Disgrace, bush league, travesty, amateurs, incompetents, nincompoops, you name it, the Mets have been called it. I have to admit, I am still upset about this entire affair. However I honestly am not that bent out of shape in that Willie Randolph was fired or that it happened in the middle of the night eastern daylight time.

When I awoke and saw the alert on SNY that Willie had indeed been fired, I had two reactions. My first reaction was they finally pulled the trigger on what had been rumored for quite some time. The other reaction was I assumed the Mets had lost the game (they won) and it had become the last straw. The point is my initial reaction was not how the Mets could have done the “dastardly deed” in the middle of the night. In retrospect my anger was fueled by the media who jumped on the storyline in regards to the late hour on the west coast in which the firing occurred. After absorbing the last 48 hours I’m a little puzzled at the media’s reaction. You would have thought the Mets had Tony Soprano take Willie for a ride on his boat, the “Stugatz”.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not going to spin the story into the Mets favor. There is no question Omar Minaya could have done a better job of changing managers. For what ever reason, pressure from the Wilpons or Tony Bernazard who appears to maintain an unusual amount of power, Omar did what he did and in the press conference stood fast that it was his decision alone. I believe him. I don’t think the organization messed up as much as Omar messed up.

In my last article I wrote with my emotions in total control of how much I now hate the Mets. That I have had time to settle down, perhaps I can make myself a bit clearer. I’m upset with the Mets because once again the franchise is in total turmoil. It’s also upsetting because when the media gets an opportunity to bash the Mets, they never disappoint. Since the end of that wonderful era of the 1980’s the Mets have been a hated team in this town. No question that at times they have deserved it. The papers love the Yankees and they hate the Mets. My anger is not directed at the papers it is directed at the Mets because they continually put themselves in these negative positions. The Mets seem to open their mouths to change feet.

I thought after 2006, the Mets were headed in the right direction. The assumption was that the Mets would make several post season appearances over the next several years. But unfortunately that has not happened. The Mets held first place for the majority of the 2007 season but could not get it done wasting an opportunity to win back to back division titles for the first time in their history. Omar made some good deals over the winter acquiring Ryan Church and Brian Schneider by giving up Lastings Milledge. The Mets gave up a lot of talent to obtain Johan Santana. Things were looking bright heading into the season. But the collapse of 2007 just would not let go.

At the start of the season the injury bug plagued the Mets starting with Pedro Martinez in his first start of the season. Shortly after, Moises Alou went to his familiar spot on the disabled list. He played in one game since his return then went back on it again. Luis Castillo, 32, has the legs of a 70 year old man. This was a terrible signing by Omar. Then of course, there was the concussion incident with Ryan Church. In fairness to Willie Randolph, these injuries with nagging bumps and bruises to others never gave the manager the chance to consistently field the team he thought he would have. Never the less and perhaps unfairly, that cannot be used as an excuse. The most frustrating thing about the players that were in the game every day was their lack of focus, hustle, and overall inconsistent play. Plus there was the tremendous problem of not being able to hit with runners in scoring position. Combine that with an up and down bullpen and starting staff, it wasn’t that difficult to see that Willie Randolph’s job was in jeopardy. No paper, blog, or TV outlet felt that firing the manager was unjustified in the days prior to the axing. Yet when it happened, they jumped all over the way it happened. Again I’m not defending the Mets. The organization should have handled this better. But the media’s reaction was more like a school of sharks in a feeding frenzy. A large part of the media simply hates the Mets. In this age of media types wearing the colors of their favorite team on their sleeve, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out most in New York are Yankee fans.

And don’t give me this crap that it’s the worst firing in New York baseball history. Oh really? What about Billy Martin, Bob Lemon, Dick Houser, Yogi Berra? I suppose those firings were all done with class. Even the way the Yankees ushered Joe Torre out of town was a bit tasteless but because it was the exalted Yankees, I guess its okay. Once again, I am not defending how the Mets handled the situation with Randolph but don’t give me this garbage that nothing was ever done as bad. That’s just nonsensical. If it was the worst, it wasn’t by much.

The Mets do have issues though and one points to assistant GM Tony Bernazard. He constantly gets mentioned as someone who drove wedges between Willie and the players. Why is he in the clubhouse? Bernazard is supposed to be in charge of minor league operations. Oh yeah Tony, how is that going. The point is the Mets need to look into how their internal business operates. I’m sure this same sort of things happen on most clubs but minimizing it can only benefit the product on the field.

Finally, this season will only be salvaged by the players. Only they can determine whether it will turn around or not. That can start by this group beginning to play with the focus and determination that new manager Jerry Manuel talked about yesterday. And while we are at it, Jerry Manuel has already brought something to the Mets we have not seen in a while, a personality. He’s funny, articulate, and does not regurgitate the same old tired clichés we seemed to be getting from Willie time and time again.

In retrospect, something had to change. Omar was not going to fire himself and he can’t fire 25 players. Willie had to go. I wish him well and no doubt in time he will land another baseball gig. Now it’s time to move forward and see if Manuel can get this team moving in the right direction. I’ll be honest. I am not confident. I think this team is what it is. As Bill Parcel has said on many occasions, you are what your record says you are. Never the less I’ll be happy if we just see a crisper more focused game of baseball from the Mets and then see if they can move ahead from there. Realistically for now, that’s all we can hope for.