The Mets Police

Yankee fans need to stop looking up at the Rays and Boston. You are starting Carl Pavano tomorrow. It's over. Jeter got old, Torre left town and you're moving across the street.

You need to look over your shoulder. Yeah, that's Toronto. How did they get there?

The BJ's are one game behind you.

Say the NYYs finish FOURTH. Is Joe Girardi coming back? George might be in bad shape but he ain't dead.

Girardi's going to finish fourth (with George reading the Tampa Whateverpaper celbrating the Rays division title) and Girardi's going to return? Is this really the Yankees?

Girardi gets to finish fourth while the Mets go to the playoffs? No way.

So if not Girardi then who. One name that often comes up is Bobby Valentine. Former Mets manager. Great choice if you enjoy finishing second.

Mattingly has a job with Joe Torre.

What ex-big league manager is out there who has experience managing in NYC and is a former Yankee captain. That's right, Willie.

Good idea? No way. Just look at the 2007 and 2008 Mets.

Possible? Oh yeah. I can picture the back page of the Post now.


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Yeah they won tonight, but at this point one win isn't going to stop the Willie Watch.

As I travel around the New York area telling tales of Lee Mazzilli, I am finding that there are actual adults in their twenties who are big Mets fans and they've never heard of him.

Once upon a time there was something called the late seventies. Tom Seaver was gone and the Mets sucked. They were awful. Hopeless. Managed by a guy named Joe Torre that made Jeff Torborg look like a genius in comparison. The only question about every season was whether or not they would finish last or if the Cubs would. Meanwhile in the Bronx, well maybe you've heard of Reggie Jackson.

In this mess was a good looking kid from Brooklyn named Lee Mazzilli. He was #16 and the centerfielder. In his most awesome year he hit .303 with 15 HRs and 79 RBI. In post-steroid numbers that's say 25 homers and 100 RBI in 1998. Amazing? No. But he was all we had. There would be one Met on the All Star team and he was it.

They traded Lee in 1982 but that trade eventually turned into Ron Darling and Howard Johnson, so it's hard to complain.

In 1986 the amazing did happen and Lee came back and got a ring with the Mets!

You youngsters probably remembering him coaching for Torre's Yankees for most of the good years, and Lee does have managerial experience with the Orioles.

It's time for a change in Flushing. Lee works for the organization (the tv network) and is a fan favorite. There is no obvious heir apparent. It's time to pacify the fans and the cranky bloggers and make the change...to a Brooklyn boy and a fan fave. It's time for Lee Mazzilli

I know he has to say this but...

"This team never gives up. They've got to know that no one's going to feel sorry for us," manager Willie Randolph said. "And we can't feel sorry for ourselves. The morale will be fine. We'll be fine. These guys have been around long enough to know this is part of the game. It's a tough part of the game, but we have to fight through it."

"This team never gives up" a 7 game lead with 17 to play.

"They've got to know that no one's going to feel sorry for us," especially arrogant bloggers.

"We'll be fine." Yep. Everything will be fine. They'll sweep Arizona and take two of three from Texas. Articles will be written about how great Pedro is. Then they'll drop 6 of 8 and it will be two weeks closer to the end of the season.

A few years ago I was an extra at Yankee Stadium in the Adam Sandler movie Anger Management. During that long night (I was there from about 10:30 pm to 5:00 am) I learned quite a bit about being an extra - but one thing that really stuck was the phrase "Back To One."
Back To One was used by the production crew when they had to reshoot a scene - everyone had to go back to the spot they were at for the start of the scene - back to your first position - back to one.

It seems to me that that Mets over the last year keep going Back To One - they move forward a little, gain some ground, then something happens and they fall back to where they started, back to the position they were in when they started - they go Back To One.

That is Willie Randolph's legacy with the Mets: Back To One.

Two weeks ago the Mets returned home from out west under .500 having been swept by the Rockies, ready to take on a first place team at home.

Tonight the Mets are returning home from out west under .500, having been swept by the Padres, ready to take on a first place team at home.

Back To One

The Mets go over .500 then go under .500

Back To One

Willie is on the hot seat - Willie is safe

Back To One

It's time to start the next scene. Time to wrap up this one and stop going

Back To One

Three straight one-run losses

2-4 on current road trip

Fourth place

6 1/2 games back

Why was Sandy Alomar holding Wright up at 3rd?

How can you score only one run with the bases loaded and none out?

The Red Sox guy pitches tomorrow, but the way the bats have been silent, and with Church still out...

tick...tick...tick...

These are two sentences that I read in Newsday. They worry me.

Nuñez was batting .133 (6-for-45) at New Orleans. Randolph indicated he could use him to spell either David Wright or Luis Castillo.

You're going to "rest" Wright for Abraham Nunez? Really?

Willie had a nice week. It's over. I'm restarting the Willie Must Go brigade. Who's in?

Bloggers Unite!

Another loss.

Another Reyes Error. Appropriately he made the last out.

Willie is still here, without any guarantee for his job.

Mets lose again. I'm completely disgusted with this franchise, which is why this blog exists. The stated mission of The Mets Police is to call the Mets on the carpet for the stupid things they do. This was stupid. No vote of confidence nor a change.

