Jose Reyes - Hogan's Goat

When I was 17 years old, I was stopped by a particularly belligerent Bayonne cop because a tail light was out, and then when he found I didn’t have the registration handy enough for him, he said that I was “fugged up as Hogan’s goat”.

Not being Irish, I never really understood how insulting the cop was trying to be. Who was Hogan? Was he an idiot? And what about his goat? Maybe Hogan was okay but his goat was just a mess.

Notwithstanding the fact that I never fully appreciated the depths of this insult, and probably never will, the imagery has stuck with me, and I think of Hogan’s goat whenever somebody does something totally stupid or for a person who seems oblivious to everything and everyone around him.

Do I have to even say it? You know who I’m talking about, right? Is Jose Reyes Hogan’s goat or what? Here’s a guy who runs like a deer. When you look at Jose, you think of the FTD logo, the winged foot. He can hit a baseball too, when he’s not trying to hit a home run.

And he can play that shortstop position like all the greats you can think of, Omar Vizquel, Luis Aparicio, Ozzie Smith….Jose could play with any of them. He’s got great range, quick reflexes and a gun for an arm.

You could almost say he’s a five-tool guy, hits for average and at least some power, has a great arm, runs really fast and has great fielding ability. With a smile that would light up old Broadway, he delights us when he cruises around the bases like lightning, or makes a stop deep in the hole and then guns that runner down with that bazooka.

He’s probably good in the clubhouse too, he certainly helps to light up the dugout. He’d probably be considered a good team guy too as he’s the first to congratulate a teammate. You could even add that to his credentials. What personnel guy would turn down Jose Reyes? He’d have to be deaf, dumb and blind.

It’s that sixth tool he’s really missing. Like the Wizard Of Oz’s scarecrow used to sing….if I only had a brain.

Ah well, he is who he is. A fatal flaw, that last one though.

When he hits a double that should have been a triple if he hadn’t admired his long drive for so long out of the box, or, even worse, when he then gets caught between 2nd and 3rd base to singlehandedly destroy an inning, you just shake your head.

After all, there he was again on third base, dancing down the line, trying to entice that balk, and he very nearly did. But, alas, it wasn’t to be and the Mets lost again to the Braves, giving them the three-game series, seeming to prove once again that they’re the tougher team, the team that doesn’t beat itself.

Besides, he wasn’t alone to blame for the loss. If you were looking to assign the horns to anyone (there’s that goat again), you could give them to Putz, or even to Beltran, or anybody else who didn’t perform, as long as you except Fernando Tatis and Gary Sheffield.. They were really terrific in defeat.

But, for those who believe that winning is the only thing, those folks are beginning to realize that truth can sometimes wear a wry face…or is it just their crooked eyes? Can they be right in their perception that the Mets always lose when Reyes throws an inning away?

Some are now thinking of potential trades for Reyes. For Reyes sets the tone for this Mets team, and the tone is all wrong. He’s the leadoff hitter, the spark plug, but seemingly more often than not, he’s a fouled spark plug, one that shuts the whole engine down.

It’s beginning to become an old story too. How many years does a team have to lose before a realization sets in, the one that says you might win with these guys, but the odds are against it. A loss to the Phillies was almost acceptable, if only because that team has a lot of talent, and they are acknowedged to be a tough team, a team with hard-nosed guys, whatever that means, a team with that elusive edge.

But the Braves do not qualify. The Braves don’t have nearly the team that Philadelphia has, nor do they have the talent found on this Mets team. They don’t have good pitching and they don’t have the same quality lineup. They’re a team that the Mets should beat.

And, too often, the finger can be pointed to that crazy leadoff hitter. If he had only not gotten caught, if he had run coming out of the box, if he hadn’t overshot the bag with that slide, if he hadn’t juggled the ball, and on and on and on.

It’s interesting too that Jose’s problems can’t really be addressed in the same manner that you might address another player’s flaws. Jose has proven that over the years, certainly with Willie Randolph and not so much with Jerry Manuel only because Manuel is shrewd enough to recognize that Reyes cannot perform as well under pressure, or at least he has not performed well under pressure in the past.

Some of you might now ask, “But isn’t that what it’s all about?” And you would be right. Unless this fouled spark plug can somehow be fixed, the Mets may never win a pennant, never mind a World Series.

It’s my belief that the change in Jose will come, but it is a change that will have to occur from within. He has to realize himself that he has not played on a winner yet, and has to accept his own responsibility for that fact.

Mets fans can hope that this required introspection doesn’t happen years down the road after he’s been traded for players of lesser value and even less fun.

A Manuel for Success

The Mets won their first game under Jerry Manuel tonight, coming from behind to defeat the Anaheim Angels 5-4 in ten innings, a game that may have been the Mets biggest win in two years. Not only was it a come-from-behind win but it came against a first-place team on the road.

There were several heroes tonight, among them Jose Reyes, David Wright, Damion Easley and Billie Wagner, but maybe the biggest hero was the new manager, Jerry Manuel, who the day before had outlined for his team how they would change and why the changes would help them win.

While Randolph was complaining in New York about the way he was fired, thinking it was just a couple of his coaches who were getting whacked, an outcome with which he would have apparently been totally okay, Manuel had already started implementing his plans for success, resting his key players and finding roles for his relievers, helping his team visualize success and outlining how it would be achieved.

Jose Reyes, who had been rested yesterday in Manuel's debut, looked rejuvenated all night and scored the Mets first run all by himself. Carlos Delgado, playing as the designated hitter, hit a home run. David Wright, who had been the DH yesterday, drove in the tying run in the ninth. He also made a terrific one-handed grab of a slow ground ball and rifled the ball to first base to nab the speedy Howie Kendricks, thus staving off a potential Angels rally.

And Damion Easley, who took over at shortstop for Reyes last night and looked bad doing it, failing to cover second in one case, tonight hit the game-winning home run in the 10th. But it wasn't over yet. Billie Wagner found his fastball once again, and shut down the dangerous Angels in the 10th. His fine performance followed another great inning by Duaner Sanchez, who got the win, in the ninth.

Hopefully, this huge win will take the heat off the Mets, at least momentarily, as the writers in New York continue their attack on Omar Minaya, the General Manager, and the way in which Willie’s firing was handled. Certainly a come-from-behind win is something that was seldom accomplished under Willie, who was 3-28 when behind after six innings.

