Archive for the ‘Willie Randolph’ Category
Glavine, Willie Prepare Mets For Postseason
Posted by Anthony De RosaSeptember 27, 2006 at 2:59 pm
27 Sep
Tom Glavine and Willie Randolph are the veteran Mets when it comes to postseason experience, and they are doing their best to prepare their teammates for what to expect, reports The Star Ledger.
numbers of media, of the demands made by friends and family
for ticket requests — nitty-gritty type stuff.
Of all Glavine's listeners, the most rapt was a
nine-year veteran.
“Somebody like him is going to talk about stuff like
that, you're going to pay attention,” Mets catcher
Paul Lo Duca said. “I have no experience with this
stuff. I have no idea what it's going to be like.
Tommy, he knows as well as anybody.”
“A lot of times, guys that go through it for the
first time think they have to do more than they did in the
regular season. And that's where you get in
trouble,” Glavine said. “I've always likened
it to when guys get called up from Triple A. The message you
always hear is, 'Just do what you did to get
here.' And it's hard to do that. Guys get there
and want to try too hard, and that's a tough thing to
fight.”
Willie speaks to players on a casual basis, usually one on one to get them prepared for the postseason, and while stressing every play is important, he wants them to remember to have fun and enjoy the experience. Staying loose is just as important as having focus.
“Every play, every situation is crucial,”
Randolph said. “Your total focus has to be on
execution, on not giving at-bats away. Everything has to be
unselfish. For example, a big part of a short series is
being willing to take a walk. Just having a long at-bat,
making a pitcher work, upset the apple cart by stealing a
base. Every single play matters.”
“At the same time, you're in a position to have
fun on this stage,” Randolph said. “It's
really a time when you can flourish on a unique stage. It
can be fun to be totally engrossed and entwined in what
you're doing. To me, that always made it easier.”
Tom Glavine is scheduled to pitch Saturday, but that could change if Pedro
Martinez falters tonight, reports Steve Popper in The Bergan Record.
Willie Randolph said that if Glavine is pushed up to
Game 1, he wouldn't start again in the regular season. That means he
would have seven or eight days off between his last start and his first
postseason start, something he does not prefer to do.
Tom Glavine is quoted by John Delcos in The Journal News regarding Pedro's status.
“If something happens to Pedro, my only concern
is what it does to me in terms of when I pitch,” Glavine said. “I
wouldn't be thrilled at the prospect of having seven or eight days off
before I get on the mound again.
“If that's what happens, that's
what happens. Then I'll do it. If that happens, I'll make the
adjustment and go out there and do it. Hopefully we speculate about it
and think about it and certainly have it on the back burner, but never
have to act on it.
“We'll hopefully have Pedro healthy, and we assume he will be.”
Omar Minaya and Willie Randolph finally got their shot in New York, and the results speak for themselves. Check out this graphic from The New York Times, detailing all the clubs who passed on these playoff bound managers and check out the full article here.
Sphere: Related ContentWillie Randolph was playful when asked about how he felt about Cliff Floyd last night, reports the Bergan Record…
“He looks like lovable Cliff.”
Randolph got a bit more serious, but not totally, when he added, “He
looks the same. He's swinging the bat OK. I really don't go by his
stats [because] he's doing well physically.
“He's playing well defensively. I'd give him a B, something like that.
“Is that good?”
Sphere: Related ContentThe Bergan Record reports that among the people who called Willie Randolph after the Mets NL East-clinching victory Monday was Joan Hodges, the
widow of Gil Hodges, who managed the Mets to a World Series championship in 1969.
“She thought she was bothering me,” Randolph, a Brooklyn native,
said. “I told her you can call me anytime. That was special. I remember
watching Gil Hodges' teams while I was growing up.”
Willie also received a call from his old skipper, Joe Torre.
He also received a congratulatory call late Monday night from
Yankees manager Joe Torre. Randolph was on Torre's coaching staff from
1996-2004, and thus was a part of four world championships.
“It was right after everyone was leaving,” Randolph said. “He must
have called me when he got back to the hotel. I just happened to be
walking by my desk. I was glad I was able to pick that one up.
Otherwise it might have gotten lost in all the other messages.
“Joe and I talk periodically,” Randolph said, characterizing the
conversation as “very natural. I said, 'Hey, I'll call you [with
congratulations] in a couple of days.' “
Pedro was upset and even driven to tears last night, disappointed he could not be the man on the mound when the Mets would clinch their first division in 18 years, reports The Charlotte Observor.
“I was a little frustrated and I was about to snap,” he said.
“Willie (Randolph) had to pretty much stop me from it. I've worked my
(butt) off and didn't see the results I was expecting.”
