Willie Randolph Fired

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The Mets have fired Willie Randolph

 

Jerry Manuel will take over as interim manager

 

Rick Peterson is gone (yes!),so is Tom Nieto

 

No other coaches were mentioned

 

Press conference tomorrow

 

ANAHEIM, Calif., June 17, 2008 – The New York Mets today named Jerry Manuel interim manager, replacing Willie Randolph. Manuel, in his fourth season with the Mets, had been bench coach since 2006. The Mets also named Ken Oberkfell, Luis Aguayo and Dan Warthen to the coaching staff. Rick Peterson and Tom Nieto have been relieved of their coaching duties.

 

Mets General Manager Omar Minaya will hold a briefing with the media Tuesday, June 17 at 2:00 P.M. PT (5:00 P.M. ET) in the media room at Angel Stadium. Mets Manager Jerry Manuel will meet with the media immediately thereafter.

 

The 54-year-old Manuel served as Mets first base and outfield coach in 2005. He was Manager of the Chicago White Sox (1998-2003) and led them to an American League best record of 95-67 in 2000. He was named 2000 Major League Manager of the Year by Associated Press and American League Manager of the Year by the Baseball Writers Association of America and the Sporting News. He previously was bench coach for the 2007 World Champion Florida Marlins following six seasons as third base coach for the Montreal Expos.

 

Oberkfell was the Manager of New Orleans Zephyrs of the Pacific Coast League, his fourth year managing the Mets Triple-A affiliate. He previously managed the Binghamton Mets (AA) of the Eastern League after leading the St. Lucie Mets (A) to the 2003 Florida State League championship in his second season in the Mets minor league system.

 

Warthen returned to the organization this year joining Oberkfell as pitching coach in New Orleans following two seasons as the bullpen coach for the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was a coach in the Mets minor league system from 2003-2005. Warthen was pitching coach for the Detroit Tigers (1999-2002), San Diego Padres (1996-97), and Seattle Mariners (1992).

 

Aguayo, as Mets Field Coordinator, oversaw spring training for the minor league teams, extended spring training, and the Mets’ fall instructional league team. A ten-year Major League veteran, he played with the Cleveland Indians (1989), New York Yankees (1988), and Philadelphia Phillies (1980-88).

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AP:

 

 

New York Mets fire manager Willie Randolph

26 minutes ago

 

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Willie Randolph is out as manager of the New York Mets, fired 2 1/2 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 win 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 in a row when Randolph was let go early Tuesday morning — making him the first major league manager to get fired this season.

[Guest Jesus Freaks on Coke]

bench coach for the 2007 World Champion Florida Marlins

Reporting from the Mik's Parallel Universe Associated Press.

 

I'm not sure what to think of this. I'm not a Mets fan, so I'm not dancing in the streets, but the sequence here is kind of odd. I understand that they didn't want to fire him on Father's Day, but why did they send him across the country to Los Angeles for one game, which the Mets won, and then fire him? Couldn't they have at least waited until the Mets lost a game? As with most managerial shakeups, I'm not sure how this really improves the New York Mets. I think there's going to be some improvement in the pitching staff because Rick Peterson, also launched, appeared to be kind of an idiot, and it might ease up some clubhouse tension since Randolph was developing Foot-in-Mouth Disease toward the end w/r/t accusing the Mets' superfluous sports channel of racism, but above all else, I'm not convinced the Mets are very good this year.

 

My only knowledge of Jerry Manuel is that by the end, they didn't like him on the South Side any more than Mets fans liked Willie, and that he's pulled the same "make a call to an empty bullpen" stunt that Terry Bevington and Ozzie Guillen have pulled (unlike Bevington, who had a cold Keith Foulke slowly walk a batter till the reliever was ready, Manuel walked out to the foul line, signaled, realized no one was up, and just sort of aimlessly meandered for a minute and sat back down), but other than that, I think I remember him as kind of unremarkable and dull.

[devo 0]

The timing of this is very, very strange. That's all the reaction I can manage right now.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

Everything about this move is designed to duck media scrutiny.

