Sat 14 Jun 2008
Since I’m going to Shea tonight I guess I’ll be the guy that has to take care of business so Omar or anyone in the Mets front office, who I know reads this site and other Mets blogs if, I can sit in as proxy for Jeffey Skill Sets, who it seems is in Kansas City meeting with the architects of $iti Field to get the last minute prep on his cash cow, and step in and fire Willie Randolph, Rick Peterson, Sandy Alomar Jr and the usher in Field Level near box 241 with the pee stains on his pants. Don’t worry Omar, I’m not after you yet but for the sake of the players, fans and the whole Mets organization shit or get off the pot already.
It’s not fair to Willie Randolph to be strung around like this. I’m not a Willie Guy but it just seems that the team is waiting for the hammer to come down on him as someone (Jeffey?) Is leaking like an information sieve to mole’s like Jon Heyman that Willie and most of the staff (HOJO is under a Daivd Wright Order of Protection) are getting whacked. If this is the case and from reports the Skill Sets have given Minaya the green light to swing the ax , then Omar put on your belt and be a man and fire Willie. It’s either that or give him a contract extension and cut Delgado and trade Beltran as these two seem to be the biggest Willie detractors in the clubhouse. What ever you do, do something, as much as this team is an embarrassment on the field you guys in the front office look worse.
Do I think firing Willie is the answer? No. At this point there is more wrong here than Willie but you have to start somewhere.
I wanted Rick Peterson out of here two months ago an it looks like the Omar and the Skill Sets finally feel the same way. I’m all for brining up Dan Warthen from NOLA (although I’d like to see Bobby Ojeda as pitching coach) as The Jacket (did you see it’s return last night) has gotten stale
If you get rid of Willie then Sandy Alomar and Jerry Manuel have to go as well. I don’t want Manuel as the manger you have to go with a new crew so I would make Ken Oberkfell the manager, HOJO third base coach, bring up Tim Teufel for first base (or even ask Straw to coach) leave Guy Conti in the bullpen.
A move has to be made something to stop all the speculation and ease the tension in that clubhouse so that maybe these dogs will show they have some fight left in them or that they really are mutts.
Lost in all the Randolph minutia was the performance of Oliver Perez has he improves on his last start that was strong with an outstanding performance last night. OP kept the ball down and got ground ball outs along with striking out 8 Rangers. This should have been the story of the night how OP shut down one of the best offenses in baseball. This is what makes Perez so madding and why it’s hard to give up on him.
Minaya announced after the game that the Mets acquired Trot Nixon from the D’Backs for a PTBNL and some Mets Money. The way Minaya was describing Nixon you wouldn’t have known that he was in Triple A and has a clause in his contract that if he was not promote to the big leagues by June 21 he would be a free agent. Nixon is tough and gritty and Petey gave him his endorsement (”he looks grouchy all the time but he is a great guy) and maybe he will add some life to this team. It looks like he will start tonight in RF for the Mets.
June 14th, 2008 at 2:13 pm
I loved this post and agree with the shit or get off the pot idea. Do it, or announce he’s here through the year and be done with it. I’m for keeping him, because they will put Manuel in, and that is enough to barf up the hot dogs. How do you change a dynamic by keeping it the same? Willie or Jerry, give me Willie. He is a New Yorker and good dude, maybe not the best manager, but a good man. To ax him for Manuel would be a disgrace. The team would increase its perception as a laughing stock. If they do fire him, and I hope they don’t, I’m for going outside the organization. Change the dynamic, if that’s the path you’re going to take.
I like the Trot move. He’s the anti-Met. He hustles and gets dirty, and plays like he’s angry. Thank God, at least one of them now has these attributes.
June 15th, 2008 at 8:05 pm
Just saw Omar on the post game. He said “The manager and the coaches are in place for today”. When asked, he refused to even commit to their managing tomorrow in Anaheim. OK, now I see NO value in this man. Medicare Moises, 4 years for Castillo, not getting rid of Delgado, having 3 catchers on the roster, the oldest team in baseball and no farm system. And he lets a dignified man like Willie twist in the wind like this? DISGRACE! Omar, you should be ashamed of yourself. He fucked up the team, and now add to it by letting this uncertainty linger on and on.
How can they focus on winning games under these circumstances? Hey Fred and Jeff, do us a favor, get rid of Omar.
