Well I guess we can take three things from Omar Minaya’s announcement of the Met’s front office decision not to fire either Jerry Manuel or his coaching staff .
1. Omar, Jeff,and Fred truly feels that this past 2-9 road trip was a aberration, and are primes to go on a hot streak.
2.They are have already conceded the 2010 season and don’t want to pay the contracts of new and old coaches.
3. They are just clueless.
Honestly would any of the three scenarios that I had just listed surprised you? I do understand that caving into the mob mentality is not necessarily the best option, but to totally turn a deaf ear to the Mets fan-base could bean possible economic suicide ! I think that it is probably a given that General Jerry’s job – and possibly Overlord Omar’s will be terminated by seasons end ( although Omar still has two years remaining on his contract so I am dubious that he gets the axe), but what kind of hope are you selling to the fans? Last night ESPN’S Buster Onley reported that the Mets were in a ” wait and see mode” when it comes to possible deals. I know Buster Onley and his ilk ( Steve Phillips, John Heyman) are more wrong than they are right, and they do express anti Mets sentiments, but you have to admit where there’s smoke there is fire. Remember at the trade deadline last year, when the Mets promised to be aggressive by the trade deadline? The only body that we obtained was Jeff Francouer. The Mets excuse when they didn’t try shore up the holes that were decimated by injuries were ” well the Calvary will be here by August”. Well August came and went , but the carnage continued – plunging the Mets to their worst record since ’04. No one was held accountable - Not Omar ! Not Jerry! And who could forget the dog and pony show that occurred when Jeff , Omar and Dave Howard appeared on the Mike Francesa show to apologize to the Mets fan-base, and promising to put a championship caliber team on the field this year. I will admit that so far this season the Mets have had some great stretches, but some equally ugly prolonged periods as well. I feel that by relieving either Jerry, his coaching staff – or both of their duties might have propelled this team on another hot streak – we have seen it before ( ’08,’99, etc). And don’t get me wrong, I still believe that the Mets can at the very least make a run for either the division title or a wild card berth, but the Mets just keep making it harder on itself. I just wonder what Jeff will say if he once again goes on Mike’s show to apologize to the fan base? I think we will need a bigger shovel, because us fans might not believe the crap that he is trying to sell us.
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                                                                    ” Just call them the Teflon Gangsta and the Kingpin!”
And with that said… HERE COMES THE INFAMY !!!!
Sadly on this date in 1992, Salty Parker passed away at the age of 79. He was a coach, and the third manager in Mets history .
New York Mets released outfielder,Jimmy Piersall on July 27, 1963. This came the day after his running around the bases backwards while celebrating his 100th career home run. Casey Stengel was quoted afterwards as saying ” There’s only room for one clown around here !”
New York Mets released outfielder,Cleon Jones on July 27, 1975. Cleon’s skills had faded, but it was still sad to see one of the cornerstones of the ’69 team go out with a whimper.
New York Mets traded first baseman Mike Marshall to the Boston Red Sox for minor leaguers,Greg Hansell, Paul Williams and Ed Perozo on July 27, 1990.
New York Mets traded relievers,Turk Wendell and Dennis Cook to the Philadelphia Phillies for pitcher,Bruce Chen and minor leaguer,Adam Walker on July 27, 2001. I still say that both Dennis and Turk were traded because they had critisizied the front office .
New York Mets signed free agent outfielder,Carlos Gomez on July 27, 2002. The kid could field, and had great speed, but he couldn’t hit his weight.
Mo Vaughn has been hired by the Mets to motivate this slumping team. His payment will be all the Shake Shack and Premio sausage that he can eat for the rest of the season ( no wonder the Wilpon’s are allegedly in financial ruin)!
35 comments
metsfan4decades
7/27/2010-7:51am at 7:51 am (UTC -4)
I didn’t have a problem with Omar not making any deals to speak of last year at the trade deadline. With the injuries, there were just too many holes to fill.
This year though there is no excuse. I still don’t understand why the Mets don’t appear to be looking for SP. I know the offense is almost non existent right now but if you traded for a bat where would you play him? If the anemic offense continues, that needs to be addressed in the off season. A good place to start is cleaning house with all the coaches b/c on paper, this team should be hitting far better than they are.
But we needed SP coming into the season, we still need it, we’ll need it for next year. Standing pat by the trade deadline will be the final nail in the coffin. I can’t believe anyone in the Mets FO still thinks we have a chance with having only one good month so far this season so the message they’re sending is one of raising the white flag.
