Below is a question I asked Marty Noble about the Mets last year. I was glad to see he agreed in some respects, but he did slam me a little bit too. The Mets have many issues to address this off season, and Omar and Witless Willie have been sitting on their hands. I disagree with Mr. Noble in the sense that there were things Willie could have done. He never gave a sense of urgency at any time last year. I fail to see where Willie did any motivating of his players at any time. He let things go and the Mets had no direction or focus last season. If that happens again this year, the Mets will be home watching TV in October again.
"I enjoyed your article on the Mets' 2007 season. I, for one, was screaming to the heavens way back in June that problems existed with the Mets. They lacked the killer instinct needed to bury teams. I place that blame solely on manager Willie Randolph. He continually brushed off any suggestions of trouble with the team's play. He made questionable pitching decisions and played people -- Carlos Delgado, Johnson, et al -- who should have been sitting.
He lacked the spine to stand up for or to his players and it showed on the field. Jose Reyes never should have been allowed to play when he loafed in the field or at the plate. It's pretty sad when the catcher argues about bad calls more than the manager. And now that vocal leader is gone, and Randolph and GM Omar Minaya continue to ignore the problems."-- Daniel S., Melrose, N.Y.
"Before anything else, I must ask, who is the Johnson you mentioned, Ben? He played in nine games, he had 27 at-bats. Is this a big issue? Johnson's brief tour with the Mets overlapped with the absences of Moises Alou, Carlos Beltran, Chavez and even Jose Valentin, who could have played some outfield had he been available. Lastings Milledge was assigned to the disabled list in the Minor Leagues at the same time.
Somebody had to play, and if you're upset that Johnson was the choice, your problem is with Minaya, who provides the talent Randolph uses.
As for Delgado, it's easy to say he should have been benched. He admitted last week he had a poor season. But two things: He did drive in 85 runs. And who would you have started at first base if Delgado had been eliminated? No one else was going to produce even at the diminished rate he established last summer.
As far as Randolph's spine, I believe it was quite functional. His response to Reyes not running that night in Houston was immediate and measured. Neither you nor I know what happened behind closed doors. If Randolph had come down harder on Reyes, he stood the chance of losing his leadoff man and shortstop.
To me, that's where Delgado fell short. Players respect his achievement and standing in the game. He has influence, but he is reluctant to exercise it. Chances are he would have had greater effect on Reyes than anyone else in the clubhouse except Valentin. Alou has comparable influence, but players relatively new to a team and assigned to the disabled list are not likely to assume that responsibility.
Randolph challenges umpires when he feels the need to. Not everyone is Bobby Cox. And if Lo Duca was working the umpire, why should the manager?
Which brings us to the absence of Lo Duca and the resulting void that exists. Without him and Valentin, I sense the team is lacking an element, a degree of intensity. Where have you gone, Wally Backman? Lo Duca provided that. Players recognized it, and even those who weren't particularly close to him acknowledged the effect of his fire.
Without Lo Duca, Valentin and Tom Glavine, the intensity level may be dangerously low in 2008 despite the spoken resolve about making amends for last season and no matter how much David Wright tries to enhance the team energy.
In that regard, you have reason to be concerned. But again, Randolph can do little to address the situation. He doesn't bring in the talent or the personality. I thought the signing of free agent David Eckstein to play second base might have helped, but he evidently overpriced himself.
That the Mets pursued Eckstein suggests they are aware of the intensity issue." - Marty Noble
|
No comments:
Post a Comment