Problem Veterans Sinking Randolph, Mets

By BillB159, Section MLB
Posted on Wed Jun 25 2008 at 10:47 PM EST
More on: New York Mets, Billy Wagner, Carlos Beltran, Carlos Delgado, Willie Randolph (all tags)

As the Mets limp home after an awful 2-5 West Coast swing--including a four-game sweep by the lowly Padres--the calls for Willie Randolph's managerial head will undoubtedly get much louder. Unfortunately, it's really not his fault. Willie is no Miller Huggins, but he's a solid game manager who relies heavily on his veterans. And as last September proved, these overpaid "clubhouse leaders" are not to be relied on. You would think that throwing the NL East into the toilet last season would teach them a lesson. It didn't. Unless Willie Randolph and general manager Omar Minaya make some changes, this last season at Shea Stadium will go down as the worst in Mets history, which is really saying something. The main culprits in a bad group: Billy Wagner, Carlos Beltran, and Carlos Delgado.

(935 words in story) Full Story