Coaches on the Hot Seat

[ljshorty89]

In past weeks, calls have been made for Willie's head. For a long time I defended him, and although I still don't blame him for the team's lack of success, it's time for him to go, before he gets black balled from ever getting another job. However, interesting info has popped up in newspapers about the possibility of other coaches getting fired, including Pitching Coach Rick Peterson, Hitting Coach Howard Johnson, and First Base Coach Tom Nieto.

WILLIE'S DOOM IS TOPIC 'A' AT SHEA - New York Post

Rick Peterson, Tom Nieto facing ax but Willie Randolph safe - for now

If you ask me, HoJo has been an awful hitting coach, and should go. Willie, as I have explained, is not at fault, but needs to go. Nieto, is a neutral piece. His firing doesn't do **** for this team, so there's no reason to fire him, it's not like firing a first base coach will send a message to the team.

Now, Peterson, in my opinion should be untouchable. He has worked magic with the majority of Mets pitchers from Tom Glavine and John Maine to Pedro Feliciano, Joe Smith, Scott Schoeneweis this year, and even getting Billy Wagner to pitch out of the full windup. The only pitcher that one can truly argue he was unable to work with was Victor Zambrano, who actually came out afterwards and admitted that he had had elbow problems during his whole tenure with the Mets, and never told the team. So, it's kinda understandable that Peterson couldn't help a guy pitching so far from 100%. If Peterson gets fired, that will upset me most of all, especially because he's not even a Randolph guy, he came over in 2004 with Art Howe(the only good decision Howe ever made).

Randolph, and HoJo can be fired if the ownership thinks its for the best, but if Nieto and Peterson are fired, I will be FURIOUS.

Plus, if the Mets fire Peterson, he'll end up going to the Yankees, and will turn Hughes, Joba, and Kennedy into reincarnations of Cy Young, Walter Johnson, and Christy Matthewson. That will be the day....

[Bon Bon]

Willie could have managed his last Mets game. They said he was saved by Fathers Day. Nobody wants to fire someone on Fathers Day. So the day after is any better to be fired, I don't know.