Billy Wagner spoke yesterday from Anaheim to Michael Kay of ESPN Radio in his weekly spot.

What is your reaction to Willie losing his job?

“I hated seeing it happen because I can’t help feeling that I was responsible, not doing my job as consistently as I could of done. It just stinks that your manager is critiqued on how his players are playing, when guys are going through a tough time and stuff and the manager is kind of look down on and when we are doing well he looks like a genius. I know it’s part of the game but you hate when that happens.”

Is it Willie’s fault that the team is a .500 team right now?

“Well, I don’t think so. If I get three more saves and were above .500. I can’t really put anything on Willie I think he’s done some of his best coaching when we’ve struggled. He’s put guys in situations and we just haven’t performed. I really feel bad that it came down to him.”

How did you find out about it? Did you go to sleep thinking Willie was the manager?

“I didn’t find out until this (yesterday) morning, when I came out of the elevator, the reporters where there and they were like did you hear about Willie? I said no I hadn’t but with all these cameras here its pretty obvious. I’ve never been in that type of situation, with that much media exposure, I was a little shocked at that but I guess you could see it coming. Speculation was out there, the team really didn’t know what was going on.”

Do you think Willie and this team has ever recovered from last year?

“I don’t think the team feels that effect. I don’t think we’ve ever said we blew a seven game lead so we’re not gonna play well. We know we have the talent and we know we are a good baseball team. I think its, we got off to a slow start and when some guys get going then another part of the team goes down. When the starting pitching was struggling the bullpen was strong. When the bullpen was struggling the starting pitching was strong, just things haven’t worked together. I really don’t think it has anything to do with last year or Willie.”

Reports say that guys who got in late had a ho-hum reaction to the news, Was there something about Willie that some on the team didn’t like?

“Not that I know of. When you’re the manager you don’t have to be liked. You just have to be respected. That’s why we play the game, its to be respected. Your manager is not there to hold your hand and make you like him. Willie was a very personable person, he and I, we had our ups and downs but we always got along. I knew where he stood and he knew where I stood. We communicated better and better the longer we were together. The more he got to know me the more he knew what was best for me. He was easy to talk and it was easier to know what he expected from me…He’s the manager, you’re the All-Star, you’re the player, its up to you to play the game. Sometimes you get put in a situation that isn’t favorable or difficult but if you consider yourself one of the best, you have to go out there and get it done.”

“Willie’s got that competitive fire, like old school. He wears his heart on his sleeve. He’s very passionate about his job, about the game. His expectations for his players is high and I think players of this day and age may not have that same passion, like the guys may have had when Willie played…I am old enough to have watched Willie play and you look at the back of his bubble gum card and you know he was a great player. When you talk about that kind of player, guys in our clubhouse are hard nose and they go after it, but it was definitely a different era.”

Do you feel sorry for him today?

“Sorry,..no I don’t feel sorry. I hate that he was put under the microscope because of our teams shortcomings. But the greatest managers ever have been fired and so going through this, the type of person he is, this will only make him a better manager and make him a better person. He’ll look back and see what he could of done better or he’ll just look back and reflect and when he gets his next job there will be things he will improve on.”

What do you think of Jerry Manuel?

“I think when you go from bench coach to manager a lot of things change. As a bench coach your kind of the buffer, the in-between to say everything is alright, keep working hard. Now he’s the head honcho, it’s not about hey it’s ok, its about go get the job done.”