DENVER (AP) -David Wright defended Mets manager Willie Randolph on Friday night, laying blame for New York’s 22-23 record on the players.
“We don’t want to see Willie get fired,” the All-Star third baseman said before the Mets played the Colorado Rockies on Friday night. “I don’t want to see anyone get blamed for something I’m responsible for. That’s what we feel as players. Willie’s not out there having bad at-bats or making bad pitches, that’s us.”
Randolph is on the hot seat for the Mets’ poor play. New York was swept in a four-game series in Atlanta before coming to Colorado, fueling speculation that his job is in jeopardy.
“I’m the manager, fair or not, that’s the way it is,” Randolph said. “I don’t feel anyone needs to defend me or really just state the obvious – the players are ones that have to go out there and play and produce. I’m one of the guys that doesn’t take credit for winning, but I understand because I am the manager, I’ll take the bulk of the blame for losing. I don’t think that’s fair, but that’s the way it is, and I accept that.”
Mets general manager Omar Minaya made the trip to Colorado for the weekend series, but Randolph said he isn’t taking that as an ominous sign.
“Omar, he doesn’t travel a lot, but he’s the general manger so he can go where he wants to go,” Randolph said. “I found out he was coming. He picks his spots, I guess. I don’t read much into that.”
Randolph, the Mets’ first black manager, created a stir earlier this week with comments he made that appeared Monday in The Record of Hackensack, N.J. He brought up race when he questioned the way he has been presented by SNY, the team’s TV network, and the criticism he’s received in the media.
He apologized Wednesday for the comments.
Randolph led the Mets to the National League East title in 2006 and within a game of reaching the World Series before losing Game 7 of the NL Championship Series to St. Louis. Last year, the Mets had a seven-game lead in the division on Sept. 12 before losing 12 of their last 17, including an 8-1 loss on the last day of the season, to finish second to Philadelphia.
Randolph said the collapse, one of the worst in major league history, has nothing to do with the struggles of 2008.
“I really felt we put last year behind us,” he said. “Any pressure we feel is because of staying in the mix and not reverting back to last year. I don’t sense that at all. No one ever talks about it, no one ever brings it up, so if we are looking a little like we were last year, there’s no correlation.”
Wright said Randolph hasn’t talked to the team about his job.
“Willie’s kind of shouldered that burden for us,” he said. “He hasn’t spoken to us about it. He’s tried to keep us distant from that as much as possible, and I think everyone respects him for that. As unfair as the players think it is, the finger has to be pointed at somebody.”
The Mets came into Friday night 4 1/2 games behind the first-place Florida Marlins in the NL East. Last weekend they swept a rain-shortened, two-game series from the New York Yankees before losing four in Atlanta.
After Thursday’s 4-2 loss, Wright said he could see a difference in the players’ attitude.
“Guys are starting to take it personally,” he said. “Guys are getting genuinely upset that we’re losing. That’s a good sign. We got embarrassed in Atlanta. I saw this look that we’ve got to take this out on somebody, and hopefully that’s the Colorado Rockies.”
Randolph said his focus is on getting a team considered among the favorites to reach the World Series back on track.
“I’m still here, and I’m just hell bent on getting a win, just winning some games,” he said. “That’s where my focus is. I can’t control anything outside of that.”
Wright said winning will end the speculation about Randolph.
“We want to win to win, not to save Willie’s job,” he said. “Willie wants us to go out there and play the baseball we’re capable of. It’s not about trying to band together to save Willie’s job. If we win, that’s going to help the manager out. Plain and simple. I think we have too much talent and we’re too good of a team to be mediocre and be average at the end of May.”
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