Willie Randolph has to go.
Loyal readers of this column – if I may flatter myself for a moment – know that I am diehard Yankees fan and so my opinion on the Mets and their skipper might reek of piling on. And while that might be a valid point, there is also plenty of evidence to support the supposition that the former Yankees second baseman has lost control of his team.
You know what the funny thing is, though? All the examples of dogging it and throwing to wrong bases and questionable strategy are almost irrelevant. Well, maybe not irrelevant, but perhaps the most damning indictment of Willie as Mets skipper is his dealings with the media. And I’m not even just referring to the now infamous flap in which Randolph theorized that racism has played a part in the way he has been handled by the media and, in particular, by SNY, the Mets’ own regional sports network. In that particular case, Willie might not even be all that wrong. But at a time when his job is under siege and he is being portrayed as someone to whom his players don’t respond, the racism idea feels a little bit like grasping at straws. If Willie truly feels that racism plays a part in the way black coaches and players are treated by the media – and it does, believe me - then why did he never bring it up when times were good and the Mets were winning baseball games and nearly advancing to the 2006 World Series? For Randolph to address the issue at a moment he feels personally vilified, makes people think he is only acting out of self-preservation and not out of any noble desire to right a cultural wrong.
As inappropriate as Randolph’s race comments might be, you can at least understand that impulse in a man who has almost certainly witnessed a number of racial injustices over the years. Far more disturbing to me are his unsteady interviews in which Randolph seems distracted and desperately insecure. Too often, Randolph rushes overzealously to his own defense and sounds like a man who does indeed need to defend himself. It’s almost like Willie thinks that maybe he’s not doing such a good job either, that the fans and talk show pundits have gotten to him and shaken his confidence. In an interview with Mike and the Mad Dog a few weeks ago, Randolph was asked if he talks to his players a lot or if he lets them work their own way out of funks. Willie was far too eager to say that not only does he talk to his players, but that he does so more than any other manager in baseball. I wonder what kind of scientific polling Willie has done to learn that “fact.”
Later in the same interview, Randolph was asked by Francesa if he talks to his “kids” the same ways he talks to veterans. The question was in reference to several reports that Randolph treats his younger players and older players differently. Randolph responded, without a hint of irony, by saying that he has three girls, so of course he talks to them differently. The fact that Willie couldn’t make the connection that Francesa was – of course – not asking about his children but the younger players on his team speaks volumes for where Randolph’s head is these days.
Of course, no manager has ever been fired for giving a couple of weird interview answers. But Willie is obviously feeling the heat and his personality has become erratic. He always seems to be flying off the handle, offering half-hearted apologies one minute, showing contrived defiance the next. There have long been questions about his managerial skills. Fans have been complaining for three years that Willie doesn’t know how to make a double-switch. And though some of those complaints have merit, Willie, in his first two and three-quarters years as Mets manager, was proving to be a Joe Torre-type, the kind of guy who sometimes makes questionable decisions but who makes up for it with a good feel for the game in big moments and by inspiring his players to play hard.
Losing a 7-game lead with 17 to play, as the Mets did in 2007, will do a lot to erase positive perceptions. Throw into the mix that as of this writing, the Mets are 5 games under .500 since June 3 of last year and you have a recipe for disaster, especially for a team that is supposed to have championship aspirations. A lot of managers who have obviously lost control of their teams at least maintain some semblance of public composure. Randolph just seems out of it.
The problem for Minaya at this point is that if he brings in a new manager and the teams still flounders, it will be his head on the chopping block next. But to think like that would make Minaya a truly amateurish and petty GM. And I don’t think he is. He’s stubborn and will probably stick with Willie longer than he should, hoping for a miraculous turnaround, but when it doesn’t happen, Minaya will realize that the good of the team cannot be sacrificed for the sake of protecting “his guy.”
When the Mets thrashed a rotten Yankees team a couple of weekends ago at Yankee Stadium, I was stunned by how weak the Mets’ lineup looked, even when scoring a ton of runs. The pitching wasn’t scary either. The Yankees were simply not capitalizing on any opportunities two weeks ago. The Mets are not as good as advertised and that is not Willie’s fault. It’s not Willie’s fault that scouts around baseball are whispering that Johan Santana has lost a lot of velocity or that Carlos Delgado is done. But the manager is only making things worse at this point and something has to be done to save a season that started with so much promise. I remember that my thought after the Yankees series was, “They got us this weekend, but we’ll see you in June.”
The way things are going, Willie Randolph won’t be there for the Subway Series rematch.