It will be very interesting to see how they spin this…..
rustyjr
7/27/2010-7:54am at 7:54 am (UTC -4)
Omar will say that no deals made sense & getting Ollie back will be like getting a big player back lol
metsfan4decades
7/27/2010-8:06am at 8:06 am (UTC -4)
If so, Omar is delusional. I’ll buy that with Beltran returning, but there is no way anyone can honestly believe Ollie is the answer to anything. If Omar tries to spin Ollie that way, he should be run out of town on a rail – by Jeffy, immediately.
What is it about our NY Mets that has us all coming back year after year for this type of pain????
Sigh….
rustyjr
7/27/2010-8:08am at 8:08 am (UTC -4)
We are masochists – plain & simple lol
njstuckintx
7/27/2010-9:04am at 9:04 am (UTC -4)
Stockholm syndrom?
metsfan4decades
7/27/2010-7:56am at 7:56 am (UTC -4)
Metszilla makes a case for replacing the manager now. Hard too argue with this logic, especially given the Marlins record since they fired their manager and brought in new:
http://www.metszilla.com/?p=7411&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Metszilla+%28Metszilla%29
ceetar
7/27/2010-8:30am at 8:30 am (UTC -4)
This is just how it is though. When you fire a manager of a slumping team, chances are that team is going to un-slump and find the hot streak that they hadn’t had yet. Looks great for the manager, but really it’s just the ebbs and flows of baseball. Which is why despite a good record, Manuel should’ve been fired after he failed to get a better result in 2008.
dirtysanchez
7/27/2010-8:51am at 8:51 am (UTC -4)
im sure we are all in agreement there but they decided to keep an interm manager longer than he should have been and are paying that price now. I can understand the arguement about 2009…but hell the braves are playing over their heads too yet they have managed to maintain it, how is is that while we were playing over our heads in may…we were not. Ill tell ya…its a four letter word…BUNT
dirtysanchez
7/27/2010-8:49am at 8:49 am (UTC -4)
wow…very strong case. Im telling ya, they are going to act when its already too late
dirtysanchez
7/27/2010-8:25am at 8:25 am (UTC -4)
lol…poor mo vaughn….rus kills him every time lol
Like i said, mets find a way to top themselves every year in ineptitude. They had a legit shot at doing something this year and instead of making moves to figure stuff out, they will AGAIN wait until its too late. Just like the government…2 steps behind whats really going on. Makes you really question your fanhood when they keep spitting in your face like this and make NO appologies for it. I dont want to hear jeff/omar or whoever go at the end of the year to appologize to met fans and say we will spend what we need to spend….SHOVE IT….that PR crap is not flying anymore. If they ever wanted to know why they are the only big market that is the laughing stock of baseball, look no further. These guys are a joke and hopefully the only people who really get screwed in the end is themselves. We have owned the biggest payroll for the last 5 years(except this one) and we only have ONE division title to show for it…give me a break.
rustyjr
7/27/2010-8:31am at 8:31 am (UTC -4)
Wow and I thought I was venting
ceetar
7/27/2010-8:44am at 8:44 am (UTC -4)
It’s gonna be a rough “crowd” out at Citi Field this week.
dirtysanchez
7/27/2010-8:54am at 8:54 am (UTC -4)
im sure it will be, probably for good reason. The only issue that I have with this whole last homestand thing is they are going against some tough pitchers in garcia and wainwright…now that i think of it, it might not be so bad. Yea it will push us way back in the division but if it spells the end for this coaching crew than good riddance
vcmetsfan28
7/27/2010-3:12pm at 3:12 pm (UTC -4)
your right ceetar the crowd is going to be hostile, as it should be… I’m not a booer myself but I can’t speak for the other 300 people that will be in attendence
dirtysanchez
7/27/2010-8:52am at 8:52 am (UTC -4)
lol…been venting for 2 days…cant take this episode of the twilight zone lol.
