Just Kidding About That Whole Racial Thing

Willie Randolph made some puzzling pre-game comments today in the wake of his interview with Ian O’Connor on Sunday where he said the criticism he gets about his managing is racially based, Mets fans are fair weather and only come to the games since he’s been manager, and that SNY is out to get him.

To read the full set of comments, visit Adam Rubin’s Surfing The Mets blog on the Daily News website.

Essentially, Willie says what he said about race was “tongue in cheek”. Doesn’t Willie know that you can’t use the just kidding defense once you become a teenager?

“ I think I mentioned to him about feeling almost racial, but that was pretty much kind of a tongue-in-cheek kind of reaction to what I’ve been feeling – not that anybody is racist or that this is racial. I’ve known Ian a long time. We were kind of just just chitchatting and talking, whatever. But the Wilpons hired me not because I’m black, but because they feel like I can do a job for them. They entrusted this team to me and they hired me because they feel I can do a job, not because of the color of my skin. Again, there’s been a lot of negative stuff going on around here and I’ve been feeling some of that. I was just expressing how I felt at the time. It wasn’t anything to do with race and I wasn’t trying to bring race into it. I was just talking to an old friend. Obviously, I probably should have thought more about what I was getting ready to say. I don’t think it’s anything about race. It’s about winning ballgames. It’s about getting back to where we’re capable of playing and winning.”

The guy just doesn’t get it. All this “negative stuff” would have been in the rear view mirror following the 2 game sweep of the Yankees but Willie’s ridiculous comments kept the media and fans’ attention on controversy and not baseball.

Beyond race, I want to hear Willie try to explain his comment where he basically took credit for the last 4 seasons and how Mets fans didn’t show up before then.

Willie, you are paranoid, delusion and you can’t manage or motivate. Does New Era make a Mets cap out of tin foil?

Randolph Is Nuts: Uses Race & Isiah Cards, Insults Mets Fans, Thinks SNY Is Out To Get Him

Willie Randolph is delusional.

In an interview with Ian O”Connor from the Bergen Record, Randolph managed to call Mets fair weather fans, use the race card in trying to deflect his critics, compared himself to Isiah Thomas, blamed SNY for the perception that he is too laid back, and still talks about 2007 as being successful…aside from that little meltdown thing that happened.

“If you look at my body of work since I’ve been here,” Randolph said, “I’m proud of that, because prior to that Mets fans were hiding. You couldn’t even find them … The season’s just starting and you’re booing my guys already? You’re booing your team?’ “

Good job Willie! You just called me and every other Mets fan a fair weather fan. I supported the Mets plenty before you were there and I will be a Mets fan long after you are gone.

All you happened to do was be fortunate enough to be hired by the Mets after 14 other teams turned you down. Don’t pat yourself on the back because you are the manager of a team that brought in lots of high priced free agents at the same time as Wright and Reyes came of age.

Few Mets fans, if any, go to Shea to see you manage.

Mets Finally Beat Up On Last Place Team; Randolph Still A Fool

The Mets beat on up the LAST PLACE Yankees on Sunday to sweep the rain shortened Subway Series. While the 2 wins were nice, a legit playoff team is supposed win games against a LAST PLACE team.

In light of dropping 3 of 4 earlier in the week against Washington, I am not going to buy into the Mets being on the right track until they finish this 9 game road trip that they’re in the middle of. Nothing short of a split of the 4 games in Atlanta and 2 of 3 in Colorado will tell me that the Mets righted their ship.

This is still a team with flaws, had the Mets offense not exploded last night, Ollie Perez’s performance wouldn’ have seemed as good as it does this morning.

Perhaps the biggest problem with this team is still its stubborn manager. Carlos Delgado clearly hit a HR and Willie Randolph barely argued about it with the umps. Randolph said after the game:

Sherman: Players Are Indifferent

The New York Post’s Joel Sherman writes on his Hardball blog today that the players are indifferent about Willie Randolph.

I don’t think Willie Randolph’s players hate him. That is not the sense you get around the team. But what you sense is perhaps just as damaging. There is indifference about him. There is not a wholehearted disrespect, but critically there is not respect either. Not hate, but not love. And this is bad for Randolph. Because as I wrote in today’s Post, his job is clearly on the line. And at a moment like this, you would want your players invested in you. You would want your players at heighten concentration and effort levels.

