FUTURE GM OF MCDONALDS

Dear Mr. Minaya,

I appreciate your effort.  That being said the only thing less believable than the fact that you still have your job as the GM of the NY Mets would be if President Obama signed an endorsement deal with Viagra.  I invite you to find something less believable, no really, try.              

Mr. Minaya, you are in all likelihood an intelligent guy but your mistakes are plentiful and they linger longer than my farts. Momentarily forgetting about your negligence in the area of trades/player development, there have been several incidents of which had you been working for 99% of the other organizations in existence you would have been fired immediately, if not sooner.  For example; 

THE MIDNIGHT MASSACRE 

You fired Willie Randolph in Randolph’s hotel room after managing the first game of the Mets series with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, a game which they won 9-6.  Randolph was removed from his position and the decision came to light  through a press release from yourself at 3:12 AM; as such many members of your team were unaware that this transpired and, upon being informed (not by yourself or Mets Management) by various team reporters and commentators expressed shock and mild disbelief.  Randolph’s job was in question for the two to three week’s prior to the decision being made and the uncertainty of Randolph’s job had been more at the forefront of the questions surrounding the team than the actual baseball being played.

TONY “EL TIGRE’ BERNAZARD

 On July 27, 2009 the Mets organization issued a statement, by yourself announcing the firing of Vice President of Player Development Tony Bernazard, saying, in part, “I spoke with Tony Bernazard this morning and informed him of my decision to terminate his employment with the NY Mets.”  At the press conference announcing the firing, you angrily challenged the accuracy past of news reports, claiming that NY Daily News reporter Adam Rubin, who initially broke the story about Bernezard challenging Binghamton Mets players to a fight, was angling for a position, in the Mets organization.  This lead to a heated exchange of words between yourself and Rubin, with Rubin calling you “despicable.”  Shortly after the press conference, you said that you stood by your comments but acknowledged that; “it was not the proper forum to raise those issues.”  Two days later your personally apologized to Rubin for your remarks.           

Offloading blame for arguably one of the worst collapses in baseball history, when the 2007 Mets lost 12 of their last 17 games and coughed up a 7 game division lead with three weeks left in the season to miss the playoffs was… well it was something. Randolph may have been managing the team but it was a team of which you, Mr. Minaya were the architect.  

You made several solid moves throughout your career as the GM of the Mets, but if Urkel (Family Matters) had 100 million to throw around he might be able to get lucky once or twice too.  Let’s dsicuss several questionable decisions;

Moises Alou/ Julio Franco

• Alou- Has there ever been more responsibility designated to a player of which by professional athlete standards should be living in Florida,   eating dinner at 3:30 and impressing the ladies with his shuffle board skills?
• Franco- Signed 87 year old Julio Franco to a 2 year deal, valued at 2.2 million dollars.  Ok, not 87 he was 47 but we cut him from the team by year 2 of the contract.  

Xavier Nady for Oliver Perez and Roberto Hernandez 

• This trade is the equivalent of the Ferris Bueller plan to run Cameron’s Ferrari in reverse to negate the miles added to his car.  It reeks of desperation in response to a fluke injury to Duaner Sanchez.  Now, Mets fans still need to deal with the head case known as Oliver Perez.  

Heath Belle and Royce Ring for Ben Johnson and Jason Atkins 

• Ben who?  Jason What?  Heath Bell’s 2009 numbers; 44 saves with a 2.71 era.  

In an offseason in which the Mets needed to fill numerous holes in the lineup/rotation (09/10 offseason) your free agent acquisitions or lack there of has been a hotly debated topic.  Let’s take a gander at the free agents acquisitions, to date;

• 12/3- – signed free agent catcher Chris Coste- – Last season played 88 games batting .224 with 2 home runs/ 18 rbi’s.
• 12/3- – signed free agent 3b Mike Hessman- – Rookie year/last year hit .208. 
• 12/4- – signed free agent catcher Henry Blanco- – A career .228 hitter known more for his defense. 

Other signings include journeymen pitcher Elmer Dessens, free agent pitcher Ryota Igarashi, pitcher Clint Everts and Carlos Monasterios.  A lot of studs, I know, right!  

Thanks for taking the time to read my letter.

Regards,

Derek Mollins

MLB Babble has now moved to the Most Valuable Network. The URL is still the same—http://mlbbabble.com—but I will no longer be posting on this WordPress blog. I have placed this update on all pages in an attempt to redirect visitors to the updated blog. Again, the URL is the same—http://mlbbabble.com. Thanks for reading!

OK, here we go.

After firing vice president of player development Tony Bernazard, GM Omar Minaya publicly accused New York Daily News beat writer Adam Rubin of having ulterior motives when writing articles documenting the Mets’ minor league problems.

What a second-rate organization.

Remember when Minaya flew then-manger Willie Randolph with the rest of the team to the west cost on a road trip only to fire him at three in the morning? Then the following day, when explaining himself in an interview, he could barely form complete sentences. Words were replaced by stammers. Ideas were replaced incoherent babblings. Clearly the man was unable to explain his and the team’s actions.

