WFAN’s Eddie Coleman spoke with Mike and the Mad Dog moments ago.

On last nights game and Johan Santana:

“Everyone knows if they want to save the manager they have to win.
I thought Santana was better than his line. He was dinked and dunked a bit. Overall it wasn’t a lock down performance.Like I said before I would like more of a presence from Santana for that kind of money.”

On Willie Randolph and Omar Minaya:

“Willie’s not dumb when the owners of the team don’t return your phone calls…he knows what’s up…If Omar fires Willie all the pressure then falls on Omar. I don’t think he wants to fire him. I don’t sense that Willy is feeling the pressure. Either he hides it real well or he’s not feeling it. I think he’s taking it a game at a time, hoping for a good pitching performance…I think Omar is coming here to lend some support to Willie.”

On who would replace Willie:

“I think they will look at Jerry Manuel. I heard Jim Fregosi’s name a lot when I was in Atlanta. I am not sure if he’d want to manage.”

On the players reaction:

“I don’t hear any players talking about it but they know the heat is on him. I don’t hear them come right out and talk about it though.”

On David Wright’s comments regarding his teammates:

“Wright was talking in general terms but I can sense who he’s talking about but David’s not gonna target certain guys. He knows they are better than this.”

On Pedro:

“Looks like Pedro Martinez will pitch in SF.”

The Mets will be in SF June 2, 3 and 4.

Willie Randolph spoke today to WFAN’s Mike and the Mad Dog. I usually give some quotes but I think today it would not do this justice. Now, don’t get me wrong there is nothing over the top or extreme here but Willie’s tone is definitely feisty. Even Chris Russo called him feisty towards the end of the interview. So, if you can, give it a listen. I enjoyed it. Since I’m looking to give Willie the benefit of the doubt, I may have heard more positive things than others will. Willie sounds like he has no problem telling any of his players how he feels and what he expects out of them. So, unless his critics are mostly basing their opinions on strategy, which most of the time is subjective, I don’t know what else he or anyone could do.

The link to the interview is here.

WFAN’s Eddie Coleman just spoke to Mike and the Mad Dog and said Billy Wagner snapped angrily at reporters in the clubhouse saying “Why the bleep am I being interviewed? I didn’t even play in the game today. Oh, I know they’re bleepin gone already”.

According to Eddie C. Wagner directed his comments towards Carlos Delgado and Carlos Beltran …. Eddie C added that Beltran did speak to the media but Wagner may not of been aware of it.

UPDATE 7:30: David Lennon of Newsday has the entire transcript of The Michael Kay Show on ESPN 1050. Billy Wagner just spoke with Kay. Head over to Lennon’s blog for more. Here’s a few things Wagner had to say:

WAGNER “Well, I mean, it gets to a point where, I didn’t even play today. I was not a participant in the game, and the guys that had participated were gone. I mean, we’re all upset, we’re unhappy with things that are going on, and how we’re playing, and I just felt like I hadn’t even played. I had no role in the game. David Wright’s always there, and the same guys are always there. But there needs to be other guys that are accountable. It gets a little old when the same people keep getting interviewed even when they don’t participate.”

KAY: Can I ask who do you think should be there that wasn’t there today?

WAGNER: “No, I think that will be rectified tomorrow.”

KAY: How so?

WAGNER: “Well, I think that those guys will be talked to about how you need to stand there in the bad times rather than just stand there in the good times. So that will be something that will be focused on tomorrow by the team I’m sure.”

WAGNER: “I think it’s just certain guys. I don’t think it’s Latin or white or black. I don’t think it’s a color thing. I think it’s just as a whole there’s guys that need to stand there and take the bad with the good.”

In his usual weekly spot Brian Schneider spoke with WFAN’s Joe Benigno and Evan Roberts.

On last night’s game:

“Those are tough but in a long season they are gonna happen. You gotta just forget about them and move on.”

On the Nationals nonsense in the dugout:

“It caught my attention a couple of times. I’m not used to seeing that in the Big Leagues. But I wouldn’t use the term Bush League to describe it. I think Figueroa’s performance affected his reaction to it.”

More on Figgy:

“He’s more than capable, he knows what he’s doing. The roster move is giving every performance more attention. But he’s been solid.”

