Willie was hired by the Mets in November 2004. Prior to Omar hiring him, Willie had already turned down an opportunity to manage in the minors with the Yankees, and had interviewed with a dozen other teams for their managerial openings. He had even interviewed with the Mets in 2002 but was turned down in favor of Art Howe because he was “unprepared” to manage (according to the NY Times).
After the hiring was announced, Flip Bondy wrote a piece in the NY Daily News. In it is an interesting quote from Omar:
“People say (Randolph) didn’t interview well. An interview is overrated. You have to have the courage to give someone an opportunity. No matter who you pick, you don’t know how he will do.”
So interviews are overrated? How else do you determine if someone with no experience is capable of doing the job?
I also find it interesting that Art Howe was at one point considered better than Willie – that says a lot.
Finally, if you have to have the courage to give someone an opportunity, where is the courage to say that person has squandered that opportunity?
