First off. . .the coaching staff

[Mex17]

I DO NOT think that Willie should be fired. Like Omar said, you have to take into account the past three years of work and not just the last year or the last two weeks (I think that they should be watching him a little closer over the next year or two while also keeping an eye from afar on Acta as a possible replacement in 2009 or 2010, but that is a matter for another time).

That said, I do think that changes need to be made on his staff. . .changes that need to be made by Omar with or without Willies input or stamp of approval. Let's begin.

BENCH COACH: Jerry Manuel is probably a good baseball man and he can still probably help out as an advance scout, but I think that Willie, in spite of what he thinks, needs a guy in there with more of an NL mindset who can suggest when to put a little "small ball" (hit and runs, squeeze plays) into the equation. Perhaps this coach needs also to have a more exuberant personality to counteract Willie's more stoic nature. Am I nuts or does this profile describe Gary Carter?

BULLPEN COACH: Billy Wagner exposed something. There needs to be some sort of better communication between the bullpen and Willie/Peterson. I think that Peterson is too valuable to replace (Wagner even said in his interview with New York magazine that he is great with mechanics). I think that there needs to be perhaps a player's advocate as bullpen coach, a guy who has done the job who can relate to the pitchers on their level and can effectively serve as a conduit between them and the manager/pitching coach. I think that it's time to bring John Franco out of exile.

1ST BASE COACH: As we all know there are "two" Ricky Henderson's. There is Ricky the first-ballot Hall of Famer/best leadoff hitter of all time and there is Ricky the self-absorbed clubhouse cancer. Which one of these two arrived mid-season? More importantly, which one of these two is whispering in the ear of Jose Reyes? Omar needs to find out.

[Guest Edgy DC]

I don't think keeping an eye on a manager employed by another big-league team is a good long-term plan.

[smg58]

I'm 50/50 at best on Randolph. He has to take some responsibility for this, even if Glavine shouldn't need Willie to find his way through the first inning.

I'd need evidence that Rickey is leading Reyes astray before I acted on that. I think if Reyes really did stop caring, which it certainly looked like at times, that is ultimately the manager's responsibility.

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

Wagner, who's a loudmouth redneck punk and just as guilty as anyone for this debacle, threw Peterson and Randolph under the bus in that interview, despite whatever spin he tried putting on it.

When players show a lack of respect for the coaching staff and manager is when they get fired (or players get traded, which we unfortunately won't be able to do in Wagner's case).

[Guest sharpie]

I can't imagine them keeping Rickey Henderson. My guess is that he's the first to go. Then maybe that bullpen coach.

[metirish]

Guy Conti the bullpen coach is like a father to Pedro, so I think that might factor into any decision Minaya makes on that.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Guy Conti is nobody's scapegoat. Replacing him with John Franco would be a whitewash, I think.

[Guest Iubitul]

I think it would be a step back - I want John Franco nowhere near this organization.

[seawolf17]

Gone, gone, gone. See ya, fellas. They might keep Conti around for Pedro, but I don't like the idea one bit. This isn't Pedro's team.

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

If Willie is around then let him choose a bench coach at least. That stuff posted by FK re: Jamarillo seems to make sense as a hitting coach.

If it comes out there are serious issues with randolph beyond Wagner's chatter, then maybe we do go get Bobby V again.

[Farmer Ted]

Conti is God.

[Vic Sage]

Phuck Conti.
Phuck the coaching staff.

[Valadius]

Our bullpen sucked. Conti's gotta be on the hot seat.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Whitewash.

[Guest metsguyinmichigan]

Does the bullpen coach have an actual job besides picking up a ringing phone and saying, "Sosa, Willie says get ready?"

What else could he possibly do besides feed the tomato plants?

Everything to do with pitching is Peterson's job.

[Benjamin Grimm]

The Mets broadcasters did an interesting in-game interview with Conti during the 2006 season in which he explained what it is he does.

