Results tagged “omarminaya”

The 2009 Mets will wrap up their season next Sunday and mercifully put an end to a campaign that everyone will try and forget. But, before we bid these Mets goodbye, it’s worth wondering, why did the season fall apart so badly? Sure there were injuries at an amazing rate, but what caused those injuries? Perhaps you could say that the team was cursed?

The sorry state of the Mets isn't just a local issue at this point. Last night on The Tonight Show, Conan O'Brien got in on the fun showing just how deep dysfunction runs within the organization right now.

Well, it's pretty apparent that Mets general manager Omar Minaya's press conference to announce the firing of VP of player development Tony Bernazard did not go as planned. The NY Times wrote, "Three and a half months into a season marked by bile and buffoonery, the Mets added to the chaos Monday, when they turned a news conference announcing the dismissal of a high-ranking executive into an almost surreal confrontation with a reporter who regularly covers the team."

• Mets 8 Colorado 3: Let’s start on the field and give credit to the Mets who have won three-of-four and found some punch at the plate Monday night. Fernando Tatis hit a grand slam in the eighth to break a 3-3 tie and F-Rod took it from there pitching a 1-2-3 ninth. Unfortunately, the on the field stuff will be overshadowed by the circus created this afternoon. While announcing the firing of Tony Bernazard, Omar Minaya decided to mix it up with Daily News writer, Adam Rubin, seemingly accusing Rubin of writing the original story about Bernazard's conduct to gain a job of his own with the Mets. A few hours later, Minaya apologized for how he made the remarks, but not for the substance of them.

One week after news surfaced that Tony Bernazard, Mets VP of Player Development challenged the Mets' AA farm team to a fight and is generally out of control, the Mets fired the hot head. The Post is reporting that Bernazard has been fired and that the move will be announced at the team's 3:30 press conference. No news on whether Minaya has plans to announce his own firing at the press conference as well.

It’s deadline time and while the Mets and Yankees are going in very different directions, it is clear that they both need to do something at the deadline. For the Yankees, currently in first place, they have one clear and pressing need, adding another starter to the rotation. C.C. Sabathia and A.J. Burnett are a formidable tandem, but behind them are serious questions. Joba Chamberlain has been great his last two times out, but his overall work this season has been inconsistent. Andy Pettitte has a 4.67 ERA, a slightly below-average number in 2009. And with Chien-Ming Wang most likely gone for the season, the Yankees are using Sergio Mitre as the fifth starter. Mitre may have won his first start, but he has a 5.35 in over 300 innings in the National League. Brian Cashman doesn’t have to get Roy Holliday, but he needs to find someone who can give the Yankees some innings while keeping them in the game.

Yesterday the Mets held a press conference to say that GM Omar Minaya would be investigating allegations that VP of Player Development Tony Bernazard had ripped his shirt off and challenged minor leaguers to a fight. But much like the period of speculation leading up to Willie Randolph's firing last year, the situation has quickly snowballed, calling into question the way in which the entire organization is run.

Apparently the Mets are not content to only embarrass themselves on the field, they need to do it off the field as well. According to the Daily News, VP for Player Development Tony Bernazard challenged the Binghamton Mets to a fight and called one player “a slang term associated with a woman’s anatomy.” At least Bernazard had the sense to take his shirt off first, no sense getting that ripped. Mets GM Omar Minaya told the News that Bernazard "spoke to them in a stern voice. But as far as what he was wearing, what kind of shoes he was wearing, I don't know anything about that." It's believed that underage drinking and the poor play by the B-Mets (they're 37-58 and in last place in the Northern Division) were causes for the "stern" talk. While it has been reported that Minaya and manager Jerry Manuel are safe for the season, one has to wonder if this will be the end for Bernazard. Challenging the players to fight is bad, but the lack of prospects in the farm system is worse.

It has been almost five years since Omar Minaya was named General Manager of the Mets. In the four-plus seasons he has been in charge he has made the team competitive again, but he has also presided over two terrible September collapses and bungled the firing of Willie Randolph.

The Mets have squandered a chance at the postseason in consecutive Septembers. The 2007 version capped a massive collapse. The 2008 version capped a generally disappointing and underachieving season.