Worst. GM. Ever.

They built a new ballpark—Citi Field—for this season. Yet, by doing so, they virtually ruined the face of the organization’s season. ‘Why has David Wright lost power?’ you ask. Well, how about the fact that the Mets’ stadium is almost impossible to homer in. How do you do that? How do you build a stadium that plays against you?

How do you have so many guys on the DL? At a certain point, it’s not bad luck; it’s bad personnel. Your trainers and strength and conditioning coaches are supposed to keep the players on the field. Yes, a broken bone here and there is unavoidable, but when you have a dozen guys physically incapable of playing, something internally is wrong.

Of course, the Mets are constantly living in the shadows of their big brother, the New York Yankees. Yes, a biased comment, but you must admit the truth however hard it is to do so. The Yankees, whether winning or losing, execute everything with class. Read about their recent Hope Week to see where I’m coming from.

How do you fix the Mets?

Fire Omar Minaya.

Trade Jose Reyes. You need to break up the core of talent, as it’s obviously not working. David Wright is your Derek Jeter; you must keep him as your face. Trade Reyes and get some great prospects in return.

Fire some more people in the front office. You’ve got to clean up this franchise.

The Mets better reorganize their entire organization. Even their fans don’t deserve this.

Note: Read Adam Rubin’s side of the story here.

Well, like I have stated in the past I am going to use some of my collection for some TTM or through the mail autographs. Through the mail autograph collecting is a process in which you send something (in this case a baseball card) to an athlete or a celebrity to be signed and mailed back to you. Be sure to include a self addressed stamped envelope (SASE) for the person you are requesting the TTM autograph to send the autographed materials back to you in.

Remember, this is not a guaranteed thing, so be sure to not send anything of too high value or something that you would be devastated to lose or not receive back. A great source for the addresses of the athletes that you would like to send TTM requests to is Harvey Mieselman’s Ultimate Address List. TTM is a great hobby, the suspense of waiting for your returns is great and it is a nice affordable way to collect sports autographs, to note I do not sell any of the autographs I receive, they are for my personal collection of sports memorabilia.

Here is my TTM attempts that are going out in the mail today 7/23/2009:

Willie Randolph c/o Milwaukee Brewers

Steve Sax c/o Home

Roberto Alomar c/o Home

Pete Rose c/o Field of Dreams

Paul O’Neill c/o Home

Mike Mussina c/o Home

Mariano Rivera c/o NY Yankees

Danica Patrick c/o Danica Racing

That is a start of the TTM requests I have going out today, I will add the others in a later posting.

FlippingWax

When I read the story by Adam Rubin concerning Tony Bernazard’s tirade towards a bunch of 19-25+ year olds, I immediately felt bad for Mr. Bernazard’s family members. Why? Because they have to put up with him every day while the Binghamton Met players have to deal with his garbage only once in a while.

Mr. Bernazard was supposedly there to “sternly talk” with the AA players, but instead he challenged them to a fight.

How childish. But that is what has become of the New York Mets organization.

I remember the old joke about going to a boxing match and a hockey game broke out. Now, it is I went to a AA baseball game and a MMA match broke out.

 Mets GM Omar Minaya said, “I know he did have a team meeting with them. It was not a ‘you-guys-have-been-great meeting.’ I know he spoke to them in a stern voice. But as far as what he was wearing, what kind of shoes he was wearing; I don’t know anything about that.”

That snide Minaya comment about what kind of shoes Tony B. was wearing is typical of this Mets regime. Complete disregard for the actual facts and what is right and wrong. Whether it is flying Ryan Church out to Colorado last year after his two concussions, lying to the fans about various team injuries or your VP verbally berates young players, this Minaya regime is absolutely ignorant of what it takes to run a franchise.

Now we are finding out that Minaya isn’t even the worst part! As VP of Mets Player Development, Bernazard is responsible for building the farm system. Develop younger players to help fill in and replace older players when they either get hurt or move on to another team.  

So, what has Bernazard actually done? Their farm system stinks, and except for signing underage Latin players (shocker!), the system hasn’t produced anything. Brad Holt and Jonathan Niese are nice pitchers, but most of the good prospects are very recent draftees (Ike Davis and Brad Holt) or undrafted Latin ballplayers (Mejia, Flores, Jefry Marte, Francisco Pena).

If Bernazard wants to hang his hat on that he found Daniel Murphy then I guess he can do that.

And the excuse that Bernazard was addressing an underage drinking problem on the team is a smokescreen. The current Binghamton roster lists only two players not yet 21 – P Jenrry Mejia, who is currently on the 7 day DL and SS Ruben Tejada.

So, are the Mets saying that both of those guys are drinking a lot? Couldn’t the manager of the team, Mako Oliveras, address that small little issue?  Is that why Tejada’s name came up in Jon Heyman’s report of a nixed Roy Halladay trade? Now, it appears that trade was never discussed and Heyman may have been “given bad information.”

