Mets Bloggers Everywhere Are All Beginning To Sound Off In One Voice
I spent a great deal of thought in the last 24 hours considering how I truly feel about Willie Randolph. The truth is I really like the guy. I wish that there was a way for him to get rid of the malaise that has overcome the team. They have become so dreary, and fans have become so weary.
Willie's once biggest supporters in the Mets blogosphere are now expressing their doubts.
Andrew from The 'Ropolitans proclaimed that he has switched his allegiance to the "Dark Side". That's been his moniker for the anti-Randolph crowd.
Believe me, when long time Willie Randolph fans like Andrew throw their hands in the air and say I give up, it doesn't bode well for the future of the embattled Mets manager.
Coop from My Summer Family penned her plan for the Mets and writes, "Fire everyone. Not just Willie. Not just Peterson. The whole f***ing lot. The Mets have a surplus of one thing and one thing only and that's talented coaches throughout their system."
Coop's post reads like an Alanis Morissette and Courtney Love duet. Her rage is justified... All of our rage is justified...
Dom DiFiucci of Dom D's Mets Fan Blog says, "They gave Willie Randolph a pass last season and brought him back to see if he can rekindle the magic of 2006. They traded for and signed Johan Santana for the long term and they got rid of negative clubhouse players like Paul Lo Duca and Lastings Milledge."
He's right... the Mets gave Willie every chance in the world to succeed.
Jason over at Faith and Fear in Flushing may have expressed the sentiments of most Mets fans the best when they wrote, "The only comfort I can take from yesterday's disaster is that Willie Randolph's firing may have gone from an "if" to a "when." But how much agony do we have to endure before then? How many losses? How many boos? How much dismal baseball? How much finger-pointing?"
The words may seem harsh, but they are certainly true enough...
The current team is too reminiscent of last years team, even with the additions of Johan Santana, Ryan Church and Brian Schneider. When David Wright stops running hard to first base, just one season after Jose Reyes stopped, what are fans to think? Our young stars have been tainted by veterans who think they are to good to hustle 100% of the time.
That lack of hustle was largely ignored by Randolph and the coaches in 2005 and 2006, and now it has trickled down to our younger players. That behavior should never be tolerated on any team... let alone one who is trying to dispel the ghosts of the worst collapse in recent memory. Apathy and complacency are now the words most often used to describe this team. That's not the players fault, it's managements fault...
Comments
You said it dude. The Mets play not to lose instead of playing to win. They have no swagger despite a lineup laden with all stars. They can't buy a win despite the highest payroll in the NL. You forgot another word they use to describe this team, pathetic!
Posted by: rajah | May 17, 2008 07:26 AM
In harmony, to boot.
Posted by: Andrew Vazzano [TheRopolitans.com] | May 17, 2008 09:47 AM
AS MY MONIKER IMPLIES I'VE BEEN A METS' FAN SINCE THERE WERE METS TO FAN FOR. WHAT IS VERY EVIDENT IS THE EXISTANCE OF A CHASM LIKE DISCONNECT BETWEEN THE FANS DESIRES & THOSE OF OWNERSHIP. FROM A FANS' PERSPECTIVE THE WRONG PARTNER TOOK CONTROL. WE FANS WANT SWAGGER, FLAMBOYANCE, "IN YOUR FACE" STYLING, LIFE, TECHNICOLOR & NOISE. FRED WILPON HAS PROVEN TO BE THE ANTITHESIS OF ALL THAT. FOR THOSE OF YOU OLD ENOUGFH TO TRULY REMEMBER THE MID-80s FRED WAS THE UNKNOWN OWNER. PROB PASS HIM IN THE STREET WITHOUT A NOD OF RECOGNITION. I BELIEVE FRED LOVED THE REULTS OF '86; BUT DISDAINED THE METHODS. I BELIEVE HIM TO BE THE ARCHITECT TO THE INGLORIOUS DISBANNING OF THE '86 TEAM WITH REPLACMENTS MOLDED AFTER THE LIKES OF McREYNOLDS( FLARELESS TALENT)(ANGLO-BELTRAN). REMEMBER IT WAS FRED WHO TRIED TO BLOCK THE PIAZZA ACQUISITION THAT DOUBLEDAY ORDERED BE DONE. FRED IS OBSESSED WITH THE BOYS OF SUMMER WE WANT THE MEN OF SUMMER. IF A PLAYER IS FLAMBOYANT OR A HEADLINE MAKER, WE ALWAYS PASS WITH ONE EXCUSE OR ANOTHER. SHEFFIELD, SORIANO, A-ROD, VLAD, ETC., ETC. AND SO FORTH. THIS LOW PULSE TEAM IS FREDDY'S DREAM TEAM. HE PREFERS NINJAS. STEALTH CHAMPIONSHIPS. WHY ELSE DO WE HAVE A LOW PULSE MGR LEADING LOW PULSE PLAYERS WITH SUCH A HEART RACING FANBASE? IF U BUY THE PRESS PABLUM OF FREDDY COUPON EXPLAIN THE $$$ INVESTED IN BELTRAN & SANTANA (THE QUIET ONES). WILLIE, I'M SURE, WAS NEVER OMAR'S CHOICE; BUT FRED'S. HOW ELSE DO YOU EXPLAIN DIFFERENT GMs OUTING 'IN YOUR FACE' DAVEY FOR SCRAPPY BUDDY; OR IRREPRESSABLE BOBBY WITH "IS HE BREATHING?" ART? WHY ELSE WOULD ONLY THE CHAMELION TYPES OF MEX, DARLING, MAZZ, HOJO BE THE MOST VISABLE '86ers? BACKMAN? FORGET IT! DYKSTRA? FORGET IT! STRAW TOOK YEARS OF CLEAN LIVING DOC WILL NEED DECADES.
Posted by: METS62FAN | May 17, 2008 10:06 AM
if they are hovering at or below .500 by the all star break, Willie has to be fired- no excuses for that on a team with this much talent!
Posted by: METSgal | May 17, 2008 10:25 AM
Thx for the plug Joe D! Love your post and the characterization of my post! LOL I will be at Yankee Stadium - if you see the chick jumping from the rafters in a blue mets cap, it will probably be me.
Posted by: The Coop | May 17, 2008 10:35 AM
It's definitely time for a change. This is a results-driven business and sorry to say Willie is not getting the results this team should be getting. When the players can't be motivated to win, it's time to bring in someone who get it done.
Posted by: Fred | May 17, 2008 12:11 PM
THANX SO MUCH for an excellent article! For me I say let Jose do his celebration thing w/ the guys when he gets a homerun. And the other guys too. Maybe it will reignite them and us. Its like no you cant celebrate cause you cant show up the other team. Well screw that! LOL! Maybe thats what our team needs and we need. We need our 2008 Mets to be like our 1986 Mets! Lets play tough and celebrate it and get back in the game!!!
Posted by: HMETALNYMETSVAL | May 18, 2008 10:52 AM