What's wrong with the Mets? Plenty. In the words of the immortal Chico Escuela, it's nothing but "bad stuff bout' the Mets". The biggest problem is their manager. Willie Randolph is clearly in over his head as a major league manager. That has never been more apparent than this season (well it has actually), where not only has he continued making bad strategic decisions, but he doesn't even have this team playing anything close to inspired baseball. This team is lifeless and already going through the motions....and it's only April. Randolph has always had a tendency to stick with his favorites through good and bad (last year it was Guillermo Mota). This year, he has used Aaron Heilman in crucial situations, and Heilman has failed miserably in most of those situations. The Rockies recently removed Manny Corpas as their closer after a poor week, so why can't Randolph use Heilman in non crucial situations until he rights the ship, similar to what Colorado is doing with Corpas? The sad truth is that Randolph will stick with Heilman again, and probably get burned again by that decision. His other poor decision has been to stick with a slumping Carlos Delgado who is now batting .198, and looking as pathetic as any player in the National League on offense and defense. I'm not saying that Delgado should lose his starting 1B job, but benching him for a few days would help. And as always, Randolph continues to be out-managed by opposing managers. He continues to misuse his bullpen, he often selects the wrong match-up when sending up pinch hitters, he takes out starters at inopportune times, and he still has never attempted a squeeze play during his tenure as Mets manager. (That may not be all that important, but it sure makes the Mets predictable). Randolph once said that he never second guesses himself. That is why he continues to make the same mistakes over and over again. Every successful manager second guesses himself and his decisions, but not self-confident Randolph. That is why he makes the same mistakes and gets burned over and over again.

This has gone on for more than three years with Randolph. But now, they look stoic at the plate, and on defense. They have quit on Randolph, just as they had in September of last year. Randolph is such a poor strategist, that if he can't at least motivate his team, there's no reason to have him stay on as Mets manager.

Sure we can point the finger at the players too, who apparently have quit on their manager, their fans, their teammates, and their city. But that is a reflection of the manager. Carlos Delgado looks uninterested on and off the field. Jose Reyes still looks tense, at times, lost on defense, and simply doesnt know how to act anymore. Carlos Beltran has looked ordinary at best, and never seems to show a sense of urgency. It is the responsibility of the manager to inspire and motivate his team to perform at their best. Randolph has been unable to get it done. In Spring Training, when many Mets were down with injuries, Randolph allowed the players to decide when to return to the lineup. That decision alone may have done Randolph in this season. There was no urgency demonstrated in Spring Training, and that has carried over into the regular season. If Randolph can't be strategic, and he can't inspire or motivate his players, he's good for nothing as a manager. When one player tried to inspire the troops despite their low-key manager(Paul LoDuca), he was dealt to Washington. It's as if Randolph didn't want a fiery player on his team. And if you still disagree, ask yourself if Lou Piniella would allow his team to play as stoic if he were managing this team. Jim Leyland gave his team 12 games before making changes and losing his temper. The result: The Tigers have been on a rampage ever since. If Leyland were managing this team, you could bet they wouldn't be loafing around as they have been this season.

The Mets are 65-67 since June 1st under Randolph's leadership. That's two games under .500 with guys like Wright, Reyes, Delgado, and Beltran anchoring the lineup. His time as Mets manager should be at an end. Your move Omar.

Mets vs Yankees Strategy

Why have the Yankees made the playoffs for 14 straight seasons while the Mets have made the playoffs twice in 20 years? There is a difference in philosophy. The Yankees stick with their farm system and use the talented players to take the place of aging veterans. That doesn't mean that the Yankees haven't dealt a promising prospect or two, but let's look at the facts. This season, the Mets have homegrown talent David Wright, Jose Reyes, and Aaron Heilman, Jose Feliciano, and Mike Pelfrey. The Yankees on the other hand have Posada, Cano, Jeter, Cabrera, Chamberlain, Rivera, Kennedy, Hughes, Bruney, Pettitte, Wang, and Ohlendorf. We can even look at the Braves who had won 13 straight division titles. Look at the homegrown stars they had that helped them reach the playoffs every year: Glavine, Javy Lopez, Ryan Klesko, Marcus Giles, Rafael Furcal, Chipper JOnes, Andruw Jones, Jeff Francouer, Jeff Blauser. This years team has Yunel Escobar, Brian McCann, Matt Diaz joining the homegrown stars. The Mets don't keep their young talent. Over the years, they have dealt away their young stars and have opted to sign free agents, most of whom have failed with the Mets. Last season, while the Yankees were struggling to make the playoffs, they turned to their youngsters like Chamberlain and Shelly Duncan to help them reach the playoffs. The Red Sox turned to youngsters like Ellsbury and Buchholz to help them reach the playoffs. The Mets, when needing a fifth starter used washed up and ineffective pitchers Jason Vargas, Brian Lawrence, and Dave Williams, rather than using Phillip Humber. The prior year, while Pelfrey and Humber were toiling in AAA, they used Jose Lima, Kaz Ishii, and a cast of joe shmoes. Naturally, Humber was dealt in the offseason. If he truley has potential to be a serviceable pitcher, we'll find that out while he's wearing another uniform, similar to what Met fans had to witness with Scott Kazmir and Brian Bannister (though Bannister pitched well during a short stint with the Mets). Bannister was dealt even though he did have a good audition with the Mets. Sure, the Mets benefited by bringing Carlos Delgado to the team in 2006, but there's no way the Marlins would deal him straight up for Mike Jacobs today, Jacobs is hitting a ton for the Marlins this season, and seems to have turned the corner. How good can Lastings Milledge be? We'll have to find out while he's wearing a Nationals uniform. How talented is Carlos Gomez? We'll have to find out while he's wearing a Minnesota uniform. Once again, I'll restate that I believe the Santana deal was a good one, and I don't blame the Mets for dealing Gomez, Humber, and Mulvey to acquire him, but it shows the philosophy that the Mets have had in place for more than fifteen years...build your farm system, then deal the kids away for "stars"....most of which are old, aging former stars.

Perhaps the Mets wouldn't be in the NL East mix otherwise, but it's hard to imagine them being much worse with Jacobs at 1B, Bannister and Humber in the rotation, Gomez and Milledge in the outfield, and Heath Bell setting up Billy Wagner. So Met fans will have to settle for Moises Alou being a part time left fielder and part time medical patient. They'll have to settle for Delgado's passive defense and anemic bat while sounding moody and non-caring during post game interviews. They'll have to settle for Ambiorix Burgos being out for the season with a bad arm, while watching Brian Bannister mow down the competition in Kansas City. They'll have to settle for Luis Castillo sitting out every third day to rest his achy knees. And they'll have to watch Aaron Heilman blow games while Heath Bell prepares to become the Padres closer. ....and so on......

The Mets need to learn from their crosstown rivals and see how it's done. As a Mets fan, it pains me to say that, but it's true. The Mets are a mess.... Unfortunately, it's nothing but bad stuff bout' the Mets.


Court Adjourned!