 

1. It occurred at midnight local time, 3am in New York. Too late to hit the newspapers today.

 

2. It occurred on the west coast, almost in the city furthest from the team's home park.

 

3. The Mets do not play at home again for a week.

 

4. Bill Bavasi got fired yesterday as well, adding to the news stories.

 

5. The NBA Finals may be over tonight, dominating Wednesday's sport sections.

 

I'd agree with the writers who say this is an act of cowardice by the Mets' management.

[bob_barron 0]

It seems weird to fire a guy when they're on a two-game winning streak

[Bruiser Chong 0]

I swear something big happens every time I lose Internet service or power. I still remember losing the 'net for a night, coming back on and seeing that Mark Prior's elbow had exploded from a linedrive and then the Cubs had traded their closer.

 

Anyway, this is a tasteless move by the Mets. The circumstances are bizarre, but I think Al's points pretty much cover the possibilities as to why things went down the way they did. I still don't see how this is going to help the Mets. You can't really fire the players, but I don't see how it's Willie's fault none of the big names were hitting, most of their rotation is shitty, and their pen can't be trusted.

[Smartly Pretty 0]

This sucks. Willie's a good manager. I hear awesome things about Ken Oberkfell though, so that's good. Minor League Manager of something during some year, or something. So that makes me feel good, but still, I was really pulling for Willie Randolph. Fuck Rick Peterson though. Thank god that guy's gone.

[TheDevilAndGodAreRagingInsideMe 0]

Gotta love the Wilpons. They gave him an ultimatum to win the weekend at home against Texas. He survives the weekend, flies 3,000 miles to California and then they can him?

 

I have to believe that Minaya is going to be gone in the offseason. Willie has been his scapegoat all season long. Trot Nixon isn't the savior.

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

Jerry Manuel? Really? Have fun with that, Mets fans.

[Prophet of Mike Zagurski 0]

It's not Willie Randolph's fault that their relievers suck. The only thing the Mets needed to make their bullpen worst would have been signing Eric Gagne during the offseason.

[Karc 0]

The Mets just won three of four, including one against the Angels. They are only a game under .500. This is really dumb. Go job Mets. The fact that you did it in the middle of the night will only add to the media ripping you apart.

[Ripper 0]

that is the blackest name I have heard all day.

[Mike wanna be 0]

Second-highest win percentage of any Met manager, on a two-game win streak, in the middle of a road trip, and they can him.

[DerangedHermit 0]

Second-highest win percentage of any Met manager, on a two-game win streak, in the middle of a road trip, and they can him.

 

At midnight after the first game of a WEST COAST road trip.

 

It wasn't Omar, it was obviously screwing around from the Wilpons

[Mike wanna be 0]

Oh, it was 100% Omar on this one. He basically said "I fired him because people thought I was going to fire him", and threw in "...and no matter whether we won or lost the main story was how that game affected Willie's job security, and that's not fair to him or the team" just as an excuse.

 

He fired him because the media was all over the team wondering about Willie's job security. The media's reason to wonder about Willie's job security was that Minaya deliberately danced the bullshit "I'm not committing to anybody at this time" dance.

 

There'd be some carryover if he came out and said "Willie's our man for the rest of this season", there's no denying that, but to basically say "I couldn't decide whether or not our manager should lose his job, and I got tired of listening to the media talk about it so I basically flipped a coin and made a guess as to which decision would save my job." is downright embarrassing.

[LuckyLopez 0]

The NY situation made it damn near impossible to keep Willie there. Not just that the media kept asking about his job security and that Omar was unwilling to say it was secure. The loss to the Cardinals followed by the September crash followed by the poor start to this season just had fans and media all over him. The team is believed to lack fire and cohesion and you always look to the manager when that happens. Willie handled the media very poorly and gave the fans no hope as he always gave this "we're fighting" and "I think we played a good game" responses that the fans hate when the team is losing. And Omar and Willie never seemed to be on the same page anyway as they clashed over coaches and Omar's seeing desire to have Julio Franco on the team as a player-coach. It was just a bad marriage that clearly had to end sooner or later.

