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Willie there's no excuse for leaving Heilman in
2008-05-31 04:05:00
Well the Mets started out with the same fire they had in the last three games but it all fell apart for the Mets. John Maine once again didn't have his best stuff but limited the damage to four runs, the Mets would battle back three times to finally take the lead 5-4 in the seventh. The way this bullpen has been pitching and as bad as the Dodgers are hitting I thought this game was over. Leading off the eighth Pedro Feliciano was robbed of an out on a bad call at first and Willie opted to go with the righty Aaron Heilman.I have no problem bringing in Heilman especially after his last two outings but Heilman clearly didn't have it tonight. I am sick of Heilman's inconsistency and hope he's part of a trade by the deadline, his bad out weighs the good at this point. I believe he'll go on to be an above average pitcher but I think he has a bit of Kenny Rodgers/ Carl Pavano inability to play in NY syndrome going.But it was Willie who killed any chance of the Mets winning tonight, Wi...
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Omar working the Phones
2008-05-31 02:53:00
Two different sources are reporting that Omar Minaya is searching to improve his team, it doesn't appear that he's looking for a tweak but more of a significant piece. As I've said before if we do acquire a front line player you can say goodbye to the last true pitching prospect in Jon Neise. If Omar is looking at guys like Nady and Bay it would appear that he's not expecting much from Alou. Millar would be more of a one year veteran leader but I think that role is going to be filled by Valentin. Both Paul Hagen of the Philadelphia Daily News and Dan Graziano of the Star Ledger are reporting on Omar's activity......."If there's a player out there that we feel can make a difference, we will pursue it," GM Omar Minaya said in the post-meeting news conference. "If there is a chance to improve this team, whether that be by a trade or whatever, we're going to do it." source Star Ledger Mets general manager Omar Minaya reportedly is making inquiries about available first basemen, l...
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Magic man Padilla working way back, joins Zephs
2008-05-31 01:59:00
Juan Padilla was a key component of the 2005 Mets bullpen but since then his career has been on hold due to injuries. Padilla was in camp this year as he began the road to recovery and after a brief stay with the big league club he jumped over to minor league camp. He has been in Florida since rehabbing his arm and now the Zephyrs are reporting that he has joined their bullpen. The former Yankee Brandon Knight has also joined New Orleans....Right-handed pitchers Juan Padilla and Brandon Knight have joined the New Orleans Zephyrs, it was announced Thursday.The 31-year-old last pitched in 2005, when he went 3-2 with two saves and a 1.42 ERA in 37 games for Class AAA Norfolk before being promoted to the New YorkMets. He went 3-1 with a 1.49 ERA in 24 games in the majors, but underwent Tommy John surgery during Spring Training the following year and has not pitched since. source MiLB
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What about J. Feliciano
2008-05-30 05:04:00
I know that Nick Evans coming up and hitting three doubles in his first game was a great story but since then he has shown that offensively he is simply out of his league. The Mets wanted a right handed bat and apparently Val Pascucci, despite having a great bat is a defensive liability. 1B Mike Carp had a very good spring in 2007 at major league camp but is left handed. Another candidate was 3B/1B Murphy who is also left handed and I don't believe has outfield experience.With it appearing that Marlon Anderson will be out longer then initially thought when it was believed his hamstring was only strained, the team might be willing to bring up a lefty. Easley has shown he can play firstbase and with Church still feeling dizzy an outfielder would make sense. Not including Evans they currently have Casanova (switch), Tatis, Easley and Castro on the bench from the right side with Chavez as the only true lefty.The Mets have a lefthanded 29 y/o outfielder by the name of Jesus Feliciano wh...