On seemingly endless side stories with this team:

“Things get blown out of proportion. A lot more are made of these things than are discussed in the clubhouse. The Wagner/Perez thing was a story everywhere but here…. We barely discuss these things.”

On the clubhouse:

“I’ve been in a few and this is a great one. Everyone is loose. We had a great road trip, faced some top teams. Everyone enjoys each other, this is one of the best clubhouses I’ve been apart of.”

On this weekend’s Yankee series:

“I’ve never been involved in something like this so, yeah, I’m looking forward to it. I’m really excited. Even though it’s at Yankee Stadium I know there will be Mets fans there and I’ve never played there before so, it should be exciting.”

On Scott Schoeneweis:

“Yeah, I was happy to see him get a good hand. With what he’s gone through, it’s nice. He’s really come through for us.”

On how he feels with the Pitching staff:

“I’m feeling more comfortable even with the injury setback. I don’t have to think as much, I’m getting used to their movement. I can just stick with the game plan.”

Joe Benigno and Evan Roberts wrapped the interview by telling Schneider that it has been reported that Nats OF Elijah Dukes was the ring leader of the dugout antics from last night. So, maybe he should be dusted or plunked tonight. Schneider responded thusly:

“I’d rather strike him out, keep him off base. That’s the way I’d take care of it.”

After yesterday’s ugly loss to the Bucs the story had to be the worrisome performance of Oliver Perez. Even though Willie Randolph did criticize Perez after the game on WFAN’s Mike and the Mad Dog, he was mostly tempered.

But according to Adam Rubin from the Daily News Billy Wagner was not gonna let Ollie’s poor effort go by without making his opinion heard. Billy came out swinging putting the blame on Perez for not having more “willpower” and “desire”. He felt that Perez should have realized that the bullpen had been overworked and to take it upon himself to log some innings. Here’s what Wagner said:

“You’ve got to have that willpower and that desire to go back out there and fight,”. “This guy (Pirates starter Tom Gorzelanny), he wasn’t throwing the ball that well to shut down our offense. Perez has honestly got to step up and know that we’ve just used every guy in our bullpen the night before. He can’t come out there and decide that gee, he hasn’t got it today, and so be it.”

Also, in Bart Hubbach’s game story for the NY Post when Wagner was asked if talking to Perez about his notoriously short attention span was like trying to talk to a wall, Wagner pointed his finger and said: “Pretty much.”

For more notes and quotes about Wagner, Reyes, and Figgy, go to Adam’s Daily News Blog Surfing The Mets.

According to Ed Ryan’s blog Mets Fever the Mets have signed 29 year old 1B/OF Valentino Pascucci who was recently released by the Phillies.

Pascucci will join the Mets triple A affiliate New Orlean Zephyrs along with Brady Clark who was sent down when Gustavo Molina was promoted.

In his column at Newsday Kevin Davidoff writes that only time will tell if the Yankees made a mistake by not giving up Phil Hughes in a deal that could have landed them Johan Santana. Davidoff goes on to write:

Omar Minaya performed an excellent job in waiting for the Twins to settle for what still looks like an uninspiring package of players. Have you seen Carlos Gomez’s numbers? Yeesh. As you can see here, Kevin Mulvey is pitching decently for Triple-A Rochester, while Phil Humber is not. Deolis Guerra is pitching all right at Class A Fort Myers.

But you can bet that Minaya, who is set to ignore baseball’s slotting system for the amateur draft after adhering to it the last couple of years, wants to build his organization to a point where it doesn’t have to invest nine figures in a pitcher from another team in order to pick up an ace.

Davidoff went on to write that that the Santana trade will allow the Mets to close Shea Stadium with their first World Series title since 1986.

Over at my favorite Mets blog name Church of the Fonz they decided to look “On the Bright Side” of yesterday and focus on Aaron Heilman’s two perfect innings and this quote from former Met Doug Mientkiewicz on Johan Santana:

“Let’s put it this way: When that team needs him the most, he’s going to be there. Come August and September, he’s going to be dominant.”

The NY Post’s Joel Sherman from his HardBall blog thinks Willie might be overusing the bullpen and he has some pretty startling numbers to back up his assertions. Sherman also has some thoughts on Oliver Perez and his probable free agency problems.

