Exactly 50 years after the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants left New York brokenhearted, the New York Mets left their fans in stunned disbelief not seen by New York National League fans since Bobby Thomson hit the shot heard 'round the world off Ralph Branca in 1951, sealing what was both a monumental collapse and comeback in one felt swoop. How fitting they played the Florida Marlins on fan appreciation day at Shea, especially given that now fans of both teams know what it is to have something of great potential taken away from them.
For the first time ever a team leading by seven games this late has blown it. Obviously a good, hot Philadelphia Phillies team did what they had to do and took care of business. However to lose eight home games in a row (Citi Field can't come fast enough) including games to the likes of the cellar dwelling Marlins and Washington Nationals is clearly unacceptable. And from the owner on down there wasn't one voice being publicly adamant about this team whipping itself back into shape. Clearly someone must take the fall.
To their credit, since Omar Minaya and Willie Randolph arrived the Mets have done nothing but win. However if I'm the Mets Rick Peterson and Rickey Henderson have to go and Willie must be allowed to bring in his own coaches. The Mets did hit well with HoJo as hitting coach, but at first base the Mets would do well to bring back fan favorite and former fellow coach with the New York Yankees Lee Mazzilli as the first base coach and as for pitching coach how about another guy Willie and Mets fans know all too fondly, Mel Stottlemyre.
In the off-season Minaya did nothing significant to upgrade the roster. He went from the clutch but oft-injured Cliff Floyd to the clutch but oft-injured Moises Alou in leftfield. Kept Julio Franco who served no purpose because they were tight in their Texas Rangers days. Then instead of retaining Chad Bradford and Darren Oliver who'd pitched brilliantly out of the pen and Heath Bell, he brings back Mr. Steroid Guillermo Mota whom he knew full well would be suspended for 50 games right off the bat and he trades Brian Bannister to the Kansas City Royals where he won 12 games this season for the second coming of Mel Rojas in Ambiorix Burgos.
This all the while knowing he had two 40 something's prone to break down at any second in Tom Glavine and Orlando Hernandez. Couple that with the fact he had to know Pedro Martinez and Duaner Sanchez would be out until at least August if not later. In addition this might be more the ownership than Omar, but knowing this about the rotation and their troubles at leftfield and second base, they could've gone after a Gil Meche type or the most logical fit for versatility Alfonso Soriano. Finally at the trade deadline they need pitching (and who doesn't these days), especially bullpen help and what do they get? A nice player in Luis Castillo, but certainly not anybody who's going to put you over the top.
Mets fans were left fuming, perhaps it was from frustration of the former New York Yankee managing in their dugout or the former Atlanta Brave pitching on the mound. Perhaps they should've have known better than to have been teased once again. Perhaps they should've just listened to Jimmy Rollins all along, that in fact they were just doomed from the start.
I think both Willie and Omar didn't do a good job.
Now thinking in 2008 they need better pitchers in the bullpen and starters for sure,aslo a better first baseman then that piece man Delgado and a few other players that did't do #### for the team.
they do need to fire Randolph...not doing so leaves the team going into 2008 with the same staff that doomed them in 2007...better to clean house and put this season far behind them...
Willie and Omar "have done nothing but win' win what? The last 100 games they played .500 ball..In final games ,10 errors in 2gms..Jose Reyes was about 0 for Sept, dropped 28 points. Reyes has angered the NL with his strutting when they were 11 runs ahead.Worse than hi-school level mental miscues--Little League at times.Omar and willie need to go,no fire left in them after last 2 yrs and who will trust them to plan future when their past shows what they are failures..No wonder teams stayed away from Willie when he was "available " for manager slot.
I'm not a Mets fan, so I have no "dog in this fight". But to tell Mets fans as I said every year until 2004: Next Year Baby.
The tragic thing about this debacle is that Glavine, a future HOFer may be remembered as the guy who gave up 7 runs in 1/3 IP. That's about a big a shame as the bozos who are across the East River make Wakefield the goat in '03 and forget the fact that he probably saved the Red Sox season in '04.
If the Mets fire Randolph, they should fire Omar as well. If it were me, I'd have Joe Girardi's number on speed dial.