Foot on Heyman
2008-05-30 02:38:00
Peter Wade of Hootfoot reports on John Heyman's analysis of Aaron Heilman and his struggles while appearing on the WFAN today. Heyman does an excellent job explaining why the Mets don't consider him a starter, I've never heard the elbow explanation before.....He’s a two pitch pitcher plus with his mechanics, he has what they call a “high back elbow”. source Hootfoot
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Mets could move quick on Hatteberg
2008-05-29 20:17:00
Marty Noble writes that the Mets may move quickly to sign Scott Hatteberg if he clears waivers. The Mariners are also looking at Hatteberg, the Mets interest is contingent upon how long Marlin Anderson is going to be out. If the Mariners do obtain him the Sexson for Delgado discussion may come up again..... Should the Mets determine their primary left-handed pinch-hitter Marlon Anderson will require an extended assignment to the disabled list, they may move to add veteran Scott Hatteberg, who was designated for assignment by the Reds on Tuesday.The club already has discussed the possibility, and if Hatteberg clears waivers, it could act quickly. source MLB.com
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What a Win................
2008-05-29 15:19:00
What an exciting game last night, it had everything the Mets needed to get them going. I don't want to call this a turning point because I've already said that three times this year and been wrong, but if they do string together a winning streak this will be the game they point to. What a great feeling this win was, it's been a long time coming and I can't remember the last time a game had this much electricity.Especially last night but for the last two games somethings changed, they're playing with enthusiasm and energy like I haven't seen since early last year. I would even dare to say that I thought I saw a swagger by the end of the game, it was as if they knew they were winning or if they didn't it was going to take something stunning to beat them. I think the Delgado benching could be a factor, the power play is over it's Willie's team, play hard or sit............Jose Reyes is coming around at the plate, Castillo is looking like the table setter the team planned...

Pedro sharp......Pelfrey & Vargas competing for spot
2008-05-29 06:07:00
Pedro Martinez pitched six sharp innings in his rehab start and is now expected to return on tues., to make his second start of the season against the Giants. Martinez allowed two runs on four hits, while walking none and striking out six."I am really excited," Martinez said. "I would love to be there. I know the team really needs a little bit of a pat on the back, and I hope my presence will make a difference for them." source SI.comThe up coming rotation looks like this: Thurs.- VargasFri.- MaineSat. - PelfreySun. - SantanaMon. - OllieTues.- PedroPelfrey and Vargas are competing for the last spot in the rotation. If Vargas doesn't implode tomorrow, more then likely Pelfrey will go down. He hasn't looked good in several starts and has options.....A person familiar with the thinking of general manager Omar Minaya said on Tuesday that a scenario in which Pelfrey is demoted has been discussed. Moreover, Pelfrey himself thinks that demotion could be in his immediate future if he does...
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Armas for Monday's start.....
2008-05-29 01:02:00
Tony Armas Jr. is absolutely dominating AAA, MiLB just competed an article (great read) on the 29 y/o right handed veteran. Armas is pitching tonight which would give him five days rest before Monday's game which doesn't have a scheduled starter. The only current option would be pitching Vargas on short notice. Armas deserves a start and then could be moved into the pen as a true long-man, they could move Heilman, Muniz or Smith to make room, when Pedro returns Pelfrey should go down......Armas has emerged as the most consistent starting pitcher on the New Orleans Zephyrs' staff, making six consecutive quality starts and allowing no more than three runs in any of his first 10 starts this season. Going into his start Wednesday against Round Rock, Armas was fourth in the league in ERA (2.34), first in WHIP (0.97), fourth in innings pitched (61.2) and eighth in strikeouts (50). source MiLB Up Date: In what could be a warm-up to his Mets debut, Tony Armas went seven innings in which ...
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Blalock for 1B.....
2008-05-29 00:56:00
The Rangers are believed to be on the verge of becoming sellers at the trade deadline. 3B Hank Blalock has been asked to move to 1B and could be available in July. The 28 y/o left handed batter is a lifetime .274 hitter but his last two years have been hampered by injuries, in his shortened seasons he has been hitting .290. Blalock is currently on the 15 day DL (carpal tunnel) and was hitting .299 (.350 against lefties) prior to the assignment. This is his last guaranteed year with next being an option and it doesn't appear that he's in Texas' long term plans. The starting starved Rangers would be a perfect landing place for Aaron Heilman..........Two weeks ago, Hank Blalock decided he'd move to first base.Blalock was probably going to be out of the picture after this season anyway. If the Rangers tanked/tank this year, Blalock was/is likely to be traded at the end of the year. If he sticks around all season, it's very possible his 2009 option won't get picked up. Or it will b...

