Ken Davidoff's baseball insider

Can't wait to hear (and see) your take on Willie Sunday nite....

Breaking news as heard on the Titanic: 'Believe we've hit a berg, the ship's in trouble.' Unless we sweep the Rangers in convincing style, Randolph & Co must go.

Oliver Perez, the fate of your manager is in your hands.

And Willie is thinking, "Wtf? Are you kidding me?"

Having faith in the mercurial Oliver Perez turning in a stellar performance is like being tied down under a boulder about to crush your chest and kill you, and the guy there you're counting on to cut the ropes is 101, crippled, blind, holding a butter knife, and continually wondering when "Matlock" is on as he takes painstakingly slow steps to free you.

A bitterly sad thing would be to see the Mets score a bunch of runs off the Rangers' lousy pitching, but get swept as the superior Rangers offense pounds the even weaker Mets pitching. They do have Perez-Pedro-Maine going, so they have a chance. The Rangers counter with Gabbard and Millwood, who can be pretty good on occasion.

If this does end with a firing, at least they didn't make Willie walk the plank along -- Peterson deserves to get canned too. Firing the manager is usually more about show anyway, but it cannot be denied that this team needs a slap on the backside to wake the hell up. This was inevitable.

I am very curious how you got this information. Can you share? Also, do you think its wise that someone would leak this?

Jon Heyman of Si.com and WFAN and formerly of Newsday first reported it on Si.com and then was on with Mike Francesa today.

Dennis is right, Jon had the story before Dave and I did (and Ken Rosenthal had a version of it yesterday), as our story states. Richie, I'm sorry, but I can't betray a source.

And also, Richie, you're right, I believe that both Bart and Homer did speak in British accents in an attempt to dupe each other.

I take it Minaya's job is safe. I can't say Randolph is a great manager but who put together this aging team with no farm and players that don't hustle for a manager who can't choose his coaches?

Well, Jim, I think if they miss the playoffs, then Omar's job will be in jeopardy, too. There's no real point in firing a general manager in the middle of the season.

BTW, Willie has had some (but not all) say on his coaches. Sandy Alomar and Tom Nieto as his, and last year, after Omar fired Rick Down, Willie convinced him to use HoJo as the hitting coach and Rickey Henderson at first base, rather than the other way around.

There is no real point in firing a GM in mid season which is why the Mets did it to Joe McIlvaine in 1997 ans Steve Phillips in 2003. Not that I am advocating it at this stage. The season still has 95+ games to go.

Ken I was just wondering if you can give your source. As a former journalist, I would NEVER ask anyone to betray their source.

I cant see how they'll fire Willie after a victory though. That's just weird.

This whole "will they? won't they?" situation is so absurd. You have to start examining every play of a series against the Texas friggin' Rangers. What happens in this series, or what happens in the next week/month, shouldn't matter. If they don't think Willie is doing a good enough job, can him. If they don't think he's the problem, then leave him be. Leaving him twisting in the wind like this is ridiculous. With a decision as important as this one, they should have a clear idea of how they feel -- they seem to be waffling, which doesn't say much for the decision in the first place.

Willie is in over his head. He never should've been with the Mets. Mets shouldn't bring in former Yankee champions for future reference.

Looking forward to the Jerry Manuel Era!

WTF? Perez saved his manager's job. Whouda thunk that? When Willie does go, Peterson has to go too, for failing to develop the young pitchers,failing the reclamation projects and especially for pretty much demanding that the Mets trade for Zambrano because he could fix him, which resulted in one of the worst trades in Mets' history. I don't remember if he demanded Oliver Perez saying he could fix him also, but that Pirate trade isn't looking too good for the Mets right now either. HoJo should go because the Mets as a team have declined as hitters since he got the job, it's not just one guy, it's most of them.
Trot Nixon might help. He's a good teammate, has won and can lead (which the Mets definitely need). His problem is he's old and he gets hurt a lot recently. Maybe if Alou co-operates these two can alternate LF between trips to the DL for each and be adequate.
Ken--do you think if Willie hadn't mouthed off about the telecasts thus insulting the Wilpons that this would be happening right now? I think this is his payback for that, getting fired in mid-season instead of after the season is over (which was pretty inevitable as is.)