LOL and sorry guys- A BoSox Fan...Mookie bleep bleep Wilson and Ray bleep bleep bleep Knight
They're not gonna fire Randolph, they've invested too much into him. And they'd be stupid to fire Petersen, he's done too much for the team. Put Maine and Perez with a different coach and I guarantee they don't even come close to winning 15 a piece. You guys are too caught up in the "what have you done for me lately" mentality. I am a die hard Mets fans, always have been always will be, and even I knew that this wasn't their year... last year was.
And, yes Shadrox, Willie and Omar have brought winning NL baseball back to New York, when was the last time the Mets had a losing record? Did someone just say Howe and Phillips. Firing Omar would drive the final nail into their coffin. Remember Mets fans, had it not been for Omar we'd still be dealing with Duquette dealing away prime prospects for lackluster players.
Last edited by stevea200 on October 1st at 10:59 AM.
The Mets lost because they think who the heck they are, especially Reyes. dancing and discoing in the dugout with all his stupid and immature gyrations with Delgado!!! He even thinks he is better than Jeter. LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL
Lo Duca is nothing but a whiner!! Want some cheese with that whine Paul???
How many grimacing faces can one baby make?? I really thing Wright is a woman when he speaks, but all in all, they are all HOTDOGS thinking they are the AMAZINS.
I guess they are....THE AMAZINS DISGRACE
WELL I just heard from most of the sports media that the Mets are the most hated team in the National League and the most co ckiest!!
The Yanks and Arod might be hated , BUT NOT THAT MUCH and not in the same way, and that they have more class!!!!
LOL This is the funniest thing I seen this year. The Mets Fans trashtalking that they are the best team in New York. I don't want to hear another Met Fan saying something like that ntil the year 2010 maybe. They are so dumb for pissing off the Marlins. You don't give an out of contention team some incentive to beat you. Jose Jose Jose should have backed down. LOL
I never would have predicted that the Yankees will be in the playoffs and The Mets are not after two months in the season. I Love Baseball. LOL
This will never be forgotten just like what happened to The Yankees in 2004. It is almost on that same level.
Where are the Brooklyn Dodgers.
Last edited by Gangreen4 on October 1st at 11:47 AM.
Good God man...Are you an English as a second language student or are you just a naturally poor writer? Seriously dude, when you learn to write in coherent sentences I'll come back and mock you just for being a Mets fan and not for being a Mets fan and a ####.
Not even the great Yankees teams of the 1920's
or the Dodgers of the '40's and '50's continued winning forever.
It is, however, encouraging to see that all the millions, spent by both the Yankees and Mets, just to win a championship didn't work this year.
GO BRAVES!!!!
Come on!!! This is not Willie Randolphs fault at all. And I don't want to hear how Omar didn't do anything in the offseason or at the trade deadline. The first thing Omar did when he got here was SPEND A TON of cash on this team bringing in all kinds of talent. They were immeadiately recognized as playoff contenders. It wasn't much fun as a Phillie fan to watch Omar grab up and overpay all the free agent talent 2 years ago. It wasn't fun to watch Billy Wagner leave or to see Glavine take the Phillies' brass for a free lunch then sign with the Mets. There is a lesson learned here for Mr. Big Pants Stogie Smokin' Omar Minaya. Spending tons on a team doesn't always win championships. It's been a few years since the Yanks won it all, hasn't it? Hopefully the Mets never will win it again. Because right now they are the most obnoxious trash-talking dweebs in all of sports. The Mets fans are like Paul Lo Duca....
Why fire Willie or Omar? They did not throw pitches or played on the field. Lets be real..the pitching sucked and the bats were not alive all season....no comeback METS like we know and appreciate over the years. You need to keep john maine, el duque, pedro martinez and oliver perez needs to undergo major head case treatment. Forget Mr. 300 Glavine.. his heart is still in Atlanta...revamp the whole bullpen.. keep only... up and down heilman, feliciano, sosa. Lets trade everyone else...as for your lineup..get rid of loveable lo duca, green, alou and trade milledge.
Go after a real hitting outfielder, keep castillo and delgado and go after a proven catcher ...not an old catcher..and lets give reyes a reality check. The METS COLLAPSED SO WHAT..METS FAN HAVE ALWAYS DEALT WITH BAD YEARS...I KEEP WATCHING AND GO TO GAMES BUT CHANGES HAVE TO BE MADE TO THE TEAM.. NOT COACHING.. THESE GUYS ARE NOT IN COLLEGE ANYMORE OR THE MINORS.. LETS BE REAL
This team with the exception of Willie and Wright, has no class. Until they change the way that they carry themselves, they will continue to play in the shadow of the Bombers! GO YANKS!!!!! #27 in "07
Who are you referring to, and you are so rude to whoever it is?