 

The handling of it just looks horrible though. And the Mets are being raked over the coals for the 3 AM firing after a W on the first day of a West Coast road trip. By the same media that basically wanted Willie fired anyway.

 

Willie was at most part of the problem just because he couldn't get on the same page as Omar and didn't seem capable of drawing the team together. Whether another manager can or whether player changes need to be made, who knows? But this was just one of those situations where the team is messed up and the manager is always going to be the first to go.

[AntiLeaf33 0]

Looks like it's only a matter of time before Gibbon's in Toronto joins him in the land of the unemployed

[Smartly Pretty 0]

http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jh...-randolph-fired

[Guest Jesus Freaks on Coke]

Looks like it's only a matter of time before Gibbon's in Toronto joins him in the land of the unemployed

I like the misused apostrophe in his name. The what of Gibbon? Is "Gibbon's in Toronto" a store?

 

Gibbons seems like a meathead, but I'm not sure how much of the Blue Jays woes--viz., they can't hit for shit and don't appear to have any sort of high-quality farm system--can be attributed to him. It's the AL, so his in-game strategic prowess isn't important, and in terms of ésprit de corps, I haven't really heard many problems other than A.J. Burnett telling anyone with a microphone just how peachy it would be if he were to be traded to the Cubs. Ricciardi is pretty much a failure; if anyone should go, it's him. Also, their uniforms look like shit. Also, the SkyDome is one of the ugliest parks in baseball, now that I've seen it for the first time in a long while. Also, cocks?

[cd213 0]

As a Mets fan, I have no problem with getting rid of him. I didn't like him from the word go. So what you grew up a fan of the team you are coaching, that doesn't equal a lifetime job. I agree that the players need to play, seeing that they are making the money they are, but like others have said, you can't fir the team. Manuel is a proven coach, as he had a winning record with the White Sox (and no he shouldn't be the new coach, but he's fine for the rest of this lost season). I have no problem with the timing either, as someone pointed out, it was 3am NY time, but midnight local time (local for the game). That was not long after the game. I love how people are saying, "He should have been fired, but not that way." So are these people all for keeping him in limbo for a week and then firing him once he gets off the plane back to NY?

 

Also, Minaya needs to go as well. He's built a team of crybaby, overpaid babies (I know most baseball players are that). Delgado was a waste, there is nothing going on at second, David Wright is a good young player, Jose Reyes is a baby that needs to shut up and run out a single once in a while, the outfield is a mess with the signing of past their prime players (Alou), a premadona (Beltran), and a platoon of players that couldn't make the minor league team of most other teams. Church has been a surprise, and Snyder has been nothing to write home about. Maybe instead of trying to put together 80% of a Spanish natinal team, Minaya should have focused on putting together a good, well rounded team.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

I guess good player = primadonna. And Snyder = Schneider? Shouldn't one learn the players on his own team before calling for the head of the GM?

[LuckyLopez 0]

The "trying to put together a Spanish team" theory is ridiculous. He's the same guy who brought in Willie, Wagner, Maine, LoDuca, Schneider, Church, and plenty others, held onto Heilman, and just appointed Manuel manager. It was a theory started by Anna Benson of all people after she was exiled to Baltimore.

 

Beltran's been a pretty damn good player so it seems odd to question his signing because you don't like his personality. Same goes for Reyes but he isn't Minaya's. And Delgado is a lot of hindsight because not too many people were expecting him to have an insane decline like he has and he's a gut that Mets fans and media wanted Minaya to get 1 season earlier (and he had nearly a career year the season before the Mets got him).