So now the fanbase will be louder and louder and eventually Willie will go down. Omar you are now on watch too. Wilpons....sigh....you rarely get anything right. Please just go buy the damn Dodgers.

I propose to all Mets fans that we take the old negative "Dar-yl" chant that the Red Sox fans started....and we chant Wil-lie. Wil-lie. All game long, every game, until anyone else manages this team.

(In happier news, New York Times now using "Willie Watch" - you're welcome Times!. It's right here in the last sentence of this article: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/27/sports/baseball/27randolph.html?ref=sports)

Willie stays for now. I'm BBQing with friends and family so a quick hit from the Mets Police.


No guarantee from owners on how long.

Mistake on the Mets part - the fans stay unruly, the team stays distracted.

NY Post reporting the meeting was at 2, and that Wilpons showed up at 1:20. My spidey sense thinks they all announce Willie will be the guaranteed manager for the year (to shut up dopey bloggers). Second place spidey sense says Jerry Manuel becomes "interim manager" for the year (boy that would be silly on several levels).

Unrelated - why are some basbeall teams off today? Hey MLB, nice head.

Also: The Mets' June 1 home game against the Dodgers has been switched to an 8 p.m. start to accommodate ESPN. (NY Post)

Always happy to share a link that links Lee Mazzilli and the manager's job.

Mr. Flushing - Mets News, Audio, Video, Pictures and Analysis: Choosing the New Mets Manager

Watching the game - doing this from memory, but apparently Omar said he, Willie and the Wilpons will meet when they get back to New York. Omar also said he supports the manager but would not refute that Willie is imminent danger. Stay tuned. As I type Marlon Anderson got hurt and well, looks like I get to play left field since there's nobody left.

Seems every ex-Met wants a shot at managing them. Today Gary Carter - who is currently managing the Orange County Flyers in the Independent Golden League out in California - said he would love to manage the Mets and is available if they want him.

Interviewed on SIRIUS' The Mike & Murray Show, Carter was not shy about it (what a shock):

"Boy, I’ll tell you what, I would love that, guys. When I saw that on ESPN today, Mike & Mike, they were talking about it and immediately I got on the phone and I called Jay Horowitz and I asked, ‘Should I try to call Mr. Wilpon?’ If there is this going on I just want them to know of my availability. I’m only a phone call away because my contract allows me to leave the ball club. I could be in New York tomorrow, if necessary, because if there’s anything at the major league level I can leave this job."

I love Gary, but let's be realistic about this. Carter managed the Port St' Lucie Mets a few years back, and after a good year the organization asked him to move up to a higher level - he refused. For him it was either the major leagues or he was going home to California. He has never managed or coached at level higher than A. Backman has a better shot than he does.

This is a completely unconfirmed report from another blog, but according to The 'Ropolitans Mets GM Omar Minaya is on his way to Denver, where the Mets have a weekend series against the Rockies.

Could it be that if the team doesn't bail Willie out with some W's this weekend that our wish will finally be granted?

Get ready for that press conference on Monday.

Tick.....tick......tick

Francesca says that Keith told him that he'd manage the Mets if asked. Wow. I never thought he'd ever say yes. We all know from the 80s that Keith is a leader, and knew pitchers - he's a fan fave, was the captain, and has baseball smarts. They should consider asking.

Speaking of Keith - he and the boys have a new website
http://www.garykeithandron.com/

And I made some tweaks to make this thing load faster. Sorry for the slow loads. So the fun countdown to the hypothetical press conference is gone, and I close the poll. Final results of "If not Willie...who?" poll with original Keith won't do it phrasing.

Lee Mazzilli 28 (38%)

Wally Backman 18 (24%)

Jerry Manuel 4 (5%)

Keith Hernandez (who won't do it) 7 (9%)

Somebody Else 16 (21%)

Willie is done in New York, at this point it's not if but when. The problems with this team go beyond the manager though.

Losing with Santana on the mound doesn't help the Willie Watch. By the time Santana starts again, someone else will be manager.

Peter Gammons was just on ESPN's Mike & Mike In The Morning Show and when asked about Randolph had this to say:

"To be honest, I think that if there were another manager out there that they thought was an immediate fix, Willie would be gone."

Gammons continued that maybe there needs to be a fire lit under the team and that Jerry Manuel, while a good man, is too much like Willie.

Peter, as we have been saying here at the Mets Police for a few weeks now, there is someone that can step in immediately.

Let the Lee countdown clock start.

While we here at The Mets Police are clearly in favor of the Mets firing Randolph, we have restrained from name calling - not so others. There is a scathing article by Paul Ruddick at The Sports Network in response to Willie's racial/it's not racial comments:

"Randolph is a moron, plain and simple. It's a desperate move to pull the race card. I am almost embarrassed to admit that Randolph was one of my idols growing up."

He continues with something most of us have been thinking about: "I used to wonder why it took Randolph so long to become a manager. Now I know why. He is just not that good. There is a reason he was passed over for just about every job in the league. Maybe he doesn't have the temperament to be a big league skipper."

Ruddick goes on to suggest taht Willie's replacement should not be Lee as we feel, but rather Wally Backman. While I love Backman and agree with Ruddick that he has been short-changed, I don't see Wilpon willing to give him another chance in MLB.

Randolph digging his own grave in New York