GaryMrMets
12-13-2004, 01:40 AM
http://newyork.mets.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/nym/news/nym_news.jsp?ymd=20041212&content_id=921342&vkey=news_nym&fext=.jsp
12/12/2004 1:46 AM ET
Randolph set to turn Mets around
Manager looking to forge a new identity for team
By Kevin T. Czerwinski / MLB.com
ANAHEIM -- Willie Randolph slid into his chair in the big ballroom Saturday afternoon and began answering questions as smoothly as he gobbled up grounders when he was an All-Star second baseman a quarter century ago.
Randolph hasn't found himself in too many media-saturated situations since taking over as New York's skipper last month. But he handled Saturday's media session at the Winter Meetings with aplomb, never getting flustered while being peppered with questions that ranged from his plans for Mike Piazza to how he thought Kaz Matsui would handle the transition to second base.
Coming over from the Bronx -- where big names, big splashes and dominating the back pages of the New York tabloids is the norm -- Randolph knows that life in Queens will be decidedly different, at least for a little while as he and general manager Omar Minaya work to get the club moving once again in a winning direction. But, Randolph appeared confident that a turnaround with his team wasn't too far off and that it wouldn't be long before the Mets are generating their share of positive headlines.
"New York is big enough for the both of us," Randolph said in regards to his former employer. "The pie is big enough for the both of us."
Who gets the bigger piece of the pie, however, has always been the issue. Randolph is used to a litany of stars parading through the home clubhouse at Yankee Stadium, where rebuilding and youth is never much of an option. The Mets aren't going to spend the kind of money the Yankees spend on free agents, so patience will be one of Randolph's buzzwords in the early going.
"I have some mixed feelings about that," Randolph said. "With the Yankees it was always a win-now attitude and we didn't talk about the future much. As a manager, you want to win now but you want to develop talent, too. That's new and fresh and exciting.
"Fans look forward to winning as soon as possible and if we have the resources and the chance to grab the ring, we'll go for it. We have to try and take some baby steps, though, and get back into the mix because there's no guarantee when we will turn it around. But we will."
Though Randolph's coaching staff has a distinct Yankee pedigree -- Rick Down was the Bombers' hitting coach while Sandy Alomar, Sr. played in the Bronx with Randolph -- he says he hasn't drawn on much of his experience under Joe Torre or the myriad of managers he played for in pinstripes. Randolph wants to do things his own way and if he has to fall back on his Yankee experience, he will, but not before he tries to forge ahead and make his own mark in his own way.
"We don't have a big blueprint," Randolph said. "What might work for one organization might not work for another."
So while the Yankees are clearly a team that plays in the shadow of their owner, the Mets are more a team in search of an identity. Randolph believes that he and Minaya are forging that identity now, working together closely. Randolph sung the praises of Matsui, Jose Reyes and David Wright, citing the trio as an exciting core of players.
Randolph said that there have been no battles between himself and the general manager, and that he doesn't expect there to be any. Minaya makes the ultimate decisions, but Randolph has helped make pitches to free agents and has sat in on all the planning meetings, offering his thoughts along with the rest of New York's brain trust.
"Things are shaping up," Randolph said. "That's the key word. I feel good about all the possibilities. I can't divulge what's been going on but things have started to roll. We have a young team with some talent and hopefully we'll be able to piece some things together here. We have work to do, but we're getting there."
Kevin Czerwinski is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
http://newyork.mets.mlb.com/images/2004/12/12/niWspKcD.jpg
GM Omar Minaya and Willie Randolph are working closely together. (Bill Kostroun/AP)
http://newyork.mets.mlb.com/images/2004/11/05/7V22tRx7.jpg
Willie Randolph says the Mets may have to "take baby steps" to get back in the mix. (Marc S. Levine/NY Mets)
12/12/2004 1:46 AM ET
Randolph set to turn Mets around
Manager looking to forge a new identity for team
By Kevin T. Czerwinski / MLB.com
ANAHEIM -- Willie Randolph slid into his chair in the big ballroom Saturday afternoon and began answering questions as smoothly as he gobbled up grounders when he was an All-Star second baseman a quarter century ago.
Randolph hasn't found himself in too many media-saturated situations since taking over as New York's skipper last month. But he handled Saturday's media session at the Winter Meetings with aplomb, never getting flustered while being peppered with questions that ranged from his plans for Mike Piazza to how he thought Kaz Matsui would handle the transition to second base.
Coming over from the Bronx -- where big names, big splashes and dominating the back pages of the New York tabloids is the norm -- Randolph knows that life in Queens will be decidedly different, at least for a little while as he and general manager Omar Minaya work to get the club moving once again in a winning direction. But, Randolph appeared confident that a turnaround with his team wasn't too far off and that it wouldn't be long before the Mets are generating their share of positive headlines.
"New York is big enough for the both of us," Randolph said in regards to his former employer. "The pie is big enough for the both of us."
Who gets the bigger piece of the pie, however, has always been the issue. Randolph is used to a litany of stars parading through the home clubhouse at Yankee Stadium, where rebuilding and youth is never much of an option. The Mets aren't going to spend the kind of money the Yankees spend on free agents, so patience will be one of Randolph's buzzwords in the early going.
"I have some mixed feelings about that," Randolph said. "With the Yankees it was always a win-now attitude and we didn't talk about the future much. As a manager, you want to win now but you want to develop talent, too. That's new and fresh and exciting.
"Fans look forward to winning as soon as possible and if we have the resources and the chance to grab the ring, we'll go for it. We have to try and take some baby steps, though, and get back into the mix because there's no guarantee when we will turn it around. But we will."
Though Randolph's coaching staff has a distinct Yankee pedigree -- Rick Down was the Bombers' hitting coach while Sandy Alomar, Sr. played in the Bronx with Randolph -- he says he hasn't drawn on much of his experience under Joe Torre or the myriad of managers he played for in pinstripes. Randolph wants to do things his own way and if he has to fall back on his Yankee experience, he will, but not before he tries to forge ahead and make his own mark in his own way.
"We don't have a big blueprint," Randolph said. "What might work for one organization might not work for another."
So while the Yankees are clearly a team that plays in the shadow of their owner, the Mets are more a team in search of an identity. Randolph believes that he and Minaya are forging that identity now, working together closely. Randolph sung the praises of Matsui, Jose Reyes and David Wright, citing the trio as an exciting core of players.
Randolph said that there have been no battles between himself and the general manager, and that he doesn't expect there to be any. Minaya makes the ultimate decisions, but Randolph has helped make pitches to free agents and has sat in on all the planning meetings, offering his thoughts along with the rest of New York's brain trust.
"Things are shaping up," Randolph said. "That's the key word. I feel good about all the possibilities. I can't divulge what's been going on but things have started to roll. We have a young team with some talent and hopefully we'll be able to piece some things together here. We have work to do, but we're getting there."
Kevin Czerwinski is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
http://newyork.mets.mlb.com/images/2004/12/12/niWspKcD.jpg
GM Omar Minaya and Willie Randolph are working closely together. (Bill Kostroun/AP)
http://newyork.mets.mlb.com/images/2004/11/05/7V22tRx7.jpg
Willie Randolph says the Mets may have to "take baby steps" to get back in the mix. (Marc S. Levine/NY Mets)