Former Met and now SNY studio analyst Darryl Strawberry is writing a book about his life. According to this AP report Strawberry will collaborate with John Strausbaugh on his memoir.

In an article about how rainouts are handled in MLB I saw this interesting tid-bit that may come in handy to Mets fans who may not know about it, I know I didn’t. At CNBC.com referring to the Monday’s rain out vs the Pirates:

The Mets have an extremely generous policy. If you really wanted to see the Pirates and can’t make this homestand, you can use this exact ticket for the makeup game on Aug. 11. If you want, you can also exchange your ticket for a seat of a similar value or use the money towards a credit towards a seat for this year (the final season in Shea Stadium) or next year (in the new facility).

Lastly, back to the Willie Randolph interview with Mike and the Mad Dog. Willie was asked about Carlos Beltran’s sluggish start at the plate and Willie said that he doesn’t think that Carlos is 100% yet, coming off surgery on both knees. He’s still having problems with strength, pushing off his back leg in the batter’s box. But he’s working hard with Howard Johnson and he will be fine.

This is classic Wagner here, I love it. Some tough love for Ollie, hopefully it helps. I get the the feeling he’s the type of guy who wants to be liked so maybe this will be the push he needs… My only concern regarding Beltran is playing on weak knees. I hope he can continue to play and strengthen his knees simultaneously. He has hit a ton a shots right at guys and he has played a flawless centerfield.

Johan Santana, Endy Chavez and Willie Randolph spoke with the media after last nights extra inning 5-4 Mets win over the Pirates at Shea. First up Johan,

Johan Santana was asked about the home runs he surrendered:

“The first guy (Nate McLouth) we had some scouting reports that he takes a few pitches (he jumped on the first pitch) but what can you do I didn’t execute. Home runs are part of the game. They (the Pirates) battled, they fouled off a lot of pitches. The most important part is we, as a team got the win.”

Asked if he heard the cheers when he was removed from the game:

“Yes, I did, I guess they appreciated what I did tonight and that’s always good. But the thing is you always gotta have that support, day in and day out because they (the fans) are big part of what we do here. The bad days and the good days. If they are always out there supporting us then you feel more comfortable. That goes for everybody, that’s the way it is. But we understand they are very demanding fans in this city and they always want to win and there’s nothing wrong with that. But at the same time we are human beings we’re gonna make mistakes, sometimes we’re not gonna have a good day but it’s all how you bounce back and hopefully the results will be very positive for the whole team.”

Endy Chavez, who had three hits spoke with WFAN’s Eddie Coleman:

“I’m glad I got three hits, I feel good at the plate. It helps me to be in there, it keeps me sharp, i’ve seen a lot of pitches and that helps a lot… I think he (Santana) did a pretty good job, I think when he was a little wild the umpire was pretty tough but he’s a tough pitcher and he hung in there for us and he did a pretty good job.”

Willie Randolph:

Asked about David Wright’s game winning hit and his struggles of late:

“When he does what he did in that situation (walk off hit) he’s pretty effective, every once in awhile he starts pulling off the ball and gets out of rhythm. He’s one of the best on the team going the other way, he had a great approach right there and got a big hit for us.”

About Jose Reyes getting on base last night:

“Any time you have your lead-off man on base six times you gotta score more runs. We left too many runners on tonight. We have to make sure we do a better job of situational hitting and just putting the ball in play in big spots. We had a chance when we were up 4-2 to put them away. We have to do a better job of execution, it takes a lot of pressure off your bullpen. If you can add on those extra runs it really frees up your bullpen.”

On Santana:

“I thought he threw the ball great. He had like forty foul balls, something like that. He was just nasty tonight. They kept battling, they kept fighting. He made a couple of mistakes but he deserved to win the game but we didn’t pick up those ducks which made it tough.”

Asked what Santana said when Willie went to the mound before he hit Xavier Nady:

“He said he wanted him. I just wanted to go out and see how he was feeling. I’m trying to get to know him a little bit. I need to comunicate with him, find out how he feels. I need him to be honest with me. But as soon as I got out there he said “no I got this guy, I want this guy” that one ball just kind of got away from him, kinda sailed. He’s a competitor, he felt strong it was cool out so, I’m gonna trust him when he tells me he wants to compete. He still one of the best.”

