Well – 2008 Will Be Another DOOZY Of A Season!

Omar Minaya, the Mets General Mis-Manager stated today that Willie Randolph would be retained through the 2008 season.

Marty Noble, the NY Mets beat writer for MLB.com reported:

"It was my decision to make," Minaya said at Shea Stadium on Tuesday afternoon. "Willie is a competitor and most of the time he competes, he wins."

Okay let's break this down.

Minaya is taking the responsibility for keeping Randolph– big whoops. WOW OMAR that means an awful lot to us fans. Worst-case scenario is that subsequently the Wilpon's fire Minaya – Minaya squirms his way into another GM position with another sucker-filled organization. I'll take Brian Cashman anytime!

When Minaya states that "Willie is a competitor, and MOST of the time he competes, he wins" – What? All other times it happens to be League Division and Championship series – the ones that he loses.

It seems that Rickey Henderson is going to be made a scapegoat. Noble reports that Henderson may have been a bad influence on Jose Reyes. Give me a break. Two days out of the season and the passing of the buck has started.

The rhetoric is the same – the Mets are full of empty excuses with no course of action. Jeff and Fred Wilpon had the opportunity to wait until the end of the season to explore possibly situations and allow Minaya and Randolph to sweat it out. Unfortunately they are allowing Minaya to announce that the decisions made are his and his alone. Way to go Wilpon's, staying away from the old M. Donald Grant syndrome eh?

The Wilpon's will not allow themselves to spoil their own legacy by stating that these are their decisions. It works both ways – the Wilpon's must come forward and announce that this was their desire to keep MINAYA – the hell with Randolph. There has to be accountability within ownership.

As far as Randolph, he is typical Yankee scum – Noble reports that Randolph stated, "I'm here to win", Randolph said repeatedly. "I'm not worried about my job security." Maybe that is why he has no emotion on the field, it's the damn contract he has – why should he worry? Even if he is fired he will still have an enormous income.

When threatened with income loss due to the loss of your job, I do believe at that time, and only at that time will Randolph show some spunk – getting rid of Lo Duca is not going to be the answer.

What a bunch of schmucks!

The Day After - The Ignorance Of Some - Penis Envy For Others!

What better life could it possibly be to grow up in Brooklyn, root for the Yankees, and then become a sportswriter for the New York Post, beat writing for the New York Mets on occasion?

Joel Sherman has that life. I grew up with Sherman, I even have pictures of him as a pudgy 12-year old kid in 1976. Not much of an athlete, though he used to play with a red ball while playing roller hockey within the library parking lot on Seaview Ave. This is while the rest of us played with your typical 3M electrical tape, and plenty of contact. Okay, that must be why he chose to become a journalist, better to write than play. (I am 43 half-crippled and still play baseball on weekends)

Sherman has relentlessly trounced the Mets even before this year - but tends to give the Yankees a free pass - I wonder why? Sherman, during this year was not as relentless, maybe his inside information was so good that he saw the end coming and stayed away from the feeding frenzy. My point? Just letting Sherman know that Mets fans are watching and reading his columns with an eye-brow raised.

Now on with the titled story.

I spent quite some time on the NY Mets Fan Forum within the NY Mets MLB web site (http://www.NYMets.com), reading more so than posting. I find that there is more raw emotion and less baseball savvy on this site. Probably it is because most of the "posters" that are on that site are 20-Something or less fans that have only heard stories from their parents about the 69, 73, and 86 Mets - they want their own stories with their own Mets championship, and as most of their generation - THEY WANT IT NOW!

I want to see them get it, but they first must seek and look outside the box when discussing baseball. They need to be objective and insightful - use contrasting thoughts and synthesize their summaries.

What I find even more amusing is that the "trolls", fans of other teams stopping by to push the buttons of Mets fans. Granted, there are Mets fans who do the same thing on other teams sites. But as many Mets fans will tell you, the reason we hate the Yankees so much is not because their players or management, but it is because of the arrogance of their fans.

Once Yankees fans realize that it was not "they" who won so many championships, but it was the players who won them. Heck I respect Jeter, A-Rod, I even rooted for Bernie Williams - talent is talent and if you are a fan of the game you have to admit when someone is a solid player or even a great player as Mantle was. However, it is seldom that you would ever hear a Yankees fan tell a Mets fan how great of a player that Wright is, and will continue to become.