June 16th, 2008 at 8:55 am
Definitely agree with either letting Willie go or firing him now; not leeting him twist. However, I don’t understand your idea you’ve been haroping on forever about firing Rick Petersen, especially after Santana, Pedro, Pelfry and Perez each had excellent starts, with maine having a mediocre one. I also don’t understand your and other Mets fans contention that Beltran should be traded. I think it stems from his being quiet, and the Mets having overpaid for him when he was a free agent. Right now, he is on pace to hit 19 home runs, score 116 runs, drive in 107and bat .271. That is even not taking into account the home run he was robbed of by the ridiculous umpires call earlier in the season, which would put him on pace to hit 21.5. Previous to joining the Mets, he averaged 27.8 home runs in the 5 full seasons he played. Lets face it, his home run production the past 2 years was an aberration, but he is still very productive, on pace to score and drive in well over 100 runs. He also plays a better than average center field. I’d like to know where/how you intend on replacing that production.
June 16th, 2008 at 10:30 am
Rick Peterson message has gone stale as the starters have been fine but why can’t they go more than 6 innings? For all his pyridmids and scientifc approach sometime just good old baseball acumen is what is needed grow some balls and pithc deep into games.
As for Beltran, I DON”T want to trade him if you read the post I said I would mention his name to see if anyone is interested and if I can get two or three younger players for him I’d have to think about trading him. When your a .500 or below team there are not many untouchables on the team besides Reyes, Wright, Santana and Maine.
June 16th, 2008 at 10:37 am
I agreed with putting Beltran’s name out there as well as wagner’s because in my opinion, this team needs a major overhaul and you need to mention players that have good value if you want to re-stock your farm system and right now Beltran is a sexy name and so is Wagner. We might get 3-4 class A prospects for these two guys and we mention Beltran because FMartinez is waiting in the wings even though he is young and fighting injury right now. As far as Wagner, you have Kunz ready to be groomed.
June 16th, 2008 at 10:47 am
I did read your post and I quote “It’s either that or give him a contract extension and cut Delgado and trade Beltran as these two seem to be the biggest Willie detractors in the clubhouse.” It says nothing about getting anyone for him as far as I can see. If the Mets trade Beltran now for young players, they are telling the fans they have given up on the season with more then half the games to play. There hav ebeen many teams, many of them recent, to comeback from where the Mets are currently to make the playoffs.
As far as your contention that Peterson’s message has grown stale, you’ve been saying that for months with no evidence to back it up. You are blaming Petersen for the starters not going deep into games? Seems strange to me. look around the majors and tell me which teams do have starters that go deep. The Mets knew what they were getting when they signed Pedro. Maine has never gone deep into games - nothing new there. Same for Perez. Perhaps Omar is the trouble, not Peterson. Besides, its the manger’s decision, not Peterson’s, when to take a starter out of the game.
June 16th, 2008 at 11:15 am
I think it’s safe to say this team has shown no sign of coming back just like the showed no spine in losing the divison last year. If you can get back tow or three top prospects for Beltran you have to do it. I am not anti-Beltran as I feel he is an outstanding CF’er and a very productive hitter but the truth of the matter is this team needs to be revamped and Beltran and Wagner may be the ONLY trade chips you have.
As for Peterson maybe it’s my man-crusg on Scott Kazmir as I’m like an old maid who got jilted at the altar when it comes to Kaz, but I feel Peterson’s ways are way over blown and it may be time for a different voice to get to OP and to bring Maine along to the next level and to go deeper into games. Same with Heilman and even Joe Smith that’s why I like Bob Ojeda so much as a guy who has gone through ups and downs as a big leauge pitcher.
The bottom line is this team is spining it wheels and show no light at the end of the tunnel as Cliff Floyd would say so at some point a shake up is needed
June 16th, 2008 at 1:09 pm
Have to agree here with kranepool, this team has shown no sign that they can turn it all around and overtake a Philly team that has talent AND Heart. Philly is hungry. When the Mets won 7 of 9 couple weeks ago, I said they will follow with an equal losing streak and that they did. They are so predictable. NO HEART. It’s ashame because of all the below .500 teams that can make a comeback, the Mets have the talent to do it. They just don’t have the heart.
BTW, As a fan, i would rather my team start a revamp and build around the core of good players with younger hungrier players than read that the season is still young and we’re fighting. That is BS and everyone knows it. Our bullpen sucks, our starting pitching is maddenly inconsistant and our offense is offensive!! Did i mention are bench which used to be a strong point is pathetic too? Did I forget to mention there is NO ONE on the farm that can come up and contribute?