 

Minaya's made quite a few mistakes and clearly there are holes on this team, not the least of them a poor decision to rely on Alou staying healthy. But he's got a pretty healthy list of successes too, including getting Johan Santana for a package considerably less than what anyone expected even during the process when rumors were swirling of lesser deals anyway. I'm kind of amazed how high Mets fans were on this team 10 months ago and yet now Minaya put together a bunch of losers when its basically the exact same team + the best pitcher in baseball. Obviously the last 3 months or so of baseball is gonna sour you on the team and the management, but I'm not sure I've ever seen fans do a 180 like this so quickly.

 

That's probably not true. The back and forth NY does on A-Rod can make your head spin.

[bob_barron 0]

I guess good player = primadonna. And Snyder = Schneider? Shouldn't one learn the players on his own team before calling for the head of the GM?

 

No need to get on the guy for making an honest mistake about a player on the team.

 

I think the complaint about the way they fired him is how they flew him out to LA just fire him, and waited until the Mets were starting to win again, and did at 3 a.m. to hide it from the press. That's classless.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

I guess good player = primadonna. And Snyder = Schneider? Shouldn't one learn the players on his own team before calling for the head of the GM?

 

No need to get on the guy for making an honest mistake about a player on the team.

 

I think the complaint about the way they fired him is how they flew him out to LA just fire him, and waited until the Mets were starting to win again, and did at 3 a.m. to hide it from the press. That's classless.

Yes, it's the manner rather than the firing itself. Randolph had to fly across the country and was fired the next day. The heads on XM Radio made a great point as well, saying that it's common for the manager to leave in the afternoon, giving him a chance to gather his things, leave with dignity, and get out of dodge. Randolph would have needed to have someone fetch his belongings, walk through the airport, etc.

 

The Mets aren't really bad, just mediocre. Their weak spots are catching, first base, corner outfield, and the back of the rotation. Losing Ryan Church to post-concussion syndrome really was unexpected. Delgado is awful, but that's the price of having an elite first baseman for that 2006 championship attempt. Honestly, I just don't think the talent is there. That would be ok if the farm system was producing, but that avenue is barren right now.

[cd213 0]

I'm not going to say that Santana was a horrible pick-up, but he had an average year last year, and is pitching ok this year. He hasn't been lights out by any means. And I have been down on the Mets since Beltran looked at strike 3 in 2006. The end of last year was a complete joke. Minaya has had some hits and misses, just like many other GMs in baseball, that is true, but it's also his way of going about these movies. You can't get rid of the farm system just to win now. I'm one of the few people that would rather build a winner by bringing up young players and adding good veterans when needed. I hate his "buying a winner" idea.

 

I'm happy that the Mets aren't the only babseball team I root for. I'm a fan of 4 teams in total, and I enjoy watching a few other then that.

 

I was born a Dodgers fan (my dad was a Brooklyn Dodgers fan, so I followed in his footsteps). Living in NY, I went to a lot of Mets games, so I became a fan of them. I then became a Red Sox fan in 1996. And my friends and I ar Royals fans. we decided to pick the worst team at the time and follow them, that way if they ever became good we were there through the rough times. Boy have they been rough. I enjoy watching the White Sox (big AJ fan since his appearances on TNA), Tampa Bay, the A's and Angels. Then again, I also don't follow baseball too much, to me the hockey season is 12 months long, so I only follow other sports in part.

[Smartly Pretty 0]

I'm not going to say that Santana was a horrible pick-up, but he had an average year last year, and is pitching ok this year. He hasn't been lights out by any means. And I have been down on the Mets since Beltran looked at strike 3 in 2006. The end of last year was a complete joke. Minaya has had some hits and misses, just like many other GMs in baseball, that is true, but it's also his way of going about these movies. You can't get rid of the farm system just to win now. I'm one of the few people that would rather build a winner by bringing up young players and adding good veterans when needed. I hate his "buying a winner" idea.

 

I'm happy that the Mets aren't the only babseball team I root for. I'm a fan of 4 teams in total, and I enjoy watching a few other then that.

