Howe Fired but Will Remain Manager

In a move that surprised no one, the Mets have decided to fire Art Howe as the manager of the Mets. The surprising thing is Howe has decided stay with the Mets through the end of the season. Howe cited the fact that he's never quit on anything, "I'm not a quitter. I've never walked away from anything in my life."

In almost two years with the Mets, Howe is 129-177, which when compared to the record of their crosstown rivals (193-115), looks mighty paltry. Obviously, the two teams aren't close in talent, but with a payroll at just under $100 million, one would hope they Mets would be a better team. There is no way that the blame falls completely on Howe, who had a team with potential this season, but was decimated with injuries throughout the season. Then again, winning teams can deal with diversity, the Mets have not.

Much has been made of Howe's laid back style as the reason the Mets have played so poorly under his leadership, but the deposed manager made a good point yesterday in defending his personality. Howe likened his personality to that of Joe Torre, "When you're not successful, that's thrown back in your face. There's a guy across town who's pretty even-keel and pretty successful. I think that having respect for your players pays dividends down the road." The Mets will pay $4.7 million for the remaining two years of his salary.

The Mets also played a game last night, losing to the Braves 2-0 (box score). Al Leiter only gave up three hits and two runs in the seven innings he pitched and picked up eleven K's.