One Year Later...

So, it's been exactly one year since the 3am Massacre that saw the Mets chop off the head and hack at the limbs of their coaching staff and replace them with the bunch we see today. Given the way things looked for the Mets then and comparing them with things now, it's hard to see too much difference.

Last year, the Mets, to this point in the season, seemed disinterested and lackluster. They were there more often than not, but the results told you everything you needed to know in the end.

This year, has anything changed? Other than the manager and coaches, and assorted players, it's been a whole lot of to do to get to this point in the season in similarly bad shape.

Where do we go from here? Tough to say. Last season, the Mets didn't do anything after letting Randolph go, and under Manuel, they got hot for a month or so before the teams' glaring weaknesses showed themselves.

Do the Mets have a similar hot streak in them once again? Given the sometimes porous nature of the starting rotation and the general inability to drive in runs when necessary, I don't know if an extended win streak is possible. Replacing the Manager, at this point in the season, would be tantamount to admitting to a massive and catastrophic error in judgement by Minaya, and if that were to happen now, Minaya's ouster would be sure to follow. What's besides the point is Manuel, to the best of my knowledge, isn't even on the hot seat (or have the dreaded "leaks" in the Mets system been fixed...). The problem, then, lies with the talent on the field. Much like, despite popular sentiment, it wasn't Willie Randolph's fault that Carlos Delgado couldn't hit and Jose Reyes was a petulant, moody brat, it's not Jerry Manuel's fault that Luis Castillo dropped that popup last Friday, or that John Maine's shoulder locked up, or whatever other injury might have occurred. Last year, I called for Ho-Jo's head and didn't get it. I'll still call for Ho-Jo's head if the team feels a change to the coaching staff is absolutely necessary. In the end, it comes down to the execution of the players, and right now, many of these players should be executed. Rumors are abound. But until any action is taken, it's little more than idle talk.

But, failing everything else, the Mets could always try to fire Willie Randolph again.