Mets blamed the wrong guy; M's got it right

In the end, it comes down to how well you've put your team together.

You can fire Willie Randolph if you're Mets GM Omar Minaya, but it's usually not about the manager. There are some managers who are better leaders than others. Some with better communication skills. Some with better organizational skills. But all managers are baseball people, who have risen through the player and/or coaching ranks and then received their once-in-a-lifetime shot.

When things go bad, they get blamed. And they're usually the first to go.

Ask Terry Francona if he was any different as a manager in Philadelphia than he's been in Boston. He'll tell you the truth. In Boston he's had better pitching and a better lineup. In other words, better players with a roster that makes sense.

Which is why the Seattle Mariners did it right and the New York Mets did it wrong.

Bill Bavasi, a nice man who did a fine job as the Angels' farm director for many years, had plenty of time to turn things around in Seattle. And he just couldn't. A string of poor moves -- from Adrian Beltre to Carlos Silva -- and a lot in between have put the Mariners in the predicament of having the worst record in baseball.

Manager Mike Hargrove bailed on him last season by stepping down, so John McLaren, one of the hardest working skippers in the game, got his once-in-lifetime chance to manage. He's been up nights racking his brain on how to get most out of a roster that likes too swing early and often and can't pitch well enough to give the bullpen a break every now and then. It's a collection of hitters with no clue. There's no patience, even with one of the best players in the game -- Ichiro Suziki -- who could add many points to his average if he only walked more.

One American League executive said that in their in-house projections before the start of the season, which are based on the previous season's record and what the team had done to improve itself in the offseason, the Mariners projected to a "80-82-win team." As it turned out, they're not even that good.

And so the usually passive ownership of the Mariners stepped up and probably fired the right guy. That's not to say McLaren won't be next. As one Seattle organizational type told me yesterday, "We had a conference call yesterday and the tone wasn't very optimistic. After we lost to the Nationals (Sunday), you just knew something was going to happen. Little surprised it was the GM and not the manager, but I wouldn't rule out the manager going either."

This is a $114 million payroll gone bad. Howard Lincoln is the CEO and he's the one who eventually pulled the trigger and issued a statement to the media when Bavasi was fired, not president Chuck Armstrong. The Mariners are a major management overhaul waiting to happen.

That brings us to the Mets.

It's baffling that Randolph would be fired after winning two straight games.

It's baffling GM Omar Minaya would have flown all the way to Anaheim and waited until after a win to do the deed, when he could have done it in New York when the team was going really bad.

Since last season baseball people have just shaken their collective heads at the chemistry issues on that team. No leaders. No go-to guys. A collection of underachieving players like Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran. A pressing David Wright. Pedro Martinez might have saved the franchise when the Mets first obtained him in '05 after the Red Sox elected to let him go, but his injury litany has hurt the Mets terribly. The best thing Minaya has done recently is trade for Trot Nixon, who could be the guy to instill some much-needed toughness to the team much as did for the Cleveland Indians last season. But Nixon isn't a major player anymore.

Even the buzz of the Johan Santana move couldn't put the Mets back together again.

The Mets also fired coaches Rick Peterson and Tom Nieto.

Peterson is one of the best pitching coaches in the game, but even he couldn't fix an increasingly horrifying bullpen. You never expect Billy Wagner to blow three straight games.

Bench coach Jerry Manuel, once an AL Manager of the Year, takes over, and Manuel should add some calmness and stability. But do they need that or do they need a good, swift kick in the pants from a more Type-A personality? One GM suggested White Sox bench coach Joey Cora as a possibility. I've always thought Yankees first base coach Tony Pena would be a solution.

What happens next is anyone's guess. There are still underachieving teams out there like the Toronto Blue Jays, who seem to be wasting a very good pitching staff because their offense is so poor. Worcester's own J.P. Ricciardi could be in jeopardy in running a team that many believed should make the playoffs. The Toronto Sun has already called for Ricciardi's firing, while manager John Gibbons can't be on firm ground either.

The Yankee predicament

What will the Yankees do without ace Chien-Ming Wang, out until September with a foot injury?

Hard to believe that Brian Cashman would go against his organizational philosophy and make a deal for someone like C.C. Sabathia. He would not part with prospects for Santana, though the current situation has changed the landscape because the Yankees had begun to turn the corner to make their annual push for the playoffs.

Cashman has been able to find the Shawn Chacon-Aaron Small types in the past that have boosted the Yankee rotation and he'll likely have to do it again. Would the Blue Jays ever deal A.J. Burnett within the division? The Jays would likely want a young, established outfielder like Melky Cabrera to get a deal done, and that would appear unlikely.

The Yankees are more apt to pick up a salary dump or someone's excess pitching. When Matt Clement, Chris Carpenter and Mark Mulder come back to the Cards, a Joel Piniero could become available. Also keep your eye on Reds righty Bronson Arroyo, who is prime trade bait and has AL East experience with the Red Sox.

Wonder if Roger Clemens is working out? ...

Etc.

Expect to see Red Sox assistant GM Jed Hoyer's name on a short list for a GM job in places like Seattle, Washington, San Francisco, all of whom will or may be changing GMs at season's end. The Sox assistant GM interviewed with the Pittsburgh Pirates last offseason. In New York, it would appear the Mets would go with an experienced, proven GM in what is a tough market if Minaya eventually loses his job. ...

You wonder if anyone will deal for Ken Griffey Jr., whose skills appear to be going south fast. He looked terrible against the Red Sox. There has been talk of Ken Griffey to Tampa because Griffey lives in Orlando, but the Rays seems to have better options on their own team. Unless they need someone who could spike attendance, and Griffey might be able to do that somewhat ...