The rotation tonight was as any reasonable person would have expected. Oliver Perez experienced his usual jitters but did complete his six innings allowing just four runs, followed by Joe Smith in the seventh, Scott Schoenweiss in the eighth and Duaner Sanchez in the ninth. Wagner finished up nicely. In short, we saw professional pitchers going out and performing in the roles for which they were acquired.

Willie may have decided to throw in Aaron Heilman again, or Pedro Feliciano, or, who knows, anybody who showed up with a mitt. Although I know the Willie apologists will take issue with still more Willie-bashing, I think it’s justified, given Willie’s response to his firing, a response that has me shaking my head.

Omar’s biggest mistake was that he did not pull the trigger sooner. He also played his hand so very close to the vest that Willie was shocked when the axe finally fell. I think Omar was done in by his own sense of humanity, which prevented him from acting with cooler determination.

His comments regarding the fact that Willie was the first black manager in New York, and that he was the first Latino General Manager in New York, also reveal a man torn between achieving success and sustaining the opportunity he had created for another minority.

That Omar emphasized several times that Willie was “his hire” also is a reflection of his own insecurities, and an extreme reluctance to admit his own mistake. It does not speak well to his confidence in his own position, one that he has coveted for his entire life.

In short, all these factors prevented Omar from firing Willie last year, when many less feeling General Managers would have pulled the trigger, and would have been entirely justified in doing so. That Willie should now express nothing but shock and resentment is entirely unjustifiable. He should have expressed his thanks for the opportunity, a chance that no one but Omar had ever offered him.

There also seems to be a great deal of resentment among the New York press for Tony Bernazard. And why? Because he didn’t get along with Willie! Maybe they should be asking themselves why Willie had so much trouble with this individual, one who has had a great deal of success in various venues in the baseball business.

I think the answer to that question would reveal a great deal about Willie’s inflexibility, his recalcitrance, his refusal to have his beliefs questioned, his inability to function well in an organization. And all or even any one of those characteristics would have contributed to his failure as a manager.

Jerry Manuel in just two days has exhibited managerial talents that Willie never had shown. Manuel has laid out a strategy for getting his team better. Resting key players, especially for an older team, can only help, and it may have already shown its effectiveness. Having clearly defined roles for players, a concept that should have been painfully obvious, was never that under the reign of Willie Randolph.

So let’s move on, New York. Willie was a New York hero as a player, as a Yankee, a great second baseman. He very nearly took the 2006 Mets to the World Series. But he had very little success as a manager after that. Let’s leave it at that for now. More could be said.

I’ll look forward as a Mets fan to a continuation of good baseball, come-from-behind victories and 25 players all uniting behind someone they view as a good manager, a fine tactician and strategist, someone who acts in concert with the rest of the organization and who can extract the best out of a team. His name is Jerry Manuel.

Better Late Than Never

Well, the timing was horrible, but then it would have been bad whenever the final decision on Willie finally came in. That the decision followed a great team performance is ironic at the very least. That it came at about 3 AM in the morning smells funny, like those stories of the Colts and Irsay leaving Baltimore in the middle of the night.

But they finally ANNOUNCED a decision. That they made the decision a week ago is perhaps indicative of what really ails these Mets, unprofessional management. To keep a good man hanging that long is despicable. While I'm sure there were reasons for the delay, they would seem to pale compared with the indignity they inflicted on a guy who did his best for them for three years.

Incredibly enough, some of the very players most responsible for Willie's demise were great last night. Aaron Heilman was especially good, getting two outs while leaving two Angels on the bases. Reyes was mercurial, scoring the first run virtually unassisted. Beltran, although he has been fine in other ways all year, smacked two home runs last night, helping cement his place in the Mets batting order. Sanchez and Wagner showed how to close things out.

This is a group that apparently needs constant pressure to bring the best out of them. Of course, that’s at odds with the reality of their fall from grace last year. The pressure of having a seemingly insurmountable lead in a pennant race didn’t prevent their 2007 disintegration. Maybe they just wanted to do something nice for their longtime mentor. I prefer to think of it that way.

And if they were feeling guilty, it was late in coming. Without singling out any individuals, their team performance was always just short of a win. And just unremarkable enough to send their fans off to the bar for a stiff one.

Some of you may recall Sparky Anderson’s style in leading one of those Reds teams to the pennant many years ago. Sparky was infamous for his pitching changes; he’d flash the hook with just the slightest provocation, sometimes just on a whim. But the quick hook worked for that team.

That’s what Willie could have used – a quick hook. And not just with the pitching staff. I really feel the Mets could have won ten games more this year if Willie just moved a little faster, faster to get a non-performer out of the lineup, faster to pull his relievers when it was obviously not their day.

Willie’s style would work only with a team that was solid, top to bottom. Willie constantly challenged each of his players to be champions. These Mets just weren’t. These Mets needed a riverboat gambler, someone who could maneuver a way to finish ahead, even with a bad hand.

Early reports seem to point to Bobby Valentine. While that would be nice, I don’t expect that to happen. But he’d be just the guy to revive this moribund group. This is a group that sits on its laurels, they win one or two games and think they’re world-beaters, then they revert to their old ways, the full swings when just a hit would do nicely, the stupid base-running when nothing fancy was required, the lack of focus in the field.

I hope the players don’t start thinking the pressure is off now. They need to start winning two out of three, and three out of four, to have a chance of making the playoffs at this juncture of the season. They have to climb over some good teams, Philly and Florida and Atlanta all present their special challenges.

Judging by management’s incredible bungling of the Randolph affair, I’d hope the new manager, eventually, is a strong personality, someone who can roll over obstacles coming from the front office. For now, we have a temporary fill-in, Jerry Manuel. It’s doubtful he can materially change anything unless the players buy in and start performing as they never did for Willie.

For now, it’s Omar’s show. Omar Minaya brought this group together and will be judged at the end of this season. We won’t see a permanent manager until a decision is made on whether a new general manager is needed. The new GM can then hire a permanent manager. The only thing this Wilpon Group has done right so far has been their decision to defer the naming of a new permanent manager.

Omar’s another one of those “good guys” whose force of personality alone brought the Mets players they otherwise would not have gotten, Carlos Delgado and Pedro Martinez for sure, and maybe a host of others.

This was a Mets team built to win a World Series, one that eliminated the risk of having any unproven players in the lineup or in the field. The only risk not eliminated was age. And age reared its ugly head. Just look around the clubhouse and see who’s missing, or who’s hurt again, or who’s too old to get motivated by a young upstart manager.