In two days Omar Minaya has revamped the Mets bullpen and turned it into a formidable weapon. Minaya has completed a three-team, 12-player trade with the Mariners and Indians that brings relief pitcher J.J. Putz to New York. Putz, who has been closing games for Seattle the past three seasons, had some elbow problems last season but pitched very well at the end of the season. The combination of Putz and Francisco Rodriguez should make the Mets very hard to beat in the late innings. In addition to Putz, the Mets receive outfielder Jeremy Reed and reliever Sean Green, both from the Mariners. Leaving New York are seven players, Aaron Heilman, Endy Chavez, Jason Vargas, Maikel Cleto, Ezequiel Carrera and Mike Carp, all to the Mariners, and Joe Smith to the Indians.

What the Yankees need to avoid doing is overpaying for any of the other starters out there. A.J. Burnett has been injury-prone throughout his career and will still probably get a huge deal. Derek Lowe has enjoyed pitching in the NL the past few years and may have a rough transition back to the AL and Ben Sheets makes Burnett look like a picture of health.

New York may be going through its first October without baseball since 1994, but that isn’t stopping the local teams from handing out deals to their GM’s. Yesterday, the Yankees brought back Brian Cashman. Today, the Mets announced that they have extended Omar Minaya’s deal for three years through 2012. Minaya, who was signed through 2009 already, could be with the club though 2014 if two club options are picked up.

Some changes have to be made, but it seems stupid not to officially hire the manager who led them to a 55-38 record down the stretch. Jerry Manuel did a solid job this season. Maybe the Mets will change their mind on Omar’s deal since his original deal lasts through 2009? One thing’s for sure, the fans who stayed for the closing ceremonies after the game deserve a medal.

Maybe Mets’ ownership is taking lessons from the Knicks? How else do you explain the news that Omar Minaya is getting a four-year contract extension with the season hanging in the balance? Minaya has done a solid job while running the Mets, but if they do not make the playoffs this year he will have presided over two September collapses. Doesn’t that warrant waiting on a new deal until the season ends? And, if Minaya is getting an extension how come Jerry Manuel is still only the “interim” manager? If you are going to hand out rewards a week early, you should be consistent. Didn’t they learn anything last year from the playoff seat debacle?

The bad news: The Mets' closer Billy Wagner needs surgery to repair his torn MCL in his left elbow, which MLB.com writes will possibly end "his season and possibly his career," since recovery time is "approximately one year." The (sort of) good news: Mets fans won't be tortured by his inconsistent outings. General manager Omar Minaya said, "That was a scenario that I was not expecting," and Wagner had said yesterday that he felt a lot better. Wagner's contract runs through next year (which is worth $10.5 million), and there's also an option for 2010 ($8 million). The Daily News point outs that while Wagner will be missed, "they have played well without him for the past month, too."

It’s time for the Mets to go shopping and Omar Minaya needs to find a bat to bolster the lineup. With the Mets in first place and finally living up to their potential, their GM needs to patch the biggest remaining hole in the team and a corner outfielder would do that.

"You can always look over your shoulder and think things like that, but the intent here clearly was to respect Willie. To do it in person. It's never easy to fire anybody. Omar took a lot of time. We took a lot of time listening to him and thinking about it. He wanted to respect Willie, and that's what he did."

"It's all a matter of performance. Recognize, Omar gave Willie a chance to be in this position. He had never been a manager in the major leagues or minor leagues. I think Willie did a good job. The results of the last say 14 months were not up to what we thought it had to be."

Willie Randolph, who went from being perceived as terse and incompetent to bloodied scapegoat in the matter of three or four days, tells the story Friday of his midnight firing in an article in the Daily News. In it, he says how stunned he was when Mets general manager Omar Minaya told him the bad news in the Anaheim hotel. He also gives a blow-by-blow account of how it happened. When Minaya started talking to Randolph, the soon-to-be-axed manager thought only some of his coaches were getting fired. Then he realized what was happening and, not surprisingly, says he took the high road:

"Omar, are you firing me?" I asked. He looked away for a minute and then met my eyes. "Yeah, I'm going to make a move," he said. "It's a hard decision, but I have to make it."

