Come to Think of It...Stop the Torture of Willie Randolph and Mets' Fan Base

If ever a man was in a prison without bars, it's not Pete Rose, fellas. It's Willie Randolph.

Everywhere he goes, everything he says, anything he does, is preceded or followed by the inevitable cloud of doom that says his standing as Mets' manager is in jeopardy.

Now, the latest is that Wilpon, Minaya & Co. may temorarily spare the embattled Mets' field boss and focus on some of his coaches instead.

This is another form of torture for Randolph.  These are his guys, the coaches he brought with him, the ones he feels are doing a good job and working hard for him.  Perhaps they are the only ones loyal to him, which is important when surrounded by vultures circling above your head.

Look, I'm not saying that the Mets should keep Randolph. True, he can't go out and pitch and hit for his players, but he does share some culpability in both last season's collapse and this year's lackluster performance.

I'm just saying, do something...anything...that will bring about some resolution and end this circus.  Fire Randolph and start from scratch, or, issue a statement saying his job is good through the end of the year when he will be evaluated based on his team's final performance. If they lose, he's gone, end of story.

After all, he is a man and as a man, he deserves some dignity and respect. Mets fans also deserve to know what's going on; that there is a plan, and a recognition by management that they shouldn't have to read about his job status every damn day.

It gets old, both for Randolph and for the fans.

It gets tiring, and takes the focus away from where it truly belongs. It should be with the talent on the field, and what the GM is going to do to improve things and change the mix.

It gets anti-climatic, because we've read this novel before.  We've seen this movie. We know how it's going to end.  Barring a quick turnaround, it won't be pleasant, especially the longer this gets dragged out.

Make a decision Mets brass, and make it soon. Come to think of it, why put off for tomorrow what you can do today?