Goodbye Willie, Thanks for nothing

This is going to be a rant because I am speaking about my beloved Mets, but something does need to be said.

We have heard it all over the past month: .500 since last June, players are not responding, racism from the fans, and of course the epic collapse in September 2007. The question people keep asking is "Are the Mets really as good as we thought they were?" The answer to that question is very simple, YES!

I am not going to fully go into why the Mets are as good as we thought, but I will touch on some points.

This is basically the SAME team that was one Carlos Beltran base hit away from the World Series, and basically the SAME team that had a 7 game lead in September last year. This is a team that, even with Pedro being a question mark, is very good at the top of the rotation with Santana & Maine, and has a dominant closer in Wagner. The bullpen has questions marks, but whose pen doesn't? The lineup is strong with the best lead off hitter in the game and two very good run producers in Wright and Beltran hitting in the middle of the order. Even with Moises Alou playing 100 games and Delgado and Castillo beyond their prime, this is still one of the better if not the best lineup in the National League.

With all that being said, something is missing from this squad. After a step in the right direction in 05, Willie Randolph led the Mets a game 7 in 2006 NLCS. After the heartbreak of Yadier Molina, 2007 was supposed to be the year to get back to the series. As I said earlier, Willie led his squad to a 7 game lead and what looked like an inevitable NL East title, but we all know what happened there. At this point I was ready to give Randolph the ax, but that may have been acting on emotion. As bad as the collapse was, if this team rebounded in 2008 and got off to a hot start all Met fans, including this guy, would have let Willie off the hook.

However that has not been the case so far this year. Coming into tonight, the Mets are 30-33 and 7.5 games behind the red hot Phillies. A lot of experts like to say June 1st is when the season really begins and I happen to agree. That is why I do not believe the 08 campaign is over...yet. Time is however running out. If the Mets continue to get swept by teams like the Padres or even continue to play as inconsistent as they have, the Phillies are going to close the lid on their season.

The problem is not the talent, it is the manager. Willie manages every game like it is game 7 of the World Series, over using his bullpen in a way that even has Joe Toree cringing. Randolph has no fire. I am not asking him to scream and throw things every time something goes wrong; but once in a while doesn't hurt. The fact that his bench coach had to be the one to actually show some emotion arguing Delgado's HR at Yankee Stadium says it all. The team does not respond to Willie anymore. In no way will I let the players off the hook for that, because these are professional athletes and should never need to be motivated to earn their money, but the reality is it is true. Star players like Wright and Reyes are not hustling, players are hanging their heads after bad loses, no one looks like they care, and nothing is being done! Willie Randolph needs to go!

Firing Willie Randolph may catapult the Mets into first place or it may lead to even more loses. I do not have a suggestion for a replacement; that is Omar's job, but I do know things cannot get much worse (as I type that Billy Wagner gives up a 3 run jack with 2 out in the 9th to blow another one). Changes need to be made and those changes begin with the firing of the manager.