I do think the SNY comments expedited Willie's demise, Sandy. Re: Peterson, what young pitchers has he failed to develop? Pelfrey is on the run of his young career. Perez turned his career back around with the Mets - he is still maddeningly inconsistent, no question, but remember that the Pirates had demoted him to the minor leagues. Who else is there?

And while Peterson definitely deserves blame on Kazmir-for-Zambrano, that fiasco also reflected the fact that the Mets' system was broken; the pitching coach had way too much power They attempted to remedy that when they demoted Jim Duquette and brought back Minaya.

Ken, thanks for your usual savvy analysis. I plan Jeff Wilpon for the Kazmir for Zambrano disaster. But, certainly, Peterson deserves blame, too. I can't see how canning Peterson solves anything. Willie has hung himself by not getting the team to play better since last June and by making more than one dumb statement. I am certainly no fan of the Wilpons, but believe they have shown remarkable patience with the team, its manager, coaches and Minaya. The Mets are clearly underperforming. You picked them to win the World Series. I think you know your stuff and pay attention to what matters (and what doesn't) and couldn't be that far off. Something is wrong with the Mets and the easiest thing to do is fire the manager. That's what happens in sports.

Heilman is awful, but as I was reading today, I think Jon Heyman, it's Omar's call that he isn't a starter, so I guess I was wrong by lumping him in with Peterson not developing young pitchers. However, Heilman has been hurt because he doesn't like to relieve, and thinks he would be a good starter and nobody has been able to convince him that the position he is in is a good spot for him. Thus, he doesn't care and doesn't perform up to the potential he was supposed to have.

Sandy, assuming what you wrote is a fact, then the Mets should have traded Heilman. If the guy is in fact unhappy, doesn't like his role and is letting that deleteriously impact his performance, then he has to go. How many times can the Mets allow themselves to get burned by his poor pitching. At what point does a team cut its losses?

Guys, keep in mind that Heilman had been one of the better relievers in baseball from 2005 through last year. If you're going to blame Peterson for Heilman's struggles this year, then you've got to credit him for Heilman's success of the prior three seasons. And that also explains why the Mets haven't demoted or cut Heilman. He has that body of work, and even this past week, he pitched well in Wednesday's 13-inning victory (and then lost in the 10th the next day).

Ken, I don't blame Peterson for Heilman. I also wouldn't put Heilman on a list of "better relievers" since 2005, but I know you have the stats to pack it up. However, the guy has also been quite inconsistent. I don't have all the stats in front of me right now. I don't think the Mets should now (or in the past) demote or cut him. I do think they probably should have traded him because the guy was very unhappy. That played out in public. I have noticed that he often pitches well when nothing is at stake, ala Farnsworth. Yes, he is capable of turning in a good effort when the game is on the line, from time to time, but if you were the manager would you trust him? I wouldn't.

I agree that they should have sold high on Heilman and traded him, Jim. I think he has been far better than Farnsworth, though. Yes, he was HR-happy last year, and yes, he allowed the HR to Molina in the '06 NLCS. But overall, he pitched very well from '05 through '07.

Sorry for all the typos, I am in a Panera Bread watching people overeat instead of being careful with my typing. I’m breaking down the standards of this blog! Yeh, Heilman has probably been better than Farnsworth, who has contributed remarkably little in 2+ years. I still can’t get over him hitting the first batter he faced the other night, even though he escaped the inning without another disaster occurring. I was thinking the same thing about the Mets missing the boat on a trade of Heilman when another team would have been willing to offer something of value. Now it’s really too late unless they want to almost give the guy away.

Every team wants to win now. But, the Mets seem to have an especially short term vision. Cashman has done a clearly superior job of trading people and getting either minor leaguers or draft picks in return.

The Mets in a way overrate their prospects the same way the Yankees do. But the Yankees usually do it for a reason, so they can trade them for something they can use. None of the "great" Yankee prospects over the past fifteen years really has ever amounted to much. The Mets keep theirs, to their detriment. They could have traded Heilman a few years ago, because he was in demand, I even think the Phillies wanted him, and gotten something worthwhile. Now, he's not worth much.To be honest saying Heilman has done better than Farnsworth isn't really saying a lot. Just to add I can say that Farnsworth has been a lot better than LaTroy Hawkins. But none of them were better than Mike Stanton, and both teams had him. Good set-up guys are really hard to find.

