>Atlanta Laughs At You, Me, Omar, Fred & Willie

>

Among the things the Atlanta Journal-Constitution wrote that will annoy you:

For 2 1/4 seasons the Mets have acted as if they’re the National League’s best team, but the cold truth is that they haven’t been anything special since 2006. They fell to historic pieces last fall — 12 losses in their final 17 games — and this year, when they are supposed to prove that collapse was an epic fluke, they’ve proved only that they’re both overheated and undermanaged.

And here, not for the first or even the hundredth time, we see why the Braves remain the gold standard of communal harmony. They don’t throw 25 players together without consideration for compatibility. (Remember when Sports Illustrated hailed Mets GM Omar Minaya as a “Mixmaster”?) The manager never creates problems; he defuses them. And if there’s one thing I’ve learned in 30 years of hanging around clubhouses, it’s that mood absolutely matters.

Willie Watch: ESPN Says Wilpons Ain’t Calling Back

ESPN reports:

Randolph tried to reach out to the Mets’ owners Wednesday, getting no response before he publicly apologized for the comments he made recently suggesting he was portrayed in a different manner than white managers.

When asked why Mets ownership didn’t return Randolph’s calls, Jay Horwitz, the team’s media relations vice president, told 1050 ESPN Radio’s Andrew Marchand on Thursday that “Omar Minaya returned the call on behalf of Mets’ ownership.”

Randolph and Mets Chief Operating Officer Jeff Wilpon usually speak often, which seems to make the Wilpons’ decision not to return Randolph’s call telling. Wilpon declined to comment Thursday when contacted by 1050 ESPN Radio.

I smell a press conference on Tuesday.

>Torre Surfs The Willie Watch

>

“It’s a tough market,” Torre said. “Willie is a good man, he’s had success as a player and a manager. Unfortunately, with what happened last year, he’s having to endure some things tough to endure.

“People get caught up on both sides of the equation. He’s under a great deal of pressure, as is [Yankees manager] Joe Girardi, as was I [for 12 years as the Yankees manager]. Maybe you’re not as well-rested one day and you get a little cranky.”

I like Joe’s new commercial that was on during Idol – Joe adjusting to life in LA – but I can’t find it online to share.

>The Curse Of The Shaved Heads?

>
I don’t wanna steal anyone’s work – but I do want to publicize. Check out the shaved heads theory at

http://metsmerizedonline.com/

(and hey everyone, just add a LINK THIS to your pages.)

Willie Watch: Mazzilli

Again I don’t want to steal other people’s hard work – this is from Newsday and Neil Best, but as Mazzilli Central I thought we should share.

Best transcribed Mazzilli on Willie. Here’s a snippet

“I had a problem with that article, because he felt that it was kind of off the record. I know what Willie was going through by just chatting with this writer. I feel that there’s an obligation for the journalist to ask that person if you really want to say this.

The entire piece is here

http://weblogs.newsday.com/sports/watchdog/blog/2008/05/lee_mazzilli_comes_to_defense.html