On the Mets beat

First off, I'm supposed to believe that fans actually miss Willie Randolph now? That's a joke, right? Since last September, everyone has been screaming for Randolph to be fired. He was booed at Shea for the first 10 weeks of this season. I've been getting e-mails calling for his head. And now, because he was fired in the middle of the night a week ago, fans want him back?

Enough already. You got what you wanted. So keep the signs at home and stop with the sob stories. Blame the Mets for not firing Randolph before the team flew to the West Coast because they already had their minds made up that weekend. Fred Wilpon said as much yesterday. But now that it's over, time to move on.

And now that I'm warmed up, let's talk about Jerry Manuel's "fertilizer" comment. Shea has been one of the most hostile places for a home team to play in this season -- yes, even worse than Philly. But as soon as someone like Manuel dares to mention that fact, in so many words, everyone gets offended by it?

I was in the manager's office that day in Colorado, along with all of the other beat writers, and Manuel wasn't ripping anyone. He had a smile on his face the whole time and knew exactly what he was saying. He even dared us -- jokingly -- not to go crazy with it. So much for having a sense of humor.

Trying to make the parallel of "fertilizer" = fans is a little bit of stretch. Let's give Manuel a break. He has no problem saying insightful, intelligent things about his team, as well as baseball in general, and I think fans are going to appreciate reading/listening to him. So try not to be so sensitive.

Anyway, check out today's coverage, starting with one bad error, one bad pitch and one terrible home loss to kick off the Jerry Manuel Era at Shea. As for those "fertilizer" comments, here's Manuel's attempt at cleaning up that mess yesterday.

And before I forget ... drum roll please ... Wallace Matthews. Enjoy.