A Disgaceful Firing

While I primarily write about politics here, I am also a New York Mets Fan. The story of the week for the Mets has obviously been the firing of manager Willie Randolph.

I do not believe Randolph should have been fired. I understand why he was. The Mets, with the second highest payroll in baseball, have been playing in a mediocre fashion for over a year now. They had one of the biggest collapses in the history to end last season and with expectations of a world series this season, they have a losing record this season.

But I don’t believe that the mediocre play has been a result of Randolph’s managing. I think the problem this season has been aging injury prone players and a bullpen performing far below expectations. But sometimes a change can make a difference. You can’t fire the players so you fire the manager.

But I am not sure the Mets or GM Omar Minaya could have handled the firing in a worse way. The details of the firing were leaked almost a week in advance. But Randolph was allowed/required to fly all the way to California and manage the first game of a series against the Angels (which he won) before being fired at 3:15 am (Eastern Time). In fact, Randolph had one 3 of his last 4 games. The way Randolph was fired was disgraceful.

Here is The Daily Show’s Take on the firing.