willie randolph – Page 12 – The Mets Police

May 20, 2008

Lee Mazzilli, next manager of the Mets

Dear Fred and Omar,

You have a manager that isn’t going to make it. You have a cranky fanbase you need to appease so you can sell tickets at the fancy new ballpark (and how much will those cost by the way).

Time to find a fan favorite who has managerial experience. He already works for you and Fred you’ll like this, he’s from Brooklyn.

The Hire Wally Backman Blog has this to say:

Lee Mazzilli is a possibility. On his post-game analysis for SNY after the Vargas fiasco, Maz made what I perceived as some veiled and valid criticisms of the Mets’ manager, which already makes him preferable to Randolph in my book. I have no idea how good Maz was in Baltimore, since I don’t really follow AL baseball. Some say he got a raw deal, that he’s a good manager. He’s got to be a step up from Randolph. A Big Mouth Billy Bass would be a step up from Randolph.

Th rest is of that article is here: http://hirewallybackman.blogspot.com/

And here’s some more folks who agree:

http://newsgroups.derkeiler.com/Archive/Alt/alt.sports.baseball.ny-mets/2008-05/msg00933.html

May 20, 2008

Willie Watch: Willie’s Comments On The Comments

I must be in a good mood. I kinda want to let this drop and get back to wins and losses (and heading for two losses as I write, always a long week when Maine loses) – but I don’t know why this was brought up at all. The fans just want to win, that’s it. I don’t think this is going to go away, and will be the beginning of the end. With no heir apparent, ownership may turn to a fan favorite to shut us all up – and I may just get my Lee Mazzilli wish.

Here’s Willie in his own words from today:

“I wasn’t trying to bring race into it.” “Obviously, I should have thought more about what I was trying to say.”

“This really boils back down to wins and losses, it really does. When you’re in an environment like this, where expectations are high, and we don’t play up to our capabilities, there’s going to be a lot of talk.

“It does seem like it’s piling on after a bit. But, I understand it. I think I mentioned feeling `almost racial.’ That was a tongue-in-cheek kind of reaction to what I’ve been feeling. Not that this is racial. The Wilpons hired me not because I am black, but because they feel I can do a good job for them. They trusted me and hired me because I can do a job and not the color of my skin.”

“Maybe I didn’t say it right, the way I was feeling. But I didn’t call anyone a racist.”

May 20, 2008

>Willie's Comments In The Record

>
Willie won’t make it through the year.

His comments in The Record suggest that he thinks that the Mets owned SNY network is operating a conspiracy to make him look bad.

That’s pretty paranoid.

As for his other observation, let me tell you kiddies about a man named Bud Harrelson.

Buddy was one of the most loved Mets of all time. Bud was a middle infielder, much like Willie.

One day Buddy was asked to manage the New York Mets, a team he had played for. He said yes. He replaced Davey Johnson who had been to the World Series once, much like Bobby V, but management felt it was time for a change.

In 1990 Buddy managed a pretty good team to a 2nd place finish. Disappointing. but the fans were hopeful about the upcoming season

That next season the Mets were not playing well and the fans booed and booed and booed, and poor Buddy got tortured by WFAN. Eventually Buddy stopped going out to the mound. He didn’t make it to game 162.

Now it’s 2008 and it was hard for me to even find a picture of this once beloved Met for this post.

So Willie, please reflect on what you said and please give the fans a little more credit.

Willie Randolph Wonders if Race Is Contributing to the Rumors …
AOL SPORTS, NY – 8 hours ago
Randolph had avoided taking the bait to offer his own opinion until before Sunday night’s game. Ian O’Connor of the Bergen Record spoke to him and reports …

May 20, 2008

Willie’s Comments In The Record

Willie won’t make it through the year.

His comments in The Record suggest that he thinks that the Mets owned SNY network is operating a conspiracy to make him look bad.

That’s pretty paranoid.

As for his other observation, let me tell you kiddies about a man named Bud Harrelson.

Buddy was one of the most loved Mets of all time. Bud was a middle infielder, much like Willie.

In 1990 Buddy managed a pretty good team to a 2nd place finish. Disappointing. but the fans were hopeful about the upcoming season

Now it’s 2008 and it was hard for me to even find a picture of this once beloved Met for this post.

So Willie, please reflect on what you said and please give the fans a little more credit.

May 19, 2008

>Willie Asks: Is It Racial?

>
Real article folks. I pass along with editorial comment, and you can read the entire thing in the Bergen Record.

Tomorrow, editorial comment. Tonight I’ll let the words speak for themselves.
http://www.northjersey.com/sports/Angry_Randolph_attacks_critics_who_hurt_me_to_my_core.html

“Is it racial?” Randolph asked. “Huh? It smells a little bit.”

Asked directly if he believes black managers are held to different standards than their white counterparts, Randolph said: “I don’t know how to put my finger on it, but I think there’s something there. Herman Edwards did pretty well here and he won a couple of playoff [games], and they were pretty hard on Herm. Isiah [Thomas] didn’t do a great job, but they beat up Isiah pretty good. … I don’t know if people are used to a certain figurehead. There’s something weird about it.

“I think it’s very important … that I handle myself in a way that the [African-American managers] coming behind me will get the opportunities, too … .”

Willie also mentions SNY’s coverage:

“Why [isn’t] SNY shooting me when I’m ready to go down the dugout clapping my hands and patting guys on the butt, schooling them during the game? I’m on the top step every game. … Why don’t you show that side of me so people can say, ‘Wow, jeez, Willie’s fiery’? … You watch any manager in baseball, you see him look like a bump on the log sitting there. They don’t move, they don’t talk. I’m as animated and as demonstrative and as involved and as intense as any manager in baseball.”