You can't tell me that Willie Randolph doesn't know the rule book inside and out after Saturday's 7-4 loss to Doc Halladay and the Toronto Blue Jays.Second inning: You have a pitcher in Orlando Hernandez getting torched...six runs and two hit batsmen in one and 2/3 innings...and already with one mound visit on his ledger. So he throws near Troy Glaus (and give Glaus an Oscar for his poignant portrayal of a batter who had any chance of getting hit with a pitch...reminded me of Manny throwing a fit at Clemens for throwing an inch inside during the playoffs and trying to get Clemens thrown out) and there are warnings flying around and Hernandez is starting to get agitated.
So Randolph, in his infinite genius, leaves the dugout to "talk to the umpires", and in the process shrewdly says a couple of words to his Christmas tree lit pitcher...knowing that it could very well get Hernandez eliminated from the game after five outs (as it constituted a second mound visit) without having to actually take him out. And it worked! Hernandez was not only forced to be removed from the game, but he totally was mad at the umpires for making a "bad ruling". Randolph makes the token argument (an acting job worthy of, well, Troy Glaus) while secretly breathing a sigh of relief that Orlando was no longer in the game. What better way to get your veteran pitcher getting his brains beat in out of the game without absorbing the blame yourself?
It's pure genius! It's like playing a practical joke on your teammate while making it look like it was someone else. Who says Willie can't manage? And who says Willie can't act? Super Genius!
I have to stop watching Oliver Stone movies.
***
Truth is, with Doc on the mound for the Jays I had this game pegged as a loss anyway. But the Mets reached Doc for ten hits in seven and a third, and had the tying run on base in the eighth inning with the immortal former Met Justin Speier in the game. But X reached out at another low slider (a regular occurrence lately) and that was that. I think I would have felt better of Halladay was Halladay and dominated. But once the Mets got to a bullpen member not named B.J. Ryan, this game could have been had. Slightly disappointing.
Speaking of B.J. Ryan, I can't remember the last time I saw a pitcher...closer or otherwise, completely dismantle the Mets as Ryan did in the ninth. Ryan seemed like a Bugs Bunny cartoon out there:
Strikeonestriketwostrikethreeyoureout!
Strikeonestriketwostrikethreeyoureout!
Strikeonestriketwostrikethreeyoureout!
Whoa! Nasty.
I'm not going to play the "I wish we had gotten B.J. instead of Wagner card", because they were both excellent options. I will always be surprised however that Ryan didn't get at least a closer look by Omar in favor of Wagner. The man is plain nasty.
4 comments:
I think BJ didn't get a closer look because he signed with the Blue Jays so early on in the whole thing. If I recall correctly, the signing came out of nowhere especially considering that the Blue Jays were not as hungry for a closer as were squads like the Mets and Phillies.
Ryan's dominant, but his career pales in comparison to Wags too. Ryan had 42 saves going into 2006, Wagner had 284. Then again, John Franco had 424 going into 2k6. Strange world.
Ryan was one of the first to sign yes. But from the beginning, all you heard from Mets camp was that it was Wagner or nothing. Ryan was never really seriously even thought of by the Mets.
Don't forget Ryan was a set-up guy (for Jorge Julio...yeesh!) for a few years while Wagner was a closer basically from the beginning so the career numbers are probably skewered a bit. And Ryan is four years younger with nasty stuff so I'm just surprised that he wasn't thought of more.
Wagner probably fits better here because Sanchez will probably be groomed to be the next closer in due time.
There was a contingent of people who thought BJ Ryan couldn't handle the big stage b/c he melted down against the skanks once or twice.
Luckily, wagner has yet to blow a save. Oh, wait.....
Hi Mestradamus- LOL Wil E, Randolph, the coyote's picture-all of it is very clever you are a genius yourself.
I have to say I wasn't so sure if Willie did that on purpose with hernandez, one would think being in the majors since 1975 that he would know the rules, but I don't know if he is that savvy of a manager yet. I want to like him, but to be honest with this offense and this bull pen I think I could manage this team. it's really on autopilot with two exceptions that I will credit Willie for-he puts his bench players in on certain days that totally boggles my mind and win every time he does that it seems-he has an icredible feel for who can use a day off and who would be good in the line up in their places that day.
The other is that he appears to be a great motivator and he gets these guys to play for him. I also like how he handled Milledge's little mistakes by benching him for not running full speed and missing the team bus.
I don't agree with you on the Wagner issue, I wanted Ryan from day one, as you know I was not a fan of signing Billy Wagner-the Mets deserve a closer who could do what Ryan did to the Mets that day.
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