Its just they refuse to do ANYTHING and its sucks to see other teams with LESS money than us do what they need to do in order to improve their team. What do manuel or hojo or warthen have to defend their case….they are well liked?
stickguy
7/27/2010-9:49am at 9:49 am (UTC -4)
DIrty, the Cubs are a bigger laughingstock big market team (if that concept actually exists), and pretty much always have been.
njstuckintx
7/27/2010-8:53am at 8:53 am (UTC -4)
Rusty, remember that some times where there is smoke, there is dry ice.
rustyjr
7/27/2010-8:56am at 8:56 am (UTC -4)
Touché stan Winston
njstuckintx
7/27/2010-9:02am at 9:02 am (UTC -4)
You know, I’ve been mulling on this whole Haren thing for a little while. And it’s really starting to get my goat, proverbially speaking. The Angels got a really good pitcher for this and another 2+ years for the future. For a team that really has 2+ question marks in their starting rotation (Dickey being lightning in a bottle so far, the mystery 5th spot and Big Yipper), how do you not get involved on Haren? I mean, even if this season is in the tank (which I’m feeling is going that way at an alarming quick rate), you do that move for 2011, and 2012 and possibly 2013. I understand that holding onto prospects does show they have some bit of focus on the future, but it’s somewhat myopic. You need to look at all avenues for getting better future wise.
And yes, I know that no one truly knows what other teams are offering, but all reports are Omar never really went out to even kick the tires. You were just in Arizona. How do you not kick the tires!?!?
metsfan4decades
7/27/2010-9:10am at 9:10 am (UTC -4)
I don’t get it either.
It’s not just about the rest of this year…it’s going forward, as you said. Is Omar that dead set against trading prospects – any prospects – and just wants to buy them in FA?
Might be me but preliminary look at this class of FA pitchers available end of the season doesn’t look all that great – outside of Lee who we all know will wind up with the Yankees.
njstuckintx
7/27/2010-9:13am at 9:13 am (UTC -4)
There are definitely options but I fear its a perfect storm. Imperfect pitchers that look to be reclamation pitchers or hoping for lightning in the bottle types. Right up Omar’s alley.
dirtysanchez
7/27/2010-9:11am at 9:11 am (UTC -4)
Im sure omar fell victim to the preverbial posturing that teams do. Arizona was wanting back kings ransom for haren, as they should. It was a total surprise for what they ultimatley took in order to get haren.
njstuckintx
7/27/2010-9:16am at 9:16 am (UTC -4)
Even throwing out some sort of decent proposal had to be better that what the Angels ended up sending. I mean, how does Arizona not come back to the Mets on a decent proposal if that was the best offer they were getting from Angels? To me that smells a lot like Omar never even made an offer.
metsfan4decades
7/27/2010-9:25am at 9:25 am (UTC -4)
We’ll probably never know but the way this went down, I’m leaning towards Omar was never seriously in on it either. And why not? Is what I’d really like to know.
Mr North Jersey
7/27/2010-9:19am at 9:19 am (UTC -4)
It just goes to show you when you get some bloggers telling you it will take at least players x-y-z to get said player the truth is they have no clue all they are doing is speculating.
saltygary
7/27/2010-9:38am at 9:38 am (UTC -4)
Off Topic…
Had to get some Smutty last night after our banter and ended up getting the sample pack because I couldn’t decide. Threw back a bunch of the porter and good god that stuff is good.
njstuckintx
7/27/2010-9:43am at 9:43 am (UTC -4)
You and your Bread Soda convesations so early in the morning. Reminds me of going into Warwick NY to Yesterdays Pub for Omlettes and Half & Halfs (vs. the black and tans) on Saturday mornings as soon as it opened up.
metsfan4decades
7/27/2010-10:02am at 10:02 am (UTC -4)
At least we haven’t been hit by THIS bad luck yet, probably b/c walk off wins have been few and far between:
Pie gone awry: Marlins’ Coghlan tears up knee in cream pie attack
Florida Marlins outfielder Chris Coghlan(notes) tore the meniscus in his left knee, and is headed for the disabled list, after he face-pied teammate Wes Helms(notes) during a TV interview Sunday.
*************
Talk about bad luck. I’m sure these ‘celebrations’ will soon be banned.
stickguy
7/27/2010-10:06am at 10:06 am (UTC -4)
Geez, I see the pity party from yesterday is continuing in here today!
So what they decided (for whatever reason) to not make any cosmetic changes to the coaches right now (and the backlash from the willie debacle, combined with the June run, is probably saving Jerry). You will just have to wait until the season ends so they can all be cleared out together.
Sometiems, it seems that the same people that are adament that the Mets need to do something, anything, to prove they are (take your pick): caring/loving/paying attention/devoted to winning/PR obsessed also claim that they don’t trust Omar, and want the team to formulate a solid plan before doing anything rash!