Are you sticking to the subject to make a baseball post? Do you know what baseball is? Or are you grading papers?
RKYANKEES,
You hit the nail on the head..
NO CLASS!! They think they are it.
Wonderful post, I thank you for saying what I think all the time!
All the sports media even today said that the entire national league hates the Mets. No class, hotdogs,
show offs..
Mets need some class. Reyes is a punk. LoDuca is a blow-hard. Pedro is, well just sort of broke. El Duque is OLD. Phillies have some ball players. Guys with some grit who aren't making excuses, just plays. Utley, Rowand, and Rollins go out and get the job done. The only thing wrong with the Phillies is their #### manager.
Q: "Shadrox, Willie and Omar have brought winning NL baseball back to New York, when was the last time the Mets had a losing record?"
A: For the last two-thirds of the 2007 season: 55-57 in their final 112 games.
Q: Why?
A: Lots of poor performances (offensively as well as defensively), but ultimately, a poor manager who didn't know how to turn things around. He made the same poor decisions time after time after time: he didn't know how to use the ample talent at his disposal to postively impact a poor performance, and similarly he didn't know when to not tinker. I lost count of how many times he pulled a pitcher (even a relief one) who was performing well to allow a pinch hitter, only to see the bullpen blow up.
Undoubtedly the players should be taking a long hard look at how they have under-performed since May, but its the management that should take the blame for not identifying and rectifying the problems early on.
Hopefully, Willie has his details on monster.com :-)
I am a big Mets fan and I must admit they are not a likeable team. In years past when the Mets would lose in the playoffs, I felt as sorry for the players as I did for myself. Not this year! Their showboating arrogance has only made me feel sorry for myself. Reyes, grow up!!
The Mets problem is that they depend to much on older players. It's good to have some veterans. But don't expect them to carry most of the load. I think they should let Alou, Glavine, Green, Valentin and Laduca go. Use that money to get quality YOUNG pitching. Then somebody needs to tell Jose Reyes he's not a homerun hitter. After Reyes hits a homerun he changes his swing causing infield pop-outs. And Omar Minaya you can't employ the Dominiquen National Team. Arrogance on the Mets is a problem and Willie maybe mistakes it with confidence. Make every contract performance based and baseball becomes old school baseball again.
Last edited by p1nieves on October 1st at 6:41 PM.
I agree with you kelly..even though im a Mets fan with the exception of David Wright i dont feel sorry for these losers...i found their Coocaracha dance after each home run sickening and they have no heart...their appearance in the playoffs would have been a sham as they played 500 baseball after May...then again i dont see anyone in the NL doing anything exciting in the playoffs as they all stink...the AL teams are far better...the prospects of the Phils against the Yankees, Bosox, Indians or Angles in the world series is downright laughable...would be a Massacre...Phillies only made it because the rest of the NL east is pitiful..includng the Mets...
I've been a Mets fan for 35 years. A ton of downs and a few ups within that time frame. This is just another one of the downs. I honestly don't know what to say. I think the "true" mets fans knew this was not the year. It was painfully obvious by August that this was over. Too many troubling signs early. I agree with the arrogance comments and the showboating. Too many flattering headlines went to their heads. I don't agree with Willie's style and Omar is an #### for not going after some quality pitchers. We can all make excuses all we want. I will boil this down to a very simple fact.
"THIS METS TEAM HAD NO FIRE AND NO HEART! ALL SMACK AND NO ATTACK!"
Congrats to the Phils for wanting it more and having the players with the fire and the heart to go and get it. Same goes to the Yanks. I hate you both equally as sports rivals, but must applaud a great run. Good luck in the postseason. No visions of granduer for 2008 either. This meltdown is going to take more than one off season to fix.
Good point left hooka. David Wright is one of the few classy players on the Mets. And yes, it would have been a shame if they made the playoffs with their cockiness. Maybe this is exactly what they needed! Dare we say "wait till next year" again??