Clear the bench & bring in Lofton
2008-05-28 18:34:00
Tim Marchman of The NY Sun has some interesting ideas on how to improve the team. Change is necessary, it seems like the few wins they have had lately have come when hungry role players are in the line-up. So if the Mets are sticking by Willie Randolph then their going to have to tweak the roster. In Marchman's article he suggests clearing the bench, switching Heilman and Pelfrey's roles and signing Kenny Lofton.Another thing to do would be to get rid of reserves Endy Chavez, Damion Easley, and the currently injured Marlon Anderson, who between them have 188 at bats — about as many as David Wright — and a .191 AVG/.231 OBA/.255 SLG batting line. Whatever intangible virtues they may have obviously haven't done the team any good, and aside from Chavez's defense, which could be replaced by Angel Pagan's once he comes off the disabled list, the three have contributed little on the field while soaking up an alarming amount of playing time. Thin as the farm system is, it does fea...
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I'm looking at firstbase differently
2008-05-28 04:10:00
I've said since spring training that the Mets needed to have a backup first baseman, with Delgado's struggles and injuries it seemed only obvious that they needed more then Damion Easley and Marlon Anderson as fill-ins. When discussing actual replacements for Delgado I've been against bringing someone in just to bring them in and thought they should only make a move if they could improve the position......But there's an old saying that adversity builds character and shows a persons true colors. I think I've seen the true colors of this club and one of the negative characteristics is Carlos Delgado. I think his laid back, take it for granted, lackadaisical style of play has infected this team and is detrimental to them moving forward. There's been plenty of talk that the clubhouse is divided and it appears Delgado is right in the middle of it. Teams naturally develop leaders within the club, Delgado on his stature alone is a focal point of this team and is making it difficult f...

Slow Trigger DL
2008-05-28 02:41:00
Ryan Church might be heading to the DL, the Mets drive me nuts when they do this and by the Mets I mean Omar it which he drags his feet to place players on the DL. So you know where I'm coming from; I'm a huge Omar fan and have never liked Willie as a manager but on this one Omar always leaves Willie shorthanded. I really have never understood leaving a guy day-to-day who's going to be out at least five days. My idea would be to sit the player down and get him completely healthy, players tend to rush back especially if they're not forced to sit out. This would also give the team chances to infuse the line-up with fresh young players that might provide energy to the veterans especially during tough times (like now). I know they don't want the regulars missing 15 days if they don't need to but they usually do and that leaves the team constantly playing short. In Church's case they should have known to DL him regardless of how good he felt, since it was his second concussion in ...
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Pitching moves
2008-05-28 01:55:00
Matt Wise was placed on the DL with a sore shoulder. I was big on Wise he has alot of moving parts that make his delivery very deceptive and his change-up is nasty but Wise maybe to fragile. If he's a flop I know some will site this as another bad move by Minaya but he's a bonus, Wise was brought in on a minor league deal with an invite.Reliever Carlos Muniz was re-called to fill Wise's spot in the rotation. Prior to the Mets announcing that Wise was going on the DL there was alot of speculation that Aaron Heilman would be sent down. Here's what I would do: Send down Pelfrey, Vargas has out pitched him for a spot in the rotation and Pelfrey still needs to develop his secondary pitches. Bring-up Armas for the one start before Pedro is ready. That gives Heilman a week to prove he can be fixed in the majors and if he continues to struggle, Armas becomes the longman while Heilman goes down. Even if both Armas and Heilman look good then they can send down Muniz. Breaking news: New O...
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Was that their version of Support........
2008-05-27 05:15:00
I'm glad the ownership brought Willie in to discuss his comments because they are the only ones that seem that concerned with his them. All most fans care about is winning, Willie is on the hot seat with fans because the team isn't winning, not because of anything else and if they were winning they would back off. But the Wilpon's were more concerned with their image, then this team working it's way into the basement. It doesn't take a genius to look at this team and surmise that they have quit on him. When asking if Willie's lost the clubhouse, you need to look no further then the comments made by Carlos Delgado and Carlos Beltran documented by Matt Cerrone's Metsblog. So even if I'm misinterpreting the Carlos' comments, they had a chance tonight to show their support of Willie after he received the endorsement of the owners. Well if the Wilpon's were sending a message to the players, then the players returned their own message and it wasn't a ringing endorsement of supp...
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Tavarez wanted in
2008-05-27 03:24:00
There was a report that veteran pitcher Julian Tavarez wanted to play with the Mets. The 35 y/o right hander was DFA by the Red Sox and opted for free agency. Tavarez has a lifetime record of 84-71 with an ERA of 4.44. He can pitch in the rotation or out of the pen, if the Mets didn't have Tony Armas Jr. pitching so well in New Orleans I could see him being brought in as insurance but Vargas and Armas have that covered. Early today MLBTR reported that Tavarez was on the verge of signing with the Brewers.Bartolo Colon is a good friend of Julian Tavarez. He said his old buddy wants to pitch for the Mets. At least that would his first preference, but there's no indication yet whether the Mets or any other team are willing to sign the free agent righty. source Boston Globe
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Heilman could go down
2008-05-27 02:49:00
Adam Rubin is reporting that the Mets are considering sending Heilman down. Rubin goes on to give some examples of struggling Mets pitchers who have been sent down and have success when they returned. While I'm sure Heilman would fight the assignment and it's still not clear whether he has an option or not, it would be the best thing for him. Muniz has looked very good in AAA, if there's one spot he struggles it's against left handed hitters. Posting late tonight and as I finish this Aaron pitches two very good innings in tonights game......Aaron Heilman's struggles may land him in the minors. Mets officials havediscussed demoting Heilman and replacing him with Triple-A closer Carlos Muniz, who had three scoreless appearances with the Mets in April, the Daily News has learned.source Daily News