For this Mets fan, this firing is the beginning of payback, not for Willie really at all, but for all those players who wouldn’t perform for him. You can count on one hand the players who really did try their hardest all the time, or at least gave the appearance of doing so.

And, just maybe, these players were indeed trying their hardest and performing near the top of their capabilities. And, if so, then look to October and a new GM, a GM who’ll need a very large broom indeed.

Sometimes things just don’t work out. Look at the recent firing of Bavasi in Seattle. He had a team that won 88 games, so he brought in Richie Sexson and Carlos Silva. Any fantasy player could have told him those two wouldn’t have a positive effect. The good GM’s manage risk more evenly and don’t take huge risks unnecessarily.

The Mets risks know who they are. Hope they’re tuned in.

Dumb and Dumber

Today I find myself a little sore after having spent hours on a ladder painting my shingles on Thursday. "Oh well", I said to myself, "at least I got the house painted".

If Willie Randolph had had the job, he'd have put Mike Pelfrey on the ladder, then with the job almost done, he'd have replaced him with Billy Wagner. After all, Mike has to live to paint again.

Then when Billy dropped the brown paint can for the shingles all over the white stucco foundation, he'd drag out somebody else. Or two or three more somebody else’s. And the wall still wouldn't be finished. But everybody'd be fresh for the next time. Doesn't that make you feel better?

<>Nobody knows the affects of exercise on the body better than I. And there's no doubt that pitch counts have an affect on a pitcher's performance. But I believe the data is being misinterpreted. A little information can be a dangerous thing.

While the brainiacs in baseball are getting a little smarter with respect to the effects of exercise on the body, they still aren't dealing with the information correctly. Instead of losing a well-pitched game by removing your starter after a certain number of pitches, wouldn't it be smarter to let him go as long as he can, through nine innings if he can, and simply rest him another day?

You then maximize your team's chances in the current game. You get a happy pitcher, one who's met the challenge of the day. The fans aren't frustrated by some nebulous decision resulting in a loss. And your pitcher not only gets rested, but maybe gets even stronger for his succeeding starts.

<>Wouldn’t that mess up the rotation? Well, it would certainly affect the “every fifth day” maxim. But how smart is that? When compared to the nonsense being perpetrated on Mets and Yankees fans today, all in the name of pitch counts, a minor alteration to the rotation is certainly more favorable.

A change in the roster could also be needed. There might be another long reliever required, another someone capable of giving five full innings. How hard would that be?

The current thinking, managing pitch counts within each game, does not take into account other key ingredients to the psyche of a pitcher, the starter’s confidence and sense of success or the reliever’s entirely understandable misgivings about messing up a heretofore successful outing.

There’s no more superstitious lot than baseball players. Evidence how many pitchers jump over the baseline, or wear the same hat all year, or until they lose a game anyway. How difficult it must be to relieve in a non-relief situation!

The brainiacs are setting the relievers up for disaster. And hurting their starters self-esteem. Not to mention the manager’s psyche. It’s really very simple. I just ask that, instead of managing pitch counts game by game, manage them over the course of the entire season. It really would be easier on everyone, the pitchers, the manager, the fans, and more importantly the team.

There’s been no more shell-shocked team than these Mets. There’s been no more shell-shocked manager than Willie Randolph. The entire situation has swung from questionable to laughable.

The Mets are cursed. They don’t need a new manager or general manager. They need an exorcist. And, while I say this tongue in cheek, there has been some kind of cloud hanging over Shea, and every other stadium the Mets happen to be occupying.

Something always happens to these Mets. They either don’t hit, or get good starts and horrible relief, or they make a mistake running the bases. Or make a critical error. What we have here is a self-fulfilling prophecy, the prophecy of doom.

This team expectation of doom is not without reason. And I must put the fault on management. Blame whoever you want, ownership or Omar or Willie.

Willie only makes a mistake when a decision is made. Every decision he makes comes up zeroes. And, while part of the reason for this lies with the aforementioned curse and team expectations of doom, those expectations have only matured after long experience of failure. Very often, they have been Willie’s failure, Willie’s decision.

While pitching hasn’t been the only problem, it has been the major one. Willie saves his starters and kills his relievers. He kills his positional guys as well, especially the ones he relies on, “his guys”.

Carlos Delgado and Luis Castillo, these men are old. They show it just about every day. But Willie keeps them in the lineup. You may say that he has not had good alternatives. But in most cases, any alternative would have been better than playing these two old-timers.

Sometimes, you have to wonder how much control Willie really has. The pitching coach isn’t his choice, for example, and it’s unclear to me who makes the decisions there. Or, even worse, does every decision become a committee meeting?

The hitting coach also makes me wonder. When asked about the team’s failures in situational hitting, his reply was to the effect that he didn’t think his players were the kind of players that could successfully adjust to a situation. Well, I must say, that explains a lot. And their failures in situational hitting have led to quite a few losses.

So let’s recap. The players aren’t the right players, the manager has made bad decisions, the pitching and hitting coaches are kind of questionable, and the team itself seems to be cursed.

Add to this the fact that the owners have apparently leaked some information to reporters that they haven’t bothered to share with anyone else. Where else would the media get the idea that Willie’s job is in serious jeopardy?

While some will question whether a Billy Martin-type or Bobby Valentine could have done any better with this team, I say they could have and would have. At this point, anybody not named Willie would be better.

So let’s pull the trigger already.

No Stuff Is No Stuff

Andy Pettite said it best, I think. When asked about Joba Chamberlain and his thoughts regarding Joba's start tonight, Andy said "...But stuff is stuff, and he's got great stuff. So he should be successful." Now turn that around for a second and you get "no stuff is no stuff and he's got bad stuff. So he should fall on his face."

All of which brings me around to the case of the Yankees Kyle Farnsworth . He is a perfect example of a pitcher with no stuff. Farnsworth is fast. He's been as fast for the Yankees as he was for Atlanta, Detroit and the Cubs before that. He's got a career ERA of 4.47 with a 1.40 WHIP, certainly nothing to write home about. The only things that come home are opposing batters, who seem to do it with alarming regularity, and very frequently at the worst possible moments.

Farnsworth's career won-loss record may characterize his career a little better. He's 28-47. While a won-loss record for a reliever is usually not indicative of a reliever's performance, in Farnsworth's case, I think it is. He has 26 career saves in 11 seasons. He's surrendered 105 home runs in 701 career innings. It seems to me I've seen at least half of them.