Ken, The Mets have been drafting players that they can sign on the cheap who are Ok players instead of drafting players who have potential to be great, but cost more to sign. Because of that the minor league farm system is very thin, especailly after the Santana deal. The Yanks farm system has gotten much better the last 3 years because they took chances on players with the potential, and sign them to big signing bonuses, while the the Mets have not. I would like to see the Yanks draft more lefthanded pitchers because most of their top pitching prospects are righthanders. I also like to see them draft and sign more position prospects too.
As for Heilman, in his heart he wants to start, but the Mets don't want him to start because he is too valuable in the pen, and he doesn't have enough pitches besides the fastball and changeup. Sort of like the complete opposite of Joba. Some teams meanwhile think Heilman can be a starting pitcher. When Heilman becomes a free agency, he will go to a team that will allow him to be a starting pitcher.

Dennis, I completely agree with you about the Mets' drafting. As for the Yankees and LHPs, their first pick this year was a high school lefty. How are you liking Joba as a starter and Veras as setup man?

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The Wilpons are doing what many thought was impossible: making Hank Steinbrenner look like classy, dignified and level headed.

Ken, Joba is a work in progress as a stater. He has a long way to go. He look good the the first 3 innings. Then he had some control issues in the 4th, walking 3. And the last 2 innings he settle down. As for Veras, I got to see more of him pitch like he did in the 7th and 8th the other night before I'm convince. Posada's shoulder is going to bother him the rest of the season. He's going to have to DH some to get his bat in the lineup. I know the Astros lead the Majors in stolen bases. But seeing then against Yanks, they take chances and gottem burn on the base paths and run themseleves out of innings.

Happy Fathers' Day, Ken. Yankees took Garrit Cole, a hard-throwing HS righty with their first pick. They took Jeremy Bleich, a college lefty, who is pitching well in the CWS, with their second pick.

The Bleich pick got blasted the day it was made, but people are finally coming to realize it was a smart pick -- he's 90-93 from the left side and apparently has a pretty decent upside. I think it's going to end up being an excellent pick.

Thanks for the correction, baileywalk - I got confused on that one. And thanks for the wishes.

I'm missing how the Wilpons are acting like anything other than owners who want their company to be successful. Since June 2007 the Mets have had a losing record. If anything, they have shown more patience than just about anyone could expect them to. Should they just let the team continue to languish? It's their money.

Jim: people are basically complaining because the Wilpons are letting Willie twist in the wind. If it is true that they told Omar to fire him if he wants to, then that's bull. Omar is somewhat intelligent and has to realize this team he has put together isn't delivering, it's old, injured and unproductive, so how can he possibly make Willie take the fall for this? If the Wilpons want him gone because of what he said, they should sharpen the axe and fire him, not Omar. Also remember, Willie has always been popular in NY and people don't like the way he has been treated recently.

Ken, today is the reason I hate the National League. Chien Ming Wang gets hurts not on the mound, but on the BASE PATHS!!!!!! Pitchers, especially American League pitchers are not used to running the bases or hitting. The Yanks lost their best pitcher for who knows how long because their's no DH in the NL park. And beacuse of that the Yanks will suffer for it. This is an arguement for the DH. Pitchers last longer in the AL.

Sandy - This is one of those damned if you do, damned if you don't. If the Wilpons leaked that Willie is on extremely thin ice, then shame on them. It's interesting how people don't want Hank S. telling Cashman what to do (i.e. start Joba, trade for Johann, etc.), but have no problem wanting the Wilpons to usurp Omar's authority. It's clear to me that the Wilpon's are holding Omar accountable for the team and the manager. This is his team. By all accounts, Willie is his guy. I'm not sure about Willie's popularity as a NY manager. I'm not a Mets fan, but my friends who are can't stand Willie.

Dennis - The DH never should have been introduced into baseball. It's not baseball, it's a gimmick, sort of like 3 balls or two strikes (or white shoes and orange baseballs). I hope that before I die the Lords of Baseball abolish it and return both leagues to the historically way of playing a game. Maybe the NL rules saves pitchers by forcing managers to lift them earlier than their AL counterparts, thus preserving their arms.

