Mets Problems Began with the Firing of Rick Down

The New York Mets are not having the best of times right now plain and simple. It is almost June of 2008 and after the off season acquisition of pitcher Johan Santana, no one saw this coming. During the past few months, the Mets have carried their struggles that led to their disappointing end of the 2007 season into the 2008 season. When they play at home in front of their fans, they are booed as though they were playing on the road. Manager Willie Randolph has recently come of in post game press conferences as overly defensive and overly sensitive to the media. But the fact of the matter is that Randolph has reason to feel that way and it goes all the way back to July of the 2007 season. Keep in mind ,at the time the Mets were still in first place and the September collapse seemed unimaginable. But none the less, the head honchos of the Mets front office were not satisfied and wanted something to change and fast.

On July 12, 2007 the Mets fired hitting coach Rick Down. Down had been with the team since 2005. More importantly though, he was hand picked by Willie Randolph. Randolph and Down were both on the coaching staff of the New York Yankees (Randolph in 1994-2004 and Down in 1993-1995 and in 2002-2004). When Willie Randolph was hired by the Mets in 2005 and began assembling his coaching staff, it was made up of people who both he and/or GM Omar Minaya had prior experience with in the past. Initially, Down was not able to even be interviewed by the Mets because he was still under contract with the New York Yankees. Regardless of that conflict, a way was found because Down was clearly Randolph's choice and someone with whom he felt extremely comfortable. One would assume that being at ease is essential in the manager/coach/players relationships because of the huge amount of time that they all have to spend together from February to at least September every year.

The Mets season in 2005 was nothing great, but it was Randolph's first year so that was to be expected. The 2006 season was an amazing one for the Mets as they basically ran off with the NL East Division with no real competition. Though they were denied the NL Pennant because of the good fortune of a not so good St. Louis Cardinals team, it was a step in the right direction. 2007 was going to be their year.

Even though the Mets were in first place for basically the entire first half of 2007 season, there playing was not as inspired as it had been in 2006. This is what led to firing of Rick Down. Former Met third baseman Howard Johnson was promoted to the position of hitting coach. Taking Johnson's spot as the first base coach was Rickey Henderson, the all time leader in stolen bases and future first round Hall of Famer. Randolph was not pleased by this decision and voiced his feelings about this at the press conference where Down firing was formally announced. Randolph said of Down "I brought him here" and repeatedly stated that it was "an organizational decision". This was not the laid back Willie Randolph that New York sports fans have come to know since the 1970's. Since then, it has only become worse.

While no one will argue that at time of the Down firing the hitting was bad, it was the wrong decision for a couple of reasons that are now apparent. First of all, by taking away someone who Willie Randolph felt so strongly about having on his coaching staff , the head honchos of the Mets was taking away his ability to manage the team the way he saw fit. The firing of Down sent a message to Randolph that he did have control, they did. This is was an incredibly short sighted decision that in part signaled the beginning of the end for the Mets in 2007. Howard Johnson has yet to do any better with the team than Down did. Rickey Henderson is no longer the Mets first base coach because Henderson was no where near removed enough from a player mentality to a coaching mentality.

Secondly, it is the players who need to go out and execute and that just didn't happen for the Mets in the second half of the 2007 season. One may argue that this is a ridiculous argument because all teams have slumps and letting go or trading every player is not a practically solution. However, it could also be said that firing a coach or manager who the players have worked with for a long period is just as much of non-solution. Down's firing didn't give the Mets a big boost in any way. It was a knee jerk reaction to slump, which hadn't even cost the Mets first place in their division.

As of this point in the 2008 season, Willie Randolph's job as the Mets manager is apparently in jeopardy. Let's hope that the trigger isn't pulled to soon and that Randolph is given the chance that he deserves. Otherwise, the Mets will wind up the 2008 season as they did in 2007, outside of the playoffs.