Farnsworth throws hard. When in trouble, he tries to throw even harder. His temperament's not really suited to that of a reliever either. He can't seem to maintain an even enough temperament to simply answer a question. When asked about Chamberlain and possible added pressure, he snapped "It hasn't done anything to me like that."

All this comes to mind as Joba prepares for his first major league start. It bothers me that the man is being held accountable for relinquishing his 8th-inning assignment to pitchers such as Farnsworth. How long will it take the Yankees to realize what any baseball fan could have told them a long time ago? Farnsworth is not a closer, he's not a holder, at best he's a guy to throw in there with an eight or nine run lead.

It's not as if there's nobody else. Without going into specifics, there's Hawkins who's been in similar roles and well, I just can't imagine anyone else being a worse choice. Why does it take so long for the Yankees to realize it?

Slow to change....the Yankees certainly aren't the only team in New York about which the same thing could be said. The Mets have a similar problem but one with entirely different characteristics. They have an eighth-inning guy they'll only use once in a while. His name is Duaner Sanchez. But the Mets choose to keep throwing Aaron Heilman in there.

Heilman's career numbers as a reliever aren't bad, especially if one chooses to ignore the fact that it was Heilman who lost that 7th game in 2006 to the Cardinals. But a 4.21 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP compare favorably with Farnsworth's career numbers. For example, Heilman's given up only 41 home runs in 404 innings pitched, about a 1 in 10 compared to Farnsworth's 1 in 7.

But Heilman's numbers this year are horrible. His ERA is 6.37 with a WHIP of 1.58. Without a big story, the Mets have lost 16 of the 26 games in which Heilman has appeared. Heilman is 0-2 with just two blown saves but also has only 5 "holds" in those same 26 appearances. And, while he may not have blown the rest of his opportunities, he has sure come close to it.

Slow to change...Willie Randolph is probably the best example of this in the entire league. Even more so than Brian Cashman and Joe Girardi because Willie exhibits that same ridiculous persistence with Delgado and Castillo, and seemingly any and every veteran player on the roster.

That persistence, some would say stubbornness (I certainly would), is the reason the Mets are looking up at the rest of the division. Is it surprising to anyone that Delgado and Castillo began to turn things around after riding the pine for a little while? Or that Heilman did enjoy a couple of good outings after being taken out of the relieving rotation for a spell?

Supposedly, Heilman’s problem is one of location. And, while that is undoubtedly partly true, I doubt that a pitch of Joba’s, in precisely the same location, would travel quite as far into the stands. Because the pitch would have either arrived in that spot a lot sooner, or would have dived into that spot, or backed up into that spot.

You get the picture. Joba has stuff. He doesn’t always have to hit the perfect spot. The only things that Joba has not been able to overcome have been Cleveland bugs, about 20 million of them, most of which seemed to favor Joba’s face for “location.”

Yes, stuff is stuff and vice-versa. Some have it and some don’t. And, especially with relievers, there is one other crucial ingredient required to be truly successful. And that is confidence or temperament.

Joe Borowski is usually named as the quintessential example of a reliever who, inexplicably, gets batters out in the ninth inning with amazing frequency, and yet has no stuff. What Borowski does have, beyond shoulder problems this year, is guile and moxie, and maybe the confidence of having been there, done that.

But, when Borowski experienced trouble this year, Cleveland got him on the disabled list where he belonged. And, their closer by committee approach, while not 100%, worked better than would have a Borowski with just one good wing.

Slow to change…we see way too much of that in New York. That’s why we are seeing such consternation that Joba will be changing roles. He was great in that eighth inning role. Why change?

A legitimate starter is harder to find than an eighth-inning guy. The Yanks just need to find one. His name isn’t Farnsworth. But there are probably hundreds of them. The Joba’s can be counted on one hand.

Down on the Farm

There I was last night knowing what to expect; "here it comes," I thought to myself, Feliciano can’t do his job, and now Willie calls in, not Joe Smith or Duaner Sanchez, but instead a fellow named Muniz, another Carlos yet. I picture the Mets dugout, and Willie says, “hey Carlos” and 23 guys turn around.

The Mets are done, I think, and groan a little because Carlos Delgado had just made a hell of a play. I start thinking about what else might be on the tube, the NBA farce of a playoffs (Celts-Lakers has been pre-ordained for some time now), maybe the French Open (but no Tennis Channel) or the College World Series, or maybe I can catch another re-run of “Monk”.

But because I’m a masochist, I leave the Mets game on. “What the hell,” I say, “ I don’t care about these guys anymore anyway.” After all, Willie’s still the manager, Omar’s still the GM, and now I’ll get to watch still another Carlos blow this game for nice Mr. Vargas.

But, lo and behold, Muniz strikes out the dangerous Kemp, swinging yet, on a beautiful hard inside fastball, up at the shoulders. "Whoa!. That was nice,” I exclaim. Not only does he save Vargas, but Feliciano and the whole Mets team with one great pitch.

Of course, the Mets went on to win, ruining Joe Torre’s debut as the Dodgers’ manager in New York. Joe had to watch last night, as his usually reliable catcher, Russ Martin, got his mitt caught up in the opposing pitcher’s bat, keeping an inning alive for the top of the order.

And that top of the order did some real damage too; Reyes singles, Castillo doubles, scoring Vargas, and Wright nails a second homer, turning an otherwise innocuous inning into a four-run nightmare. Not just for the runs, which were bad enough, but his outfielder, Juan Pierre, threw the ball away, and his pitcher, Brad Penny, failed to back up third base on the play.

In fact, the best TV shot of the night had to be the one of Torre in the dugout, seeking some explanation from Penny (“Penny for your thoughts,” I thought) and grimacing as Penny gave some wild excuse for not doing his job.

But the Dodgers are a dangerous team and they proved it last night by coming back in that potential nightmare of a sixth inning. Kent and DeWitt had homered in the top of the fifth to cut the lead from six to three runs, and here they were coming again in the sixth.

Ehier had doubled and Martin had walked with just one out, and up to the plate stepped Jeff Kent once again. And, sure enough, Kent smacked a hard line drive to the right side, but, wonder of wonders, Carlos Delgado snared that ball and damn near doubled Martin off first base. But Carlos’s dive came up short as Martin squirmed out of the tag.

But the Dodgers weren’t done yet. Willie made the right move, or one that should have worked anyway, bringing in the left-handed Feliciano to face the left-handed Loney. But when Loney hit a hard single, it set up the confrontation of the night.

