Well, it was only a matter of time. The New York Mets fired manager Willie Randolph, along with most of his coaching staff, last night after a 9-6 win over the Angels in Anaheim. The executioner's axe had been raised for quite a while. During spring training, all the comments (in New York, at least) had been that the Mets, on paper, had the best team in baseball. They were the team to beat.
Well, apparently, every other team got the memo, because after last night's victory, the Mets were a game under .500 and sitting toward the bottom of the National League's Eastern division.
I'm sorry to see Willie go. He seemed like a nice guy...which doesn't necessarily translate to good manager. He was at the helm during the Mets' fantastic run last year...culminating in their historic collapse at the end of the season. I think it's a little too simplistic to lay all the blame at the manager's feet when a team is underperforming or just playing terrible ball, but I also think sometimes when a team is in a rut, things have to be shaken up. And just as the leader will get the praise for victory, they'll get the blame with defeat.
I don't think there's any good way to get fired, but I'm sure there was a better way than the way Mets management handled Willie's case last night. Good luck to him in his future endeavors, and I guess we'll find out soon enough if his leaving will turn things around for the Mets.
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