Skipping Zambrano in the rotation.

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

Yes, he'll get straightened out by not working.

Maybe if you guys close your eyes and wish real hard he'll just disappear.

[Guest abogdan]

I'll click my heels twice.

[Guest Bret Sabermetric]

Seems to me that Peterson's taking his sweet time about finding those ten minutes to straighten Victor out. Doesn't he realize that the season is wasting? Can't he take a shower instead of a bath one time, or something?

I mean, Jeez, it's only ten lousy minutes.

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

That remark stopped being funny... uh 10 minutes ago.

har har har

[Guest Bret Sabermetric]

I don't know, I was thinking about it for the title of my forthcoming book about the Mets of the 21st Century: "JUST TEN MINUTES: The Mets' Tantalizing Closeness to the playoffs 2001-2008" (I'm building in a little lead time for the actual writing and stuff.)

Even if it could be demonstrated that the phrase is wholly fictional and malicious, doesn't it illustrate something crucial about the Mets' philosophy of arrogance, though? They have problems, and they acquire more, in the firm conviction that they're not so bad, or that they're easily fixed, or that this or that that, and it turns out they're, well, problems. Need to be addressed, on a level far more fundamental than they're willing to, and these fundamental causes need to be addressed AS SOON AS THEY FIND OUT that they're not problems with a quick-fix. Zambrano and Matsui are only the two biggest and most obvious examples of such flawed players acquired at great expense whose faililngs the Mets have refused to address as more than a hot streak away from disappearing.

[Gwreck]

From Adam Rubin's Daily News Mets Blog:

]More Grease Interesting developments at the park today, and I'm not talking about the fire. Willie Randolph sounded before the game like he's greasing the wheels for Steve Trachsel to take Sunday's start in Atlanta, further pushing Victor Zambrano back. The best bet is Zambrano starts the homestand opener the following day against the Nationals.

[DocTee]

http://newyork.mets.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20060426&content_id=1419937&vkey=news_nym&fext=.jsp&c_id=nym

Zambrano skipped, Trax given vote of confidence-- pigs fly.

[Guest Bret Sabermetric]

It's the right choice, though Willie has now provided yet more evidence that every word out of his mouth that's not backed by action is to be regarded as utterly irrelevant. He lacks the courage of his convictions, having no convictions to begin with. I'd hate to be inside his head--what a sad excuse for a major league manager he is.

[Elster88]

I don't know about that. He tells the media to "f--- off" in so many words, and does what he says he will. The problem I have with him is that many a-time I think he makes the wrong choice and sticks with it. It seems as if he does what he says he will but he proves it by being stubborn about the wrong decisions.

[Guest Bret Sabermetric]

How is this "doing what he says he will"? He's doing what he has beliigerently insisted he will not do: bump Zambrano from the rotation for Trachsel.

My point is, why not just say, every time he's asked for the last few weeks, "As of now, we're sticking to our original plans for the rotation. Obviously Victor can't stay in the rotation all season if he has an ERA like the tab for an aircraft carrier, but I'm hoping he'll improve soon. When I have something to announce, I'll let you know" instead of "frappuchinoing off" the media (that what "f--- off" means right?) by giving them a lot of misleading and assertive nonsense about Zambrano's lock on the rotation spot. I suppose it doesn't matter much, and it amuses some people to have a manager so overtly hostile to questioning, but it's just not smart to antagonize the media endlessly, IMO. Willie might discover he needs them, at some point, to hang on to his job a few extra weeks.

[metsmarathon]

its "Frappuccino�"

willie is definitely too hostile towards the media, almost dismissive at times as to their desire to get good info, and to the effect it has on the fans' perceptions of him, and the team.