Matt Kemp had been the most dangerous hitter in that potent Dodgers lineup, batting well over .300 with 28 rbi’s. And, while I was expecting and hoping to see Smith or Sanchez on the Mets side of that confrontation, Muniz put out the fire, thus ruining a perfectly wonderful opportunity to second-guess Willie once again.

But, I must admit, it was nice to see a Willie move work out (for once?) and it was even better to watch him joking with the press after the game. Things don’t look so dark anymore for these Mets, and Willie. It’s amazing what a few wins can do.

But the story of the game, for me, was not only the performance of Carlos Muniz, but also that of the starting pitcher, Claudio Vargas. He has been remarkably consistent over his four game starts, allowing no more than four runs in each of them. He now sports a very creditable 4.50 ERA.

The Mets have been strangely fortunate in their call-ups lately, and, since being swept by the Braves, losing two of three to the Rockies and losing the first versus the Marlins, there have been several unsung heroes emerging, either from the minors or the bench. Muniz and Vargas last night, Endy Chavez and the long-lost Fernando Tatis the night before, and Tatis and Ramon Castro the night before that.

And their performances had been sorely needed, with Delgado needing a rest, Ryan Church nursing a concussion and Moises Alou out once again. The unlooked-for bench play seems to have lifted the rest of the lineup out of their doldrums, Wright with his two dingers, Beltran with his hitting and fine play in the field, Castillo looking born-again at the bat and whose diving stop of a hard ground ball to his right the other day was one of the finest plays I’ve seen by any second baseman this year.

<>The long and grinding baseball season only underscores the importance of, not just the bench, but the entire organization. Examples are everywhere, and not least in the Bronx. The Yanks recently found a fellow named Darrell Rasner in their organization who has become their fourth starter, sporting a 3-1 record, an incredible 1.80 ERA and a WHIP (walks and hits per inning pitched) of just .88!

Rasner too seems to have had an effect beyond just his rather remarkable numbers. The Yanks high hopes for their two rookies had seemingly been misplaced, while the performances of Pettite and Mussina had been uneven at best. Since Rasner’s arrival, Pettite and Mussina have picked it up as has the entire Yankees team.

There had to be some good news over there. Not counting Joba, of course. We can’t hear enough about him.

Throwing It In....

How important is it really? With Willie, without Willie, it's just a game. This fact was driven home to me this morning as I read about a service held for the Bayonne, NJ war dead, including the brother of a friend of mine from high school. It's easy to forget sometimes, even on Memorial Day.

Things would probably be a lot better at Shea, though, if the Mets would just play the game like a game. Yesterday, I watched helplessly as Reyes booted a hard bouncer and Beltran made an ill-conceived dive at a soft liner to centerfield. Result – a few more unearned runs for the Marlins.

If things were allowed to settle down somewhat, if the Mets had made a managerial change last night, the pressure would have been relieved and maybe Reyes makes that stop; maybe Beltran takes that liner on a hop, thus minimizing the damage.

However, the big news last night was that Willie Randolph would keep his job as manager. Although I think it's probably a mistake, if just for the distraction it's causing this team, I've made a conscious decision not to live and die with the Mets anymore, at least not for the foreseeable future. If the Wilpons don't care what their fans think, why should I care about them, or their team?

Keeping Willie at this point really makes no sense though. The Florida Marlins are leading the NL East with a 30-20 record, which puts them on a pace to go 97-65 for the season. The Mets, currently at 23-26, would have to go 74-39 for the rest of the season in order to tie the Marlins That means they'll have to win 2 out of 3 games for the rest of the season in order to take the division. Very unlikely.

Their wildcard chances aren't that much better. The Cubs and Cards are now at 30-21 and 30-22 respectively. The Diamondbacks are also 30-21. So it still comes down to winning two out of every three for the rest of the season. For a team that can't even achieve a .500 record past the season's quarter point, I'm afraid that's almost impossible.

It wouldn't necessarily have been inconceivable if they had changed the team chemistry somewhat. But they missed their chance now. The Wilpons, secure in their new stadium deal and having Willie under contract for another year, decided just to let the season go. Why send good money after bad?

The Wilpons must've missed all the bad fielding, the horrible base-running, the players playing tight as bowstrings. Or they've already decided the real fault has been in the player selection, and that Omar will eventually be replaced anyway. And, although they might be correct in that assessment, I think it was premature. A managerial change would have given this team a chance.

After all, a not too different team came very close in 2006 to winning it all. It had the same ingredients really, Wright, Reyes, Beltran, Delgado. Of course, LoDuca was the catcher and Valentin was the second baseman, and Shawn Green manned one of the outfield positions, and the pitching was different. Willie was the manager, of course, and well, I guess it really doesn’t take that much tweaking to screw things up.

The tweaks haven’t worked. That’s for sure. Castillo has been bad to disastrous. Delgado’s a couple of years older, but then so are Reyes and Wright, which, in their cases, should have been a very good thing.

The lineup was a little different but not much. Beltran used to bat third with Delgado at cleanup and Wright batting fifth. Wright’s ascendancy and Delgado’s slide dictated a change, but that shouldn’t have made all that much difference either.

Interestingly enough, though, Tom Glavine was 15-7 in 2006. Steve Trachsel was 15-8. Those were the two big guns and they’re not here anymore. El Duque was 9-7, Pedro Martinez was 9-8 and John Maine was just 6-5. Oliver Perez had just come over from the Pirates and finished 1-3. Although Brian Bannister never got much of a chance, he’s a nice pitcher now for Kansas City. And then there was Victor Zambrano, who was traded for potential ace Scott Kazmir.

It’s obvious that this team could have really used Pedro and El Duque this year, from the start. Maine hasn’t lived up to his potential. And, gee whiz, imagine if we had Bannister and Kazmir. Then it would have been Santana, Kazmir, Bannister, Maine and Perez, even without mentioning Pedro or El Duque.

It should also be noted that Moises Alou had nothing to do with 2006. And, in retrospect, he has had almost nothing to do with 2008 either. There were some other perhaps minor ingredients to that 2006 team that the 2008 version may be missing, players such as Cliff Floyd and Julio Franco. And Kaz Matsui won a pennant with the Rockies after the Mets let him go.

So, except for Johan Santana, a lot of the moves have been pretty bad, to say the least. Probably the biggest difference to team chemistry has been the Valentin injury and the hobbled Castillo as a replacement. Valentin, playing in just about 2/3 of a year, with 387 at bats, had 62 rbi’s and 56 runs scored. Castillo thus far has just 13 rbi’s and 22 runs scored, and he has been a liability in the field.

