John Franco pulled no punches while blaming the players for Willie’s demise. Franco was a guest today on XM’s The Show with Kevin Kennedy and Rob Dibble.

“To be honest, I really think there is only a handful of players on the Mets who really give a damn about Willie Randolph getting fired and the others are just there to collect a paycheck and that’s just my opinion from the outside looking in, but each guy in that locker room should be held accountable and feel accountable for their poor play on the field that led to Willie Randolph being fired and the coaches getting fired because the players didn’t do their job and with the talent they have, it’s inexcusable for them to be playing the way they’ve played.”

For more on Franco’s thoughts regarding Willie’s firing go to MLB on XM.

Everyone in the country is hammering the Mets because of the shabby way they handled the dismissal of Willie Randolph and rightly so. I find it exhausting at this point and I know its because I care about the team that I root for and the way it is viewed. We are a laughingstock right now and that makes me sad. With that said, let the beating continue. Here are some thoughts from ex-Mets manager Jeff Torborg, who spoke on XM’s Baseball this Morning with Mike Patrick and Buck Martinez.

“To this day, I don’t know if the Mets know quite how to fire their managers…I was fired at home, but I had not spoken to the general manager for four days prior to my firing…he originally would come down every night…when I was fired, I came to a host of cameras, it was suggested I come in through the bullpen, I said, ‘I’m not going to go in through the back door here..’ I woke up that morning listening to the news that I had been fired…I was not flown across country, I was attacked [by the media] outside Shea Stadium…It’s unbelievable to me…Willie has an impeccable reputation, Captain of the New York Yankees, that’s really something special, then a trusted coach for a number of years, now he takes the Mets and does, what I thought a terrific job…”

Via MLB On XM

Bill Madden of the Daily News writes today regarding Mets assistant general manager Tony Bernazard.

Meanwhile, Bernazard, the unofficial godfather to the Mets’ Latin players, has been a constant undermining presence in the Mets clubhouse even though he is supposed to be Minaya’s assistant.

If Randolph had a problem with the Latin players like Carlos Beltran, Carlos Delgado and Jose Reyes - it was only because they felt they could go to Bernazard with their problems.

Even worse, clubhouse sources have said Bernazard would relay to the Latin players critical comments Randolph made about them in private meetings of the Met high command.

Marty Noble spoke regarding Bernazard on XM Radio.

Tony Bernazard told many people internally last year that he wanted a new manager and wanted it to be Manny Acta. Word obviously got around to Noble and many others. Since Bernazard has continued his role there, ownership approves.

Bernazard has been raked over the coals by much of the New York media for ‘gloating’ over Willie Randolph’s dismissal. Many feel like Bernazard and Willie were at odds through most of Randolph’s reign and Omar would not confirm or deny the stormy relationship when the subject came up on his interview on WFAN yesterday.

If Bernazard was an undermining factor while Willie was here, can he be trusted to not be an undermining factor going forward as well?

Willie Randolph spoke to reporters outside his Franklin Lakes home this morning for the first time since the Omar Minaya press conference yesterday.

“I can’t control how things were handled. All I can do is control myself.”

Randolph wasn’t prepared for the firing.

“I thought he was talking about whacking a couple of my coaches. I felt all along that this team was going to play better. This, in my mind, all happened way, way too early.”

Willie watched the game from home for the first time in years.

“Those are my guys. I still think about David (Wright) and Jose (Reyes) and Marlon (Anderson). I lived and died with those guys for four seasons. We’ve been through a lot of ups and downs. We’ve had a lot of heartache.

Randolph spoke about how he wishes to manage again.

“Yes, I want to do it again. Once you get a taste of managing, that’s what you want to do.”

Randolph felt there was still time to turn things around.

“I felt all along this team would play better and we would eventually get into the season and really do well. In my mind, this all happened way, way too early. We all know baseball is a long season, a marathon, so for me, it was a little abrupt. You can talk all you want to about expectations and stuff and this team didn’t play up to its capabilities, but I felt like we were going to start to do that. I wish I had the opportunity to see it through, that’s all.”

The always entertaining Brad Bortone of Bugs and Cranks gives us his take on Omar’s press conference yesterday. The following is a taste but make sure you head over there and read the rest, it’s well worth your time. Funny stuff.

Omar: “It was my decision. It was done based upon how I see our team for the past year or so. It was a tough decision. You have to understand, Willie was my hire. I decided to fire Willie, it was my decision. It is a tough one. I say its tough, why? Because I hired him.”

Bortone’s Translation: I didn’t want to fire the man, but the Wilpons said, “It’s either you or Willie,” and that’s when I booked the next Southwest SuperSaver to L.A.

Omar : When I talked to Willie last night, Willie had told me all along, Omar, just give me a heads up before something happens, communicate with me. Its a kid from Brooklyn communicating with a kid from Queens. I told him im going to try and make a decision on this trip. Willie said lets just get this done, the sooner the better. He gets back to the hotel, we sit down, I said Willie I made a decision, I have two choices here I can say you will be the manager for the year or you’re not the manager and I told him you’re not going to be the manager.