In the past, especially during the Willie Randolph firing fiasco, Heyman was getting great “inside” information on Mets updates. That information was coming directly from Bernazard, who was always Heyman’s inside guy. Bernazard was stabbing Randolph in the back the entire time, and then telling Heyman about it every step of the way.

This is maybe why Heyman said this on WFAN yesterday concerning the Bernazard accusations, “Well, you know what, it seems to be all in one newspaper, though… You know, there are a lot of personalities that go around, the papers like one guy who’s helping them, they don’t like another guy for whatever reason… I mean, sides are taken and people are made to look bad.”

Definitely Heyman was trying to back up his inside guy Bernazard. Watch your back, Jon.

Minaya said in the Daily News article that Bernazard was basically trying to get the Double A guys to play better because they “haven’t been great.”

A check of Tony Bernazard’s stats indicate that he was a decent ballplayer for several teams, but once had an 0-44 hitting stretch in 1984 while playing for the Cleveland Indians. That tied a modern day record. I wonder if any veteran Indians player verbally attacked Bernazard in the middle of that stretch?

This incident is just another red flag for the Wilpon administration and their GM Omar Minaya. Minaya needs to fire Bernazard immediately, but Tony B. is likely closer to the Wilpon’s that even Omar, the supposed head of baseball operations.

What else can you expect from a GM who never even had to interview for his first GM job with the Montreal Expos and scammed his way into his current Mets job? If the Wilpon’s see this as a way of getting Omar out, where will Omar ever get another job in MLB?

I wonder also why Bernazard supposedly went after SS Jose Coronado, he of 6′1″ and 190 lbs, who isn’t playing that badly right now. Maybe if he went after the struggling 6′2″, 230 lbs Caleb Stewart, we might of heard about the altercation a lot sooner.

Bernazard needs to go sooner rather than later, but the Gutless Mets ownership and GM won’t do it.

Remember the days when we Mets fans would kick and scream because former manager Willie Randolph would never stand up for his players?

Well it seems he found his back bone in Milwaukee. He was suspended for one game and fined for arguing “a check-swing call on an 0-2 pitch to Albert Pujols from the dugout in the third inning”, as reported by ESPN.com.

No appeal will be made. He’ll serve the suspension tonight.

This was always a problem for Randolph here in New York. It was always then bench coach Jerry Manuel who would get out of the dugout and argue a call.

If Willie were able to do that with the Mets, maybe he would still be manager because they players would have respected him more.

Milwaukee Brewers manager Ken Macha was on 1050 ESPN Radio New York this afternoon with Michael Kay when he was asked if Willie Randolph wanted revenge as the Brew Crew got set to play the New York Mets tonight.

Macha said he didn’t know if it was revenge so much as “justice.” He also added that it would be like if they played an interleague game against his old team, the A’s.

It’s not often that you’ll get a sports figure to be so candid. They usually offer the stock response about every game being equally important and blah blah blah.

We decided to attend Thursday’s game versus the Brewers. We are not fans of Milwaukee but at least they have two future legends. It was either Prince & Ryan or San Francisco Giants with a team full of anonymous players and a very girly-looking Tim Lincecum.

The Marlins won thanks to a gem by Josh Johnson, who by the way helped his own cause with a three-run home run. Despite all this, the Fish are now 8.5 back from first and are falling further from contention with every loss. It’s now almost guaranteed that Dan Uggla will be traded by the deadline.

Sorry, no Happy Youngster in the crowd on this night.

Why does everyone hate me?

Ryan has a lot of wrinkles or a 25 year old...

He may look fat but thanks to Jeremy Hermida he got a triple

More disturbing than the Mets play as of late is the manner in which this team is run.  From top to bottom of the organization, the incompetence that oozes through all layers is disturbing and infuriating.

In today’s Newsday, Mets reporter David Lennon writes about Jerry Manuel announcement that Daniel Murphy will now play first base:

In announcing the move, Manuel added this disclaimer: “Sandy Alomar seems to think he can handle it.”

And what did the manager think?

“I . . . uh . . . I’m not really sure,” Manuel said. “I don’t know. I haven’t seen him enough as an infielder personally.”

HOLY SHIT!

How can the manager of the team be unsure if Murphy can handle first base?  Hasn’t Murphy been practicing for weeks?  Where was Manuel when this was going on?

This isn’t like the CEO of a multinational corporation not knowing if a low level employee in his London office should be moved to a different role in the company.  There are only 25 “employees” in Manuel’s “office”.  How can he be unaware of Murphy’s ability at 1B???

THIS IS GOING ON RIGHT UNDER MANUEL’S NOSE!

Moving Murphy to first has a huge impact on this team and the manager not only admits to not knowing if he has idea if this will work out but he also manages to throw Sandy Alomar under the bus should the Murphy move not work out.

What kind of leader is Manuel?  The kind that gets hired by Omar Minaya: incompetent and consistently making frustratingly ridiculous moves.

Minaya is incompetent as they come.  When a player gets injured, there is usually no adequate replacement on the bench or in the minors.  He tells us (what we already know) that HIS TEAM THAT HE BUILT has no edge, then he completely changes his tune 5 minutes later.

