Former Greensboro Bats manager gone in Randolph shakedown…
Posted By Andy Durham on June 17, 2008
Former Greensboro Bats skipper Tom Nieto has lost his job in the N.Y. Mets purge of Willie Randolph and his staff. Nieto known as “The Chief”, managed players including Tony Armas Jr., Nick Johnson, and Christian Guzman while in Greensboro.
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) – After weeks of speculation that his job was in jeopardy, Willie Randolph finally got fired by the New York Mets while most fans were sleeping.
Randolph was let go in the middle of the night Tuesday, 2 1/2 months into a disappointing season that has followed the team’s colossal collapse last September.
Bench coach Jerry Manuel takes over on an interim basis for Randolph, who led the Mets to within one win of the 2006 World Series. They got off to a strong start again last year but plummeted down the stretch and have been unable to rebound.
A preseason favorite to win the NL pennant, the $138 million Mets (34-35) had won two in a row when Randolph was dismissed early Tuesday morning – making him the first big league manager to get fired this season.
Pitching coach Rick Peterson and first base coach Tom Nieto also were cut loose in an enormous overhaul that was revealed in a fact-of-the-matter news release at a stunning time – about 12:15 a.m. PDT, nearly two hours after New York’s 9-6 victory over the Los Angeles Angels.
*****portions of this info listing from FOX Sports.com*****
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Here’s what Ken Rosenthal at Foxsports.com is saying and you can read more my clicking on in the left hand column at News and Scores under FOX SPORTS….
The Mets can be very proud: They didn’t fire Willie Randolph on Father’s Day.
No, they allowed Randolph and two of his doomed coaches to fly to the West Coast and lead the team to one last victory.
In Anaheim, Ca.
Via a press release.
At 3:12 a.m. ET.
But thank goodness it was after Father’s Day — a tribute to the Mets’ keen sense of public relations.
I do not say this lightly: The Mets’ firings of Randolph, pitching coach Rick Peterson and first base coach Tom Nieto will go down as one of the most disgraceful episodes in sports history.
Randolph had to go, but no self-respecting organization would treat its employees with such little decency. With the exception of one unfortunate interview, Randolph conducted himself with dignity.
Now, incredibly, he’s a martyr.
The stain not only is on general manager Omar Minaya, but also those above him — specifically owner Fred Wilpon and his son Jeff, the team’s chief operating officer.
Well-said Ken…….AD