Bortone’s Translation: Willie, being “a kid from Brooklyn,” also chose to donkey punch me when I wasn’t looking. But as a kid from Queens, I understood his frustration.

via Comedy Central

Last night the players finally weighed in on the changing of the guard in the Mets clubhouse, hoping they can finally move on from discussing the fate of their manager day in and day out.

Billy Wagner

“As a team, we hadn’t lived up to expectations. The bad thing is, the manager gets the blame. That’s the way the game is.”

Wagner spoke regarding the way Willie was fired.

“I don’t know if there’s ever a good time to do something like that. I don’t think any general manager likes to fire a coach.”

Jose Reyes

“I just feel sorry for the guy because we weren’t able to play good baseball for the guy. He’s going through a tough time right now, but when I get a chance, I’m going to call him and thank him for everything he’s done for me.”

David Wright

“(Randolph) took this team to a different level while he was here, but that being said, I’m excited about what Jerry can bring to the table.”

Carlos Beltran

“Jerry knew the players as the bench coach and communicated with us. I think he’ll do a great job. He’s communicates a lot and is always positive.”

Omar Minaya explains his decision to fire Willie Randolph and ESPN’s Buster Olney gives his take.

After media analysts were done ripping and tearing the Mets’ organization to shreds for their treatment of Willie Randolph, their attention turned to the appointment of new Mets interim manager Jerry Manuel. Several times it was related what organizations look for in managerial candidates: the polar opposite of the last manager. This begs the question: why Manuel, a “Randolph guy” who has been described as quieter than Randolph?

On the surface, Manuel sounds exactly like Randolph. MLB.com’s Mets beat writer Marty Noble summed it up best in an article today:

Randolph, 54 next month, is a former second baseman who began his big league career in 1975. Manuel, 54, is a former second baseman — though far less accomplished than Randolph — who made his big league debut in 1975.

Manuel’s career lasted ten years less than Randolph’s, ending in 1982. According to an official team biography, he batted .150 with 3 HR and 13 RBIs in 96 games. For the better part of the 1980s, he served in a number of capacities: a scout, an infield instructor, and a minor league field coordinator among them.

He got his first managerial gig with the Double-A Jacksonville affiliate of the Montreal Expos in 1990, where he was named Southern League Co-Manager of the Year. He was promoted to manager of AAA Indianapolis for half of the 1991 season before joining the big league club.

He would serve as third base coach for the Montreal Expos from 1991-1996 under Felipe Alou. He was the bench coach for Jim Leyland during the 1997 Florida Marlins’ championship season. Then, of course, he became the manager of the Chicago White Sox, where he served from 1998-2003.

Taking a look back at his tenure as manager of the White Sox, the team’s final record was consistently around the .500 mark, with the lone breakout season being 2000. That was the one year the White Sox won the AL Central, though they were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. Manuel was named the AP’s Manager of the Year and the Baseball Writers Association of America’s AL Manager of the Year in 2000.

Newsday’s Anthony Reiber discussed the dismissal of Manuel from the White Sox in 2003. He said the White Sox organization in 2003 “felt he wasn’t pushing the White Sox hard enough and had an underachieving team.” That sounds exactly like the reasons for Randolph’s dismissal in 2008. Of course, Manuel was replaced by the fiery Ozzie Guillen, whose bombastic approach contributed to a 2005 World Series crown.

However, players and coaches around the league have commented on Manuel’s capability to become outspoken, perhaps something Randolph was perceived to lack. Manuel showed a capacity for ferocity when he was ejected from a Mets vs. Yankees game earlier this year after the controversial non-call of a Carlos Delgado home run ball. Reiber recounted a similar instance from Manuel’s days as manager of the White Sox:

Manuel got in Frank Thomas’ face during spring training in 2000 when the slugger didn’t want to participate in running drills. A few months later, Thomas told the Orange County Register, “He’s been more of a stern rock. It’s working. It’s made me a different player. It’s hard when you fail. He points me in the right direction of moving forward.” Thomas hit .328 with 43 homers and 143 RBIs and finished second to Oakland’s Jason Giambi in the MVP voting.

When profiling the man, the New York Times’ Ben Shpigel paints Manuel as a more eccentric calming influence, not altogether unlike Rick Peterson. He said Manuel has studied the lives of Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr., even going so far as having Aaron Heilman put part of King’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech on his cell phone.

Ultimately, it looks as if the Mets’ changes today were for a different mood in the clubhouse, in hoping the organization could turn a page. They looked in-house for all their new appointees, particularly in the replacement of Randolph. Manuel is a man who has already connected with the players as the Mets’ bench coach for the past two and a half years. He has become a leader in the clubhouse, talking to players in nooks and crannies before and after games. He quietly studies the game.

Unfortunately, all his good characteristics are too much like his predecessor, and if the Mets continue in mediocrity, this will stand out. As Omar Minaya said in today’s press conference, Manuel will get the rest of the year. Barring a miraculous team-wide turnaround, Manuel will not remain manager in 2009.