Minaya’s current manager makes pinch hitting moves that are baffling, he holds public grudges against his players, and he seems to ignore the most obvious of batter/pitcher matchup statistics  In short, Manuel isn’t all that much different from the idiot he replaced.

Minaya’s track record has been shaky and he was rewarded with a 3 year extension last winter.  Why????

The medical staff of this team continues to be completely unable to handle any injuries.  Players don’t get put on the DL and the team often plays 1-2 players short.

The unbelievable state of affairs right now with this team is no longer shocking or aggravating to me.  I’m over it.  I’m numb to it.   All of these problems are the result of a terrible corporate culture and the Wilpons need to change their ways.  I know they have nothing but the best of intentions but for far too long, this entire organization has been run like crap.

It is time for the Wilpons to take a backseat in the day-to-day baseball operations of this team and bring in someone who can fix this Amazin’ Mess.

I went to my first Yankees Opening Day in 1978, at the ripe young age of 10. Since then, I have missed exactly two. I didn’t go to a game for the entire 1984 season because I was irate that the Yankees traded Graig Nettles, the No. 9 in 9nine9. And I missed Opening Day in 1995 because I had just started a new job less than two weeks earlier.

2009 Opening Day, Yankee Stadium

Opening Day is always special to me, and I sometimes think my butterflies are worse than whatever the players are experiencing. The date is stamped in my mind the minute the schedule comes out, and I always have trouble sleeping the night before.

Today was an extra special Opening Day. After all, how many chances do you get in your lifetime to be at the very first official game in a brand-new ballpark?

In true Yankee fashion, the opening ceremonies were over the top. Bernie Williams, who is delusional enough to think he can still play in the majors, played “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” on the guitar, and did it well. John Fogerty, who looked about 81, did a horrible job lip-syncing “Centerfield.” Kelly Clarkson sang the national anthem, and she has apparently been living the good life, as part of her ass was in the right-handed batters’ box and the other part was in the left-handed batters’ box.

In between “Centerfield” and “The Star-Spangled Banner,” a plethora of former Yankees were introduced.

The all-time greats made sense: Yogi Berra (who threw out the ceremonial first pitch), Whitey Ford, Goose Gossage, Ron Guidry, Reggie Jackson, Don Larsen, Nettles, Paul O’Neill, Willie Randolph, Mickey Rivers, Moose Skowron, Mel Stottlemyre, Dave Winfield.

The recent favorites also made sense: David Cone, Chili Davis, Tino Martinez, Luis Sojo, David Wells, Williams.

But the Yankees were apparently desperate to fill a quota. How else could you explain including John Flaherty, who does a decent job in the broadcast booth but was a marginal backup catcher for a couple of seasons? Or Lee Mazzilli, who was a Yankee for about 27 minutes and is far better known as a Met? Or Jesse Barfield, who was a very good player on some very, very bad teams?

As for the game, CC Sabathia struggled horribly with his command, but the Yankees still managed to get to the top of the seventh inning tied 1-1, thanks to some clutch defense and the new ballpark’s first home run, off the bat of Jorge Posada. Then, thanks to the horrific pitching of Jose Veras and Damaso Marte, 1-1 became 10-1 in quick and bloody fashion, and the final score was 10-2, Indians.

Still, despite the loss, Opening Day is always a great experience. I joke (and I’m not sure how much of a joke it is, because I’m actually pretty serious) about how Opening Day is my only religious holiday. It’s always been the most special day of the year for me, and breaking in the new Yankee Stadium made today extra special.

I’ll be back in the ballpark tomorrow afternoon, hoping that Joba Chamberlain can get the Yankees back on track.

God, I love baseball season!

2009 Opening Day, Yankee Stadium

In case you’re sitting at home today, waiting for the Yankee’s Opening Day Game at the NEW Yankee Stadium, here is the agenda for the Opening Ceremonies.

10:15 AM – Coverage Begins on MLB.com.  Not a clue what will be covered, but probably interviews conducted over the last couple of weeks.

11:30 AM – Coverage begins on YES Network, with Pregame Coverage

12:10 PM – Opening Day Ceremonies Begin-

• West Point Marching Band Performs “Washington Post March” and “Stars and Stripes Forever” in honor of     John Phillip Sousa, who led Seventh Regiment Band in performing the same songs in 1923.
• The West Point Band performs “Armed Services Medley”
• Colors will be presented by the NYPD and FDNY Color Guards
• 75 x 150 foot American Flag is unfurled by West Point Cadets, and American Idol Winner and 2-time Grammy Winner Kelly Clarkson sings the National Anthem
• 174th Fighter Wing out of Syracuse, NY will fly over in F16C Flying Falcons at the conclusion of the Anthem.
• At some point, the Yankees will introduce the following Veteran Players
• Then the current Cleveland Indians roster and starters will be introduced, followed by the Yankees roster and starters
• Yogi Berra gets the honor of throwing out the first pitch

The game is scheduled to begin at 1:05pm.

