Average Collapse

So he we are, just over one quarter of the baseball season in the books and things don't look much different then they did at the end of last season for the Mets. The only differences are, Johan Santana is leading the pitching staff, Ryan Church is the leading offensive player on the team and Willie Randolph is finally coming under fire for the mediocrity and lack of intensity the NY Mets have displayed. What has remained from last year is, losing big games against lower tier teams, being dominated by the Braves, Aaron Heilman is still horrible out of the bullpen, Oliver Perez is still inconsistent, Pedro is hurt, Alou has just begun his second stay on the disabled list, El Duque (Orlando Hernandez) is nowhere to be found even though he is making a lot of money with an extended contract, Luis Castillo is not hitting much, Delgado is hitting a little, Beltran is hitting a little more and David Wright and Jose Reyes are still the only thing the team has to be proud of. What can fans in NYC expect from their favorite team, The Amazin's? I will take a hack at answering that question, but it might be a bit bias since I still have a glimmer of hope of winning. By the middle of this season, when the All-Star game comes to NYC at Yankee Stadium, the media will be focusing on all things New York and will throw Willie Randolph under the bus and the owners of the team, the Wilpons, will force GM Omar Minaya to look elsewhere for leadership in the dugout. When a team with a lot of talent and a large payroll like the Mets underachieves so much, the Manager of the team usually takes the blame. Its especially apparent when a team like the Mets collapsed at the end of the year last year, missing the playoffs and Willie really didn't show much emotion about it. Willie got another chance to take the reigns this year and to try to lead the team to victory, how he pulled off keeping his job is a mystery to me and to many fans. Other managers and head coaches have lost less then Willie did last year and were fired for it. The Mets need a manager who can evoke emotions from his players and the fans no matter what happens win or lose, so that people know he is actually there giving his all for the team and the city. Willie claims he is a "Joe Torre" type of manager, who is quiet, yet gets his message across. Joe Torre has won more championships then most managers have been involved in, he has the track record of being effective in the clubhouse and has also endured being fired by teams in the past, including the Mets. Willie needs to have his own way of managing, even though he was on the bench with Torre throughout the winning years with the Yankees, he has to separate himself from that and prove that he is his own type of manager. I wish that things were working out for Willie and the Mets, but its not and unfortunately the manager is liable for the record and state of the team and eventually he has to take the blame, it comes with the territory. The Mets are an average team right now and although they claim last years collapse is behind them, in reality it is still right in front of their faces.