Can you imagine Keith Hernandez or Gary Carter watching the bullpen blow 5 run leads night after night without going to the mound to straighten these guys out? That team had leaders and fighters. This team has none of that. When the tough got going they folded with no fight. Hey guys. The Phillies swept u twice. Do you think maybe its time to look like u give a damn? The 86 Mets would have leveled the Phils before letting them #### slap them like that. I think the proof that this team has no identity and no heart is the fact that they didnt even have a winning record at home. If they did have heart they wouldnt let other teams come to their ballpark and beat them consistently like teams did all year long. There are no easy remedies for next year. The pitching is in dissaray and Willie has to bring some discipline back to this team. You would have thought that after coming close last year these guys would have been focused instead of doing the CHA CHA CHA in the dugout before the game was over. Reality check time Willie and Minaya.
To Eil & Other Cavemen:
When you win 27 titles with the same players, you can spout that pseudo-macho BS about "class," "honor," & "tradition"--as it is, you're just cheering for the best money manager, which is pretty boring. (And if you think Mr. Slappy is "class," or his treatment last year at the hands of his supposed "fans" smacks even slightly of "honor," you're deluding yourself.)
Yeah, maybe they win & maybe they don't. It's a good game, regardless, & we like our team. "What have you done for me lately" logic doesn't work as a long-term attitude.
WEEN HITS NYC, 11/30-12/1
Last edited by CaballoVerde on October 1st at 7:57 PM.
hahahahaha!!!!!! the mets choked big time lol. that has to be very very embarassing. if it is anyones fault though, it has to be the players. they had a seven game lead, and they blew it.
As I said, Great Met Fans....You have to be my favorite and most honest Mets Fans and most Polite.
I wish you all Well and luck for next year. You deserve it for the pain caused for you this season.
I guarantee things will be different and you will be the leaders next year!!!
Trust an old wise baseball Gal..
Kelly..Enjoy the Game and thanx,
Eileen
Verdi..
LOL, you bought
Our El Duque
Spencer
Henderson
Willie
You want our Posada, Arod
pedro
glavine
wagner
beltran
greene and many more
what do you call that you hypocrate????
I'm sorry, but I thought sports were suppose to be competitive. A stupid dance after a homerun, or strikeout, does not demean a respective person's class... it's a celebration. If a team can't take another team's celebration then maybe they should stop their biotching and find a new career. This emphasis on sportsmanship is the equivalent to a political correctness; it's destroying sports as we know it. Grow up, people. It's a game. And everyone's talking like the Phillies have class... if your standards of class in concerns to the Mets mean anything, then the Phils don't have class either. I've seen more leisurely walks around the basepaths and more fist pitcher fistpumps from them than any other team.
Last edited by stevea200 on October 1st at 8:13 PM.
ok so you say to let willie bring in his own coaches,why would he want mazzilli and mel.? if you want him to have his own coaches then let him have his own coaches.
wow, that was a compelling rebuttal. do me a favor, eli, let's put a bit more oomph into our conversation, okay? once again, you're equating celebration with acting out... not the case. you're obviously a Yankee fan (no worries, I won't hold that against you... although it does speak volumes of your articulation) I can't think of one instance, ONE, in which a Met had acted in such an "classy" manor as A-Rod did on the basepaths in Toronto, or Giambi during his witchhunt hearings. That's, as you so elegantly put it, the epitome of immature, is it not? Maybe we should all rethink accusations before flinging them about.
I am referring to their dancing and jumping up and down in the dug out and getting ahead of themselves even when Main won.
They should have not been so happy, it was not over and if you really want to know it, I am also repeating what the sportscasters even the Mets own have said. They are too cocky for their own good and they are hated by the National League, so I mus be right when I throw out what I say!
Also when you are winning 8-0, there is no reason to dance, wiggle and be a schmuck like Keith indirectly said to show up the other team! Bad sportsmanship!
Yes I am a Yankee fan and thank God!
Hmmmm not a Met's fan but if I was I would be asking this guy why he wasn't saying doomed from the start when they were so far in front... Everybodies a perfect gambler in the rear view mirror!
hey mike,yes your a real yankee man,there not any red sox fan that know those guys,were HOMEGROWN..not a bad crop,would you say..i like this new crop coming up this year,looks like the yankees our going to have some pitchers for the future to
My name is Mike Gwizdala and I live in Albany, N.Y. The Capitol of the Empire State. I'm probably the biggest most knowledgeable , opinionated sports fan I know. First and foremost I'm an avid, die-hard New York Yankees fan. For those of you who don't know Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, Mariano Rivera and Andy Pettitte amongst others all played their Double-A ball in Albany.
