Man, What's Up with the Mets and Gettin Rid of Willie Randolph

"Jerry Manuel, the new manager of the New York Mets, stepped to a podium at Angel Stadium on Tuesday. "Minaya chose the adjectives "resigned" and "relieved" to describe Randolph's reaction; Randolph told reporters he was "stunned" and "surprised. Mock the Mets. " Omar Minaya, the general manager of the Mets, preceded Manuel to the podium.

I'll forever be grateful for Willie, for giving me the opportunity, for continuing to help with my development as a young player. "The way it was handled -- quickly -- was out of respect to Willie. Minaya fired Willie Randolph just before midnight Monday, then tried to explain the timing Tuesday, with an Angels logo beneath the microphone in front of him and Angels logos all across the banner behind him. I think he took this team to a different level while he was here.

But, again, it's tough to see a guy that you've been with for so long go - and a guy that has been a close friend and manager. Meet the Mets. With that being said, I'm excited about Jerry and what he can bring to the table. A model franchise whacks a manager at home, and not under cover of darkness.

Bud Selig stepped to a podium at Angel Stadium a few weeks ago, calling the Angels "a model for all our other franchises. In describing the Mets' collapse last fall, he used two delightfully blunt words: "catastrophic demise. "What Mets players are saying about Willie's Randolph's firing:"You have a front office that is extremely capable of making these tough decisions. He did not call his team a model for anything, except failure.

The Mets whacked Randolph in a suite at the Westin South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa, then announced the dismissal via e-mail at 12:11 am"I know the perception is the way we handled it is disrespectful," Minaya said.