New York Mets Fire Manager Bobby Valentine
Two years after reaching the World Series, the New York Mets have fired manager Bobby Valentine. Valentine has often been a lightning rod for controversy. He's often had to deal with the fallout from the aftermath of his sizable ego. Even so, I'm not sure he was the bad guy in this scenario.
The team put together a $95 million payroll last winter, bringing in Roberto Alomar, Mo Vaughn, Roger Cedeno and others, but it struggled all year and was embarrassed by accusations last month that at least seven players were smoking marijuana this season....
Valentine just finished the second year of a three-year contract, and the Mets will be responsible for his 2003 salary of about $2.7 million.
The Mets finished 75-86, in last place in the NL East for the first time since 1993 and below .500 for the first time in six years. In his six-plus seasons with the Mets, Valentine was 536-467, reaching the playoffs in 1999 and 2000.
Considering all of the off-the-field distractions, the dismissal of Valentine is no surprise. Still, firing Valentine hardly fixes the problem that is the Mets. Stuffed with overpaid underperformers, the roster is a mess. The problems didn't begin with Bobby Valentine, and they certainly don't end their. Unless the Mets can find players willing to perform once they hit the jackpot, their slide will continue from here. I feel sorry for the next Mets manager; it's not as if management will be giving him any help. He'll be lucky if he gets enough rope to hang himself with.
