FanNation

For two years now, I've been one of Willie's most outspoken supporters.  Yet I can't help but (finally) think that he may be losing control of this team and this clubhouse.  Yesterday, the Mets were yet again lifeless offensively and wasted Mike Pelfrey's best outing ever.  The events that transpired afterward were all the more frustrating.  Billy Wagner flipped in the clubhouse about the fact that certain players (read: Carlos Delgado) duck the media and don't stand there to be accountable for their failures.  There appears to be a rift in the clubhouse.  Granted, there are 25 players on this team that have 25 different ways of approaching the game.  But some people, like Wagner, clearly are frustrated by what appears to be the indifference of several struggling players.

 Before we all start bashing Carlos Delgado for not caring (which is very much a stretch), let's just think about the ramifications of this apparent rift for the clubhouse.  This club, the most expensive in the National League and the most expensive in franchise history, has been treading water all season.  They returned from a decent and somewhat encouraging West Coast swing and put up a pitiful and listless 3-4 homestand against the lowly Cincinnati Reds and the lowly Washington Nationals.  The clubhouse is awfully tense and day in and day out the only player saying the right things is David Wright.  This makes one wonder about a manager's role in team unity.  Is it the manager's responsibility?

The one thing Willie has taken a lot of heat for is his pitching decisions.  Frankly, I don't think they've been that bad.  Yes, he let Aaron Heilman get eaten alive the other night.  But with Schoeneweis down, Wise overworked (and somewhat ineffective), and Sanchez overworked there really weren't any more options.  The fans booing Willie for pulling Pelfrey after he was clearly weakening in the eighth inning yesterday was ignorant as it was ridiculous.

 It is my belief that a manager gets too much credit when a team plays well and too much blame when a team underachieves.  Willie Randolph is a manager who is good for this town, knows what to say and how to manage the media and the game.  I'm not saying that Willie is a great manager like Bobby Cox or even Lou Piniella.  He is in fact a lot like Joe Torre; he's not defined by anything other than his team.  Willie is an average manager.  Does that mean the Mets should fire him?  I don't think so, unless the apparent rift in the clubhouse gets bigger.  But as they say, winning cures everything.  If this team plays anywhere near its potential, we aren't having this discussion.  Let's hope these guys can turn it around.