At least their playing consistent.....bad that is
2008-05-26 02:27:00
Another loss and another painful game to watch, these games aren't even entertaining to watch. While I force myself to watch right up to the last pitch of each and every game that I can, I have to admit that once the other team is more then a two runs behind a part of me says "game over" and the players appear to react the same way. The Mets have come back after the sixth inning one time this year and generally don't put up much of a fight once they're behind. They will now head back home losing six of their last seven, five of those losses team has scored four or less and the team is 9-13 for the month of May. With six games left in the second month of the season the team most expects picked to win the division is two games under 500 and in fourth place ( 5.5 gms out).The Mets are playing uninspired and lackadaisical baseball, each day they find ways to lose games and with every new low we wonder if this is rock bottom only to be humiliated even further. This team needs a breath...
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Unaffected come through again.....
2008-05-25 15:19:00
They can say all they want that the Sept. collapse is no longer a factor and that they've put it behind them, but the fact of the matter is that for a majority of the wins this years the major contributors have been players who weren't around in '07'. Of those players Ryan Church is the only one that's a difference maker, the others are role players who can't sustain a team. The corps of this team and the fans play/react like a scorned lover who try to put it behind them but each time something reminds them they react as if it's happening all over again. So were left with Angel Pagan, Brian Schneider, and Ryan Church carrying the team. Sure Beltran, Wright, Reyes and Delgado have had their games but not like they use to. Omar really needs to bring in a power hitting left fielder to compliment Church and with those two hitting maybe the rest will feed off them to finally come out of there doldrums..So onto yesterdays game, the Mets won and in doing so snapped a five game losin...

Couple Zeph's looking good; Armas & Pascucci
2008-05-25 00:20:00
Well Nick Evans is making Omar look like a genius by hitting three doubles in his first game and making a couple nice plays in the field. It still seems like a strange call-up and I'm not sure how much to expect from a guy coming straight up from AA. If Evans does slow down, Val Pascucci continues to rack hits in New Orleans. Pascucci not only has tremendous power numbers but has be clutch in the big spot. I like to see Tony Armas in the pen instead of Aaron Heilman, Armas had another quality start last night and could be used as a longman/ spot starter.Valentino Pascucci led the Pacific Coast League with 34 home runs in an All-Star season with the Albuquerque Isotopes last season. On Friday night, he used the long ball to beat his former team.For the second start in a row, Tony Armas held the opposition scoreless on two hits over seven innings. His nine strikeouts were a personal best this season, and tied the Zephyrs' team high. The veteran right-hander has thrown 15 consecutive...
More About: Couple , Good

