FIRING Willie Randolph is not the answer to this Met mess.
Randolph appears out as manager, but never forget that Willie is a fighter. And he can take a punch. He will not go down without a battle.
Amid wildfire reports that Randolph is done no matter what, the Mets put together one of their most impressive wins of the season last night, drilling the pitching poor Rangers, 7-1 at Shea.
“I got together with my coaches before the game and said, ‘Guys we’ve got to work harder,’ ” Randolph explained of his last stand. “You dig down deeper and work harder. I’m a fighter, when I’m losing or the team is losing, I take that real personal and I just try to find a way to get it done.”
This is Omar Minaya’s call. When I cornered Minaya in the dugout four hours before the game and asked if Randolph is history, soon to be replaced by bench coach Jerry Manuel, Minaya offered tepid support.
That’s no way to run a team. A manager cannot be left in such a vulnerable position. Same goes for pitching coach Rick Peterson.
“Willie Randolph is my manager,” Minaya said in almost robot-like fashion. “He has my support. He has the owners’ support. I believe we’re going to turn this around . . . I have confidence that Willie is going to turn this around.”
Enough confidence to say Randolph is going to be his manager for the entire season? The entire month? The next week? The weekend? The next game?
Minaya would not put a timetable on the table. That means Randolph and Peterson are inning to inning. Randolph has Minaya’s support, though.
Randolph knows the deal. He’s in survival mode.
“Listen, Omar and I are tight,” he said. “We’re on the same page. It doesn’t matter what anyone says, it’s about winning ballgames.”
Instead of words of support it would be nice to have a left fielder. Moises Alou was again put on the disabled list yesterday, which is the second home for the 41-year-old outfielder. The Mets did acquire Trot Nixon.
“Every team has injuries,” Minaya said, downplaying the fact that the Mets are essentially playing an Atlantic League corner outfield and Alou has been injured just about the entire season. When your left fielder is down and your first baseman is not the run-producer he once was, and your best run-producer (Ryan Church) is out with a concussion, why is it such a shock the Mets have had trouble getting the big hit.
Last night they played inspired baseball and (flip a coin) the Good Oliver Perez showed up on the mound.
Remember, GMs never fire themselves. They have the right to put their man in charge. That way Minaya can give himself a second chance to show that the roster he put together is a playoff roster like he says.
That’s Omar protecting Omar. That’s the way of the world.
Minaya is the optimistic type who probably has more friends in baseball than anyone. During batting practice opposing players and team officials always come over to offer a friendly greeting.
David Wright told me the Mets have to start playing nine innings. Wright is one of the Mets who gets it and last night they did just that. “It’s not just offensively or defensively or pitching-wise, it’s a combination, we’re not playing complete games,” he said. “We need to play complete games especially when we’re banged up like this.”
Randolph joked with a roomful of death-watch reporters after the game, saying, “I feel all the love.”
The Mets have been a mess since last year, but this is not just Randolph’s mess. This is Omar’s mess. Firing the manager is not the answer.
And keeping him in this precarious position is the best way to ensure that he fails.
That’s the real mess in all this.