Randolph, however, has been unable for a while now to get consistency in those areas. Maybe nobody can. Maybe there just are too many low-pulse players on this team. The problem is that the first in the firing line is not presently the man who assembled this group (Omar Minaya) or the people who pay the players (the Wilpons). It is 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. And that is why if players in that clubhouse actually do like and/or respect Randolph, they better find another gear now, this weekend, the Subway Series. There might be a lot of tomorrows for the 2008 season. There are not going to be too many more as Met manager for Randolph unless the attitude and results begin to change swiftly.

Alou & Mets Fans Agree: Willie Is An Idiot

Mets fans weren’t the only ones wondering why Moises Alou didn’t play in Thursday’s day game after a night game, Alou himself found it to be a curious decision. Bart Hubbuch reports in today’s New YorK Post Met Notes:

Left fielder Moises Alou, given the day off despite playing just four innings due to an ejection Wednesday, was puzzled by Randolph’s decision to take his potent bat out of the lineup.

“Maybe because I got thrown out after two at-bats [Wednesday], you guys [reporters] figured I would play,” Alou said. “I thought the same way. Willie told me he wanted to rest me for the weekend. Unfortunately, it looks bad now because we lost 1-0. Tough luck for me and Willie.”

Tough luck, indeed. Willie will soon find himself out of a job.

It is pretty likely that Alou is going to DH in all 3 games this weekend against the Yankees. Alou was already going to get a good deal of rest in those games and as stated, he only half of the game the night before.

There was no reason not to play Alou on Thursday.

No reason of course, unless you “know your guys” and you have an all knowing gut like Willie Randolph.

So much for Willie being a player’s manager.

At Least The Weather Was Nice Today

Where to begin? Where to begin?

Mike Pelfrey pitched 6 no-hit innings, gave up 1 run and 3 hits over 7 2/3 innings…and LOST THE DAMN GAME 1-0!

Why? Because Willie Randolph’s New York Mets can’t hit, can’t run the bases, and can’t motivate or police themselves.

Nationals starting pitcher Jason Bergmann allowed just 3 hits and struck out 9 Mets over 7 innings. This is the same Jason Bergmann that was recently recalled from AAA and who entered the game with a 10.45 ERA.

How did the Mets screw up on the base paths? Let me count the ways…

1. In the bottom of the third with two outs and Luis Castillo on 1st, David Wright hit a fly ball to the RF line that Austin Kearns dropped. Both Castillo and Wright jogged their way around the base paths and Castillo ended up on 3rd and Wright on 1st. Castillo should have scored and Wright probably should have been on 2nd.

99 times out of 100, that is the third out and the inning’s over…major leaguers take that for granted and they jog. I get that.

But this lack of trying is just typical of the Mets over the last 2 seasons.

2. Leading off the bottom of the 8th, Jose Reyes actually reached base on a single. It was a weak, weak single in between home and the mound…but it was an actual Jose Reyes hit and you must cherish it because it doesn’t happen too often these days.

Castillo was up next and I don’t know if he was acting on his own or if Randolph called this play but Castillo laid down a sacrifice bunt ON THE FIRST FREAKIN’ PITCH!

You have Reyes’ speed on at first. The smart play here is to have Reyes attempt to steal second. Why would you try to bunt Reyes over to 2nd and waste an out? So Castillo bunts on the FIRST PITCH!

So Castillo drops a bunt towards 3rd and the 3rd baseman charges the ball, the play is made at first as Reyes reaches 2nd and briefly stops there…then he takes off towards 3rd. There is a foot race between him and the SS, who catches the ball and tags out Reyes at 3rd.

There are sometimes when hustle is stupid and this is definitely one of those times.

3. In the bottom of the 9th, Carlos Beltran singled with 1 out and was the tying run. With Carlos Delgado batting, Beltran stole second and the attempted pick off throw went into CF and Beltran took third.

Delgado hit a sharp line drive right to 1B and Beltran inexplicably broke towards home. According to Randolph, he called for Beltran to run with contact. My question is why???