Has Willie lost the clubhouse
2008-05-24 19:40:00
Bob Klapisch of the record reports on how the front office views Manger Willie Randolph. If his source is correct Willie's tenure is almost over and it sounds like they believe he has lost the clubhouse. Since it's become blatantly clear that Willie's on the hot seat the team hasn't exactly played intense baseball to show their support for their beleaguered leader. It looks like most would welcome a change. You can no longer tell people to move past the '07 collapse' because it was never stopped, this is simply a continuation of last year's team wide slump, last night is a perfect example of a team finding ways to lose and sitting back on their heels waiting for the shoe to drop. I think they need some new blood and direction to lead them out of this funk..........Some insiders believe it's already a lost cause, as one higher-up said, "I think Willie's being tuned out" by the players. As much as Randolph damaged his relationship with Fred and Jeff Wilpon with his comments a...
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Mets re-call Nick Evans
2008-05-24 06:59:00
I thought bringing up a third catcher was a strange move but the Mets have decided to recall AA first baseman Nick Evans . Evans is having a fine season, but it's only AA and I don't see how he fits into the big pitcher of helping the team. The Mets now have three reserve infielders in Easley, Tatis and Evans with only four outfielders. According to the Binghamton Press, the injury-ravaged Mets have called up first baseman Nick Evans from Double-A Binghamton. source NY Post
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Anderson comes up lame
2008-05-24 05:28:00
Marlon Anderson attempted to beat out a ground ball and came up lame. Anderson left the game immediately and was replaced by Fernando Tatis. Initial reports were that Anderson has a strained hamstring, my guess is that he's heading to the disabled list. I felt the team needed to obtain an outfielder when Alou went down and now I think it's imperative. I was surprised when the Mets didn't recall Val Pascucci when Alou went down but now it's almost certain that he's coming up. The big right hander is hitting .293 with a .671 Slg. pct, but he's a defensive liability which leaves the team with one defensive replacement in Endy Chavez who is only batting .167 and hasn't looked the same since he injured his hammy last year. The Mets now have Beltran, Church, Chavez, Tatis, Easley and Pascucci (probably) for the outfield which tells me they need to make a move. Metsblog reported that Jose Valentin made a rehab start and hopefully he'll be replacing Casanova soon, the team doesn't ...
More About: Lame

The Kid campaigns
2008-05-24 04:12:00
You know it's getting bad when radio talk show hosts are spending an entire show on who will replace you and people are coming out of the woodwork to take your job. According to WFAN 660am Mike Francesca had a conversation at Yankee stadium last week with Keith Hernandez in which he indicated that he would accept the managers job if offered. Gary Carter actively campaigned today by calling the club and openly expressing his desires on a radio show. Omar flew into Colorado tonight which can't be a good sign for Willie, I say put him out of his misery and be done with the inevitable.Here’s a sample of what Carter said: “… The comments that David Wright made saying that, you know, there’s no spark, there’s no fire [on the Mets]. If anything I would love to bring that to the table because you know me, guys. I love the game, have a great passion for it and you know my enthusiasm and hopefully I would be able to bring that to maybe help turn that ball club around.”Continued ...
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Not even Johan could stop this.......
2008-05-23 06:01:00
Yes; the unthinkable happened, the Mets were swept by the Atlanta Braves in a four game series. The Mets were out scored by the Braves 29-9, they were beat in all aspects of the game. The Braves simply wanted it more, they out hustled and out preformed the Mets.Once again I'm left with the feeling that the Mets just don't care; no, none of us are mind readers but we can tell the difference between a team that is beat because they're inferior and a team that mails it in. They appear to play a sloppy, lackluster style of baseball with no desire to win or determination to over come adversity to win.Tonight, Johan took the mound and was solid into the seventh when he gave up three runs. The Mets played a sloppy defensive game and the only runs they scored were on back-to-back homeruns. For a team about to be swept by their division rivals, their manager is under fire and every single player is being scrutinized they really didn't put much of a fight up......I've heard a lot of peop...
More About: Stop

