Breaking news: Mets can Randolph

[o-BacklasH-o]

http://www.sportsline.com/mlb/story/10868317

 

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Willie Randolph is out as manager of the New York Mets, fired 2½ months into a disappointing season that has followed the team's colossal collapse last September.

 

Bench coach Jerry Manuel takes over on an interim basis for Randolph, who led the Mets to within one victory of the 2006 World Series. They got off to a strong start again last year but plummeted down the stretch and have been unable to rebound.

 

A preseason favorite to win the NL pennant, the $138 million Mets (34-35) had won two straight when Randolph was let go early Tuesday morning -- making him the first major league manager to get fired this season.

 

Pitching coach Rick Peterson and first base coach Tom Nieto also were fired in an enormous overhaul that came at a stunning time -- about two hours after New York's 9-6 victory at the Los Angeles Angels.

 

Ken Oberkfell, the club's manager at Triple-A New Orleans, and Dan Warthen, pitching coach for the Zephyrs, will join the major league staff along with Luis Aguayo, a Mets field coordinator.

 

It was a frustrating end for the 53-year-old Randolph, who was set to be an NL coach at the All-Star game at Yankee Stadium next month.

 

Signed through the 2009 season, Randolph won't be able to move with the Mets into new Citi Field next year, either.

 

Randolph was known for his exceptionally steady play as a six-time All-Star second baseman and even-keel demeanor as a coach with the Yankees.

 

Yet Randolph's time in charge of the Mets was marked by highs and lows from the get-go.

 

Hired by new general manager Omar Minaya to replace Art Howe for the 2005 season, Randolph lost his first five games as a major league manager, then won the next six.

 

He nearly guided the Mets into the 2006 World Series, losing Game 7 of the NLCS to St. Louis on Yadier Molina's tiebreaking home run in the ninth inning.

 

The Mets and their fans were convinced 2007 would be their year. Poised for a big run, what followed was one of the biggest collapses in baseball history: Leading the NL East by seven games on Sept. 12, they lost 12 of their last 17 and missed the playoffs as Philadelphia rallied to win the division title.

 

Several times, Randolph tried to separate last season's failure and this season's struggle.

 

"I really felt we put last year behind us," he said last month. "Any pressure we feel is because of staying in the mix and not reverting back to last year. I don't sense that at all. No one ever talks about it, no one ever brings it up, so if we are looking a little like we were last year, there's no correlation."

 

Many Mets watchers, however, felt there was a carry-over effect. Injuries to Pedro Martinez, Moises Alou and Ryan Church, another down year by Carlos Delgado and a sudden slump by closer Billy Wagner didn't help.

 

With each stretch of inconsistent play, chants of "Fire Willie!" grew louder at Shea Stadium and on New York's sports talk radio station.

 

Despite a $138 million payroll, the highest in the National League, and the offseason addition of ace pitcher Johan Santana, the Mets never found their groove. Even when things briefly went their way, Randolph caused trouble.

 

Coming off an uplifting, two-game sweep at Yankee Stadium in mid-May, the first black manager in team history created a stir by suggesting in a newspaper interview that he was portrayed on Mets broadcasts differently than a white manager might be.

 

Randolph brought up the race issue as he detailed the way he's been shown by SNY, the team's TV network.

 

"Is it racial?" Randolph was quoted. "Huh? It smells a little bit. ... I don't know how to put my finger on it, but I think there's something there."

 

A couple of days later, Randolph apologized to Mets ownership, SNY and his players "for the unnecessary distraction" he'd created.

 

Late last month, Randolph got a temporary reprieve when he met with ownership.

 

"Willie's job was never in danger going into this meeting," Minaya said after the session. "Willie has my support. He has the support of our ownership. ... There is no limbo period. Willie is the manager."

 

But no promises for the future were made.

 

Raised in Brooklyn, Randolph enjoyed many of his favorite and finest moments in the Bronx.

 

He played for the Yankees from 1976-88 and was a member of two World Series championship teams.

 

Surrounded by stars Reggie Jackson and Thurman Munson, characters Sparky Lyle and Mickey Rivers and volatile George Steinbrenner and Billy Martin, Randolph merely went about his business. He made for a good fit in pinstripes, and later became a Yankees co-captain.

 

Randolph batted .276 lifetime -- he got 2,210 hits in 2,202 games -- and never made an error in his 47 postseason appearances.

 

After finishing his playing career with the Mets in 1992, Randolph served as an assistant GM with the Yankees in 1993. The next year, he moved back onto the field and became their third-base coach, a post he held for 10 seasons.

 

He was part of the Yankees team that won four World Series titles, and was manager Joe Torre's bench coach in 2004. Before landing the Mets job, Randolph said he interviewed unsuccessfully for 11 or 12 managerial openings.

 

Randolph had Torre's full backing for the move over to Queens and they remained friends, filming a series of popular local TV commercials together.

