Woe Is Willie

by Eric Simon on Jun 16, 2008 3:21 PM EDT

I'm swamped at work so I can't write anything substantial right now. Willie Randolph is day-to-day with regards to his current employment, and everyone involved -- the players, Willie, the fans -- just want whatever's going to happen to just happen already. If the Mets are going to fire him, then do it. If they're going to keep him around until the All Star break, fine. Omar Minaya may be very loyal, but this is a pissant way of doing business.

Also, the talk of firing Rick Peterson has been even more perplexing. The Mets' pitching has been fine. Not spectacular, but generally fine. The Mets' corner outfielders and first-baseman have been mostly terrible, and that has nothing to do with Peterson. You know, unless The Jacket is making personnel decisions about starting outfielders that we don't know about.

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Peterson ordered the hit on Church

it all makes sense now

by Simons on Jun 16, 2008 3:40 PM EDT reply actions

get us all off the tenterhooks already

I agree completely that this is a dumb way to do business, and it’s giving me flashbacks to the Art Howe era with its endless soap opera of clubhouse dissension. This crappy media circus has to be the responsibility of the ownership, really. They should make a decision and stick with it for the rest of the season—either fire Willie now or commit to keeping him till September, not feeding him to the media a pound at a time.

What I can’t understand is not why Omar is loyal to his guys, but why the team is still loyal to Omar—it is more than obvious that this team is failing because of fundamental flaws in how the roster was built, and that’s Omar’s job if it’s anyone’s.

by anonymous on Jun 16, 2008 3:43 PM EDT reply actions

"What I can’t understand is not why Omar is loyal to his guys, but why the team is still loyal to Omar"

Well, if you were Luis Castillo, and Omar gave you a four year contract when nobody would go longer than two, wouldn’t you be loyal to him?

by JoshNY on Jun 16, 2008 5:46 PM EDT up reply actions

yes

He should have a very solid base of support among voters named Schoeneweis and Castillo. It’s more the Wilpon constituency I’m confused about.

by anonymous on Jun 16, 2008 5:55 PM EDT up reply actions

Little known fact:

Peterson is in charge of assembling the Mets’ bench.

by JohnPeterson on Jun 16, 2008 4:25 PM EDT reply actions

Like, physically?

With wood and nails and shit?

by Eric Simon on Jun 16, 2008 4:34 PM EDT up reply actions

Rick Peterson believes in using wood glue in lieu of nails

That’s why our bench is so poorly assembled.

by JoshNY on Jun 16, 2008 5:41 PM EDT up reply actions

turns out the bench is mainly just shit

by Simons on Jun 16, 2008 6:13 PM EDT up reply actions

It certainly doesn't have much wood.

And Nails would really help, but he’s busy running a car wash or something.

by anonymous on Jun 16, 2008 6:22 PM EDT up reply actions

Dykstra

Actually, he’s busy buying Wayne Gretzky’s $18 million estate in California.

by Eric Simon on Jun 16, 2008 7:34 PM EDT up reply actions

actually, he's busy flipping that place

Lenny Dykstra asks $24.95M for mansion and 6.69-acre estate that he purchased last August from hockey great Wayne Gretzky for a reported $18.5M

That’s a cool $5.5 million on a place in less than a year. It seems pretty much everything he touches turns to gold.

We've got ourselves a ball club, the Mets of New York town!

by kingcritical on Jun 16, 2008 11:20 PM EDT up reply actions

Rafael Palmeiro has an idea of what they could do if they need wood

by JoshNY on Jun 16, 2008 10:24 PM EDT up reply actions

Peterson

If Peterson falls, because our corners and 1B are black holes I’ll lose a lot of faith in Omar. If we were getting league average production from those spots I can’t imagine we’d have won 3-4 more games. And Tom Nieto? The big tent is open for business.

by whynot on Jun 16, 2008 5:24 PM EDT reply actions

El Jacquito

I would not be okay with that move if it takes place just so the Mets can establish the Annual Rick Down Memorial “Someone’s Gotta Go” Firing.

by Catsmeat Potter-Pirbright on Jun 16, 2008 5:33 PM EDT reply actions

Thoughts

It’s clear to me the Jeff Wilpon(Son of Fred) is driving this whole fiasco. That’s who leaking all this stuff to the press. Harvey Araton and John Harper have all but come out and said so. Clearly he wants Willie out, but doesn’t have the intestinal fortitude to do it himself and is trying use the press make Omar do it. Personally, I’m ambivalent about Willie as he isn’t a great manager but isn’t a horrible one either, and dude deserves better than this crap.

As per firing Peterson, it’s a ridiculous capitulation to the people in our fan base/media that can’t stand his cerebral style. Simple as that.

by DoctorK16 on Jun 16, 2008 8:29 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs

Willie as he isn’t a great manager but isn’t a horrible one either, and dude deserves better than this crap.

I agree with that completely. Whatever anybody thinks of Willie’s managerial abilities, you have to admit he’s been a class act, and deserves to be treated better.

The time has come for someone to put his foot down. And that foot is me.

by sireric on Jun 16, 2008 8:45 PM EDT up reply actions