AmazinMet1969's Blog

In this political season, I must invoke a fairness doctrine.  I shared my thoughts in this space on how the environment assisted in engulfing Willie Randolph.

Willie Randolph made comments to Ian O'Connor of the Bergen County Record that assisted in cementing his fate.  The New York Mets had won the first game of the Subway Series and then, before winning handily in the Sunday Night game at Yankee Stadium, he made the poorly timed and ill advised comments that incorporated race, SNY, the organization in general and the fan base.  As an employee of the New York Mets, why would Willie ever make these comments.  He felt they were off the record.  First, he should have insisted that these comments were off the record, if he did not want them to appear in print.  Second, even if you thought this privately, why even discuss it.

This really made me wonder about Willie's ability to understand his position as manager of a New York Mets baseball team.  Willie, a kid who grew up in the Tilden Housing in Brooklyn and is a lifelong New Yorker, never really understood how New York works.  He proved to be thin skinned and did not handle the criticism from the media.  Here is a New York Yankees legend that won World Championships in 1977 and 1978, and was a coach for for four championships from 1996-2000.  His legendary status in New York baseball and all the success therein did not assist him in handling the media crunch that is New York.

Willie was not comfortable with being in the "fish bowl" that is New York.  His mentor, Joe Torre, was a master at media relations.  Willie Randolph never seemed comfortable talking to the media.

In addition, even though the manner in which he was fired has certainly been criticized both locally and nationally, Willie will receive the $3.4 Million owed to him.  Anyone who has been fired certainly would have enjoyed having that to live on over the next two years.  So,  don't cry for Willie.  He will not only be alright, he will be better than most of us.

For any Yankee fan that discusses the handling by the Mets, you must also be fair and discuss the way the Yankees organization handled Joe Torre after he led the New York Yankees to four World Championships, six pennants and thirteen consecutive playoff appearances.  They also wanted to make Joe squirm after the 2006 season following a disappointing loss in the playoffs to Detroit  by firing bench coach Lee Mazzilli.  Lee was made the scapegoat and fired for no reason other than to send a message to Joe Torre.

If  Willie was such a good managerial candidiate, why didn't the Yankees feel he was the successor to Torre.  In fact, he was the bench coach and the Yankees were always indicating that hitting coach Don Mattingley would be the next manager of the Yankees.  Therefore, Yankees fans can discuss the classless and clumsy firing of Willie Randolph, but in the same breath, must discuss the transgressions of Yankee management over the years in this same regard.