With 1 out, Beltran should have been playing it safe. A fly ball or a base hit would have scored him. There is no need to run with contact because an infield ground ball could have resulted in him being thrown out at home.

Yet this is what Willie called for.

This team needs a change and its needs to happen now.

Willie WANTS To Be Fired

Just got back from tonight’s game. F’n unbelievable.

Willie Randolph is unfit to be a major league manager and I am not certain but, I think he is looking to be fired.

How else could you possibly explain removing Claudio Vargas in a tie game with 1 on & 1 out in the 6th after only giving up 2 runs & 3 hits on 97 pitches?

For Aaron Heilman?

I’ll say it again, in case that didn’t sink in.

Willie put f’n Heilman in an important situation YET AGAIN.

Heilman then not only allowed his inherited runner to score, but he also got 3 earned runs of his own! A 1-1 tie fast became a 5-1 game, compliments of Willie Randolph.

If Willie isn’t looking to get fired, then he is incredibly dumb for both taking out Vargas and putting Heilman in that situation.

Either way, he should be fired immediately.

Beyond that, the Flushing Cyclones looked like crap again tonight. Up & down is their nature.

They managed only 2 hits and 1 run off of Washington starter Tim Redding and that is inexcusable.

But this loss is on Willie Randoilph, incompetent and stupid.

Oh and congrats to Teflon GM Omar Minaya. Its a good thing you left Jesus Flores (your top catching prospect at the time) unprotected, he only won two games thus far in this series for his team. I guess he wasn’t old and injury prone enough for you.

Marlon Anderson Is Your Team Leader

Revealing info today from John Feinstein who appeared on WFAN’s Boomer & Carton Show to promote his book”Living On The Black”, which chronicles Mike Mussina’s & Tom Glavine’s 2007 season.

Feinstein relayed a story that Glavine told him regarding the Mets September collapse. During the collapse, it was Marlon Anderson, who called a players only meeting in September to try to right the ship.

MARLON FREAKING ANDERSON! A bench player, who came to the team in July!

There is all you need to know about the Mets and why what happened last season happened…and why they play with not a care in the world this season.

To me, this falls on Omar Minaya. His job as a GM is to get the right mix of talent and personalities in the clubhouse to ensure that winning takes place…and that goes for players, coaches, and managers.

The sooner that the Wilpons realize that Minaya is nothing but a charlatan, the better off this team will be.

There was another story that Glavine told Feinstein  about how Willie took Glavine out a game where by Glavine’s own admission, he didn’t have his best stuff. Glavine had gotten out of a jam in the 4th inning and was trailing 8-6.

Willie told Glavine he was done but Glavine wanted the chance to go out there and try to salvage a W. If he got into a jam, he would have been fine with being taken out. Glavine went back to the clubhouse and threw stuff around, which was completely uncharacteristic for him.

The lasy of Feinstein’s stories has me completely astonished. Following Glavine’s 299th win last season, Willie told the media that 300 wins “was not a big deal.” Glavine and all the pitchers had a huge problem with that comment.

Willie later told Feinstein that he shouldn’t have said that and that because he’s a batter, he should have thought of it as being similar to 500 HRs.

Willie has spent his whole life in baseball. How could he not relate to 300 wins?

It just goes to show you how Willie is a very stubborn and narrow minded person. When you look at how he favors older veterans over younger players, his unwillingness to mix up his lineup when situations dictate, and his refusal to be a Yankees minor league manager, you start to see a man who is probably not cut out to be a manager in the major leagues.

Willie’s can probably make a good infield coach somewhere else but its time for a change here.

To listen to the entire interview, visit WFAN.com.

Joe Torre Gets It

In today’s New York Times, Billy Witz writes about Dodgers manager Joe Torre’s take on the Mets situation. Having gone through 11 whirlwind seasons in the Bronx, Torre has a much better perspective on things than Willie Randolph.

Every time the Mets play the way they did in their home opener, when they blew a lead to the Phillies, or the way they did in their last home game, when they absorbed a 13-1 loss against Pittsburgh, they have been reminded of last season by the fans.

“That’s going to be in people’s memory until you change it,” Torre said. “There’s really nothing you can say that’s going to change what happened. It’s just a matter of making that a distant memory and give them something to enjoy.

