Wow, I’m kind of surprised and feel a little bad for Willie because of the timing.
Why torture the man and make him fly to LA when they could have done this over the weekend? Did they think that by being on the West Coast we wouldn’t notice? This isn’t 1977 where the Daily News has “Mets at Anaheim, night.”
This has been handled so poorly by this organization – like so many things, which is why this blog exists.
The few news reports have Jerry Manuel as “interim” manager, which means things are still not settled.
The Mets Police, as always hoping the Mets win, wish Jerry nothing but the best and may he win the World Series.
On a vaguely related note – add Torre to the All-Star Game coaches staff.
They really have the ability to screw up a simple thing like firing a guy. Why let him fly west? SO you wouldnt fire him on Father’s Day?
I liked Willie and he will be proved right because i think the majority of this lies with the players on the field. Anyway I hope Willie enjoys his excellent severance package and gets a HUGE cheer when he steps out on the field at Yankee Stadium when they close the place down.
I have a feeling that Hank Steinbrenner will smell an easy PR move and dig at the Mets by reaching out to Willie after things settle down. Precendent?? Mets fire Yogi in ’75and he rejoins Yanks in 76.
Thanks Mets blog and as always ‘lets leave the Black trim, hats and jerseys at the cleaners’ and go with the blue and orange at all times.
You know, Willie was trying to turn the ship around. Couldn’t they have given him until the All-Star break at least?
If they fell out of contention, fine. But they still have a shot for 1st place or the wild card.
Is it his fault that Moises Alou is a master at worker’s comp? Or El Duque? Or Pedro who has yet to pitch a full season without significant injury?
Did he sign both Delgado and Castillo to long contracts?
Where is OUR Jacoby Ellsbury and our Dustin Pedoria?
What about that $118 million dollar white elephant in centerfield who can’t hit when it counts?
Did he choose to let go of Chad Bradford and Darren Oliver?
Is it his fault that Jorge Julio or Jorge Sosa or Roberto Hernandez are supposed to be the dependable bridge to that paragon of excellence, Billy Wagner?
Is it his fault that Heilman is still being forced to be a set-up guy when he should be a starter?
The Mets are a chronic nightmare. Period.
And now two excellent reader posts courtesy of our local rags:
Post #1:
“What I can’t understand is how the Wilpon was able to make enough money in his life to even be in the position to own a team like the Mets. He is obviously not that smart, and it shows in the way this team is run. They fire a championship player and coach in Randolph, who was the epitome of class. They keep Omar who is an overrated bum who is more interested in trying to field a team of his nationality than one that has heart and fire. We as fans are supposed to swallow all this and allow it to happen. We should agree that these men needed to be fired when they were. Makes sense to fire someone whose team has won 3 out of 4 and just beat one of the top 5 teams in the game. The Wilpons know nothing about running a baseball team, and really need to reevaluate their philosophy b/c they won’t and can’t win doing things the way they do them now.”
Post #2:
“John Kruk, of all people, hit the nail on the head last night on ESPN. First, Buster Olney brought up the widely circulated rumor that Omar’s VP Tony Bernazard has been meddling in the clubhouse for a long time, going behind Willie’s back and talking garbage about him to his players. Kruk said that Willie should face up to the Wilpons and Omar and say something like: You’ve been letting this guy meddle in my clubhouse and undermine my authority and I’ve had enough of it. Either fire him or fire me, because I won’t manage another game under these conditions. Kruk was absolutely right. This is a day of disgrace for a miserably mismanaged franchise. Willie doesn’t deserve to take the fall for Bernazard’s toxic influence on team chemistry and Omar’s failure to fix the weaknesses in this aging, light-hitting team with half a rotation. Shame on the Wilpons and Omar. “
I think we’ve heard a lot of unlikeable things about Tony B today. I don’t know what’s true or not, but the stories don’t make him sound honorable.