Teflon Willie

We’re a pretty strong team mentally. You don’t start doubting yourself, and we’re not.

This was the quote from Willie Randolph plastered all over the New York Papers Monday morning, following the shameful display the Mets put up over the weekend. In response, the Mets went out and put forth yet another lifeless effort against the worthless Nationals, behind the stellar pitching of Brian Lawrence, as the Phillies walked into St. Louis and just hammered the Cardinals.

Maybe I'm speaking purely out of frustration, and maybe I'll end up looking silly if the Mets should manage to pull themselves out of it in the end, make the Postseason and succeed, but, in all seriousness, have they given us any reason to believe that's feasible right now? I spent a large sum of money to buy my Playoff tickets last week, and right now, I have the feeling that that money is going to be refunded sooner rather than later if things don't turn around soon.

How on earth Willie Randolph told us that the team is solid and didn't need any motivational speeches, while his Marquee player is tearing his hair out, his leadoff hitter can't seem to hit or field, and his bullpen continues to implode is beyond me. And somehow, the Press just eats this crap up.

Willie is beginning to remind me more and more of another such man who coached a major Sports franchise in New York City, and was widely loved by the local media for his entertaining banter and witticisms, despite the fact that he was largely clueless in the way he ran his team, and his weaknesses were often exposed to the point of embarrassment. But he was a great talker! He was exciting! He told us all so much without really saying anything at all.

Remember this guy...?
Willie has basically become the new Herman Edwards! Say a whole hell of a lot while really saying nothing at all to cover up the fact that there's no real plan in mind other than just stand idly by as everything falls apart.

It won't be a very popular opinion, I'm sure, especially in the eyes of the almighty New York Media (and even the visiting team's media seems to be brown-nosing him...just as the Mets storm into town and get pasted by a 5th place team), but if the Mets collapse, and that scenario is becoming more and more frighteningly real with each passing day, Willie needs to go. I know, you're only as good as the players you have, but the right manager can win with just about anyone. If this one can't, FIRE THAT ASS!

You think this garbage would have gone on under Bobby Valentine's watch? Hell Fucking No. Bobby would have called someone out weeks ago, got in somebody's face, been abrasive, been cocky and smarmy like he always was, and made the players so mad they turned the ship around to spite him. And if that didn't work, he would have called himself out. That's why Bobby's teams won. Bobby always spoke his mind, and didn't give a rat's ass about pleasing anybody. Say what you will about him, but there's something to be said about a guy who went to the World Series with an outfield of Timo Perez, Jay Payton and Benny Agbayani.

Of course, the bridge has been burned, and Bobby can't save us now. Currently, he appears to be hocking Hamburgers in Japan while managing many of his ex-Mets in the Japanese league and being a major folk hero.

Bobby was pretty much vilified by the press for being too standoffish. Willie's been a total media darling, so the uneven and often pitiful play of his team over the course of the season really hasn't been put on his shoulders. But how often can you blame Guillermo Mota for sucking when we all know this to be fact. At some point, the blame has to fall on THE MANAGER WHO CONTINUES TO USE HIM DESPITE THE FACT THAT HE SUCKS!

Furthermore, with Monday night's game being as important as it was, how dare Willie even think that starting Brian Lawrence and his noodle arm was a good idea? The fact that he allowed that joke of a pitcher with his flutterball to take the mound last night was basically an insult to every Mets fan who watched a second of that game. When he has two pitchers rotting away in his bullpen whose jocks Brian Lawrence is lucky to be able to sniff, this is the guy taking the mound in the middle of a Pennant race? I don't think anybody is surprised that the Mets and Lawrence got blown away last night. And for what purpose exactly? Shame on you, Willie Randolph. Shame on You.

Again, I sincerely hope that this all blows over, the Mets rebound tomorrow behind Maine and go on to win the Division, and go far into October and we'll just look back at what I've written here and laugh. Oh, silly Mets2Moon and his overreactions.

I sincerely hope I can laugh at this in October. If we can get that far.