“You can move away from it, but the one thing you have to do, more than anything — and it goes for anybody and anything — you deal with it and move on. Knowing Willie, that’s his philosophy.”

Torre is no managerial genius but he understands what the fans are thinking. The bad taste of last year lingers since there has been little for the Mets to hang their hats on this season.

But I have to disagree with Torre one one thing, from all appearances, Willie hasn’t dealt with the problems with this team at all. If he has, whatever he has said or done clearly isn’t working. Or maybe Willie is just delusional?

“My players are out there trying to win ballgames,” Randolph said. “They’re busting their butt trying to do that.”

There is no way that Willie can convince me that this team is busting its butt, not with the way they play in most games. Too many mistakes, too many errors. That goes for the players and the coaching staff.

Its time for Willie to go.

Willie Has Already Lost His Mind…His Job Will Be Next

In his New York Post Met Notes, Bart Hubbuch reports that Willie Randolph is complaining about the fans at Shea.

Willie Randolph doesn’t think it was an accident that the Mets looked so relaxed while taking two of three from the Diamondbacks in Arizona over the weekend.

Randolph admitted yesterday that the constant negativity from the fans at Shea Stadium so far this year – an obvious carryover from last September’s epic collapse – has turned the road into a welcome refuge.

“In our mind, we moved on,” Randolph said of last season’s historic meltdown. “Obviously, the fans are having a tough time moving past that.”

OK Willie, want to know why we haven’t “moved on”?

Well for starters, you are STILL the Mets manager. You guided the Mets to that collapse that your team has not moved on from, despite what might be in “your mind”.

Your team is playing the same blasé baseball they played last season, largely because it is mostly the same players.

You have 1 regular batting over .300, Ryan Church…and he wasn’t here last season.

Your team has made the same bonehead plays as last year and you are running the bullpen into the ground, just like last year.

Talk all you want about moving on, but NOTHING has changed. NOTHING.

Hey Willie, how was that Champagne you got to drink last October? Was it sweet?

Met players and officials were struck by how supportive and mild-mannered the fans were in Arizona, even when the hometown Diamondbacks struggled. It was a far cry from Shea in April, when even 2-1 counts on opposing hitters drew boos.

Yeah, the Arizona fans are SO supportive. They are so supportive that the D-Backs draw 20,000 less fans per game than the Mets.

While Arizona fans get to pay the 2nd lowest average ticket price of $15.96 while Mets fans have the 4th highest at $34.05.

By the way, the D-backs actually won their division in 2007 and “only” raised prices 15.7% this season. The Mets choked their division away and thought that merited a 20.5% increase.

“When we start to play well, you’ll see a change in that,” Randolph said of the fan reaction at Shea. “We don’t talk about it or concern ourselves with it. We just hope that they eventually get behind this team, because I think we’re going to make them real proud before the year is over.”

Congratulations Willie, in a roundabout way you FINALLY admitted that this team is not playing well. It took you close to a year but, you finally did it! You didn’t admit to being bad but, at least you acknowledged not playing well.

You are finally getting it. Its too late, but you are getting it.

You understand that we want want a winner, but I don’t think you realize that we would settle for a decent team that played like they gave a crap.

Most of all, we would like to be treated with respect.

Your constant quotes about knowing “your guys” and sipping champagne while it is obvious your team is playing like crap and has no chemistry is insulting to our intelligence.

Plus, what I don’t get is that if you aren’t concerned with the booing, then why are you talking about it?

Too bad for you that it took you this long to finally start to get it, but it is too late….and you just threw down the gauntlet.

You are now taking the fans on? Most of us currently don’t like you and you are taking us on?

Willie Larry Randolph, its on. Its SO freakin’ on.

You don’t know what you just brought upon yourself. The boos and the “Fire Willie” chants will now grow exponentially. I have been against booing guys during introductions or when they are brought into a game and that hasn’t changed.

But you just put a big ol’ target on your back.

The Post surprisingly did not put this story on the back page, as they love a good controversy to sell papers. But I guarantee you this story will grow into a very big deal on WFAN & ESPN radio today.

You just tightened the noose around your neck and threw gasoline on to the booing “fire”.

Good luck with that.