The Bleacher Report notes that Willie Randolph will be joining ESPN's Baseball Tonight.

According to BR, ESPN's lead producer, John Grason, said in a statement late Saturday night, "We figured that if Steve [Philips] can provide nothing close to insightful commentary, we might as well let Willie have a shot at it."

Ha Ha, ok they got me until I actually read the thing. I figured it was a joke considering the source but nonetheless it's somewhat funny.

Also, after another Mets loss, I'm officially coining the term "The Flushing Two-Step" because it's always two steps forward and two steps back with this team!

So, the firing of Willie went off without a hitch, huh?  When I first heard of the "midnight massacre" as it's been called, I couldn't believe how poorly the situation was handled by Mets management.  Making Willie fly to CA with a job and fly back to NY without one was just wrong. The timing of it all was awful...either do this last winter or commit to Willie until the end of this season so the distractions can end. Also, the post-win firing seemed especially cruel. Just fire him mid-game why don't ya?!

After Omar's press conference a few things seemed clear to me. 1) He was lying that it was only his decision...his "tough decision" as he repeated 74 times. His defensiveness showed me that the Wilpons and Tony Bernazard definitely influenced him and forced this to happen sooner rather than later 2) It's now "Omar Watch" time, and 3) Jerry Manuel can speak...and actually seems likable.

I'm glad this is all behind them now and they can get back to baseball. The whole "Willie Watch" was totally humiliating to Randolph, the team, and to the fans.  Badly executed from start to finish.  I'm just wondering how long it will take before the fans start criticizing the new coaching staff as well. And hey, what's up with HoJo?? He's been quietly watching from afar, but since we're pointing fingers, can he not be blamed for some of the team's offensive woes as well?  Obviously Willie and his crew were the target here.

What I have found to be the most amusing part of this mess is how anti-willie the media was before he was fired. Now they show pity for him in a situation they helped create. Pick a side people.

This season has been the opposite of fun so far.  Every corner the team has turned has brought them to a new section of a bad neighborhood. But with Manuel's loose-lipped sense of humor, and some recent series wins, maybe some fun can still be had...maybe.

The mystery that is the Mets has gotten me so riled up that I am actually going to post on Mets Heads today!  Yes, it's true. Like it or not, I'm back...at least for today.

What the Mets need to do to stop all the losing, the malaise, the depression, whatever the hell is going on is simply get out of their own way.  I think back to any slump I ever had, either at the plate, with work, with friends, whatever, and it all came down to this. I was inside my own head, trying to fix things that were beyond my own control.

The Phillies are laughing at the Mets. The Marlins are laughing, hell even the Nationals are probably laughing at them because the team is simply playing with monkeys on their backs.

I see news like this and find that others seem to agree with me, that this problem is most likely psychological.  However, by the players dwelling on the fact that it is mental makes matters even worse!  The team is pressing because they ARE trying so damn hard to win, not because they're lazy.  It's like that Buddhist saying; "Someone with an open, relaxed hand can gather more water from a river than one who tries to grab the water with a fist."  Too deep? Whatever. The Mets are trying to grab water right now instead of allowing themselves to win naturally by just having fun and playing baseball.

The time is now to put all this foolishness aside! Get angry at the Phillies and everyone else who says you're not good enough to win. Take it out on the booing fans and the nagging media by kicking everyone's asses and shutting us all up. Start anew as if nothing else ever happened and the results will be right where you want them to be.  It might not be too late.

Now perhaps this team is too old, too lazy, too divided. Perhaps I'm wrong about all of this.  If that's the case then there is no cure except to rebuild for next year by making the changes necessary to succeed in the future. As for now, I think injecting this team with a little youth, such as Val or Aguila definitely wouldn't hurt. This team needs to have some players that are hungry to succeed and don't take any at bat for granted.