All the Santana quotes were great. When he was asked about the fans reaction towards him he spoke about their reaction but related it to the team, which I loved. When Willie spoke about about Santana saying “I got this guy”, “I want this guy” the results don’t even matter, the fact that we are finding out that Santana has some bulldog in him is fantastic. He battled through some foul balls and the elements last night. So far there is nothing not to like about our ace.

SI.com Jon Heyman spoke with WFAN’s Mike and the Mad Dog:

Heyman spoke about the Carlos Delgado situation and sided with Delgado saying, “I don’t blame him, they (the fans) were beating on him all year so far.” “It’s tough to just forgive and forget that fast.”

Heyman was asked what Mets ownership thinks about all this?

Heyman said they are concerned, not that the fans don’t have the right but the negativity and the booing could scare off future free agents. Heyman said he thinks the Mets will go after Mark Texeira this off season. He added that the Mets are really only counting on Fernado Martinez from their farm system and they think that this situation could interfere with signing Texeira and other potential free agents.

Exactly, Heyman came across like he heard this stuff right from the horses mouth but whether he did or not, it’s common sense. Why would anyone want to “work” in an environment that reeks of negativity when there are other choices? Last time I checked the money is pretty good no matter where they land. Cmon fellow Mets fans lets make these guys feel welcome. You know, Root, Root, Root for the home team…

For those interested in sports media there is a must watch on HBO’s Costas Now tonight at 10pm. Bob Costas will host a live 90 minute town hall meeting with variety of different panels from the entire sports media spectrum. It will be broken up into five segments:

• Sports talk radio: A mix of video taped interviews then a live panel with among other’s WFAN’s Chris “Mad Dog” Russo and New York Giants defensive end Michael Strahan.
• The Internet and the Impact of Bloggers: Video interviews: deadspin.com editor Will Leitch, TV writer and media critic Michael Schur and Washington Post columnist and “PTI” host Michael Wilbon.
• Sports Television: Live panel: Fox Sports broadcaster Joe Buck, ESPN broadcaster Mike Tirico and Sports Illustrated’s Dan Patrick.
• Athletes and the Media: Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling, Miami Dolphins defensive end Jason Taylor, former NBA star and Turner Sports analyst Charles Barkley. Live panel: NBC’s Tiki Barber, Sports Illustrated columnist Selena Roberts and tennis analyst and former tennis star John McEnroe.
• A Discussion on Race:Video interviews: Washington Post columnist and “PTI” host Michael Wilbon, former NFL star Kellen Winslow, Sr. Live panel: former NFL star and current ESPN commentator Cris Carter and Kansas City Star columnist Jason Whitlock.

Looks mighty interesting and the fact that it’s on HBO commercial free for 90 minutes is great. This is something crunched down to say an hour with commercials would just be a waste of time. FYI there are more guests than listed above. For more info check out HBO.com

In a column for the Daily News, Bob Raissman notes that the Mets and WFAN are in the last year of their contract, and no serious negotiations have taken place.

He writes that the current deal nets the Mets about $8 million per year, while the Yankees currently get $13 million for their deal with CBS Radio. According to Raissman, the Mets will try and close that price gap on the Yankees, while also noting that if the Mets were to leave WFAN, the Yankees would have the option of leaving CBS for WFAN.

I guess for me, I can’t imagine tuning my dial to anywhere but 660 WFAN.

Oh, and in the article Raissman attempts to bash Matt Cerrone from Mets Blog, essentially calling Mets Blog a sellout and writing that the readers are now, “livin’ in a corporate world.” Don’t buy it, I have to imagine that Raissman is just a bitter writer jealous of Matt’s success.

SI.com’s Jon Heyman spoke with WFAN’s Mike and the Mad Dog today.

Heyman on Carlos Delgado:

I was joking with one or two of the people in the Mets organization the other day and he said “Yeah, I think I’m gonna be sent out looking for a first baseman really soon”…Heyman continued, the scouts said his bat has really slowed down. They said it last year, they say he’s cheating quite a bit, getting this swing started early and that he’s swinging too soon and that is a sign that he knows it. He’s not gonna say it, he’s a proud guy. He could be nearing the end. I don’t think there’s any question about it. Some people on your show brought up steroids but this is a guy that everyone in baseball believes has always been clean. This is just a normal progression in baseball. He’s in his mid-thirties. This is the time guys normally slow down.