Unfortunately, I don't remember anything that he said! (But I do remember that it was interesting.)

[Guest Edgy DC]

Yup. He keeps track of every routine each pitcher has --- some start getting loose by long toss, others by stretching; some need four pitches, some 20 --- and he has them timed by stopwatch so Peterson and Randolph (and the catcher if necessary) know exactly how much time they need from the moment the phone rings.

He also charts their warmup pitches, just as actual pitches are charted. At the end of the game, he tosses a baseball to Farmer Ted and myself. The guy works very hard.

[Farmer Ted]

Guy Conti, more than a bullpen coach. This Guy can coach anything.


"Guy Conti for his service as a faculty member and three-sport coach in the 1970s and 1980s. As head men�s basketball coach, he compiled 140 victories with a 59 percent winning mark, third best in school history. Led the squad to nationals and a 24-5 record in 1975-76. Edinboro University's Coach of the Year in 1982. His teams earned five PSAC playoff berths."

[metirish]

My sources are telling me that Conti will remain in his job.

[Valadius]

The Daily News is reporting that Rick Peterson will likely be kept on.

[Benjamin Grimm]

I think they should keep Peterson, although I have to admit I got really tired of him during September.

I got so sick of seeing him come to the mound and put his right hand on the pitcher's left shoulder. When he did it for Humber I was expecting the next pitch to be a home run because we had seen that result twice in the previous week or so. With Humber, though, it wasn't the first pitch, it was the third or fourth pitch.

I think Peterson is the smart guy who gets a pass for this collapse. Randolph is the mediocrity whose head should have rolled.

[Guest Iubitul]

Yancy Street Gang wrote: I think Peterson is the smart guy who gets a pass for this collapse. Randolph is the mediocrity whose head should have rolled.

I agree with this - Who would you have wanted as the next manager?

[TransMonk]

Since we have a thread open: I've never liked Jerry Manuel. I think he was a crappy manager with the White Sox and has even less of an idea about NL baseball than Willie does.

His inablity to play effective small-ball in tight situations embarrassed the 2000 White Sox in the DS sweep at the hands of the Mariners helmed by Pinella who capitalized on Manuel's weaknesses.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/2000_ALDS2.shtml

I would not be sad to see him go.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Iubitul wrote: ="Yancy Street Gang"]I think Peterson is the smart guy who gets a pass for this collapse. Randolph is the mediocrity whose head should have rolled. I agree with this - Who would you have wanted as the next manager?

I don't know! I've said previously that I'd like them to get a smart guy. I consider Davey Johnson and Bobby Valentine to be the two managers that the Mets have had who were smart. Either of those two would be welcome, but I'm sure there are others, either inside or outside the organization.

[metirish]

If Tony LaRussa became available would you want him?

[Guest Edgy DC]

Very no.

[Guest sharpie]

Very no for me too.

Also, frankly, wouldn't be too excited to have Davey Johnson or Bobby Valentine back, although they were both fine managers while here. Davey has had perennial front office problems and there's no reason to think that that wouldn't continue, plus he's been out of the game for a while now. Bobby's "I'm the smartest guy in the room" thing might wear on a team one year removed from the playoffs. Bobby took over a bad team, not so sure how he would do with a successful one. Find someone new if Willie goes, which it appears he won't.

[Valadius]

I think there would be no way for Bobby V and The Jacket to co-exist. They both think they're the smartest guy in the room.

[Guest Edgy DC]

There I disagree. Johnson's boss problems were with ownership in Cincy, Baltimore, and LA that didn't get along with anybody. If I had a concern with him, it would be that various aspects of the job had passed him by, and that he wouldn't be as tuned in to the development pipeline as he was in the early days of his Mets tenure.

Valentine's team was turning around before he took over. My concern with him is that japan lets him play the role of celebrity wheher or not his team is in first, while New Yorkers would resent that.

Mostly, I like that they both have a history as motivators.

[TransMonk]

I'd invite Bobby back to manage in a heartbeat.