The Yankee veterans scheduled to be present are:

Luis Arroyo, Jesse Barfield, Yogi Berra, Ron Blomberg, Bobby Brown, Horace Clarke, Jerry Coleman, David Cone, Chili Davis, Bucky Dent, Al Downing, Dave Eiland, Ed Figueroa, John Flaherty, Whitey Ford, Joe Girardi, Goose Gossage, Ken Griffey, Ron Guidry, Charlie Hayes, Rickey Henderson, Reggie Jackson, Tommy John, Jim Kaat, Don Larsen, Hector Lopez, Tino Martinez, Lee Mazzilli, Gene Michael, Jeff Nelson, Graig Nettles, Paul O’Neill, Joe Pepitone, Willie Randolph, Bobby Richardson, Mickey Rivers, Buck Showalter, Bill “Moose” Skowron, Luis Sojo, Mel Stottlemyre, Ralph Terry, Bob Turley, David Wells, Roy White, Bernie Williams and Dave Winfield.

After signing a three-year deal with the New York Mets in February, Oliver Perez did what any normal 27-year-old making $12 million a year would do. He went to Mexico and got fat. The Mets coaching staff up until now has been repeating the words, Serenity Now, as they try to address the recently disconcerting performances of two of their starting pitchers, Mike Pelfrey and John Maine. With manager Jerry Manuel being reduced to spewing epic movie references and uncontrollable bursts of laughter, his pitching coach has had enough. “I think he’s out of shape,” Dan Warthen said, speaking about Perez. “The arm is out of shape. He needs to start pushing himself a little more.”

Since the left-hander was brought over to New York in a trade, he has been every pitching coach’s pet project. When Rick Peterson was with the Mets, his advice to the fans was to just hop on and enjoy the ride. Former manager Willie Randolph followed suit by simply responding with, “That’s Ollie.” But Warthen projects himself as someone who doesn’t just pack up his tent when he senses the slightest storm up ahead. It seems as if he is in it for the long haul and will continue to make every effort to solve the riddle of Ollie Perez until it kills him. “Ollie’s a guy that has to repeat his delivery time and time again, with a lot of volume delivery-wise,” Warthen said.

It’s no surprise to Mets fans that their erratic left-hander has found himself in hot water as of late. On any given day, Perez is capable of walking the bases loaded. He’s even been known to cruise along for three innings and then suddenly find himself nine runs down in the top of the fourth. I have personally witnessed both sides of the spectrum. Last year, I went to a Mets game at Shea Stadium in which Perez was the starting pitcher. Six innings in and the damage was irreparable. I left, later learning that the final score was 14-1 in favor of the Pittsburgh Pirates. However, like most people, I like to stay positive. I did get to witness a well-disciplined outing in which the unpredictable left-hander was given the victory. He efficiently shut down the opposition helping the Mets to a much-needed victory down the stretch against the Florida Marlins.

There are two sides to every coin just as there are two sides to every story. The story for the Mets and their fans now is whether or not the southpaw will be ready to go on April 9th which happens to be his first start of the regular season. “We’ll find out,” Warthen said. “I certainly hope so. He’s set back probably at least 10 days,”

The 2008 National League (NL) Wild Card was bounced in the first round of the playoffs.  A repeat performance will be more difficult this year due to the loss of key free agents, as well as a managerial change.  Some initial thoughts on topics concerning the Brewers this season are:

Ken Macha Will Manage The Brewers In 2009

1.  Macha As Manager: Ken Macha was selected in the off-season to replace interim manager Dale Sveum as the skipper.  Macha spent a number of years managing the Oakland A’s, and his primary coaching experience is with American League clubs.  The front office signed Trevor Hoffman and Braden Looper after Macha expressed concern about pitching depth.  Macha brought former Mets manager Willie Randolph on as a coach.  Analysis: Bringing on Willie Randolph as a coach is likely to expedite Macha’s learning about NL style play.  Analytic Confidence: Low. Comment: Macha’s adjustment to NL style managing will determine how successful his spring training is.

2.  Injuries. Projected Opening Day third-basemen Bill Hall is slowly rehabbing a left calf injury and was withheld from the Cactus League opener.  Pain in outfielder Tony Gwynn Jr.’s right shoulder continues to hamper throwing sessions.  Gwynn is out of minor league options and competing for a reserve outfield roster spot.  Macha expects bench players to be “never injured.”  Eric Gagne is behind on his throwing schedule due to a slight right calf strain.  Gagne, the team’s Opening Day closer last year, is not guaranteed a roster spot this year.  Comment: Macha sounded a little irritated with Gwynn Jr. when speaking to the press.  Veteran Trot Nixon, and former Pirate Chris Duffy will see a majority of the playing time in Gwynn Jr.’s absence.  Duffy had a game tying RBI against the A’s late in the game.  Expect Gwynn Jr. to return the lineup as soon as his shoulder allows.  I will definitely follow Gwynn Jr. throughout Spring Training to see how he performs.