Heyman on the Milledge/Church/Schneider deal:

I liked that trade better than most people did at the beginning… Milledge is just not a contending player right now. I don’t think he’s a center fielder and I don’t think he’s gonna hit 30 home runs, so you’re talking about a corner outfielder who will probably hit .300 but I don’t think he’s ready to play.

Man, can we give the guy just a bit more time. This is actually making me root for Delgado harder, if that’s possible. Go CD shut everyone up. Oh, how I’d love to see that …or should I say hear that. Wait, you can’t hear people shut-up, this whole thing is making me crazy, Enough!

Today Mets Manager Willie Randolph spoke with WFAN’s Mike and the Mad Dog in his usual weekly spot,

On Moving Carlos Delgado down in today’s line-up from fifth to sixth today,

“Moving from the fifth spot to sixth is nothing drastic. Obviously he is struggling so I thought I’d mix it up. Carlos just wants to win, he doesn’t mind. I think he’s gonna get it going. He has a track record, not that he’s gonna have a year like he’s had in the past but it’s early. Still gotta be patient….No, I haven’t really thought about platooning him and Moises Alou when he comes back.”

On the team being inconsistent:

“It’s a little bit concerning. The bullpen has been inconsistent and when you combine that with not scoring runs that’s a bad mix. It’s not like we are not playing hard. We’re just trying to find the right rhythm right now. But I really believe and have confidence that this team is gonna play real well this season.”

On Luis Castillo’s spot in the order:

“I put him in the eighth spot a few times to help him get his legs back. After off season surgery he really wasn’t in shape this spring. But when he’s ok he’s gonna be in the two spot most of the time. Omar brought him here because he’s one of the best number two guys in the league. Jose Reyes is our catalyst and Luis knows what to do when Jose’s on base. For the most part he’s our number two hitter.”

On how Willie deals with his players:

“I talk to my players all the time, I think I communicate with my players more than any manager in the game today.”

Does he pick on younger players more than older players?

“That’s so ridiculous, that’s so ridiculous, it’s not even worth it for me to comment on. First, I like young players more than I like older players because you can mold them. Most of the older players are stuck in their ways. I talk to my players, I don’t yell at them. I talk to them like men, with respect. You don’t get anything out of yelling at grown men. At times I may be firm, put my hand on their shoulder, sometimes I’ll pat them on the butt. I know how to treat my people.”

On Cubs 1B Derrek Lee touching a foul ball the other day in Chicago which by rule he should have been called out on:

“When I first saw it, I jumped on it right away. I jumped on the top step. I thought maybe Angel (Umpire Angel Hernandez) might call something there but he wasn’t gonna. I know with Angel it’s like fighting a losing battle. The night before he was at home plate and I was all over his case so I know he didn’t want to see my face. I probably would have been thrown out right away.”

On Bunting:

“If you see a guy bunting early in the game it’s not something I believe in. Castillo and Carlos Beltran do it but it’s not something I want.”

On the Phillies:

“That last game we showed a lot of fight. We know we can beat the Phillies. Last year they got hot at the right time and we got cold at the wrong time.”

On Duaner Sanchez:

“He’s coming around nicely but we are still trying to pick our spots with him. I’m hoping he’ll step up and give us a real shot in the arm for our bullpen.”

Eddie Colman who follows the Mets for WFAN spoke with Joe Benigno and Evan Roberts today. Here are a few notes from their talk,

• Eddie thought the Jose Reyes story was interesting, more because of the timing. The fact that Carlos Beltran went to Reyes before his big night on Tuesday. So, it may have had an immediate impact. Also, Eddie thinks Beltan looks at Reyes as a little brother and gets a kick out of him and his antics.
• Beltran is different than when he first got here, more comfortable. Still sensitive to the boos and he knows he’s been knocked for not being more vocal.
• Half of the Mets games have been against left handed pitchers and Ryan Church has handled it well. Likes the number two spot.
• Joe Smith has been so good there is no rush to bring back Matt Wise. Last year Smith hit a wall. So far this year he has been nasty.
• John Maine has just walked too many guys. He is usually better than that. He was really angry with himself. I think your gonna see the John Maine from spring training real soon.
• Pedro Martinez, I’ll wait and see. But I do think he’ll be back sooner than people think. The Mets just don’t want to rush him and cause a set back.
• Nelson Figueroa said something like sequels are usually bad but I want to prove that wrong tonight.