They say a team has to be strong up the middle, and the Mets have Castillo at the keystone and Reyes playing erratically. They say pitching and defense wins pennants and World Series and the Mets have only three starters pitching creditably, Santana, Maine and Perez. The bullpen has been very bad at times, with Heilman the biggest disappointment. The pitching is ranked 14^th overall, the defense is ranked just 18^th overall.

Championship performance? Certainly not. Championship talent? Probably not. We may never know. And the players still don’t know if they have a manager for the season.

A Clean Sweep All Around

Are we having fun yet, Mets fans? How much of this bad baseball do we have to watch? For whatever reason, and maybe it isn't FAIR, Mets management must make a move. Two moves, perhaps, eventually. Willie has to be fired now.

I know he's sorry, but that has nothing to do with it. I know he's black, but that has nothing to do with it. I know his players aren't playing good baseball, and that has EVERYTHING to do with it.

Omar Minaya should get an opportunity to name a new manager immediately. Any veteran manager will do. If, at the end of this year, the new manager hasn't turned things around, then Omar should be canned as well. To fire Omar now would surely disable this Mets team, as Omar has been the architect and guiding force in bringing this "talent" to the table.

The Mets lost again to the Braves last night, completing their 4-game exploration of every conceivable way to lose a baseball game. The bright spots tonight were the two Carlos's nailing two on the board against Hudson. And Santana was great for a long time.

The big mistakes were much in evidence again though. the failings at critical moments, the fielding mistakes, the base running flubs, the double plays....

I know it sounds ridiculous, but I truly believe the Mets should give all their prospective players manual dexterity tests before hiring. Luis Castillo stood out tonight as the goat, making a ridiculous throw home on a play that should have just gone to first. This is immediately after he sunk Pelfrey last night with his slow-footed mishandling of a ground ball. Luis completed his very special "triple" by grounding into a double play in the eighth, effectively killing a rally he made sure never really had a chance.

Brian Schneider flubbed a bunt early on that resulted in a run. Beltran made another boo-boo on the base paths. So did Wright, although that was a difficult play. Too many mistakes, just too many mistakes, BIG mistakes at the most critical junctures, that's why Willie must go. Not that it's even necessarily his fault but this team needs a change, and the easiest change to make is a managerial one.

Never has a team played tighter. As long as Randolph is left hanging as he is, this team will just keep imploding. These players are trying too hard, it's very obvious. A change in scenery is absolutely dictated by the facts of the situation.

Another thing puzzles me about these Mets. Damian Easley missed this game for his son's graduation. Who authorized THAT? He's the backup second baseman. The Mets could have used one tonight. Especially with Alou hurt again, with Church's concussion, was it really prudent to let another player take the night off? The Mets think they're running a country club.

.And it's almost impossible to ignore the statements Randolph made to the press. His allegations were ridiculous. That he later apologized for them doesn't erase in my mind the man's analytical ability, or his lack thereof. It may help explain his pitching decisions, or maybe even his failure at developing some of his talent.

The Mets need a manager who’ll not challenge them at every opportunity, who’ll use them in appropriate situations, who’ll allow them to do the things they do well over and over again, a manager who’ll react more quickly to acknowledge that a slumping player could use a break, an older player might need a little shaking-up, a manager who’ll know when a lineup needs changing.

A little fire couldn’t hurt either. How refreshing would it be to have a guy who’d throw a tantrum once in a while, get thrown out of the game, even kick dirt, throw bases around, argue balls and strikes, a manager who’d recognize the power of inspiration.

Willie’s anything but inspiring. This veteran lineup could use a little, or even a lot, of inspiration. This team has shown two gears only, lackadaisical and tight. And by making himself the center of attention, and, even worse, the center of sympathy in certain quarters, this team’s wound up beyond comprehension. If it wasn’t before, it is now.

It’s not all Willie’s fault though. Too many of his players are one-dimensional. Many of them don’t make contact often enough. Many of them can’t even touch a breaking ball. Others can’t get around on the fastball anymore. The base running is horrendous. WAY too many of them can’t stay on the field because of injuries. And finally, all-pervasive on this team is its age. And that’s not all Willie’s doing.

All that being said, though, this team has potential, a great deal of it. I’m convinced that, with a veteran manager, this team would play better baseball. It really couldn’t play much worse. A tweak of the roster here and there wouldn’t hurt either. Although we’ve seen some young pitchers, aren’t there any position players in AAA that might shake things up a little?

A new manager could change everything though. And whoever he is should be one with experience at the major league level. This is a veteran team, one constructed to win a World Series, and, as such, it deserves a veteran manager, one these veterans can respect. I’m not at all sure they respect Randolph.

A National League guy would fill the bill nicely too, and, need it be said, NOT a Yankee. And maybe, just maybe, a manager who never played the game, a manager who knows how to manage people, a manager who wouldn’t always remind a player, just by his very presence in the dugout, what kind of player HE was when he played the game.

Any race will do, white, black or brown, but experience is a must. A Dusty Baker type, a Lou Piniella type, a strong personality, a guy who won’t be bland, a guy who’ll get upset, and a guy who won’t even THINK about what angles SNY is pursuing.

The Big Mistake

The Mets and Yankees will meet for the umpteenth time in still another Subway Series (yawn) this weekend, and was there EVER a Subway Series with less at stake? The under-performing Mets go into this latest matchup in 3rd place in the NL East while the Yankees have been even worse overall, inhabiting last place in the AL East. But given all that, it sure seems as if the Yankees are the better team.

I t would be hard to imagine a worse loss than the Mets had last night. This seemingly rudderless bunch made the big mistake again, this time losing the game on the basepaths, but it's always been something with them, either horrible relief pitching or batting slumps or just bad decisions.

All the Mets problems were accentuated last night by Billy Wagner, who wondered aloud why he was the focus of attention after a game in which he took no part. Of course, it was an entirely rhetorical question. The goats weren't around.. And it was the second time this week that Wagner has expressed his frustration with this group and its losing ways. I say "group" because they certainly don't play well as a team.

Although I'd ordinarily condemn one teammate trashing another, in this case I think Wagner is entirely justified. His first target, Oliver Perez, routinely turns wins to losses, giving about 5 innings of great pitching before blowing up. Wagner's frustration last night could have been with anyone in a blue and white uniform.