3.  Pitching. Macha said he will not name his starting rotation until 25 March.  The starting rotation took a huge blow with free-agents C.C. Sabathia and Ben Sheets parting ways with the Brewers.  Hoffman will be the only bullpen pitcher with a defined role:  closer.  Macha plans on going to the bullpen with leads after six innings.  If the team trails by one going into the seventh, he will stick with the starter to try to pick up the win for him.  Comment: With a rotation lacking a true horse, expect the bullpen to pitch their fair share of innings, especially if Macha’s philosophy on using the bullpen after the sixth inning holds true.  Expect to see stud prospect Omar Aguilar near mid-season.

David Lennon of Newsday reports Willie Randolph is about to come out with own book chronicling his time in the major leagues, highlighting moments with the New York Mets and the New York Yankees. The name of the book is, “Rising Son: Mets, Yankees, and My Journey to the Big Leagues”.

There’s a shocker! Right on the heels of Joe Torre’s book. The book is set for release on April 1, 2009.

Most people would think he would bash the Mets. Omar Minaya and company knew about the book he was writing with Daily News writer Wayne Coffey.

However, according to Lennon, Randolph had a confidentiality clause in his contract when he signed with the Mets. In the event of his firing, he is not to speak negatively about the organization or what went on with the team, especially since he is owed $2.25 million.

Randolph had this to say about the “gag order”:

“Then [Omar Minaya] handed me an envelope, a little parting gift, and told me to make sure I reviewed it with my agent, Ron Shapiro. It was a copy of my Met contract that basically says I better not say anything detrimental about the team, or I might jeopardize the rest of the money I have coming to me.”

Good for the Mets. Bitterness never bodes well in books. I do not mind if a past manager writes about their time with an organization. I have a problem if he just outright bashes everyone because he is bitter.

Randolph was a decent manager. He made a lot of bad calls, but so does everybody. Somewhere along the road, he began to lose respect from his players. How did this happen? We will probably never know. Why did it happen? Again, we may never know.

I will be getting this book and reading it. At that point, I will post my review. If someone knows where I can get an earlier copy, please send me an e-mail at citifieldofdreams@yahoo.com. Thanks!

After receiving these cards, I couldn’t resist putting more cards in the mail with the hopes of receiving a few back autographed.

So off I went to the Post Office and the Grocery Store to stock up on stamps and envelopes.

And out these went today….

The guys:  Kent Hrbek, Jim Abbott, Joe Carter, Chili Davis, Eric Davis, Fernando Valenzuela, Bobby Bonilla, Whitey Herzog, Shawon Dunston, Orel Hershiser, Todd Zeile, Bucky Dent, Willie Randolph, Mike Scioscia, Willie McGee, Ron Cey, Mike Greenwell, Harold Reynolds, Robin Ventura, and Tony Perez.

As the home for the New York Mets since 1964, Shea Stadium has hosted an amazing array of history-making ballgames, all-time players, colorful managers, and millions of devoted fans. From the high-flying championship teams to the low-flying planes, the sounds of Shea Stadium are ingrained in the hearts of the enthusiastic crowds who cheer their New York Mets.

This six-game, 6-DVD collection spans five decades of promise, amusement, jubilation, and Mets baseball. It celebrates the legendary games and the baseball heroes who made Mets history. These six remarkable games are a time capsule and a window into the magic that glows within all Mets fans the magic found in their beloved Shea Stadium.

DISC 1: 1969 World Series� Game 4 vs Baltimore OriolesTM–Tom Seaver s 10-inning win was a decisive point of the 69 World Series as the Mets upset the heavily favored Orioles.
DISC 2: 1986: National League� Championship Series Game 3 vs Houston AstrosTM–This come-from-behind bottom-of-the-ninth victory ended with Lenny Dykstra s famous walk-off home run.
DISC 3: 1986: World Series Game 6 vs Boston Red SoxTM–Considered “Baseball s greatest game , this improbable 10th-inning, miracle two-out comeback reached its climax with Mookie Wilson s swing and …here comes Knight and the Mets win it!
DISC 4: 1999: National League Championship Series Game 5 vs Atlanta BravesTM–Robin Ventura s “grand slam single” won this 15-inning game endurance test.
DISC 5: Sept. 21, 2001: Regular season vs Atlanta Braves –The emotionally charged first game in New York City after the 9/11 terrorist attacks was electrified by Mike Piazza s 8th inning 2-run home run.
DISC 6: May 19, 2006: Inter-League vs New York YankeesTM–David Wright s walk-off hit snatched victory away from the cross-town rival Yankees in this classic see-saw battle.

