Willie Randolph, So Long: Mets Ditch Him on the West Coast

Forget a midnight massacre; this was a 3:14 a.m. massacre.

New York Mets fans woke up today and discovered that Manager Willie Randolph had been fired in the middle of the New York night, mere hours after the Mets finished a 9-6 victory over the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

The news was not surprising, since rumors of Randolph's firing had been rampant for about a month.

The timing, however, certainly was.

The Mets somehow thought that firing Randolph one day into a week-long West Coast road trip was less severe than firing him on Father's Day.

The Mets fired Randolph just hours after the Mets won their second game in a row, a game in which they pounded Jered Weaver.

Mets management decided that a 3:14 a.m. EST press release was the proper way to announce that they were terminating the contracts of Randolph, pitching coach Rick Peterson, and first base coach Tom Nieto, a decision that baffles just about everyone not on the Mets' management staff.

In the process, they turned a move that Mets fans wanted into another excuse to get angry at the organization.

It's tough to say whether or not Randolph deserved to lose his job.

Bill Madden, the Mets' beat writer for the New York Daily News, said on ESPN Radio's Mike and Mike in the Morning that Randolph had fallen out of favor with Jeff Wilpon after a contract negotiation in 2006.

His relationship with the Latin players on the team seemed to be strained, as shown by the general indifference of Carlos Beltran and Carlos Delgado towards his fate.

Randolph had issues overworking his relievers, although they frequently failed him even when he managed them right.

He presided over last season's historic collapse, which the Mets have not been able to shake despite persistent claims to the contrary.

But Randolph seemed to doom himself when he accused SNY and the New York media of treating him poorly because he was black.

Whether or not the comments were justified, the manager of the New York Mets can't make accusations like that, and he ultimately lost his job as a result.

Perhaps more baffling than the timing of the news is the firing of Peterson.

Peterson, who was the longest tenured member of the Mets' coaching staff (he was hired a year before Randolph), had not done a poor job in his four-plus years with the franchise.

He had a primary role in the development of John Maine and the resurrection of Oliver Perez, and had finally started to mold Mike Pelfrey in the same vein.

The Mets' pitching staff is currently ranked eighth in the National League in ERA, at 4.12. But that ERA is below the major league average (4.18) as well as the National League average (4.21).

Peterson came to the Mets in 2004 after having played a major role in the developments of Tim Hudson, Mark Mulder, Barry Zito, and Rich Harden in Oakland. Other than the flop of Victor Zambrano, you can't really find fault with his management of the Mets' pitching staff. Peterson will find another pitching coach job in the major leagues, and will help another slew of young pitchers find their potential.

It's unfair to say that Dan Wharden will not be as good a pitching coach as Peterson. But he has his work cut out for him.

Meanwhile, Jerry Manuel gets his first crack at managing since he was fired by the White Sox in 2002.

He was once the American League's Manager of the Year, leading the White Sox to 96 wins in 2000 (although the White Sox were swept by the Mariners in the Division Series).

If Randolph was criticized by the fan base for being too calm, the fan base is going to be frustrated with Manuel, who has a similar managerial style.

It would have been irresponsible for the Mets to make this move unless they had someone like Manuel in tow to take over. Manuel is certainly qualified enough to manage the team, even if he will not be around past 2008.

The book is not necessarily closed on Randolph's managerial career.

He leaves the Mets with the second-highest winning percentage of any manager in team history, behind only Davey Johnson. He leaves with a 96-win 2006 season on his resume, and was one win away from a World Series.

It took Randolph years before a team took a chance on him as a manager. It shouldn't take as long for him to get another chance.

And hopefully, he isn't fired at 3:14 a.m. next time.