Minaya sticks with decides to stick with Randolph

by Oneflydude

Despite the New York Mets collapse during the last month of the season, Mets General Manager, Omar Minaya still has trust in his manager, Willie Randolph.  "I do beleive that Willie is going to continue to work hard," said Omar Minaya.  "I do believe that Willie's passion for winning is there."  It has to be because they guy still finished with a winning record. Since 2005, he's had a winning record since he's been the manager for the Mets (268-217).  Last year, Randolph got the Mets to the ALCS before losing to the St. Louis Cardinals in 7 games.  Willie and his Mets had a 7 game lead over the Philadelphia Phillies until the last 17 games.  During that stretch, the Mets went 5-12 watching their lead in the NL East disappear.  Many people put the blame on Randolph for this horrivle collapse, but Mets 3rd baseman, David Wright said that he wasn't the one to blame.  I personally agree.  During the Mets choke, Randolph tried to stay calm and not panic about it which is probably the best thing to do as a manager.  It worked for Yankees manager Joe Torre so why can't it work for another New York manager?  Because the New York Yankees don't have problems scoring runs when they need them.  Randolph wasn't the one making errors on the field, nor was he in the batters box striking out when his team needed baserunners.  Some people thought that Randolph would be gone after the collapse of the Mets in the last 17 games of the season but Minaya made up his mind about the managerial spot.  But don't be suprised if you see a different coaching staff next year.  Minaya didn't comment on it, only saying this, "We are going to evaluate everything,"   One thing you can be sure of is seeing Willie in the Mets dugout again for the 2008 season.