Pussah2
09-02-2007, 10:24 AM
http://www.nypost.com/seven/09022007/sports/mets/willie_onthe_grill.htm
September 2, 2007 -- INCREDIBLY, we have reached September and the New York manager on the hottest seat is not Joe Torre.
Obviously, Torre is managing for his job this month, needing at minimum the playoffs and maybe a championship to be retained. But Torre's Yankees have revived in the second half and - even under the worst scenario - he will have thrived and survived in his job far beyond the grandest expectations when he was hired in November 1995.
Willie Randolph, however, has piloted a Mets team that has played apathetically this season. He has no great legacy. He had a first year that was going to be positive simply because he was not Art Howe and he had a magical second year - at least until the NLCS - in which the Mets ran away with the division. But Year 3 is proving problematic.
There have been rumblings of dissatisfaction for Randolph both in the front office and in the clubhouse. Four different major-league sources said Mets upper management has expressed concerns about Randolph both tactically and in failing to get his team to play with consistent passion this year. Two agents with players on the Mets both said their clients have conveyed the sense of a clubhouse that is more consistently second-guessing managerial strategy.
In addition, Randolph has the very modern problem now of being caught in the critical crosshairs on both talk radio and the Internet while also having a prickly relationship with the media that covers the team daily. And he has an ownership that has always been ultra-sensitive to the public/media cacophony.
Nevertheless, while voicing displeasure about the inconsistency of both the play and emotion of his team, Jeff Wilpon said, "Not at all," when asked if his manager was in trouble. "There have been no conversations at all about Willie Randolph."
Omar Minaya said, "With all the injuries we have had, Willie has done a very good job. We are very happy to have Willie Randolph as our manager. That (his removal) has not even been a topic of discussion."
When asked if failing to finish first or failing to make the playoffs could alter Randolph's status, Minaya said, "I am telling you as the GM I decide these things, and to me Willie has done a good job under difficult situations. I don't see any reason why we should change the manager."
September 2, 2007 -- INCREDIBLY, we have reached September and the New York manager on the hottest seat is not Joe Torre.
Obviously, Torre is managing for his job this month, needing at minimum the playoffs and maybe a championship to be retained. But Torre's Yankees have revived in the second half and - even under the worst scenario - he will have thrived and survived in his job far beyond the grandest expectations when he was hired in November 1995.
Willie Randolph, however, has piloted a Mets team that has played apathetically this season. He has no great legacy. He had a first year that was going to be positive simply because he was not Art Howe and he had a magical second year - at least until the NLCS - in which the Mets ran away with the division. But Year 3 is proving problematic.
There have been rumblings of dissatisfaction for Randolph both in the front office and in the clubhouse. Four different major-league sources said Mets upper management has expressed concerns about Randolph both tactically and in failing to get his team to play with consistent passion this year. Two agents with players on the Mets both said their clients have conveyed the sense of a clubhouse that is more consistently second-guessing managerial strategy.
In addition, Randolph has the very modern problem now of being caught in the critical crosshairs on both talk radio and the Internet while also having a prickly relationship with the media that covers the team daily. And he has an ownership that has always been ultra-sensitive to the public/media cacophony.
Nevertheless, while voicing displeasure about the inconsistency of both the play and emotion of his team, Jeff Wilpon said, "Not at all," when asked if his manager was in trouble. "There have been no conversations at all about Willie Randolph."
Omar Minaya said, "With all the injuries we have had, Willie has done a very good job. We are very happy to have Willie Randolph as our manager. That (his removal) has not even been a topic of discussion."
When asked if failing to finish first or failing to make the playoffs could alter Randolph's status, Minaya said, "I am telling you as the GM I decide these things, and to me Willie has done a good job under difficult situations. I don't see any reason why we should change the manager."