Rangers DFA German
2008-05-23 05:42:00
The Rangers made room in their pen by designating Franklyn German for assignment. The 28 y/o right hander has a decent ERA but has struggled when brought in with runners on base. If he was used as a middle reliever to say start the seventh it might help his effectiveness.The club made the move despite a low 2.08 ERA in 21⅔ innings. Relief ERA, however, can be a deceiving stat. The Rangers felt they couldn't trust German in close games because of a high rate of allowing inherited runners to score. And although he pitched a career-high 3 2/3 innings Tuesday, the team didn't think he had the ability to regularly give them the long innings needed from a long reliever. German had allowed 10 of 18 inherited runners (55.6 percent) to score. Among the 82 pitchers to have inherited at least 10 runners this season, German's percentage ranks 78th. source Dallas News

Who can we get for Heilman
2008-05-23 04:36:00
Earlier this week Adam Rubin reported that the Mets are shopping Aaron Heilman, the Mets are hoping someone still sees value in the embattled reliever as a starter. The Mets are looking to find a legitimate set-up man so that the still recovering Sanchez didn't have to carry the entire load. MLBTR has a few ideas as to what we could get for him;It seems that the best fit would be with a noncontending team that would switch Heilman back to starting. The Nationals (Jon Rauch), Reds (David Weathers), and Pirates (Damaso Marte, John Grabow) might have decent relievers available. Not sure if they'd have interest in Heilman, though.Additional teams that might be willing to deal Texas, Baltimore, San Diego, Colorado and San Francisco.

Casanova back.....Why ?
2008-05-23 03:06:00
Raul Casanova did a decent job as the back-up catcher when Ramon Castro was down to start the year but that doesn't justify why he would be brought up with Alou going on the DL. The Mets need a right handed bat and Casanova can provide that but only as a pinch hitter. The team now has three players for one position and none of them can play an alternative position. It's a questionable move when you only carry a five man bench and Easley is gone on leave for his son's graduation. Especially with 1B/OF Val Pascucci hitting .291 with a .646 Slg. pct., the right hander could help in the outfield, give Delgado a day off and provide a power righty bat. If it turned out that he can't hit major league pitching, then Pagan should be returning soon and at least the team wouldn't have redundant positional players.The Mets have officially placed Alou on the DL and activated Casanova. source Daily News
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Alou on the DL Again !!!
2008-05-23 01:14:00
Moises Alou is a tremendous hitter and if he could have stayed healthy he might have been a hall of Famer. But Alou's health has been his Achilles heel, he has played all out for so long that his body simply can't take it anymore. I was all for the Alou signing, I felt that his bat was the best available right hander and that it was worth the health risk. I was wrong, Alou's body has betrayed him and I just don't think we can rely on him any longer. After several games of spring training he was out for two months with a hernia and just 14 gms ( 47 AB) into his return he's on the DL with a calf strain. I hope he returns but I think the team needs to make a move and pick-up a full time left fielder with Alou becoming a role player if and when he returns. It might mean the end of Neise's time in the Mets organization. Nady of course will be the obvious name but here's another intriguing alternative, Milton Bradley. Texas will be a seller and Bradley is being used as a DH and bac...

Randolph in trouble with ownership & not for the double header
2008-05-21 12:27:00
The funny thing is that Willie may find himself unemployed soon and while most of us would welcome a managerial change for whats taken place on the field that might not be what brings it about. The Wilpon's and their squeaky clean image, over the years have shuffled people out for much less inflammatory comments then Willie's "of the cuff" remarks. It's funny that he linked himself to Isaiah because in fans eyes this teams lackluster performance and his profound managerial moves are very similar. If Chris Benson can be moved for his wife's comments, I'm sure Willie's aren't sitting well with an owner who made a rotunda named after Jackie Robinson.I have been writing for awhile now that I couldn't see them firing Randolph. However, I've been told ownership is really hacked off at him on this race thing. Of all teams, the Mets are the most up front when it comes to this issue. But, what Randolph said is insulting. And, the stuff about SNY. Reminds of Captain Queeg (Bogie) ...
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