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Alienated Mets Fan

I've been a very big Mets fan since they were the worst team in baseball in the late 70's and early 80's, but I'm having a hard time getting interested in - let alone rooting for - the 2006 Mets.

I really can't stand GM Omar Minaya and manager Willie Randolph. Randolph spent much of last season demeaning his best player - David Wright - and his best reliever - Aaron Heilman. In his second spring as Mets manager, Willie's apparently in mid-season form. As Monday's Times reports, speaking to the media about infielder Jeff Keppinger, who is having a strong spring, Randolph said: "Keppinger really wasn't in the mix. Keppinger was kind of a long shot, and he's still kind of a long shot, but he's there." Keppinger was the last to hear about this - he heard about it through a friend who had seen an interview of Randolph on TV.

I don't know how successful Keppinger would be if given a chance in the majors, but I do know that Minaya and Randolph are very unlikely to give him that chance. In sharp contrast, former Mets managers Davey Johnson and Bobby Valentine were responsible for launching the careers of a number of unknowns, such as Kevin Mitchell, Roger McDowell, Lenny Dykstra, Jeff Innis, Terry Leach, Rick Reed, Matt Franco, Todd Pratt, Benny Agbayani, Ty Wigginton and Melvin Mora. Would any of those players be given a chance on a Mets team run by Minaya and Randolph?
posted on 3/12/2006