Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Willie Out in Queens

A few weeks earlier than I thought, but perhaps 8 months too late for many Mets fans - Willie Randolph was fired after Monday night's game. A guy named Gary has been named the temporary manager - will the other Gary (Carter) be named the permanent replacement?

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Far more important news is that Wang is out for at least 6 weeks - probably the season. Big, big loss.

How much longer is Hughes and Kennedy on the DL? And does anybody have an update on, um, Carl Pavano?

37 comments:

Anonymous said...

Mid as usual you are the misinformed. Wang is out until at least September. I would consider him done for the year. If the Yankees are in contention maybe he can help out down the stretch but you can't count on him being available. I think you see the Yankees make a big push for top of the rotation guy now.

The Mets show how classy of an organization they really are by the way the dismiss Willie. Truth be told Omar should be gone too.

57 I know you wanted Willie gone in a bad way, but like that???

The Scooter said...

Totally classless act by the Mets. They actually made Willie, Rick Peterson and Tom Nieto fly three thousand miles cross country just to get fired at Midnight west coast time AFTER A WIN.

Omar is a loser and nothing at Shea will change until HE is the one sent packing.

And Mid, some guy named JERRY...JERRY has been named interim manager. Have you been getting your info from Old Prof?

Yankees will make a deal for Bronson Arroyo before the end of the month.

Anonymous said...

Hey, cut me some slack, I was listening to it at 5:05 a.m. . .

Jerry, Gary, Cary - it ain't Willie.

57 said...

yes, I am glad willie is gone but the way the Wilpons allowed this to happen was absurd. Why let these guys travel to the wrong coast to have them pack up and fly back to the right coast unemployed?? A cowardly act to avoid the NY media blitz!! Omar is a joke and he's next. Gary Carter will be in a uni by fall.

Willie was too passive. Joe Torre style is fine when you have guys like Jeter, O'Neil, Wells and Martinez. The Mets have ONE guy with that kind of intangible.....David Wright. He's not ready yet, but is capable!

I'll trade you Girardi for Randolph

57 said...

oh, and Hank...do want some cheese with your whine?? Who agrees with Hank's assertion that the NL needs to "grow up"??? I mean really? Last time i checked, athelets don't get hurt by just running. Hank, NL baseball is the purest form of the game. The DH is a joke.

The Scooter said...

Keep this name in mind when thinking about pitchers the Yankees might add........Freddy Garcia.

You heard it here first.

Anonymous said...

Just say no to Fred.

They are giving one start to Karstenss, and if he blows it, We're getting Roy Oswalt (we'll be giving up Brackman and Duncan).

57 said...

Mets will be in the playoffs.

old professor said...

Crash, hate to rain on your parade, but athletes do get hurt by just running: pulled quads, pulled hamstrings, shinesplints, joint inflamation, and the occassional planter facittis (spelling is really questionable). Oh and by the why once you crossover a certain age plateau, these things can happen while just using a treadmill.

Hanks assertion is there should be consistency in the major leagues. Either have the DH or get rid of it. Kind of like quest tech. It is only in a few parks and the umpires know which ones so they are more careful with the strike zone. Should be in all of the parks.

Regarding, Willie, maybe he was right about the race thing. Delgado, Beltran, Gomez, Reyes, etc have one thing in common with the general manager that they didn't have with Willie. Oh and Jerry Manuel has the same thing in common with the GM and Players. Waiting until the team went west shows why the Muts are the second class team of NY. Omar showed he has no class and it reflects on the team.

No manager, regardless of how good or how bad he is should have been treated the way Willie was treated.

old professor said...

Oh and Crash, they will not go out and trade from a point of weakness to fill a gap in the rotation. They will try to handle it internally first. Teams will exact too high a price from the Yankees. I don't see the team panicing yet, especially if the bats continue to perform as they have in the last week.