 

Randolph was hired in November 2004 and, boosted by the addition of Carlos Beltran and Martinez, the Mets showed immediate improvement. They went 83-79 in his first year, stopping a slide of three straight dismal seasons.

 

The Mets did far better the next year, tying the crosstown Yankees for baseball's best regular-season record (97-65) and winning the NL East for the first time since 1988.

 

Making their first playoff appearance in six years, the Mets swept the Dodgers in the first round despite an injury-depleted pitching staff and went into the NLCS against the Cardinals with high expectations -- those ended in Game 7.

[Neoblackhound]

I knew it was bad when I heard the Mets fans rooting for the the Rangers.

[DK_MaluNYMets]

Come on guy. You stole my thunder. I was racing to the UF forums to post it up... lol... I got to say I am diappointed they fired Rick Peterson its not his fault.

 

LETS GO METS!!!...

 

 

 

smokeosama ]

http://www.sportsline.com/mlb/story/10868317

 

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Willie Randolph is out as manager of the New York Mets, fired 2½ months into a disappointing season that has followed the team's colossal collapse last September.

 

Bench coach Jerry Manuel takes over on an interim basis for Randolph, who led the Mets to within one victory of the 2006 World Series. They got off to a strong start again last year but plummeted down the stretch and have been unable to rebound.

 

A preseason favorite to win the NL pennant, the $138 million Mets (34-35) had won two straight when Randolph was let go early Tuesday morning -- making him the first major league manager to get fired this season.

 

Pitching coach Rick Peterson and first base coach Tom Nieto also were fired in an enormous overhaul that came at a stunning time -- about two hours after New York's 9-6 victory at the Los Angeles Angels.

 

Ken Oberkfell, the club's manager at Triple-A New Orleans, and Dan Warthen, pitching coach for the Zephyrs, will join the major league staff along with Luis Aguayo, a Mets field coordinator.

 

It was a frustrating end for the 53-year-old Randolph, who was set to be an NL coach at the All-Star game at Yankee Stadium next month.

 

Signed through the 2009 season, Randolph won't be able to move with the Mets into new Citi Field next year, either.

 

Randolph was known for his exceptionally steady play as a six-time All-Star second baseman and even-keel demeanor as a coach with the Yankees.

 

Yet Randolph's time in charge of the Mets was marked by highs and lows from the get-go.

 

Hired by new general manager Omar Minaya to replace Art Howe for the 2005 season, Randolph lost his first five games as a major league manager, then won the next six.

 

He nearly guided the Mets into the 2006 World Series, losing Game 7 of the NLCS to St. Louis on Yadier Molina's tiebreaking home run in the ninth inning.

 

The Mets and their fans were convinced 2007 would be their year. Poised for a big run, what followed was one of the biggest collapses in baseball history: Leading the NL East by seven games on Sept. 12, they lost 12 of their last 17 and missed the playoffs as Philadelphia rallied to win the division title.

 

Several times, Randolph tried to separate last season's failure and this season's struggle.

 

"I really felt we put last year behind us," he said last month. "Any pressure we feel is because of staying in the mix and not reverting back to last year. I don't sense that at all. No one ever talks about it, no one ever brings it up, so if we are looking a little like we were last year, there's no correlation."

 

Many Mets watchers, however, felt there was a carry-over effect. Injuries to Pedro Martinez, Moises Alou and Ryan Church, another down year by Carlos Delgado and a sudden slump by closer Billy Wagner didn't help.

 

With each stretch of inconsistent play, chants of "Fire Willie!" grew louder at Shea Stadium and on New York's sports talk radio station.

 

Despite a $138 million payroll, the highest in the National League, and the offseason addition of ace pitcher Johan Santana, the Mets never found their groove. Even when things briefly went their way, Randolph caused trouble.

 

Coming off an uplifting, two-game sweep at Yankee Stadium in mid-May, the first black manager in team history created a stir by suggesting in a newspaper interview that he was portrayed on Mets broadcasts differently than a white manager might be.

 

Randolph brought up the race issue as he detailed the way he's been shown by SNY, the team's TV network.

 

"Is it racial?" Randolph was quoted. "Huh? It smells a little bit. ... I don't know how to put my finger on it, but I think there's something there."

 

A couple of days later, Randolph apologized to Mets ownership, SNY and his players "for the unnecessary distraction" he'd created.

 

Late last month, Randolph got a temporary reprieve when he met with ownership.

 

"Willie's job was never in danger going into this meeting," Minaya said after the session. "Willie has my support. He has the support of our ownership. ... There is no limbo period. Willie is the manager."

 

But no promises for the future were made.

 

Raised in Brooklyn, Randolph enjoyed many of his favorite and finest moments in the Bronx.

 

He played for the Yankees from 1976-88 and was a member of two World Series championship teams.