I always enjoy Eddie’s reports. I feel he’s just relaxin, maybe having a brew, talkin Mets baseball. But with the extra bonus of some inside dope. Interesting take on the Reyes, Beltran little brother thing.

Mets manager Willie Randolph talked today with WFAN’s Mike and the Mad Dog in his usual weekly spot.

They started the conversation with Jose Reyes.

On Jose Reyes:

“He was unbelievable last night. When he gets on he’ll make you look like world beaters.”

On Mike Pelfrey:

“He’s still just a baby, continues to grow. His stuff was electric. Schneider did a great job getting him through the game.”

On Ryan Church in the two hole instead of Angel Pagan:

“Pagan being a switch hitter is better behind Delgado. Church is swinging the bat well. Plus, I wanted to get a look at that line-up.”

Later in the interview Willie added this about Church:

“So far he is staying through the middle. I like his approach. I’ve been real impressed with his defense. He’s got a real chance here to solidify himself as an everyday player.”

On Angel Pagan:

“I love the way he is playing. That stuff the other day was a writer taking stuff out of context. I was kidding with the reporters. I was not trying to disparage him one iota.”

On after Sundays game:

“I was upset. I was just talking with some of the coaches about somethings. Don’t read anything into it. Just wanted to calm down in my own mind.”

On the negativity from the fans:

“I understand why they might boo early in the season. I’m a little upset at the reception were receiving, it’s a spin off from last year. But Santana’s one of our big boys, gonna be here for a long time so you’d like to see him get a better reception than that but there’s nothing you can do about it. The players really want to win for this town and for these fans. We want to be accepted of course.”

On Duaner Sanchez:

“I’m not looking for a soft spot for him. But I am not gonna just throw him into the fire unless there’s a match up I really like.”

On Nelson Figueroa:

“He pitched with a lot of heart the other day in front of his hometown fans and threw a great ballgame. He just has to hit his spots. He’s gonna get one or two more starts for us.”

On Luis Castillo:

“He’s not 100% that’s why he’s in the eighth spot. He’s got to get stronger. He was way behind in spring training because of his rehab. So it’s gonna take time.”

On Carlos Delgado:

“I still have a lot of confidence in him. I am not ready to write him off.”

On Johan Santana:

“The extra rest is something he needs. That’s the word from Minnesota. I’m just going by what I’ve been told. We want to take care of him. He’ll take the ball when asked, don’t get me wrong. But with this kind of investment I think it’s better to be cautious.”

The interview closed with Willie saying:

“I feel this team is ready to get on a roll. We are really really pumped up, I’m a little disappointed with the start and the reaction but this team is hell bent to really get it going.”

So are we Willie, so are we. Lets Go Mets Baby!!

Eddie Coleman today on WFAN’s Mike and the Mad Dog:

About the attitude of Mets brass:

“Everybody in the organization was bothered by Sunday’s loss. Willie was angry, probably as angry as I’ve ever seen him. It was ugly Sunday”.

Later in the interview Eddie added that the reports that Willie and Omar met for a half hour after the game were overblown because they meet before and after almost every game.

On Oliver Perez:

“Willie gets frustrated with Oliver… he really ticked Willie off Sunday. Willie went out there and read him the riot act. Schneider has already done it and he’s new here”.

On the Booing:

“Some guys in this clubhouse are kind of sensitive and I think it does effect them. So, yeah I think it does effect home field advantage. Not guys like Wagner but other guys”.

While talking about players not speaking to the media and not showing leadership, Eddie singled out Johan Santana saying “He’s never really around” and with the investment the Mets made Eddie thinks Santana should step up even though that is not a responsibility a starting pitcher usually takes on.

So, now even Eddie C is going after players? Bringing up Santana’s lack of leadership? I was under the impression that Santana was brought here because he’s a darn good pitcher. All this negativity takes away from the enjoyment of being a fan. So, please Metsies go on a nice winning streak, I need it for my own sanity.