It seems to be all but a foregone conclusion that Willie Randolph’s days as Mets manager are all but over.
Problem with that is that Randolph’s players are just not playing up to their full potential and have suffered a few big injuries this season. However, after last seasons collapse the burden of blame has to fall on someone’s shoulders and that person will come in the form of Randolph.
The biggest problem with Randolph is that he is not a guy that seems to be able to put a fire under the bellies of his players. He is much like the man who he coached under for many seasons: Joe Torre.
Torre never showed emotion and now Willie doesn’t either. But who fault is that? You knew what type of a coach he was before you hired him. If you wanted to hire a low key manager, you need to have some coaches and players that will stand up, get in players faces when they make really bad mistakes, guys that will take younger players under their wing and help teach each other but with a firm hand.
That is not the kind of team the Mets have. David Wright seems to be the leader of the franchise at just 25 years old. He is not a seasoned veteran, but he has the burden of having to act like one.
Ok, yes, Billy Wagner does a lot of talking but none of it ever seems to be productive as much as it is just complaining and even calling some of the players out on television that weren’t playing well. Don’t call them out on television – call them out inside the locker room. He is more of a distraction and a nuisance than anything.
You never hear Jose Reyes speak but you see him mope in the field as he has been struggling at the plate. Yes, he is still a young player, but he needs to be more mature. He is bringing his hitting woes into the field and is just a mess this season.
Then you have Moises Alou. Alou is a guy who should have brought some great veteran leadership, but he can’t stay off the disabled list. He can’t speak up for the team because he practically isn’t part of the team. He is more a part of their minor league affiliates where he does his rehabbing.
Carlos Delgado has never really been an igniter of the club and this season and last season for them most part just knows how to blow out the fire out on rallies. His bat is nothing like it was when the Mets first got him and now he is really hurting the team.
So, who signed Randolph, Alou, Delgado, Wagner and the rest of this team – this very laid back, old, injury prone team with virtually no team unity? That would be the General Manager, Omar Minaya.
Minaya is the man who should take the blame. He signed the talent; he needs to take a fall for the talent when they don’t play up to snuff for such a long period of time.
Besides, he is just distracting the Mets and putting more pressure on them to perform by keeping Randolph’s job in limbo. Every day Randolph and the players have to walk into the ballpark, get asked about the situation and take the field knowing that a couple straight wins in a row can buy their manager a few more days on the team, but a few loses in a row and they can be soon surrounded by a new manager and coaching staff.
The team may need to be shaken up a bit, from manager to coaching staff to players, but there is one man who should go first, and that man is Omar Minaya.
Problem with that is that Randolph’s players are just not playing up to their full potential and have suffered a few big injuries this season. However, after last seasons collapse the burden of blame has to fall on someone’s shoulders and that person will come in the form of Randolph.
The biggest problem with Randolph is that he is not a guy that seems to be able to put a fire under the bellies of his players. He is much like the man who he coached under for many seasons: Joe Torre.
Torre never showed emotion and now Willie doesn’t either. But who fault is that? You knew what type of a coach he was before you hired him. If you wanted to hire a low key manager, you need to have some coaches and players that will stand up, get in players faces when they make really bad mistakes, guys that will take younger players under their wing and help teach each other but with a firm hand.
That is not the kind of team the Mets have. David Wright seems to be the leader of the franchise at just 25 years old. He is not a seasoned veteran, but he has the burden of having to act like one.
Ok, yes, Billy Wagner does a lot of talking but none of it ever seems to be productive as much as it is just complaining and even calling some of the players out on television that weren’t playing well. Don’t call them out on television – call them out inside the locker room. He is more of a distraction and a nuisance than anything.
You never hear Jose Reyes speak but you see him mope in the field as he has been struggling at the plate. Yes, he is still a young player, but he needs to be more mature. He is bringing his hitting woes into the field and is just a mess this season.
Then you have Moises Alou. Alou is a guy who should have brought some great veteran leadership, but he can’t stay off the disabled list. He can’t speak up for the team because he practically isn’t part of the team. He is more a part of their minor league affiliates where he does his rehabbing.
Carlos Delgado has never really been an igniter of the club and this season and last season for them most part just knows how to blow out the fire out on rallies. His bat is nothing like it was when the Mets first got him and now he is really hurting the team.
So, who signed Randolph, Alou, Delgado, Wagner and the rest of this team – this very laid back, old, injury prone team with virtually no team unity? That would be the General Manager, Omar Minaya.
Minaya is the man who should take the blame. He signed the talent; he needs to take a fall for the talent when they don’t play up to snuff for such a long period of time.
Besides, he is just distracting the Mets and putting more pressure on them to perform by keeping Randolph’s job in limbo. Every day Randolph and the players have to walk into the ballpark, get asked about the situation and take the field knowing that a couple straight wins in a row can buy their manager a few more days on the team, but a few loses in a row and they can be soon surrounded by a new manager and coaching staff.
The team may need to be shaken up a bit, from manager to coaching staff to players, but there is one man who should go first, and that man is Omar Minaya.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment