Willie Randolph Fired As Mets Manager

From The AP:
"ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP)—After weeks of speculation that his job was in jeopardy, Willie Randolph finally got fired by the New York Mets while most fans were sleeping.

Randolph was let go in the middle of the night Tuesday, 2 1/2 months into a disappointing season that has followed the team’s colossal collapse last September.

Bench coach Jerry Manuel takes over on an interim basis for Randolph, who led the Mets to within one win of the 2006 World Series. They got off to a strong start again last year but plummeted down the stretch and have been unable to rebound.

A preseason favorite to win the NL pennant, the $138 million Mets (34-35) had won two in a row when Randolph was dismissed early Tuesday morning—making him the first big league manager to get fired this season.


Pitching coach Rick Peterson and first base coach Tom Nieto also were cut loose in an enormous overhaul that was revealed in a fact-of-the-matter news release at a stunning time—about 12:15 a.m. PDT, nearly two hours after New York’s 9-6 victory over the Los Angeles Angels.

Ken Oberkfell, the club’s manager at Triple-A New Orleans, and Dan Warthen, pitching coach for the Zephyrs, will join the major league staff along with Luis Aguayo, a Mets field coordinator.

A message left for general manager Omar Minaya was not immediately returned. The Mets said Minaya and Manuel would be available to reporters at Angel Stadium at 2 p.m. PDT on Tuesday.

Reached by phone nearly three hours after Monday’s game, Mets utility man Marlon Anderson said he didn’t know that Randolph had been fired and he didn’t want to comment until he heard the news from a member of the team.

“Not tonight,” Anderson said.

It was a frustrating end for the 53-year-old Randolph, who was set to be an NL coach at the All-Star game at Yankee Stadium next month.

Signed through the 2009 season, Randolph won’t be able to move with the Mets into new Citi Field next year, either. He was slated to earn $2 million this season and is owed $2.25 million in 2009.

Now, the 54-year-old Manuel takes over a squad that still has playoff aspirations. "


Finally, the Soap Opera between Willie And Omar Is Over. You sorta have to feel a little bad for Willie, though. He Won't be at the All Star Game as a Coach, and he won't be managing inside the brand new Citi Field.

Hopefully the Mets and their fans will give Jerry Manuel a chance, more of a chance than they gave Willie.

Rick Peterson got the boot as Pitching Coach. Will we see an improvement in the Mets Rotation?

Why do you get rid of a First Base Coach? If they were going to get rid of a base coach, I thought it would have been the Third Base Coach.