Change We Can Believe In
Word is the only thing keeping Willie Randolph in the manager's office at Shea Stadium is 1,200 miles of mountain and prairie between New York and Kansas City. That's where Freff Wilpon (because really I can't tell the difference anymore) is meeting with the architects behind Citi Field, and firing the manager when the owner's out of town seemed somehow unsavory.
Most of the contributors on this site have been calling for Willie's head for quite some time. But as we hurdle forward to the big moment, I find myself reconsidering. Maybe it's not Willie's fault after all. Maybe it's...
* * * * *
There was a time there when Omar Minaya could do no wrong. His first offseason he inked Pedro Martinez and Carlos Beltran, the best pitcher and position player available on the free agent market.
It was an important psychological boost for a franchise in freefall. A team with three consecutive losing seasons under its belt had debuted two rising stars in David Wright and Jose Reyes, but had, inexplicably, opted to trade one of the best prospects in baseball for one of the worst pitchers in baseball.
And Omar came in and changed all that, and his golden touch didn't hurt. Trading Mike Cameron for Xavier Nady? Jae Seo for Duaner Sanchez? Kris Benson for John Maine? Check, check, and check.
The Mets bounded their way to an 83-win season in 2005 before becoming the dominant team in the National League in 2006. It was good to be alive.
And then, almost as suddenly, it all came crashing down. Brian Bannister for Ambiorix Burgos, signing Guiellermo Mota, letting Chad Bradford walk because he wanted three years before bringing in Scott Schoenweis for three years. Miss, miss, and miss.
Carlos Delgado sulked, Moises Alou broke his body, and Luis Castillo remained Luis Castillo.
And that's what brings us to June 13, 2008.
* * * * *
It's hard to know how much difference a new manager is going to make. As Lister and others have said, this team just doesn't hit enough to be good. They have three reliable hitters on any given day, and a handful of very poor ones. It's hard to win consistently with that kind of mix.
For their part, Mets fans seem to be waking up to the idea that what's rotten with this team may occur a few floors up from the clubhouse.
Fully 89% of respondents in a Daily News poll blame either Omar Minaya (44%) or the players (45%) for the Mets' struggles this season (total number polled is unavailable). You can read the latter as an indictment of the manager (he's the one motivating and preparing them), but I read it as an indictment of the general manager (he's the one who assembled them).
* * * * *
Honestly, I go back and forth on this question. On paper you still think this team has the talent to win ball games (forget what I said earlier). Then again, on performance you think this team deserves to be exactly where it is today (remember what I said earlier).
What I and others feel certain about is that the Mets need to make a change. But if they axe the guy who positions the players and not the man who chooses them, is that really change we can believe in?
Where's Barack Obama's change machine when you need it!
- A.F.O.M.G.
Most of the contributors on this site have been calling for Willie's head for quite some time. But as we hurdle forward to the big moment, I find myself reconsidering. Maybe it's not Willie's fault after all. Maybe it's...
* * * * *
There was a time there when Omar Minaya could do no wrong. His first offseason he inked Pedro Martinez and Carlos Beltran, the best pitcher and position player available on the free agent market.
It was an important psychological boost for a franchise in freefall. A team with three consecutive losing seasons under its belt had debuted two rising stars in David Wright and Jose Reyes, but had, inexplicably, opted to trade one of the best prospects in baseball for one of the worst pitchers in baseball.
And Omar came in and changed all that, and his golden touch didn't hurt. Trading Mike Cameron for Xavier Nady? Jae Seo for Duaner Sanchez? Kris Benson for John Maine? Check, check, and check.
The Mets bounded their way to an 83-win season in 2005 before becoming the dominant team in the National League in 2006. It was good to be alive.
And then, almost as suddenly, it all came crashing down. Brian Bannister for Ambiorix Burgos, signing Guiellermo Mota, letting Chad Bradford walk because he wanted three years before bringing in Scott Schoenweis for three years. Miss, miss, and miss.
Carlos Delgado sulked, Moises Alou broke his body, and Luis Castillo remained Luis Castillo.
And that's what brings us to June 13, 2008.
