Mets Fire Tony Bernazard (Finally)

We are just minutes away from a 3:45 PM press conference at which time Omar Minaya is expected to announce that Mets VP of Player Development, Tony Bernazard has been fired.

The NY Post and ESPN have already confirmed the news through their sources.

The press conference can be viewed on SNY or heard on WFAN.

This news comes as no surprise as Bernazard was under investigation by the Mets in response to a couple of reports by Adam Rubin of the Daily News.

In one report, Bernazard allegedly ripped off his shirt and challenged a clubhouse full of minor leaguers to a fight, and even referred to one of them by a vulgar profanity that referred to a female body part.

In another report, he went into a profanity filled tirade against a subordinate in a dispute over his seat at Citi Field. The altercation was confirmed by an Arizona scout who was shocked by his behavior.

The NY Post also uncovered some other disturbing news when they reported on a verbal altercation between Bernazard and Mets closer Frankie Rodriguez that almost came to blows had it not been broken up.

Bernazard was also in an altercation with Johan Santana, and was also largely responsible for fueling the dismissal of former manager Willie Randolph.

It’s quite a surprise that he’s managed to stick around as long as he has, and I also wonder if Minaya would have acted at all if not for the outrage over the Daily News reports.

This is definitely a case of addition by subtraction.