Willie's Future
After the loss to the Marlins that ended the Mets season, Willie Randolph spoke to his team and cried.
"I told my players this is a life lesson in baseball and in how to become champions," Randolph said to reporters afterwards. "And when you get to that road you have to seize it because you never know when it's going to come again."
The speech Randolph gave his team was a rare one. His attitude during a disastrous 5-12 run over the season's final 17 games was to reaffirm his faith in his players publicly, and to let them play without any undue managerial interference.
"For me, I don't want to change anything," he told the Observer last Sunday. "I just have to be myself, really. And that's really all I have."
Meanwhile, his players were describing themselves as complacent and bored.
The Mets had a 7 game lead with 17 games to play and their collapse stands with those of the 1951 Dodgers, the 1964 Phillies, the 1978 Red Sox and the 1995 Angels as baseball's all-time worst.
The managers for three of those teams—Chuck Dressen, Don Zimmer and Marcel Lachemann, respectively—were let go within two years of the respective meltdowns. The Phillies’ manager, Gene Mauch, never saw the playoffs again with that team.
General Manager Omar Minaya praised Randolph to reporters yesterday afternoon, but stopped short of saying that the manager’s job was safe. "I owe it to ownership to sit down and talk to them," Minaya said to ESPN.
A media relations official for the Mets said yesterday that the Mets would not issue a statement regarding Randolph's job status.
"Any time you have an opportunity to finish the deal and don't capitalize on it," said Randolph yesterday, "it will come back to haunt you."
Willie Randolph's confidence is blind, over the top and misguided. There is a point when positive, confident re-inforcement does not work and a good kick in the ass does. Any great field general knows that. And his post game cliches are tiresome, and he offers the paying fans no security and insight.
Hopefully, Fred and Jeff will make the right choice.
I guess I'm one of the few, but I don't think Willie should be let go .. Look where he's brought the Mets! .. Tell me someone out there who is better .. I think the Mets had their first real test .. Didn't have one last year, did they? .. Big lead all year .. But some changes are needed .. I, for one, hold my breath when Oliver Perez pitches .. Never know what you're going to get .. And the bullpen needs overhauling from top to bottom .. Get Chad Cordero from Nats, and go from there .. Make him the set up man for Wags .. And Lastings Milledge should be traded .. The Marlins wanted him, so offer for Dontrelle .. Didn't have a good season this year, maybe a change of scenery will help .. And Omar is not without blame .. Let Bannister go, traded Heath Bell, and didn't want to give Bradford a 3 year contract, and ended up giving Schoeneweis a 3 year contract .. Go figure .. Keep Alou, keep Castillo, trade Delgado, keep Greene .. and Omar needs to have a good offseason .. that's all folks !!!!!
Joe Girardi would be a better choice for next season
It's not even so much about inspiring. That can come naturally if he showed some semblance of managerial ability. Being blessed with great talent does not make a good manager. Taking a ton of no namers to a world series like Bobby Valentine did is managerial talent. Imagine if Bobby had these guys to play with? Joe Girardi is the next best option for the Mets. Bobby Valentine would be great but it's highly unlikely. I just think that Girardi is waiting for the Yankee position to open up.
After a one game season ending loss you have to wonder about those "give the regulars a rest" line ups. We could certainly use one of those games now. Resting 5 regulars in Cincy takes the cake. Willie didn't get it done. If you want to give Willie credit for his entire body of work then look at a blown World Series in '06 - yes, they should have won it, the collapse this year and don't forget the Mets collapsed in September '05 too. See ya Willie.