 

Surrounded by stars Reggie Jackson and Thurman Munson, characters Sparky Lyle and Mickey Rivers and volatile George Steinbrenner and Billy Martin, Randolph merely went about his business. He made for a good fit in pinstripes, and later became a Yankees co-captain.

 

Randolph batted .276 lifetime -- he got 2,210 hits in 2,202 games -- and never made an error in his 47 postseason appearances.

 

After finishing his playing career with the Mets in 1992, Randolph served as an assistant GM with the Yankees in 1993. The next year, he moved back onto the field and became their third-base coach, a post he held for 10 seasons.

 

He was part of the Yankees team that won four World Series titles, and was manager Joe Torre's bench coach in 2004. Before landing the Mets job, Randolph said he interviewed unsuccessfully for 11 or 12 managerial openings.

 

Randolph had Torre's full backing for the move over to Queens and they remained friends, filming a series of popular local TV commercials together.

 

Randolph was hired in November 2004 and, boosted by the addition of Carlos Beltran and Martinez, the Mets showed immediate improvement. They went 83-79 in his first year, stopping a slide of three straight dismal seasons.

 

The Mets did far better the next year, tying the crosstown Yankees for baseball's best regular-season record (97-65) and winning the NL East for the first time since 1988.

 

Making their first playoff appearance in six years, the Mets swept the Dodgers in the first round despite an injury-depleted pitching staff and went into the NLCS against the Cardinals with high expectations -- those ended in Game 7.

[o-BacklasH-o]

Haha sorry Malu! I just happened to be up and checking fantasy baseball when Sportsline.com broke the news on the story.

[[-VR-] RoughRider71]

I'm not happy about this It's not all Willie's fault or the other coaches for that matter but they have to can someone and its not going to be any of the players. Do I think they were ging to win the east, no but I think Willie was a good fit with the Mets so I will grieve for a little while and then move on to hopefully support whoever they pick as manager. LETS GO METS!!

[MRM3T]

I fell Sorry For him but look at all the things that go wrong with him.....

 

Say Maine is Deep into the game, Say bottom of the 8th? Theirs 2outs and Maine gives up 2 walks, Willie Would take him out rather than leave him to get that one out.....Its the same circumstance all the time...He'd bring in Felicaino Who would then give up a homerun or a double and Eh....THE METS LOSE!!!.....I just wanna see this team shape up or Something....Through and Through Im Bleeding my Orange and Blue and always CHANTING, " LETS GO METS!!!!"......

[RawTaLenT--]

With all that money and talent shouldnt matter who the hell the coach is. Then again were the players over paid?? and are overrated!!! LOL

 

LETS GO PHILLIES ;D

[Guest deltron0]

i've waned on willie this year due to his laid back demeanor when we needed a spark and his mismanagement by trying to micromanage the bullpen. some of his moves would make me scratch my head.

[GeneralWar]

I think it's a bad move cause he's a good coach.

[DK_MaluNYMets]

He wasnt motivating the team. He needed to be fired. By the way it was conducted was horrible. Especially telling the guy his job is safe then making him get on a plane to fly 3000 miles to california after a double header and then manage a game and WIN. Then fire him at 330AM EASTERN!. On top of that sending out EMAILS to the press? This is the worst manager firing in the history of the game.

 

Why did they fire Rick Peterson? He has done wonders with the pitching staff. He cant make them pitch good but he does help a lot especially with young pitchers. Horrible.

 

 

Firing the first base coach really is going to fire up the team. - HORRIBLE

 

We NEED CHANGE WE CAN BELIEVE IN!! GET RID OF FRED AND JEFF WILPON!!

[RawTaLenT--]

I'm sure the racist comment had something to do with it, but when they boarded the plane the GM said no one job is safe and he needs to evaluate things

 

But yes they did do him dirty should of told him before he got on the plane. Hopefully they payed for his ticket back lol

[CpDude05]

Maybe wille wants to come to Seattle and give my team some help. lol

[RawTaLenT--]

Heres a great artice. The 15th paragraph make sure you click the links. It is the NY papers ripping how the mets handled the firing and doing it at 3:00 am hoping no one noticed the firing lol

 

http://insider.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?entryID=3448037&name=olney_buster&action=login&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fespn%2fblog%2findex%3fentryID%3d3448037%26name%3dolney_buster

[BX-ROBSTEALTH-NY]

The Mets organization made the right choice the players no longer have the drive to play for him anymore and they definitely need a new face to motivate this team-- I don't think the Mets have recover from that meltdown a season ago-- I'm not expecting great things from them this year hopefully the Mets can have a solid season and work on geling together as a unit---------------------Let's Go Yankees-------------------

[MRM3T]

Hey If the Mets don't Make it All the way Its allright.....Ass Long as the Redsox and Phillies dont make it to the WS im Happy.....Lets Go "NEW YORK!!" =)