Scooter, I tend to agree with you on Freddie Garcia. He has been rehabbing and throwing for show to a number of scouts and he has been on the Yankees radar for a few years. They can get him on the cheap and maintain their farm system. The only question to answer has the surgery been successful enough to allow Garcia to return to the pitcher Seattle hoped they would get when they traded Randy Johnson so many years ago. Garcia has travelled a long road - Houston, Seattle, Chicago and Philadelphia.

57 said...

Prof, I agree with your and everyone's assertion regarding how Willie was treated. I am pretty pissed about it, even though I do think that the Mets needed a change, and that Willie had to go. The control over the team was just not there. I beleive they started to tune Willie out. I was embarassed as a fan by Minaya yesterday... his press conference was probably the worst press conference I have ever seen and applause to Mike and Mike on WFAN/YES for absolutely GRILLING him on the radio after the press conference when Minaya came on their show. Minaya was toungue tied and truly caught off guard.

The Wilpon's then came out and said it was Minaya's decision. Last time I checked, if I was paying $140,000,000 of my money.. I WOULD BE MAKING EVERY DECISION..especially with an incompetent GM at the helm.

The Mets organization is an embarassment right now. I like a total of 6 people in the organization... Wright, Reyes, Chavez, Santana, Maine and Church..oh, and newcomer Trott Nixon. As far as Im concerned, bag the rest and let's start all over.

The Scooter said...

57 likes only 6 people in the Mets organization? I feel the time is right to bring him over to a real baseball team. What do you think, boys?

Pettitte was lights out last night and dare I say it.....Giambi deserves an All-Star bid.

A-Rod hit another HR but his defense is what really impressed me.

Is Cano starting to come out of his funk?

57 said...

giambi needs to lose the Ron Jeremy mustache

Anonymous said...

Scooter I agree with your Freddy Garcia acquisition. The Yankees have long desired him in their rotation. He didn't pitch poorly in Philli. And because of the injury could sign on the cheap. There is worry about the shoulder though. Rumor is that several other teams were interested but yet he's still out there, leads me to believe he is not ready. If the Yankees sign him they could at least get him into an organized rehab get the progress going and have him sometime after the all star break.

old professor said...

Mid, the coffee from Starbucks yesterday may be getting to your brain. Brackman and Duncan (which one Shelly or Eric?)for Oswalt is a trade that the Astros would never make. Brackman is not ready to pitch because of the surgery he had last year. The thought is he will be pitching competitively by late August.

Brackman will be in the starting rotation next year. (Picture this rotation: Chamberlain, Pettitte, Wang[??], Hughes, Brackman and/or ready for this Mussina - I do not see the Yankees pursuing Sabathia either through trade or free agency - too costly.

I do believe they will aggressively pursue Garcia - shoulder surgery is still pretty iffy. Boston is putting Colon on the DL after what three starts??

Mid, hate to burst the bubble, but Karstens was not called up. The Yankees will start Giese. They called Trabor back for SWB. Karstens will be up only if there is another injury to a starter - and by the way if they lose another starter to injury, write the season off.

Oh and Hank has indicated he is contemplating bringing Willie back to the Yankees in some capacity. A number of years ago, he was an assistant to the General Manager - could Cashman's days be numbered??

57 said...

Willie Randolph will not take George Costanza's job, Prof.

Anyone want to give props to the Celtics??? Scooter you live in New England for cripes sake, or was that Jersey, or Dallas or Miami?? I can't tell anymore...you change teams like underwear...not including Britney's.

Way to go Celtics.. way to bring some pride back to the NBA in a leauge full of thugs...

The Scooter said...

I didn't watch ONE MINUTE of the NBA Finals...If I wanted to watch over-payed thugs underachieve I would watch St. John Fisher college football.

Anonymous said...

wow, that was harsh.

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Anonymous said...

Here's how the pitching thing is going to shake out.