This is a corrolary to wanting Omar to make some trades, shake things up, get new players in here (as long as he doesn’t trade any prospect that you have ever heard of!)
For Rusty’s options up above, my guess would be mostly #1 (at least as sold on it by Omar and Jerry), with some #2 creeping in (hence the wait and see comments). Which frankly, seems reasonable if you are trying to keep a big picture view of your team.
Same with Ollie. Whether we like it or not, they made a huge investment, and are not giving up on it without trying everything to get some last value (hence the one more chance at pitching, while trying to trade him if possible). He was never being cut as opposed to being activated off the DL.
I was lobbying for haren, largely because they wil lneed more SP next year (and have zipo, nada, bumpkus) in the system. So, it is (to me) a head scratcher if Omar was never in at all. But again, we do not know what Omar discussed, if he made an offer, or AZ made a request.
but it does seem that the team has decided that building the farm is a priority at the moment. Whether they also decided that 2010 was not the year and 2011 was the focus, who knows? But one way or another, they decided (for their own business reasons) that any deals available were not worth doing.
I just don’t think all this means that they are oblivious to the fans, don’t want to win, and want to sell less tickets.
metsfan4decades
7/27/2010-10:08am at 10:08 am (UTC -4)
‘but it does seem that the team has decided that building the farm is a priority at the moment. Whether they also decided that 2010 was not the year and 2011 was the focus, who knows? But one way or another, they decided (for their own business reasons) that any deals available were not worth doing.’
Hard to argue with this point.
stickguy
7/27/2010-10:18am at 10:18 am (UTC -4)
one thing I will say, from experience (and I bet MF has suffered with this too!), is tht when there are too many cooks in the kitchen (management by committee), it is very hard to get anything done. And changes/moves tend to take way, way longer than they should. You also end up with paralysis by analysis, with differing opinions tangling each other up.
Lots of reports present the Met FO operating in this way. The stronger FOs in the sport all seem to have a true decision maker (Like the way Cashen said he used to work). THey might not always make great moves, but they at least get things done! And I got no problem with the GM having to clear a concept/budget hit 1st.
I would not be surprised if Jeffy has inserted himself as the big decision maker, but since he is removed from teh actual discussions, he needs other people (omar, etc.) to bring everything to him 2nd hand. Plus, he probably is not all that sure of himself, so he needs to get extra opinions to figure out what to do.
If you want an explanation for the Met FO ineptitude, that (MHO of course) is the most logical.
metsfan4decades
7/27/2010-10:25am at 10:25 am (UTC -4)
Yeah, I have to wonder how much Ricco is involved here in any potential trades. Management by committee very rarely works.
Problem right now is they’re not hitting. And on paper, they should be. So looking for a bat is difficult b/c where do you play them?
Outside of Haren (cause I didn’t really think 1/2 rental of Lee was worth the prospects), there isn’t much out there that will help going forward. And I can’t see giving up prospects for a rental.
So to me the logical thing would have been, to try and light a fire under the bats by bringing in a new hitting coach. They opted not to – they opted to ride it out. Here’s hoping that doesn’t come back to bite them b/c the natives will be beyond restless…
Kingman 26
7/27/2010-10:24am at 10:24 am (UTC -4)
If they do nothing, in light of the significany reduced payroll, it is time to face the fact that finances are almost certainly driving the cart of personnel decision making.
There is no other rational explanation for doing nothing in light of the last few years, the current swoon, decreased attendance, etc.
metsfan4decades
7/27/2010-10:28am at 10:28 am (UTC -4)
Heyman on WFAN…
He doesn’t believe the finances are a problem. He said outside of the Yankees, most clubs operate as a business b/c they are and most GMs will not add 25MIL to the payroll in the middle of the season. Said in that respect, Omar isn’t that different than many others out there.
Said the Angels lost players, lost out on deals (Tex, Figgins, etc.) and had an abundance to spend, hence going after Haren.
Heyman said the number one problem is the offense right now. They have got to start hitting. Said he doesn’t advocate firing anyone but trying to light a fire under the bats, they should have seriously looked at bringing in another hitting coach.
metsfan4decades
7/27/2010-10:31am at 10:31 am (UTC -4)
And at least Heyman is saying the Mets shouldn’t give up, they’re not out of it yet but it’s getting late. Both him and Melusis believe the team has the talent and getting a pitcher can only help. But it’s all on the offense right now….