THE VERY UNOFFICIAL NEW YORK METS FAN WEB SITE

6/16/08 -- Attention sports media analysts – Grow up!  There is no really happy method to firing your manager.  All of you need to stop analyzing this “micro-situation” of Willie Randolph’s firing and just look at the bigger picture.

Already some of the sports analysts are pretending that this was a surprise move.  Most of the sports analysts are insulted or finding fault with the Mets management in how they announced the firing at 3 a.m. EST.  They are now painting Willie as the real victim.

I feel like re-creating the William Shatner-Star Trek skit from the old Saturday Night Live episode.  Shatner tells the trekees at a Star Trek convention to “get a life”.  Well, I am telling you analysts and Mets fans to “get real”.  Look at the bigger picture.  The Mets blew it last year and this year is not looking so good right now.  The New York Mets organization run a business and presently that business is not doing very well in the “marketplace”.

Frankly, I’ve never been too inspired by Willie’s TV or radio presence.  Yes, he seems like a very nice guy.  But as everybody knows, nice guys finish last.  I still remember watching the Subway Series game a couple of weeks ago and waiting to see if Willie would start yelling or kicking the dirt when the baseball hit the foul pole at Yankee Stadium.  Instead of being called a homerun, the umpires ruled it a foul ball.  And what did Willy do?  He showed no emotion.  Nothing.  He went out on the field and talked with the umpires for a brief second or two then returned to the dugout.  HOWEVER, WHAT DID JERRY MANUEL DO?  HE STARTED TO RANT AND RAVE AND GOT THROWN OUT OF THE GAME BY THE UMPIRES.  This is what I was really waiting for all of Willie’s reign with the Mets.  Some kind of emotion.  Some kind of enthusiasm for winning.  AND WE FANS GOT NOTHING.

So, my brief message for all Mets analysts and Mets fans is to NOT over analyze this situation.  It’s simple.  The Mets need to win and almost half of the 2008 season is over.  Let’s welcome this overdue news item and look ahead. 

I am frankly glad that Pitching Coach Rick Peterson is gone as well.  His days with the Mets go all the way back to former Mets Manager Art Howe’s era.  I thought those times were disastrous.  I always thought there was some kind of “cancer” lingering with the Mets that was holding them back.  Rick Peterson perhaps was this “unhealthy” part of the organization.  After all, the Mets pitching staff is mainly responsible for the failure of the 2007 season – and the first half of 2008.

So what’s the message for all of us Mets fans this week?  It’s time to get fired up again because the dugout is about to heat up.