MLB: Willie Randolph To Join ESPN's Baseball Tonight Crew

Just days after Willie Randolph was fired by Mets general manager Omar Minaya, ESPN has hired Randolph to help analyze games.

The suggestion was made by Steve Phillips, who was a general manager for the Mets and now works for Baseball Tonight.

ESPN's lead producer, John Grason, said in a statement late Saturday night, "We figured that if Steve can provide nothing close to insightful commentary, we might as well let Willie have a shot at it."

Also, Grason said he was intrigued by the idea that every question Randolph was asked, he could turn them into racial issues.

It might be a good thing for ESPN, seeing as TNT has had success after their hire of Charles Barkley to do the late-night breakdowns. Barkley has been one of the most popular analysts, despite  not saying one constructive thing.

When asked whether Mariners recently-fired manager John McLaren would join the crew, Grason noted that, "we're a family station, and he cusses far too much."

Grason was quick to note that in a SportsCenter segment, McLaren required a record 39 bleeps during a press conference.

I'm truly hoping that everything works out for Randolph, because if not, he might just join Jesse Jackson on his career path.

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