Martinez insisted his troubles were far more emotional than
physical, that his arm is strong and his calf is “80 percent” healthy
following a month on the disabled list. It's just that he wanted to be
the pitcher who clinched the Mets' first NL East title since 1988, and
his line - three innings, six hits, four runs, one walk, four
strikeouts, one throwing error - hardly provided reason to toss the
confetti.
Rick Peterson was happy with how Pedro pitched for the most part.
“Anything that doesn't go right, that's why they call it a New York
minute,” said pitching coach Rick Peterson, adding that he was “very
pleased” by the outing, that all four of Pedro's pitches were working,
and only his location needed tuning.
Willie was optimistic as well and said the kind of emotions Pedro showed aren't anything you don't see behind closed doors from a player who plays with passion.
If nothing else, the Mets were soaked in optimism. Randolph thought
Martinez “threw well,” and noted the emotional volcano “wasn't boo-hoo
crying,” just a moment that occurs all the time in locker rooms, out of
the camera's glare. Hours earlier Randolph had predicted Pedro would be
strong in the stretch run, and one less-than-desirable start isn't
going to change the manager's intuition.
From New York Daily News…
in the bullpen the final week of the season, giving him some comfort
level there in case the Mets need him in that role in October.
“Right now he's starting Sunday. After that we'll see where we are,”
the manager said. “There might come a point in time the last three or
four or five days or whatever - his last start - I might put him in the
bullpen. It's a possibility.”
Always Amazin brings us this quote from Willie Randolph in today's Mike Lupica column in The Daily News about the status of Pedro Martinez…
said yesterday. “He threw a simulated game the other day and you could
see by the way he was spinning into his pitches and off the mound how
ready he is to pitch. And when I say pitch, I mean put us on his back
when the bell rings in the postseason, the way he did that time for the
Red Sox (1999 playoffs) when he came out of the bullpen and did what he
did against the Indians. I know that was a long time ago. But everybody
around here is seeing what I'm seeing with him, even in the clubhouse.
He's feeling it.
“He told me the other day how great his arm feels, that he feels better
physically than he has all year. In my mind, he's ready to lead us, do
whatever it takes in the playoffs, short rest or whatever. Now we're
just looking for those three solid starts between now and the end of
the regular season, and he'll be good to go.”
Willie Randolph spoke to Christopher Russo on WFAN yesterday and when asked if Pedro would be number 1 and Glavine would be number 2, come playoffs, Willie said “not necessarily”
Could Willie have something else in mind or was he just yanking Mad Dog's chain?
Discuss on the Metsmerized forums.
Sphere: Related ContentI had to share this funny exchange between Willie Randolph and Anderson Hernandez from John Rowe's Bergan Record blog…
Manager Willie Randolph was walking through a nearly empty Mets
clubhouse 2½ hours before Wednesday's doubleheader against Atlanta when
he noticed rookie second baseman Anderson Hernandez, who was recalled
from Class AAA Norfolk on Thursday, sitting on a couch watching a movie
on the overhead screen.
“Nice hair, man,” said Randolph, without breaking stride.
To which Hernandez, sporting the curly Jose Reyes look, sheepishly replied, “thank you.”
Sphere: Related ContentReports New York Daily News…
Floyd was unavailable to play Monday against the Braves, but he
believes his heel felt good enough for him to be included in the lineup
last night. Before the rainout was announced, however, Willie Randolph
had listed Michael Tucker as his left fielder, with Endy Chavez
starting again for Carlos Beltran (knee) in center.
“As I've said earlier, I'm not doing this stuff, whatever (Randolph)
wants me to do, I'll do,” Floyd said. “The team's playing well. I just
got back, been hurt, unreliable. Those things happen. I've just gotta
deal with what's dealt.”
Willie Randolph reported after tonights game that Cliff Floyd will rejoin the club today in Houston. Welcome back Cornelious!
Sphere: Related ContentWillie Randolph tells John Delcos in The Journal News that Cliff Floyd could see a different role when he returns to the Mets, with Willie stressing Endy Chavez's speed and defense as pivital in the post season.
Endy Chavez is providing consistent enough
offensive production, and his defense is far superior to Floyd's, so
one should not assume that when Floyd returns he will immediately trot
out to left field.
“We want to get Cliff going, but we still want
to keep getting Endy into games,” Randolph said. “A lot depends on how
Cliff feels.”
Then Randolph said something that was all but an endorsement for Chavez.
“When
you get to the postseason you play the hot guys,” Randolph said. “And
defense is very important, especially in a short series.”
Willie Randolph spoke with Mike Francesa and Chris Russo on WFAN this afternoon. Here's some of what Willie had to say.
On the team's success…
On Glavine…
On Pedro…
On Cliff…
On Oliver Perez…
On El Duque…
On Delgado's sudden surge….
Recent Comments