* * * * *
It's hard to know how much difference a new manager is going to make. As Lister and others have said, this team just doesn't hit enough to be good. They have three reliable hitters on any given day, and a handful of very poor ones. It's hard to win consistently with that kind of mix.
For their part, Mets fans seem to be waking up to the idea that what's rotten with this team may occur a few floors up from the clubhouse.
Fully 89% of respondents in a Daily News poll blame either Omar Minaya (44%) or the players (45%) for the Mets' struggles this season (total number polled is unavailable). You can read the latter as an indictment of the manager (he's the one motivating and preparing them), but I read it as an indictment of the general manager (he's the one who assembled them).
* * * * *
Honestly, I go back and forth on this question. On paper you still think this team has the talent to win ball games (forget what I said earlier). Then again, on performance you think this team deserves to be exactly where it is today (remember what I said earlier).
What I and others feel certain about is that the Mets need to make a change. But if they axe the guy who positions the players and not the man who chooses them, is that really change we can believe in?
Where's Barack Obama's change machine when you need it!
- A.F.O.M.G.
posted by A Friend of Mr. Glass' at 5:37 PM
5 Comments:
Willie brings in his closer with a 4-2 lead, and his closer -- who I think we can all agree had been playing well for most of this year, and anyways certainly has displayed the "right" attitude -- blows the game. It sucks.
But then this drunk guy comes up from another section and starts screaming at Randolph. "This is it, Willie! You're through! This is the last straw!"
I mean, seriously? Raise your hand if you think it's Willie's fault that Billy "0.38 ERA" Wagner imploded all of a sudden.
There's a case to be made that Willie needs to go, but it has nothing to do with what happened in San Diego, or this past series. And I'd like to start to see some suggestions about who we want instead. Jerry Manual? Wally Backman? Gary Carter? Who are we talking about here?
Agreed, Cheddar Ben.
Following that, who's gonna step in for Omar? Frank Cashen? Joe McIlvaine? (gasp) Steve Philips?
It's two sides of the same coin. Omar got the players, Willie plays them. Omar got some bad ones, and some good ones. Willie makes some bad in-game decisions and some...well, let's stop there. But you certainly can't knock him for putting Wagner in during any of those three disaster games.
Fire Willie, and who replaces him? And what magic spell can the new guy cast to suddenly make old players younger, bad hitters better, or head-case pitchers smarter?
Fire Omar, and what can the new guy do? Trade for a big bat or a nice arm? With what players? We've got nothing to offer. And considering just about every other team also needs an arm and a bat, our farm system and weak roster look thinner than an anorexic on a coke binge.
We certainly need a change, and who knows if a new manager or GM will help? Maybe, maybe not. Maybe the bats will wake up. Maybe Moises Alou stays healthy. Maybe Aaron Heilman becomes 2007 Okajima.
And maybe I'm a Chinese jet pilot.
I just don't understand..the mets have the personnel but clearly lack the desire...its not only about the poor decision making from Willie, which in and of itself can get him fired, but mainly his complete inability to get the team motivated...he needs to go, three games left in the willie randolph era!! gotta believe
wait...are we speaking lack of fire now....?
Let me play devil's advocate here. Two players thst displayed 'fire' that were just short of crucified in recent times:
Guy #1, Jose Reyes was told to chill out with the displays of fun/ rejoicing/ intensity/ merriment(whatever you want to call it) on the field. Although most times, his celebrations were not even audible words.
Guy #2, Lastings M. who had semi anonymous signs left in his locker instead of being dealt with man to man, face to face. Please understand that I am not president of his fan club..just stating some things...
Systematically, we have spunk and personality(for better or worse) subtracted from the team and now it seems like that what people are saying is missing.
AM I right in this assumption?
Actually in fact, if I can recall, Jose Reyes was recently encouraged to go back to his old ways: "We're just a better team when Jose is being Jose, and it's given us all a lift over the last few days seeing him back to normal. We really missed that part of his game because on our club, he is our igniter." Unfortunately, Reyes can not do it all on his own and can not be the only one that plays with fire. The rest of the team needs to do that as well, but its got to be hard when your manager is Silly Willie.
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