Bobby V. to SNY?

[Vic Sage]

Lefty's point is overstated in that there certainly was never any consensus among NYM fans that Bobby had to go. But at the same time what those of us who are Bobby fans have to remember is that BV had a huge number of detractors even when things were going well back in '99 or '00, and then even more later on.

Agreed, but it was my sense of it was that BV's detractors were largely among the media itself (which he always treated contemptuously as the idiotic rabble they invariably were [and are]), as well as the pampered players (whose manipulations the fans were largely either indifferent to or in favor of) and the Mets and MLB brass (whom fans generally despise). I think fans were largely in support of BV right up to his firing and, were it put to a vote, they would have kept him over Phillips, the owners, the players, or the media covering the team.

[Frayed Knot]

Vic Sage wrote: I think fans were largely in support of BV right up to his firing

You clearly have forgotten the vitriol aimed at Bobby from fans via the conduits of the MoFo and WFAN. EVERY loss was his fault and most of the wins were judged to be in spite of him rather than because of.
Of course it's always tough to determine percentages of popular support, at least without the benefits of sophisticated polling and such, so whether that was merely a loud minority is impossible to know. But suffice to say there's hardly a consensus on these things.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

As I recall it, the Bobby Job Watch began with Tarasco-gate but it was painfully obvious to all but the dumbest fans that the guy who should have been whacked that day wasn't Bobby but Steve.

With the benefit of hindsight, I think the organization whether or not they fired him was also screwing Phillips at that time by cutting every corner in scouting, draft and support. Omar was the assistant GM, went to the Expos, and they never bothered replacing him!

[Frayed Knot]

And I certainly didn't mean to set this up as a Bobby vs Steve contest because, in that case, all but Bobby's most fervent detractors would back him on that one.
But, still, Bobby was evil personified in the minds of a number of NYM fans so, if we're going to get ahead of ourselves here and start talking about a potential second term, it doesn't hurt to remember that such a move would hardly be universally lauded.

[Edgy MD]

Nothing is universally lauded. The only statement above implying unanimity of opinion among Met fans was

Lefty Specialist wrote: At the end of his tenure in 2002, Met fans couldn't wait to be rid of him.

I disagree. Folks have said that's untrue, but nobody's suggesting the opposite was untrue. Most of 2001 was marred by a tiresome online fan mutiny.

[Lefty Specialist]

Guess I need to go to the supermarket and pick up a case of quantifiers.

[Edgy MD]

Mike Puma ?@NYPost_Mets wrote: Bobby Valentine is a candidate to become the new athletic director at Sacred Heart University, according to Bill Paxton of the CT Post.

Homey certainly does not fear being over-extended.