Should Willie get Crazy?

The Mets are spiralling out of control. Fans are calling for Manager Willie Randolph to reincarnate Bobby V and to fire up his team. Should Willie get Crazy??

To answer, let's take a look at the other New York baseball club. During the 2007 season, Joe Torre and the Yankees faced a similar dilemma. They were below .500 and Boston was running away with the lead. Today, the Yankes have a better record than the Mets.

Why has and is Torre successful? Clearly, he had the talent. The Yankees consistently had one of the highest, if not the highest, payroll in the league. But other teams had similar payrolls and never came close to the playoffs. Torre also has not been known as a statistician and also has a reputation for burning out his bullpen (See Tom Gordon and Scott Proctor). Yet, 11 playoff finishes and 4 titles later, Torre is still the skipper for one of the most heralded franchises in sports.

The reason Torre was successful is because he had the right temperament for New York. There would be no "Bronx Zoo" under Torre. Torre was confronted with the largest media circus of any other team. In New York, there are 3 daily newspapers compared to other cities, which have just one. Yet, Torre never lost his cool. Win or lose, the man displays no emotion (except, of course, when he starts crying like a baby when they win the title). But, a 162 game season is grueling and is prone to slumps. Yet, you never see Torre charging at an umpire to kick dirt or throwing bases around the diamond. He sits quietly in his dugout and keeps everyone calm. In other cities, this quality may be unappreciated and even considered lazy. But, in New York, it is essential.

As the Mets continue to slump, fans are calling for Manager Willie Randolph to fire up his team. But, Randolph, like Torre, has the same emotion throughout. His stoic expression never changes and provides a calm to his team in New York. Although Bobby Valentine's antics were legendary, he wore out his welcome after a few seasons because players got tired of listening. Perhaps Willie should display some Bobby V in the next few games? Maybe even bring out the ol' glasses and moustache disguise? But that wouldn't be Willie, and would only be taken by the players as a sign of panic. Willie is the right man for New York. Too bad the Mets fans don't appreciate him the way the Yankees appreciate Torre.