DVD Features: 1969 World Series Last Inning; Gary Carter Game-Winning HR (1985 Opening Day vs. Cardinals); 1986 NL East Division Clincher Highlights (September 17 vs. Cubs); 1986 World Series Game 7 Highlights; Matt Franco GW RBI (July 10, 1999 vs. Yankees); Todd Pratt GW HR (1999 NLDS Game 4 vs. Diamondbacks); Mets Win National League Pennant (2000 NLCS Game 5 vs. Cardinals); 2006 Walk-Off Moments; Mets Clinch NL East Division (September 19, 2006 vs. Marlins); Clutch Catch by Endy Chavez (2006 NLCS Game 7); Bill Shea Interview

The New York Mets Essential Games Of Shea Stadium (Steelbook) is available at Amazon for $49.99. To Order click here
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Other Products of Interest

• Shea Goodbye [dvd/spanish Track]
• Shea Stadium (NY) (Images of Baseball)
• 100 Things Mets Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die
• The New York Mets 1986 World Series Collector’s Edition
• NFL- New York Giants – The Road to Super Bowl XLII

 ”31 in 31″ – The 1970’s – Card #28

Willie Randolph – 1976 Topps – #592

During his 18 year career as a player in major league baseball, Willie Randolph could be classified as an ‘Unsung Hero’ for the teams he played on.  13 of his 18 seasons were played as a member of the New York Yankees and it was very easy to be overshadowed by the many dominant personalities on their roster.  But Randolph handled the pressure of playing in New York very well and excelled as a second baseman for the ‘Bronx Bombers’.  As a 6-time All-star, Randolph finished his career with a .276 batting average along with 271 stolen bases and ,1239 runs scored.  He competed in 4 World Series match-ups and won the championship with the 1977 New York Yankees. 

I miss the TV-head mascot.

Any Mets fan is going to watch more SNY than they might otherwise.

So when the regional sports network shakes up its studio show, it might actually matter to Mets fans. According to Newsday’s Neil Best, Matt Yalloff and Lee Mazzilli are out of the Mets’ pre and postgame shows and Chris Carlin and Bobby Ojeda are in.

Let’s take them one at a time.

Matt Yalloff — Never cared much for him in this role, but he was generally unoffensive. Every once in a while I thought he tried too hard to lead Maz to an answer, especially if it was an answer Mets ownership might like to hear. But for the most part, he was an anchor. Nothing more.

Lee Mazzilli — I liked that Maz brought a credibility of being fresh out of the game to the studio. You knew he had managed against many of the players involved in any given Mets game and that always provided a little more weight to his commentary. I also liked that he was critical of the team at times. There’s nothing worse than watching your team mail in a game and then listen to analysts make excuses for them. I never got that impression from Maz. The one caveat I would offer is when he was critical of the manager, particularly Willie Randolph, you got the sense he might be offering his sales pitch for his next managerial job.

Chris Carlin — An acquired taste to be sure, Carlin is coming to SNY full-time, leaving behind his part-time duties on WFAN. While Yallof really didn’t do much for me, I fear what Carlin will bring to the studio. If you’ve seen him on “Loud Mouths” or listened to his play-by-play for Rutgers on the radio, you know the shtick. He yells a lot. Is that what we’re in store for from the Mets post-game show? Will there be “A Free-For-All in Flushing”? Let’s hope not.

Bobby Ojeda — Who knows? He’s been a pitching coach in the Mets’ system a few years back, so he may some insight from his time there, but being a good analyst isn’t easy.

So generally speaking, I’m a little concerned about this new arrangement at SNY. But like most broadcasts, it will have to be a wait-and-see approach. In the meantime, is anyone upset to see Yallof or Maz go? Is anyone happy to see Carlin get more airtime?

Does anyone not care because they tune in exactly at 7:10 and tune out immediately after the 27th out is recorded?

Willie Randolph addresses the audience at the Somerset Patriots holiday party earlier this month. (Staff photo by Andrew Miller.)

2008 will be a year Willie Randolph won’t soon forget.

It began with him receiving a gift any manager would welcome: the best pitcher in the game, Johan Santana. Then the Mets got off to a slow start and after several near-misses and a few ill-advised comments, his first managerial tenure ended in the middle of the night in a West Coast hotel. He returned to Yankee Stadium, got some applause and expressed interest in managing again. Ultimately though, as 2008 comes to an end, he’s back in baseball, but not as a manager. He accepted a position as bench coach for Ken Macha in Milwaukee.

He recently attended the independent league Somerset Patriots’ holiday party and our Patriots beat writer Ryan Dunleavy was nice enough to grab a couple quotes from the former Mets manager and provide them to The InterMet.

On the surface, it seems like a strange spot for Willie since he originally interviewed for the vacant managerial spot with the Brewers. But Randolph told Ryan he doesn’t think it will be awkward. He also said he had broadcasting opportunities, but said his goal was to win a world championship as a manager and saw this job as a stepping stone to that. Fair enough.

Let’s hear from Randolph directly:

“(Ken) Macha and I are going to work very closely together. I know Macha from our playing days back with the Pittsburgh Pirates and we’ve stayed casually in touch over the years. He wanted me to be one of his guys, so I accepted.”

 

“The opportunity presented itself, and I think that being in the game, on the field, is better than being at home, where I could’ve sat back and collected my money. That’s not what I’m all about.”

 

“I’m going to be like a second lieutenant. Macha and I are going to work together to get this team in the right direction. I don’t have to be the boss. I’m looking forward to helping him be the best.”