I thought Joe Girardi's spring training workout program was suppose to reduce the number of Yankee injuries. If it has, it is hard to tell.
I'm not sure if DH vs non-DH arguments are really relevant since the tendency is to remove pitchers after 100 pitches, period. No more arguments about "should you bat for a pitcher a tie game in the 8th inning" as you had with the Red Sox in game 7 of the 1975 world series. As far as young pitchers being protected in the NL, how many games did the Generation K pitchers of the Mets win over the last 13 years?
I also wonder what baseball fans from the 1870s and 1880s would say about today's game which has 4 pitch walks instead of 9, pitchers from 60'6" instead of 45, batters unable to ask for high or low pitchers, players with large gloves, baseballs that are kept fresh, different style uniforms, far less baiting and intimidation of umpires (players used to spike them every chance they get). Would they tell us today's game was not baseball but a gimmick?

Jim Clark you made some interesting points. I have to get the exact stats on the NL/AL pitchers to really debate intelligently, but how can't the AL go longer with pitchers, if just a little bit? Concerning the Generation K guys: I don't think as a group they were as good as touted, not that they were necessarily abused.

I get your angle on the 19th century rules, etc., but I don't know how anyone can really defend the DH as being "real" baseball. We all know why it was instituted and baseball purists have hated it ever since. The DH isn't baseball. It's a marketing/business ploy to create more offense and attract fans. Every once in a while purists like me drool when we hear a movement is afoot to abolish it, but our hopes are always dashed.

Ken, would you favor abolishing the DH?

Hey Jim, Did you see Wang get hurt running the bases? Another thing, every baseball league including the minors and college used the DH.

Hey Dennis - Are you kidding? We should all support the DH because a professional athlete can't run a few hundred feet without getting hurt? I think Bob Tufts touched on this the other day when he wrote that we need to return to pitchers stretching, running sprints, etc. I also saw Oswalt get 2 hits. Charlie Finley, who wanted orange baseballs and other weird "innovations" was the driving force behind the DH, which passed by a vote of 8-4 by AL owners. We've been stuck with it for 35 years, despite it being adopted for a 3 year trial run. Sort of like the temporary tax surcharge for the Spanish American War in 1898 that we are still paying.

Let the pitchers bat, let the managers use some strategy and get rid of the DH. I know the MLBPA will have to agree to abolishing the DH. Isn't there some way to get rid of this thing?

The DH is here to stay, because the PA won't let it go away. I don't lose any sleep over the DH, but if I had to choose one or the other, I definitely would choose no DH. Dennis, what's more organic than a player who gets injured running the bases? I don't see how you can complain about that.

Hey Jim, who wants to see the pitcher hit? I don't. Granted there are some good hitting pitchers like Owings with the D'backs. But he is just one of a 1/3 of the NL pitchers that can hit. Would you rather have a pitcher hit who might be a automatic out, or have a player who plays no defense but is a DH hit? Also AL pitchers are not used to hitting or running the bases like th NL pitchers do.

Dennis, why not let the six best hitters on any team bat and forget about the rest of the players? Why just DH for one player? I don't necessarily want to see the pitcher hit. I want to see the pitcher squeeze. I want to see the pitcher make his counterpart squirm when his control stinks and draw a walk. I want to see the manager manage and maybe have to lift the pitcher. I want to see STRATEGY, not some player than can barely run so his team made him into a DH.

Ken, I firmly believe that if Selig wanted to get rid of the DH it would be gone. Yes, MLB would have to negotiate with the PA, but they could get it done. After all, the roster spot would still be there, perhaps taken by another highly paid player.

While AL pitchers might not typically come to bat or run bases, NL players don't normally DH.

Dennis, you earlier mentioned how every other league under the sun now has a DH rule. But, what was left out is that they all went to a DH after the AL did. They merely followed the leader. Get rid of the DH in MLB and you will see other leagues following suit, most immediately the entire minor leagues.

Jim, to clarify, I agree that Selig likes the DH. He likes the star power that Molitor gave to his Brewers, back in the day.

I actually think Selig would get rid of the DH, because it makes salaries rise. I kinda remember a few years back the owners offering to make a 26 man roster to eliminate the DH. The players association will never go for it. Even if they grandfathered it and said it will go in 10 years. Unfortunately, it is here to stay froever.

Dennis, I want to see pitchers hit. Its an interesting part of the game. A National League bench is so much more important than an American League bench. Extra innings are great in the N.L. because you may see Jose Oquendo have to pitch for Christ Sakes! I love it.

And besides Owings, Dontrelle Willis, Zambrano, are both excellent hitters.