Although Delgado has had a myriad of problems and has either been mired in long slumps or has made huge mistakes in the field, Delgado can't really be blamed for last night's loss. He hit the ball right on the nose when he had to. That his hard line drive was caught wasn't so terrible. What is remarkably terrible was Willie's decision to send the runner on contact.

One run down in the 9th with just one out and you're sending the runner? It just doesn't make sense and, of course, Beltran was doubled up. Any Little League coach could have done that. It was just another example of bad baseball, making the big mistake, and making the wrong decisions in critical moments of the game.

As a Mets fan, I couldn't be happier that Willie Randolph will be re-evaluated soon. The sooner the better. He may know the game, but he doesn't act that way. He stays with players too long, he gives veterans way too much latitude, he makes horrible pitching decisions, and now, it seems he's lost touch with a good running game. What else is there? Oh, his players seem to have lost faith in him.

The Yankees, while in last place, have a couple of excuses. They’ve been playing without Arod for a couple of weeks and Posada for even longer. They’ve been trying out some new pitchers.

But they do ordinarily play good baseball. When they lose, it’s because they just couldn’t put enough hits together or their pitching wasn’t good enough. Or the balls and strikes called were ridiculous, as they have been too often this year.

So, on the one hand, we have a team with lots of talent that just seems too stupid to win versus a team that’s less talented but playing hard and just coming up short. It’ll be hard to root for the Mets under these circumstances.

Tonight, it’ll be Santana vs. Rasner, a match that should certainly favor the Mets. Even Willie hasn’t been able to make Santana play badly. Rasner looked good, though, in both his Yankees starts, pitching six full innings each time and giving up just two runs per outing. And the Yanks won both those starts.

Arod will still be out of the lineup as will Posada. That won’t make things any easier for the Yankees. The Yanks can’t be thrilled, either, that they’ll see two more lefties in Santana and Oliver Perez before getting a right-hander on Sunday in John Maine.

The Mets should win the first two of this best-of-three at least, but I wouldn’t put money on it. The Mets don’t deserve the confidence. Sure, they may take the lead but they’ll figure a way to lose it.

Randolph will make the same mistakes, inserting Heilmann in a tight game, running when you shouldn’t, putting the wrong players in the lineup at the wrong times. And then he’ll say he isn’t worried. It’s a veteran team.

The Yankees have been easy to root for in their depleted state. I’ve always liked Morgan Ensberg and Alberto Gonzalez has shown a nice glove, a kid who’s trying hard, an Ensberg with a little more potential. Either Jose Molina or Chad Moeller have been adequate defensively.

While it is always an interesting Series, and I’m sure old Yankee Stadium will be rockin’, it could be a disastrous Series for the Mets if they manage to once again falter, with their best pitchers going against a Yankees lineup depleted by injuries.

While it’s technically an “away” game for the Mets, I’m sure the Mets boo birds will be out there somewhere, or maybe the Yanks fans will be smart enough to boo for them. It certainly hasn’t improved the Mets performance.

A sweep might be the best thing that could happen for the Mets, either way. If they win three, it’ll mean Willie has managed to turn things around. If they lose three, it’ll help prove Willie’s team has been, is, and will be lost for as long as Willie’s the manager.

I really hope the Mets can turn it around. Steal a base or take an extra base IN THE RIGHT SITUATION, don’t get thrown out of a game when the team needs your bat, and make all the right moves, come from behind or win a one-run game. Can these Mets NOT make the big mistake?

If momentum means anything in baseball, the odds are against them. And for Willie.

Omar's Home for the Aged

I've heard all season how much talent there is on the Mets. I myself picked these Mets to win the NL pennant this year, but it seems as if that prognostication may have been wishful thinking. In GM Omar Minaya's zeal to maximize experience on his roster, he may have forgotten just how much experience these old fellas really have.

Do you want adventure? Just hit a grounder to the Mets right side. Carlos Delgado, the erstwhile slugger and first baseman, will give that ground ball his best effort every single time. That usually means a swipe at the ball; his feet begin to move as the ball passes the lip of the infield.

Delgado’s bat, to be kind, doesn't inspire fear in opponents anymore. For a player who keeps and consults a hitting chart, he seems to be a slow learner. Pitch him outside, he'll try to pull it anyway, the result usually being a ground ball to second base into a shift. For the record, Carlos will be 36 in June and this is his 16th year in the majors. I wonder if his birth certificate shares a lot of the same characteristics as the one Miguel Tejada's been showing around.

Next to Carlos is already oft-injured Luis Castillo, who is a good little fielder but has become totally ineffective at the plate. Just for the record, Luis is just 32 but this is his 14th year in the major leagues. That's a lot of ground balls, a lot of bending, a lot of everything. It seems to have taken its toll.

We Mets fans anxiously await the arrival of Moises Alou. Moises will be 42 in July. This will be his umpteenth year in the majors and he does sport a .303 career batting average along with 332 home runs. But he played only 123 games in 2005 playing for his Dad in San Francisco, then just 98 games in 2006 for the Giants, then just 87 last year for the Mets. Does one detect a pattern here?

Then there is my favorite pitcher, Pedro Martinez. Pedro pitched a few innings in his first start before grabbing his hammy. He's now expected to return to the mound in 10 days. Which mound that might be I have no idea. Pedro will be 37 in October and, hopefully he'll be getting a World Series ring for his special day. For the money he's getting, though, why can't he make an appearance once in a while?

The long line of aging superstars continues. There is also El Duque, Orlando Hernandez. He'll be 39 in October. He just had surgery on his right foot but the boot won't come off for another two weeks.

I suppose I should be thankful that Delgado and Castillo at least play. If Delgado goes down for some reason, we're left with journeyman pinch-hitter Marlon Anderson, who is 34 years old. Of course, Marlon hasn't been too successful at pinch-hitting this year, but, what the hell, it's still only April, right?

There are only 10 current Mets players born after the year 1978. Six of them are pitchers. The position players are Jose Reyes, David Wright, Angel Pagan and the new backup catcher, Gustavo Molina. Pagan is supposed to be replaced by Alou. Is it surprising to anyone that the best performances thus far have been put in by these same young whipper-snappers. (Ryan Church will be 30 in October).

I should point out that Omar has done much better in the pitching arena. Johan Santana has been terrific as expected. Oliver Perez and John Maine are two other fine arms acquired by Minaya. They provide hope, as does Mike Pelfrey, another young starter, and even recently-acquired Nelson Figueroa. That's a pretty fair rotation, even if Pedro and El Duque never show their faces again.