Giese gets the first shot, if he does well, then fine. if not, Karstens will get a shot, then Alan Horne. Mix in the AS break, and if none of those worked out . . . . . . . Carl Pavano.

old professor said...

Mid,Horne has pitched in just four games at SWB since coming off the DL, in addition, he is not on the forty man roster so no chance in him coming up this season. There has not been a Pavano sighting in a long time. His name was brought up in the booth last night and no one could stop laughing. He doesn't have the heart or the mindset to pitch. He doesn't have to audition for teams for next year because he has collected forty million dollars over the last four years without doing anything so he doesn't have to ever pickup a baseball again.

The contracts associated with Pavano, Brown, and Nagle are enough of a reason the Yankees won't look to secure Sabathia for the seven years he would be looking for as a free agent or if he were traded (sign and trade).

Let's be realistic, Santana is a far better pitcher than Sabathia and the Yankees were not going to give up the young arms that were being asked for. And Santana has not delivered the Muts to the promised land even with his new contract (he still goes out once every five days and cannot guarantee a win).

Scooter, the universe really has to be out of alignment because for the second time in this blog, I will agree with you. The NBA is not worth watching. Watching thugs on the court is similar to watching Miami University play football. They are allowed to take their ankle braclets off to play the game.

Regarding Giambi - if he continues to hit like he has been, can we see Yankee pinstipes next year and possibly a new three year contract??

Anonymous said...

Old Prof. you are so far off base it's comical. First your statement that Santana is a "far better pitcher" than Sabathia. No he's not. Sabathia has more wins than Santana, he's younger, and he is still on an upward trend. The reason you don't sign Santana long term is because he was trending down with his stats.

Santana has delivered for the Mets he has pitched really well. His W/L record is not indicative of how he has performed. Additionally he is traditionally a second half pitcher. So the best is yet to come with him this year.

You make it sound like the Yankees made those bad pitching contracts??? Yes Pavano was a waste of money. But Neagle & Brown didn't sign a contract with the Yankees. Neagle was acquired in a trade in 2000, then signed his deal with Colorado. Brown's contract was a joke, but it wasn't because it was long...it was because it was long and he was OLD. He was 34 when he got that deal, not 28 like Sabathia would be. You don't give a 34 year old pitcher a 7 year deal. If you look at pitcher stats they don't hit their prime at 27 or 28. They're best years are in their early 30's. That's why I don't have a problem with a longer deal for a younger guy like Sabathia.

Now given all of that...I agree you still don't sign Sabathia to a 7 year deal. If a deal was pending, you could probably see them start at 4, and then maybe offer 2 additional years as club options with escalated buyout clauses for each year.

Scooter I just read your Bronson Arroyo prediction. Wait...I have to catch my breath from laughing...ok...he's already proven he can't cut it against the AL and AL East. He had 1 good year with the Reds and is now proving he can't cut it in the NL either. No way he ends up in Pinstripes.

Old Prof, one last thing. Yes if Giambi continues to hit and finishes around .260 with 40 HRs he will be in pinstripes but at a much reduced cost ($10M, not $20M) and it won't be for more than 2 years.

Anonymous said...

Holy Crap!!! Sidney Ponson...again???

Anonymous said...

A couple of sites out there are guessing that it would take 2 or 3 prospects to get Sabathia from the Indians.

Yankees, Red Sox, Cubs, Dodgers, and Rays. Are said to be interested.

I don't think the Sox are players because they already have a 7 man rotation and may even get Schilling back before the end of year.

Despite having a deep farm, I don't think the Yankees would send 3 prospects to Cleveland.

Is it me or is it just odd to see the Rays as "buyers" in a trade market? If they could add a pitcher of that quality to their rotation watch out.

The Cubs make the most sense if they have the talent in the farm. If they land Sabathia and sign him that is a great rotation if Zambrano's injury isn't serious. Z is 8-3, Dempster is 8-2, then you add Sabathia to that and then still have Lilly as your #4. Wow.

