bullpen.

Now instead of screwing up 1-2 games a week, Perez will have the opportunity to screw up 3-4 times a week…and if they bury him at the bottom of the bullpen, well then he is wasting a spot that a real bullpen pitcher can be occupying.

This has disaster written all over it.  Should Perez continue to stink it up (and really, why should we expect nothing else at this point), hewill be booed unmercifully by the Shea Citi Faithful.  How will he EVER regain whatever little confidence he has ever had???

Teflon GM Omar Minaya is treading on thin ice if this doesn’t pan out.

Maybe the Mets should start employing the George Costanza decision making method of doing the oposite of whatever your first instinct is to do…because this is moronic.

Hey Fred and Jeff: the Mets are a laughingstock.

I am not sure if you guys notice this or not, since you thought Omar Minaya was worthy of a three year extension this past winter….and you are basking the glow of a brand new stadium.

Sorry to tell you, but it is true.

Your GM admitted the team HE BUILT has no edge…then he did a complete 180 and changed his tune.  But he was 100% right the first time, the Mets clearly have no edge.

They also have a shaky starting rotation, featuring a $36 million pitcher that can’t even give you 3 innings.  Oh and is Oliver Perez hurt or not? I am not sure about his knee, but he sure hurts Mets fans to watch him pitch.

Unfathomably, Minaya actually told Mike Francessa last week on WFAN that he “knew who Perez was” when he signed him to the 3 year deal.

REALLY?  Well the why the hell did you resign him????

Options down in minors?  Well lets see…down at AAA Buffalo, with its shameful 4-14 record, there is Tim Redding who arrived to Spring Training out of shape and is now hurt, Jonathan Niese who has struggled, and Nelson Figueroa who is what he is. Freddie Garcia, another great Minaya pickup, has already been dumped.

The Mets minor league system is completely devoid of talent.  Minaya has traded away all the better prospects and has failed to replenish them with any talent.  Minaya’s buddy Tony Bernazard is supposed to be in charge of player development, except that he always seems to be as far away from the minors as possible…causing trouble in the Mets clubhouse.

Minaya has a ton of explaining to do to the fan base, who have finally seen beyond his BS and his limited success as a GM, most of which came because he was able to throw the Wilpons’ money around to free agents.

At some point, the Wilpons HAVE TO see beyond Minaya’s BS, right now they are dazzled by his svengali like hold on them.  They can’t be happy about what the future holds.

But the Wilpons always seem to hire the wrong people and seem to make the wrong financial investments.  Something needs to change.

Say hi to your mom…

Mets GM Omar Minaya comes across either as a clueless idiot or a terrible liar in an interview today with Ken Rosenthal on FoxSports.com.

Mets general manager Omar Minaya says his team does not lack leadership. He concedes, however, that many of the Mets’ biggest stars lack a certain “edge.”
“We have good guys, solid professionals,” Minaya says. “There is a smile on David Wright’s face, a smile on Jose Reyes’s face. But there is not an edge to them.
“Some people see edge as leadership. Sometimes, you need a little meanness to your game. Some people perceive leadership as meanness.
“I couldn’t tell you that we have that type of guy. We have leaders. But everyone’s perception of leadership is different.”
Minaya says that Carlos Beltran and Carlos Delgado possess makeups similar to those of Wright and Reyes. He adds that two new Mets, outfielder Gary Sheffield and infielder Alex Cora, provide more of an edge.

Let me get this straight.  Your “big 4″ players in the everyday lineup lack an edge and Minaya hasn’t seen fit to do ANYTHING to rectify this situation?  Since 2006?????

Does he really think anyone buys this platter of bullshit that he serving up about Cora & Sheffield?

Cora is a bench player.  Who cares?

Sheffield was dumped by the Tigers because they’d rather pay him $14 million to NOT be around the team.  Oh Sheffield has an edge alright, but its not the kind you want around around a winning team.  oh and he’s a bench player too.

Rosenthal adds:

Minaya understands the questions — “we’ve had championship (caliber) clubs the last three years and all we have to show for it is one playoff (appearance)” — but adds, “We’ve got makeup. We’ve got the right guys.”

Omar, WTF do you think the Jedi Mind Trick is for reals?  “We’ve got the right guys”????  REALLY????

I am supposed to believe it because you told me so?  Despite what has occurred for the last 2+ seasons?

How can you possibly have the right guys when you acknowledge that your 4 main players lack an edge?

If this is what Minaya truly believes then he is a damn fool and needs to be fired immediately.  If he knows he is lying, then he has insulted the intelligence of the entire Mets fan base.

Either way you slice it, Minaya has not been able to put together the right mix of players and needs to go.  The time is right Fred & Jeff, make the move.  A new GM may not be able to fix what is wrong until the offseason but I don’t want Minaya making anymore moves trying to fix this mess.

Maybe the Mets should get Derek Jeter, I think I once heard somewher that he has an Edge.

Adam Rubin reports in today’s Daily News that the Mets might be on the verge of firing some coaches and shaking up the rotation:

A team insider later elaborated that no one, aside from Johan Santana, has immunity. Translation: [Oliver] Perez or [Mike] Pelfrey, who can be optioned to the minors without passing through waivers, could be ticketed for the minors, while Livan Hernandez’s standing as fifth starter could be on shaky ground. Perez would have to consent to a minor-league assignment, like Steve Trachsel did in 2001, since he has more than five years of major-league service time. [John] Maine, who is 0-2 with a 7.47 ERA, is out of minor-league options and needs to stay on the roster, but – like Perez and Pelfrey – could be sent to the pen.

Regarding the coaching staff, Rubin writes:

While nothing is imminent, dialogue about coaching changes already has begun, a source told The News. Aside from Santana, who has allowed one earned run in 19-2/3 innings, Mets starting pitchers have a 7.32 ERA, including Hernandez’s flop Thursday. Still, it’s other members of the staff besides pitching coach Dan Warthen who might feel the early wrath.

My hunch is that if anyone is made to be the fall guy besides Warthen, it will be hitting coach Howard Johnson. The Mets have not necessarily had the right approach at the plate over the last few seasons now and little has changed since HoJo took over.  Despite having a team batting average of .285, the Mets ability to get runners home has been well documented.

It might be unfair to ax Warthen, its not as if he made Ollie into a Jeckyl & Hyde pitcher, Maine into a pitcher completely unsure of himself, or Livan Hernandez into an over the hill pitcher.

At some point, the Wilpons need to wake up from this spell that Teflon GM Omar Minaya has them under.  Minaya has made coaches and managers te fall guy for this lethargic team over the last few seasons.  Yet the roster is largely the same.

If the Wilpons don’t make a move and ax Minaya, then it can be viewed as a clear sign that they not only endorse Minaya’s tactics but that they are the ultimate architects of the way the team is run on the field.

Hey Omar!  Remember this guy?

Pedro Martinez.  Remember him?

Call him up now and get a deal done!  He’s old and Latino…just like you like them!

He’s available and we all know your mess of a team needs pitching.  All your starting pitchers not named Johan Santana have ERA’s above 7.