When will Willie be fired?

[batmagadanleadoff]

SI.com is reporting that Willie won't get fired tomorrow.
____________
Jon Heyman
INSIDE BASEBALL

Mets' Randolph safe ... for now

Willie Randolph is set to meet with the Mets owners on Monday to decide the manager's fate.

Mets manager Willie Randolph is not going to be enjoying himself at Monday's meeting with the team's top brass. He's not going to feel very comfortable at the confab.

But he's not going to be fired, either.

Not yet, he isn't.

It isn't the Mets-owning Wilpons' habit to make a change this early in a manager's contract. Nor is their style to blow things up this early in the season.

Randolph's contract runs through 2009. And his tenure will run at least another week, and perhaps longer than that, if he get can the team's fortunes turned around.

No way Randolph gets the ax at this meeting. But that doesn't mean he should feel anything close to secure, either.

The Wilpons are not thrilled with the foolhardy comments from Randolph that appeared a week ago today in the Record of Hackensack (N.J.), the ones where Randolph suggested that the team-owned SNY TV network was purposely painting him in an unflattering light. But the Wilpons especially aren't happy about the way the team has played early this season. And it is the team's play that will ultimately determine his fate.

It isn't known whether Randolph will get the homestand, or longer, to prove he can turn the team around. But he will be given some time. It could be a week. It could be two weeks. Or it could be into July.

That probably depends on how the team looks, and whether it's showing improvement. But the message will be clear at Monday's meeting: the improvement had better come sooner than later.

The very first series back home after the Mets' discouraging 3-6 trip ended with a 4-1 defeat at Colorado on Sunday could be a pivotal one for Randolph. The first-place Marlins are in town starting Monday. And the Wilpons can't be pleased to be 5� games behind that Florida team with a $20 million payroll. Which happens to be exactly one-seventh the Mets' $140 million payroll.

While the Marlins are playing like they have nothing to lose, the Mets have been merely playing to lose in recent days. To club officials, the Mets appear to be pressing. And as we all know from last year's collapse, this isn't a group that plays well when it's pressing.

While Randolph surely will have to explain what possessed him to blame SNY for any image problem he may have (fans and management both generally seem to view him as too laid back), the focus will be on the team on the field.

From the start this spring, Fred and Jeff Wilpon made clear to every Met official how imperative it was that they get off to a strong start in the year after their epic collapse. And, as one club official put it, "We've done just about the opposite of that.''

The Wilpons committed the dollars and expect to contend. They can't be happy that the team is 23-25 and outplaying only Washington in the underwhelming NL East division. And they especially can't be pleased that the team has showed this little fire coming off its epic collapse from a year ago.

Following that debacle and heading into a new ballpark, the Mets needed to start strong. That message will be sent again to Randolph in their meeting Monday, to the point where he knows the turnaround better start soon.

[Guest AG/DC]

Surprising to see Heyman stick his neck out on a hunch, but I kind of like the idea of Willie getting a reaming instead of a canning.

On the other hand, that could serve to only weaken his profile with the players.

[Benjamin Grimm]

SNY isn't televising the Randolph-Wilpon meeting, are they?

That would be worth tuning in to!

[nymr83]

After holding a meeting and saying willie won't be fired, I'd have to think it will be awhile before the ownership considers firing him again (even if they were actually considering at all.)
He probably has until the all-star break, at least.

[Elster88]

Why hold a press conference announcing someone won't be fired? Is it just to to shut up the media? I guess it's a good thing to stand up for your employee.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Every time this happens it demeans Willie more. I mean, are the Wilpons so upset over a few dumb comments in the paper to have put WWSB through all this? Geez, I wish for Willie's sake they'd just whack him now... you know it's coming.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Front Page Willie:

[metirish]

Embattled Seattle manager has this to say.

"It's not a real good feeling knowing there's a target on our back," McLaren said Monday in a telephone interview. "I don't even read the computer anymore. Those blogs will eat you up, no matter what. "My God, we know we're better than this (18-33). But I don't make excuses. I accept it. I've always been a fighter, and I will keep on fighting."

Funny that he should mention blogs , obviously he doesn't have a bunch of beat writers over there.

[Guest AG/DC]

I dunno. They might have Japanese media in the regular corps, as well as Seattle and Tacoma outlets.

[metirish]

AG/DC wrote: I dunno. They might have Japanese media in the regular corps, as well as Seattle and Tacoma outlets.

Yeah I forgot about the Japanese media.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Is it almost time to crank up the deathwatch again?

[Elster88]

I don't feel it's his fault that the starting lineup on Friday featured Easley, Tatis, Schneider, Chavez. But it is his fault that Cancel saw action. I'm stumped at this point.

[seawolf17]

I didn't realize that I'd ever turned off the deathwatch.

[bmfc1]

Not a minute too soon.

[Zvon]

June 16th if the Mets are over 6 games out at that time

[Benjamin Grimm]

I know Willie's not entirely to blame for all this, but I'd like to see a new manager in place by Tuesday's game, just so we can get on with our lives.

Name Oberkfell as an interim manager, and let him audition for the 2009 job.

[Guest d'Kong76]

Just do it tomorrow.

Half of us want it.

Half of us expect it.

The other half of us will come around when it goes down.

[Guest Grote15]

KC wrote: Just do it tomorrow. Half of us want it. Half of us expect it. The other half of us will come around when it goes down.

100% percent agree..I'd can Omar also but the Wilpons are weak in my opinion sitting on a potential white elephant sucking uptheir real estate cash.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

7-7 since the vote of CAHNfidence

[metirish]

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: 7-7 since the vote of CAHNfidence

A .500 team if ever there was one.

[Frayed Knot]

KC wrote: Half of us want it. Half of us expect it. The other half of us will come around when it goes down.

It's that third half that's usually the critical swing vote.

In fact, Hillary still thinks they're gonna come around to her side before the convention settles things.

[Guest d'Kong76]

Maybe Willie should just suspend his managerial campaign and hope against
hope that the things change in the National League East.

[seawolf17]

Old skool avatar, Kase! Love it.

[Guest themetfairy]

My kids always loved that avatar also.

[G-Fafif]

It was June.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

I win!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Benjamin Grimm]

Me too!

[Zvon]

Zvon wrote: June 16th if the Mets are over 6 games out at that time

I hate to blow my own horn but WOOT^ there it was.

Your all trumped.

Forgive me for bringing this to the forefront but I just had to.
Now Ill tie a rock to the thread and let it sink to the darkest fathoms of the deep.