Dodgers have a lot of young players that are ready for the big leagues and may not get time in because of Joe Torre and his love for the veteran players.

Anonymous said...

#1 - as evidenced by brining up Dan Giese, the 40 man roster situation is not a major deterent in factoring in who gets brought up.

#2 - to echo Crash - Sideny Ponson again?? ugh

The Scooter said...

Another strong game for the Bronx Bombers (Yes, we can call them that once again).

A-Rod is on fire and Damon looks like he has traveled back in time. Everyone is hitting and playing good defense. Rasner gritted through a tough outing, but only wound up giving up 2 runs. I really like Edwar Ramirez (his back to back jacks notwithstanding)and once again, Farnsworth didn't totally blow it. I'll tell you this, we will miss Mariano when he is finally gone.

I'm willing to give Ponson a start or two. Cashman is looking to catch lightning in a bottle like he did with Small/Chacon a couple years ago. It cost them nothing, and if he flames out he will be released. He was actually pitching pretty well for the Rangers before they released him because he is a tool and he can't keep his mouth shut. But hey, if he wins a couple games and gives them some time to evaluate the trade market, then in won't be so bad.

old professor said...

The signing of Ponson is like bottom feeding. The Rangers are short on pitching and they released him because of off field issues - that is short for he is drinking again. True he was 4-1 with the rangers and had an ERA under 4 but he just is not worth the headaches.

Rasner gets the win but was not impressive.

Anonymous said...

Ponson was released because he was vocal against the manager and pitching coach for skipping his slot in the rotation when he was the only starter winning. He basically said pitch me or release me.

The Scooter said...

Interesting tidbit from Jayson Stark on ESPN.com:

Price of the Giambino: Two months ago, we would have set the odds of Jason Giambi's returning to the Bronx next year at approximately, well, zero. But we're hearing the Yankees have sent signals to Giambi that, assuming he stays healthy and reasonably productive, they would be amenable to bringing him back next year. There's zilch chance they'll pick up his $22 million option. But a modest one-year offer, on top of his $5 million buyout, apparently is no longer out of the question. Who'd have thunk it?

The Scooter said...

POP QUIZ....who said the following?

"I told him next time he does that I'm going to get my blade out and cut him. I'm a gangster. You go gangster on me, I'm going to have to get you. You do that again, I'm going to cut you right on the field,"

57 said...

Jerry Manuel, and thank God!! It's time for some discipline on this team!!

Mets have won 4 of 6 and, as Harry Doyle poignantly put it, are threatening to climb out of the cellar.

old professor said...

Looks like I have my answer regarding the pitcher at Staten Island and whether they would allow him to switch pitching directions in an inning - he did and they allowed it. One comical note that was replayed on ESPN. When he faced a switch hitter, they both kept switching from side to side until the umpire put a stop to it and ordered the batter to pick righthanded or left. He batted right and struck out.

The Scooter said...

But Prof....Who's on first...HA HA HA


Make sure you all go to http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com
/index.jsp?c_id=nyy

and vote for your favorite Yankee to be part of the 2008 All Star Team

57 said...

Let me guess, you're all voting for Giambi and Jeter

Anonymous said...

The only thing I can guarantee is that Old Prof did not vote for Jeter. I am glad to say there has been a significant turn around in the offensive #'s.

I think you could honestly vote for Matsui, Giambi, Damon, and A-Rod without being called a homer. Mussina, Mo, and maybe even Joba should be picked by Francona for the pitchers.

The Scooter said...

No 57...I voted for Delgado

The Scooter said...

I guess I can't go with the Moose call this morning, but he did pitch pretty well. The kid from Cincy was pretty good, but I'm not calling him the second coming of Pedro until he goes around the league a few more times.

The Scooter said...

"My favorite Yankee Stadium memory? It's leaving Yankee Stadium."

~Ken Griffey Jr.~


I hope Giese drills him today.

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