Willie Randolph is Fired

Wow. After waiting for this moment for quite some time I'm almost at a loss for words.

Almost.

A friend of mine told me Willie Randolph would be fired today, but I didn't believe him. The timing didn't seem right. On the radio today, you'll hear Yankee fans and sports talk hosts whine about the way the Mets handled Randolph's firing and how they made him fly to the West coast only to be fired.

Poor, poor Willie.

Guess what people. If he was a middle manager in the marketing department of a major corporation and got fired after a business trip, you wouldn't care so let's not shed a tear for Willie Randolph. Here's a man making millions of dollars for not managing a team very well. The man behind the largest collapse in baseball history and who couldn't find a winning streak if it fell in his lap and we're going to feel sorry for him because he was fired after having to fly (on a chartered plane no less) to the West Coast?

Cry me a river.

Here's the real reason they fired Willie Randolph today. The Mets just won a game that no one expected them to win. After playing a double header on Sunday, the Mets had to fly to California and face a top AL team with their worst pitcher on the mound with limited rest. I fully expected them to lose. But they didn't.

By firing Willie on the West Coast, it allows Jerry Manuel some time away from the New York hub bub to get some games under his belt as the top dog and sort out his new coaching staff.

Now I fully believe that Willie Randolph should have been fired on Memorial Day, but hindsight is always 20/20. This team needed a change and the players didn't need the fate of their manager to be hanging over their heads for another 3 months. I'm glad it's done.

Best of luck Jerry Manuel. Let's get a few more wins.