Willie’s tenure with the Mets will never be judged fairly, especially given how it ended. It seems like he’s confident this will lead him back to another managerial opportunity. He deserves one.

*****

Thanks again to Ryan Dunleavy, who is covering girls basketball this winter, for the quotes. You can read his girls basketball blog, Holding Court, here. You can see more photos from the holiday party, which also featured Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson and Patriots manager Sparky Lyle, here.

If you don’t mind, could you clarify something for me? Isn’t the object of most sporting competitions to win all of the games that you play? With the exception of college football and its illogical “style points” (which are apparently earned by blowing out bad teams and wearing cups that match your helmet), shouldn’t it be most important to not lose? It seems clear, then, that at this point in the season the Tennessee Titans are the best team in football. Before you accuse me of “Giant-bashing,” allow me to defend my claim: The Titans haven’t lost yet. Not once. Not even a little. Need more proof? The Giants only loss came to the Cleveland Browns; a team with a losing record that has just benched their quarterback in favor of an untested one. (If style points were included, this would hurt the Giants… and those awful red jerseys wouldn’t help either.) And this has nothing to do with the fact that I predicted a dismal season for the Giants after Osi Umenyiora went down for the year; it’s honestly the way I feel about these things. The minute the Titans lose a game, they’ll no longer be the best team in the league. The Carolina Panthers will be.

Off the top of your head (and without any assistance from the internet), can you name the team in first place of the NHL’s Southeast Division? Didn’t think so.

During a game between the Toronto Raptors and Boston Celtics last week, Kevin Garnett and José Calderón got into an amusing taunting match. KG (a notorious trash-talker) was riding Calderón all game – yelling stuff at him, hand-checking him, tapping Calderón’s chin, etc. Calderón responded by screaming back and pounding his chest after a big assist late in the game. Some analysts are calling them amateurish and even going as far as to say that Garnett should have been given a technical foul for his actions. What do I think, you ask? I think it’s reprehensible. Of course by “reprehensible,” I actually mean “hilarious.” C’mon, folks, lighten up. This is the same stuff I used to do at pick-up games down at Country Lane Park. It’s not like an Artestian brawl ensued… it’s just part of the game. To see athletes still having fun at the professional level is really a treat. (This is what makes Brett Favre’s youthful exuberance so endearing.) I, for one, support this behavior whole-heartedly.

(Side Note: I don’t play basketball so much anymore, mostly because I can’t seem to find a bunch of people my age to play with. (Disclaimer: While the preceding statement is true, it is also true that my lack of athletic ability and steady weight-gain over the last few years may also have contributed to this fact. When I wear basketball shorts, I look less like a 25 year-old athlete and more like a tightly wrapped turkey.))

Speaking of the NBA, I can’t be the only one who finds this Stephon Marbury thing completely disgraceful. Of course by “disgraceful,” I once again mean “hilarious.” Instead of “Starbury,” maybe his new nickname should be “Benchbury.”

I’d like to take this time to congratulate Willie Randolph on his new job as bench coach of the Milwaukee Brewers. I wish him the best of luck on his road back to becoming the manager of a major league team. (Do you think he was aware that there is zero chance that CC Sabathia signs there when he took the job? Just a thought…)

I’ll leave you, Dear Readers, with my feelings on the hodge-podge that is the AFC East. Call it parity, call it what you will (I call it “Tom Brady got hurt and now everyone’s sorta mediocre”), but it’s nice to see some actual competition in this division. The Bills have fallen back to where I thought they’d be – an 8- or 9-win team – and the Patriots are on track to win the division once more. The real surprise has been my Miami Dolphins. Who could’ve guessed that ol’ “Powder Puff” Pennington, Ronnie “Don’t Call Me Ronald” Brown, and “THC” Ricky would have a winning record halfway through the year? Pennington is second in the league is passer rating and is having a Pro Bowl season. (You remember the Pro Bowl, right? It’s that meaningless game played after the season. It’s about as relevant to football as passer rating is to determining the quality of a quarterback.) I still don’t have them making the playoffs, but it’s really exciting that games in November and December will actual matter to those of us old enough to remember a time when the Dolphins dominated this division.

And very quickly: The Jets have a real shot at making the playoffs, but slow down on the predictions for Thursday night victory in Foxboro. My former brother (former because he moved to enemy territory in New England) is calling tomorrow night’s game a lock for Gang Green. I’m fairly confident that the Patriots will win this game, but in a division so tight, can we say with conviction that any victory is assured?

I guess like most questions today, the answer is: Yes, we can.

How sad is this?

Willie Randolph has been signed on as the Milwaukee Brewers bench coach.

The whole point is to move forward, Willie. You are taking steps back. That is not how to get back to being a manager.

He has gone on record to say that he does want to be a manager again. So he does have the option to continue interviewing for managerial positions as the become available (according to the Brewers website).

He did interview for Seattle. Just do not look for him to go there. They want AL managerial experience.

I will go on record to say, “Willie, I wish you well”. At the same time, “I hope the Mets kill your team. And yes, it is personal.”