As a team, the New York Mets have fallen woefully short of their expectations this season. At 30-31, the Mets are currently in fourth place in the NL East.

For the most part, manager Willie Randolph has shouldered the brunt of the criticism stemming from the Mets' mediocre play through the first 60 games of this season.

Randolph is not the best manager in baseball. He handles his pitchers poorly and his rapport with his players is mediocre at best.

A few days ago, Randolph dug an even bigger hole for himself by unleashing this gem about race as a factor in the criticism he has received in an interview with a New Jersey newspaper;

"Is it racial?" Randolph asked. "Huh? It smells a little bit. I don't know how to put my finger on it, but I think there's something there. Herman Edwards did pretty well here and he won a couple of playoff [games], and they were pretty hard on Herm. Isiah Thomas didn't do a great job, but they beat up Isiah pretty good. ... I don't know if people are used to a certain figurehead. There's something weird about it."

First off, the comparison to Thomas is a moot point, Isiah destroyed the Knicks with his questionable (and that is a charitable use of the word) player moves and his inability to fire up his team.

Needless to say, race was not a factor in Isiah's firing. In fact, Thomas' well publicized friendship with Knicks owner James Dolan is all that kept him as coach of the Knicks despite a sexual harassment lawsuit and a lack of production from his team. But I digress.

Randolph's shortcomings as a manager are not what have brought about the fall of the New York Mets.

Granted, Randolph is leading a team with a $140 million payroll to fourth place in a somewhat mediocre division (with the obvious exception of the streaking Phillies), but Randolph has no say in where the Wilpons' money is spent.

Mets GM Omar Minaya may have completed his coup de gras last offseason when he landed the best pitcher in baseball, Johan Santana, without parting ways with super prospect Fernando Martinez.

But unfortunately for Minaya, one great move cannot erase a multitude of miscues. At the end of last season, the Mets "shockingly" collapsed over the last few games of the season en route to a second-place finish in the East and a vacation come October.

When it happened, the Mets' demise was as surprising as it was devastating for the fans in Queens. Some place the blame for this failure to close out the season squarely on Randolph's shoulders, which is just plain wrong.

A closer look at the Mets reveals a penchant on the part of Minaya to buy injury-prone veterans who are in the twilight of their illustrious careers.

Among the most notable Minaya signings to go awry are:

• Pedro Martinez, who signed a four-year, $56 million contract and proved himself to be made of glass;
• El Duque Hernandez, who has not been the pitcher the Mets have expected him to be; and of course...
• Luis Castillo, whose four-year, $25 million contract is not becoming of a player who is hitting .258.

Moises Alou has also been injured for most of the season. At least the 41-year-old Alou was not given a long-term contract.

You're currently logged into Facebook

Do you want to share your Bleacher Report activity on Facebook?