 

I was born a Dodgers fan (my dad was a Brooklyn Dodgers fan, so I followed in his footsteps). Living in NY, I went to a lot of Mets games, so I became a fan of them. I then became a Red Sox fan in 1996. And my friends and I ar Royals fans. we decided to pick the worst team at the time and follow them, that way if they ever became good we were there through the rough times. Boy have they been rough. I enjoy watching the White Sox (big AJ fan since his appearances on TNA), Tampa Bay, the A's and Angels. Then again, I also don't follow baseball too much, to me the hockey season is 12 months long, so I only follow other sports in part.

 

I bolded the really dumb things you said.

 

EDIT: I added some bolded things. You can't be a fan of both the A's and the Angels. The Angels are the Athletics principal rivals and they play in the same division. That's fucking retarded.

[LuckyLopez 0]

The Johan comments are just kind of insane. Last year he was "average"? By who's standards? He posted a 3.33 ERA (good for 13th best in MLB amongst Qualified SP), struck out 234 (3rd in MLB), and had a 1.07 WHIP (2nd in MLB). He had a 130 ERA+. This season he's got a 133 ERA+, 3.04 ERA (10th in MLB) and 91 K (5th). He's got a bad WHIP at 1.21 which isn't a good thing but which is also really flukey from his career. To call him "average" and "ok" is just insane and a clear example of perception being reality. Fact is he's been one of the best pitchers in baseball in 2008 and has been THE best pitcher over the last 4 or 5 years. The most criticism lobbied against the guy was that his great 2007 season wasn't as good as his insane prior seasons. He's given you some of the best numbers in baseball and 11 quality starts in 15 games. I'm not sure what you expected from him.

 

I don't want to insult you but perhaps being a fan of more than a quarter of the teams in baseball and doing so (by your admission) only casually has left you with a somewhat shallow outlook on 1 of those 8 teams that you follow when not following hockey.

[Mike wanna be 0]

All things considered, what's the point? Manuel becomes the guy who has no shot of being the manager there next year barring a miraculous team turnaround that ends somewhere respectable like the postseason...which is the exact same situation Willie would have been in if Minaya had the brass to give him some job security by not being a chickenshit about the situation.

 

The Mets need a catcher, a young outfielder and some semblance of a bullpen. Feliciano to Sanchez to Wagner might work, but why the fuck do they carry such a deep bullpen? They have like, two guys that aren't the backup catcher on the bench and eight bullpen pitchers they're afraid to bring into games because all they seem to do is blow games for them.

[cd213 0]

I'm not going to say that Santana was a horrible pick-up, but he had an average year last year, and is pitching ok this year. He hasn't been lights out by any means. And I have been down on the Mets since Beltran looked at strike 3 in 2006. The end of last year was a complete joke. Minaya has had some hits and misses, just like many other GMs in baseball, that is true, but it's also his way of going about these movies. You can't get rid of the farm system just to win now. I'm one of the few people that would rather build a winner by bringing up young players and adding good veterans when needed. I hate his "buying a winner" idea.

 

I'm happy that the Mets aren't the only babseball team I root for. I'm a fan of 4 teams in total, and I enjoy watching a few other then that.

 

I was born a Dodgers fan (my dad was a Brooklyn Dodgers fan, so I followed in his footsteps). Living in NY, I went to a lot of Mets games, so I became a fan of them. I then became a Red Sox fan in 1996. And my friends and I ar Royals fans. we decided to pick the worst team at the time and follow them, that way if they ever became good we were there through the rough times. Boy have they been rough. I enjoy watching the White Sox (big AJ fan since his appearances on TNA), Tampa Bay, the A's and Angels. Then again, I also don't follow baseball too much, to me the hockey season is 12 months long, so I only follow other sports in part.

 

I bolded the really dumb things you said.

 

EDIT: I added some bolded things. You can't be a fan of both the A's and the Angels. The Angels are the Athletics principal rivals and they play in the same division. That's fucking retarded.

 

So, I'm not allowed to like watching teams from the same division? And I can't be a fan of a player, and then while following that player, I follow that players team? It's not like I personally know any of the players, so it wouldn't matter what team I root for or watch.