Continue reading "Willie Randolph Reveals How He Was 'Whacked'"

The local papers have weighed in and made the Mets' firing of manager Willie Randolph their number 1, 2 and 3 topics. Angry over how Randolph was fired (flying him all the way out to Los Angeles?!? And Omar Minaya claiming that the media speculation pushed him to fire Randolph?), yes, but the tabloids were probably angry over something else: The fact that the firing took place around midnight PST/3 a.m. ESt, which meant it was too late to get into yesterday papers! So today, it's all about the Mets.

After firing Willie Randolph following last night's game against the Angels, Mets general manager Omar Minaya finally met with the media today. During the press conference this afternoon, Minaya said the decision to relieve Randolph of his coaching duties "was my decision and it was a tough decision," not that of any others in the organization and it was based on the performance of the team in the past year. It was a move that Minaya did not make easily, saying that as the first Hispanic general manager in baseball who hired the first African American manager in New York baseball history, the two "shared a bond."

The rumors swirled viciously before the game. Willie Randolph was safe for at least the week, but some of his coaches would be fired shortly. Randolph and some of the coaches were about to be axed. There were even erroneous reports that Rick Peterson had been fired.

Two and a half weeks ago, Willie Randolph appeared to be on the precipice of being fired. The Mets, especially general manager Omar Minaya stood by him, and Randolph lived another day. Now, another poor stretch of play has prompted perhaps the strongest rumors yet. If SI.com's Jon Heyman is correct, and his sources are usually reliable, Randolph -- and half his coaching staff -- could be gone by the end of the weekend.

Despite a 23-25 record and an underwhelming performance by his team, Willie Randolph will continue to manage the New York Mets. After a meeting with general manager Omar Minaya, principal owner Fred Wilpon and chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon, the Mets announced that Randolph has the support of all. The meeting happened after the Mets lost six of seven in Atlanta and Colorado and Randolph's comments to the Bergen Record suggesting that SNY, the Mets-owned network that televises the team's games, and other New York media allowed their coverage to be affected by race.

As if Willie Randolph didn’t have enough problems, he now has a former Met openly campaigning for his job. Gary Carter shared his thoughts on the Mets’ situation in a radio interview Friday. Carter told the hosts of "The Mike and Murray Show":

“When I saw that on ESPN today ... I got on the phone and I called (Mets VP of media relations Jay Horowitz and I asked Jay, 'Should I try to call Mr. Wilpon?' If there is this going on I just want them to know of my availability. I'm only a phone call away, because my contract allows me to leave the ballclub. I could be in New York tomorrow, if necessary, because if there's anything at the major league level I can leave this job."

All signs point to this being a critical weekend for Willie Randolph if he wants to keep his job. Ownership is clearly peeved at him, refusing to return his apology phone call and having Omar Minaya do it. The fans are filling the talk radio airwaves with anti-Willie diatribes and the team is not playing well. In fact, they have essentially played .500 ball for over a season. If you go back to May 19th, 2007, the Mets were 28-14, since then they are 82-83. Clearly, this is a team that needs something to change because they are too talented to play at that mediocre level.

Few players can catapult a team from worriers to prohibitive favorites, but Johan Santana can put his name on that list. Before the Mets got him, they and their fans were looking over their shoulders to the Phillies and Braves. Now the team is almost overloaded with optimism.

The Mets introduced Johan Santana, their newest player and best attempt at getting back to the World Series, in Flushing yesterday. Just last week, the Mets and Santana agreed to a six-year $137.5 million contract that makes the Mets a favorite in the National League. Scores of press were on hand for the introduction, as well as David Wright, Omar Minaya, owners Fred and Jeff Wilpon, and Willie Randolph. Before his official introduction, the Mets played a video montage to showcase their new arm. The video had music by Carlos Santana and had greetings by famous Mets interspliced with the pitcher's highlights.

The big sports news of the day isn't the Super Bowl. It's the probable Johan Santana trade that the Mets and Twins agreed to yesterday. And from the reaction of the local papers and sportswriters, it seems like the Mets pulled a fast one on the rubes from Minnesota. If the Mets can sign Santana to a contract extension, it's likely that he will become the highest paid pitcher in baseball, surpassing Barry Zito of the San Francisco Giants. It's believed that Santana and his agent Peter Greenberg are looking for a 6 or 7-year deal in the range of $20-25 million per year.