So there is still hope for Mets fans. We have had our share of bad luck. Three grand slams have been given up by the relief corps. Even for a bad staff, that would be rather unfortuitous. Aaron Heilman surrendered one. Jorge Sosa surrendered the other two, and I suspect we'll be seeing less of Mr. Sosa in the near future.

The regulars, though, have to start playing to their potential. The chemistry has been bad. If not for Angel Pagan and Ryan Church, two of the most unlikely heroic figures one could imagine, we might have a much worse record. We could be the National League Tigers.

Jose Reyes, David Wright and especially Carlos Beltran have to be more consistent. Beltran has been somewhat hampered by his "new legs", I think, and it seems to have sapped some of his power. He also has hit a LOT of line drives directly at fielders. I think Beltran will get better and better, and, if he does, he is capable of carrying this team all by himself.

It is also entirely possible that Delgado has taken his batting problems into the field with him. But this is the Major Leagues. Life is tough. If Delgado can’t work his way out of his current funk, Willie will really have to start managing, starting with replacing Delgado for defensive purposes in close games.

Willie has been slow to react to situations. A perfect example of this is his hard-headedness with respect to batting Castillo second, despite stats reflecting the team’s total ineffectiveness and abysmal won-loss record when that is the case.

Willie has attacked Pagan for no good reason except to solidify Alou’s place in left field upon his return. He’s been insistent on keeping Heilman in his place in the relieving rotation despite every indication that that might not be prudent. Yet he’s been remarkably supportive of Brian Schneider, the oft-injured catcher.

Can Willie manage? A team this old needs a manager, perhaps a real gunslinger, somebody who’ll recognize when a change is needed and then make it. So far, he’s just dug in his heels, fighting the tide going against him.

Just Not Getting It

Why do I like the Knicks so much? It's inexplicable really. They have one guy who shows up every day, a veritable superstar in my mind, a guy who not only shows up every day, but does so in the absence of anyone else. That would be Jamal Crawford, of course. Half shooting guard, half point guard, he consistently does either job, whichever one is needed the most that night.

And, yes, there is David Lee grabbing rebounds left and right. He does his job, but at 6'9" and 240, really can't be a presence in the middle. He rebounds and makes a lot of dunks, seldom showing any propensity to shoot the ball from any distance, not because he can't necessarily, but because he has to get in line.

Maybe this Knicks team reminds me of those Mets of the Sixties, those lovable oafs. Who can forget Marv Throneberry, early Eddie Kranepool, Choo Choo Coleman, Rod Kanehl, and over-the-hill stars such as Duke Snider, Richie Ashburn, Gil Hodges and Frank Thomas? How about Roger Craig pitching just well enough to lose 20 games?.

You have to go back that far, and to another sport, to find anything that quite mirrors this bunch. I think you can even draw a remarkable parallel between Isiah Thomas and that first Mets Manager, Casey Stengel. Try to get a straight answer out of either of them.

The Marv Throneberry of this Knicks team would have to be Eddie Curry. I'm not quite sure he's as lovable but he sure is colorful. He plays hard about one game out of every three. A giant of a man at 6'11" and 285 pounds, he has 23 blocks this season, four of them in one game. Just for perspective, let me add that the fine young center, Carlos Boozer of the Utah Jazz, has only 24 blocks but he has grabbed 595 rebounds to Curry’s 247. Boozer is also a fierce defender.

I find it quite amusing now that Eddie seems puzzled by his absence from the lineup. And Isiah justifies it, not by admitting the guy epitomizes "soft" but by philosophizing about the way the game has changed, how more and more, teams are going with smaller lineups. Casey couldn't have said it any better. Isiah is either a very nice man, or he brought Eddie to the Knicks. Or both.

Then there is 6'9" power forward, Zach Randolph. He has 9 blocked shots. I tried to find a picture that would show some kind of vertical leap. Shown above is the result. He could be 8" or so off the ground. Has anyone seen him dunk? Despite his inability to get up in the air, he shoots the ball quite well, and actually does get his share of rebounds, averaging a humongous 10.1. So he does at least serve a useful function on the floor.

Curry, who used to score, can't even do that this year. The team suffers with both big men on the floor. Eddie apparently doesn't know what else he could be doing when the ball goes to someone else.

It’s a shame really. Randolph could have been a great addition despite his defensive liabilities. If only those two could have played together, the Knicks would have had two big scoring threats down low, a tough thing to defend. But, no, Curry elected to pout.

The rest of the team is no bargain either. Quentin Richardson, the starting small forward, has been incredibly inconsistent, and, for one long stretch of critical games (they’re all critical when you’ve won so few), could not find the basket. It seemed to have left the building. It was like watching the Yanks Chuck Knoblauch trying to find first base.

At point guard, there had been Stephon Marbury, of course. Flawed at best, his season started badly, there was a death in the family and then some fairly serious injuries, and ended quite early. There is hope in Nate Robinson, though, who, while small in stature, can jump through the roof, can shoot the ball, and can really be a spark plug when he is not throwing the ball away. I’d compare him to an early Mets fellow named Ron Swoboda, who could be great, but was more often not in his formative years.

There is hope still, however, if you show patience. A starting lineup of Robinson, Crawford, Lee, Richardson and Randolph is not too shabby. Although I’d like to see a more consistent small forward, Richardson does play defense. David Lee also tries to put in a good defensive effort, but doesn’t have those quick feet.

Yes, this Knicks team is exciting to watch, if you don’t expect too much. Even the backups can be exciting. Mardy Collins, listed as Robinson’s backup at the point, can play defense and Renaldo Balkman does the same behind Richardson. Jared Jeffries has been spelling Zach Randolph and is also a defensive specialist. Freddy Jones backs up Jamal, and he shows flashes of real ability.

James Dolan apparently decided not to make any more moves under Isiah, deciding apparently not to send good money after bad, or, at the very least, deciding to let the next man do it. And, although I’ll miss what a new ingredient could have added, in the person of a legitimate point guard, small forward or center, it’s heartening to get an indication that change is on the way.

I have tried to support Isiah all the way. Isiah was such a breath of fresh air over Larry Brown, who did nothing but whine, and seemed to try to lose games, no doubt, putting his bid in for the GM role. Isiah has been, if nothing else, a gentleman, at least in the public eye. Even his player moves could have worked out, if not for Eddie Curry, Isiah’s biggest mistake.

Curry just never had it, and despite Isiah’s most fervent prayers, Curry would never get it. He now occupies the bench much of most nights, a place he richly deserves.