Most recently, as of yesterday - a new arrogance has reared it's ugly head. Phillies and Indians fans - I know we could expect that from a Phillies fan, after all when compared to the City of New York the City of Philadelphia is a village. It has always been hard on Phillies fans. Just look at the years since 1993. All of a sudden the Phillies HAVE FANS!!!! Any year that they had a losing record (which has been quite often) all you would hear at a game either in Veterans Stadium, or the new sandbox they play in, were chants of "LET'S GO METS" - now that the Phillies won a bunch of games, and clinched the NL East due to the Mets basically handing it to them - the PHILLIES HAVE FANS! Where were these people during the first two months of the season? Were these the same people yelling for Charlie Manuels head? Are these the same people that now say that Charlie is a genius (when we know the only genius is yours truly)?

Cleveland Indians fans are now on NY Post Blogs telling us to suck it with their 60 Million Dollar team salary, half of ours. This is Cleveland! The Cesspool of the Midwest! This is a team that allowed a Hollywood production company make a mockery of their team in the late 80's (Major League, Major League 2, and the ever popular Major League 3). Yeah they come back at the end and win it all with a bunch of less than semi-pro players - REALISTIC? I think Not!

Given the chance to play in Cleveland, Philadelphia, or New York - a pro will always choose the latter of the three, may it be with the Blue and Orange or the Stankees.

In the end - to cities such as Philly and Cleveland - you may be in the playoffs - you may be enjoying the hell out of it (and you should), just remember - Ours is Bigger Than Yours, and Always Will Be - no matter how the season ends.

Now back to a more important matter - the continuing saga of Mets fans versus Yankees fans - the best and most baseball knowledge savvy rivalry in baseball.

The Collapse of a Good Team

As I sat here and watched my Mets fall to the Marlins, it wasn't just losing the NL East to the Phillies, a team based on arrogance which reflects its' fans, but to set a record in which the Yankees relinquished the choke title to our '07 Mets.

I will be the first to admit that the Phillies wanted this more than our blue and orange did. As much as I loathe the Phillies, I have to salute their perseverance and fortitude in the last month. I must also and begrudgingly, give props to their fans. The fans brought a playoff atmosphere to Philadelphia, whereas Shea Stadium sounded like a graveyard.

Okay, before I continue I must vent!

Forced to watch this pitiful ballgame on FSN SUN down here in Florida the following is necessary as it pertains to announcer Rich Waltz:

I really do not mind announcers from other markets, as long as the announcing sticks to the game. Waltz' attacks on Mets fans must stop. He states "[...] that people say that there are not many Marlins fans but the ratings are up". Doesn’t he realize that it's because people like my family and me are the ones watching Mets, Cubs, Phillies, etc games? He further stated today that "They (Mets fans) hate us but they move to our area" - this coming from a person from California. What B.S. is that? I as many other fans shut off the sound when Waltz is around - thus not hearing his pathetic announcing and by doing so I do not hear the sponsors. In addition, FSN may want him to:

1) Learn to define "Irony" and;

2) Stop using "Irony" and "Ironic" in every other sentence.

Maybe he should get a job with the Phillies, then again that is a major market and would have no need for him.

Okay - whew - sorry for the rant.

This is for Fred and Jeff Wilpon As it pertains to Willie Randolph and Omar Minaya.

DUMP THEM! DUMP THEM LIKE A CANCEROUS LESION!

As for those who say, "How can you blame Willie and Omar?" Easily - When someone mismanages a company after spending millions upon millions and the result is millions upon millions lost; do you fire a cog that only followed the directions of that manager? No - you fire the manager! In this specific case, Omar by spending a substantial amount of Jeff Wilpon's inheritance also alienated an entire fan base. Separating the Latino fans from everyone else was another blunder and miscalculation on Omar’s part.

Omar obviously has made it a point to load his team with Latino players and directed his main marketing to the Latino community. I do not see the balance act with the other nights of culture. Placing emphasis on "Latino Heritage Month, Night, Day, Moment, and Coffee Break" - Omar - you can't do that, only if you intend to keep Goya as the only sponsor.

Willies absence of managing his bullpen and his ridiculous attitude on the field is not a managing way in New York, yeah I know you will say "Joe Torre isn't emotional" - he doesn't have to be, not with a team that needs no management due to its' ability, and it's manner of play.

Joe Girardi needs to take over the helm and tell his management to go fuck themselves and manage a winning team. Let Dusty Baker or Mazzili take over as GM.

HELL HIRE LO DUCA AS PLAYER/MANAGER!

Is this a racist statement, no - this is a statement that many want to say but are afraid of being labeled a racist - I hate everyone equally!


As you will note the header was “A Collapse of a Good team” – they weren’t a great team because greatness is not based on skill alone, heart is a main ingredient – the lack thereof prevented this team from being great!

At this point, I'll close with this thought - As a die hard Mets fan, I have always supported the Blue and Orange - but when will the Blue and Orange reciprocate to the fans and have a team that reflects its population and emotion? Because the 2007 Mets had none of the above, Ownership and management did NOT have the pulse of the fans within consideration!