This team is currently under .500 (74-75) since June 1st of 2007. Yes, just about 150 games that totals out to, and the Mets and under .500 in that timespan. Obviously, some blame has to be towards the players, but you would be wrong not to point blame in the direction of the current coaching staff as well.

Willie Randolph is clearly no genius when it comes to managing a bullpen, and the in-game managerial mistakes are becoming a constant trend these days. He is simply losing his players, not physically, but mentally.

What is the solution?

I propose the Mets front office give the rest of the month to Willie to show signs of a turnaround. That’s three games against the Yankees on the road, three against the Braves on the road, three against the Rockies on the road, three against the Marlins at home, then four at home against the Dodgers. I would call that a fair chance to prove that you’re better than a .500 team.

If Willie fails to do so and this team remains to seesaw their way through May, there should be no choice but to find an alternative and hope for the best. At the very worst, you will get a head start on a possible manager option for 2009, but with four months of baseball left to play, and with the team still in contention, that is clearly not the motive. The passive, laid back style of play is simply not working right now and the way Billy Wagner has made his presence felt through the media regarding this awful play proves that Randolph is losing his players trust.

Perhaps the best option is right under their nose and could be Triple-A manager Ken Oberkfell. After bouncing around the independent leagues hoping to land a managerial position with a minor league affiliate, Oberkfell caught on with the Phillies organization when then-Phillies GM Lee Thomas gave him a shot with low Class A Piedmont in 1997. He remained there until 1999, leading the Boll Weevils to the playoffs in 1998.

After parting ways with the Phillies, the Mets picked him up and brought him in to coach their then Class-A affiliate, the Capital City Bombers. After one season with them, Oberkfell took over Class A St. Lucie, leading the team to the playoffs in 2002 and winning the Florida State League title in 2003.

In 2004, he moved up to coach Double-A Binghamton, and finished 10 games over .500, making the postseason.

He moved up again last year, this time to Double-A Binghamton, where the B-Mets finished 10 games over .500 and made the postseason. Counting this year’s appearance, Oberkfell has four consecutive playoff berths at three different levels.

He has managed the club’s AAA affiliate for the past three seasons and is currently in his fourth season managing the team. In his rookie season (2005) as a manager in the Triple-A level, he was named the Minor League Manager of the Year by Baseball America, winning the International League’s south division with a 79-65 record by 14 games.

This man has undoubtedly paid his dues with the organization to receive consideration for the job. If the Mets don’t improve over the next few weeks, could we be hearing this man’s name more and more as the team’s coaching staff becomes more in question?