As I said a month or two back, I was going to try not to post when the Mets are slumping. Each attempt to dissect another loss only made me relive those horrible games and besides, there's plenty other bloggers venting their spleens.
The obvious problem: when one chooses not to blog about Mets losses, one is ignoring about 98 percent of what the 2008 Mets are about.
So I'm coming out of self-censorship for the weekend, because it looks like the end is near for Willie. Lots of stories are popping up. Whether or not Willie is ultimately and exclusively to blame for the state of the Mets is a subject for another post.
Here's the latest from Jon Heyman. All I can say is, Jerry Manuel gets you nothing. Better off bringing in fresh blood:
Willie Randolph's status as Mets manager is extremely tenuous now.
General manager Omar Minaya is seriously considering changing managers
and at least a couple of the team's coaches, sources told SI.com.
A
Mets official indicated that nothing was expected to be decided today
regarding Randolph's status. But that doesn't preclude something from
happening later this weekend. Front-office sources indicate his hold on
the job is shaky, at best.
Should Randolph be fired, bench coach Jerry Manuel will take over, sources told SI.com.
Minaya
and other club higher-ups met Thursday to discuss the deteriorating
fortunes of the team and what can be done about it. Minaya is
considered extremely loyal by co-workers and has been Randolph's
strongest supporter for weeks. As one Mets person put it, "Willie's his
guy.'' However, Randolph's detractors have become more vocal in recent
days, and there seems to be a general feeling that something major
needs to be done to reinvigorate the club, which trails the first-place
Phillies by 7 1/2 games and has lost lost six of seven after a brief
surge.
Mets people believe they can't start completely anew and
would prefer to at least employ someone who's witnessed the first
portion of the schedule up close. Manuel, a former Manager of the Year
with the White Sox, would be given the rest of the season to turn things around.
Minaya
is also weighing other changes, which could include removing hitting
coach Howard Johnson and pitching coach Rick Peterson, sources
indicate. Some organization people believe sweeping changes must be
tried.
Triple-A New Orleans pitching coach Dan Warthen would be a candidate to take over for Peterson.
Randolph's contract runs through 2009 and calls for him to be paid $2 million this year and $2.25 million next year.
Foxsports.com reported yesterday that Randolph's status was "day-to-day."
