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Willie: The Gary Carter Shark is Circling

batmagadanleadoff May 23 2008 11:48 PM

[url=http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/mets/2008/05/23/2008-05-23_gary_carter_would_love_to_take_shea_rein.html]Carter would love to take Shea reins as Mets manager[/url] BY ADAM RUBIN DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER Friday, May 23rd 2008, 10:23 PM DENVER - Gary Carter, who is managing the independent Orange County Flyers, is again talking his way out of a job - a job that still belongs to Willie Randolph. Asked about his interest in managing the Mets on "The Mike and Murray Show" on Sirius Satellite Radio, Carter said: "Boy, I'll tell you what. I would love that, guys. When I saw that on ESPN today ... I got on the phone and I called (Mets VP of media relations) Jay Horwitz and I asked Jay, 'Should I try to call Mr. Wilpon?' If there is this going on I just want them to know of my availability. I'm only a phone call away, because my contract allows me to leave the ballclub. I could be in New York tomorrow, if necessary, because if there's anything at the major league level I can leave this job." Carter added: "The comments that David Wright made saying that, you know, there's no spark, there's no fire - if anything I would love to bring that to the table because you know me, guys, I love the game, have a great passion for it and you know my enthusiasm." Carter had openly campaigned for Art Howe's job as well while Howe was still at the Mets' helm.

batmagadanleadoff May 23 2008 11:55 PM Re: Willie: The Gary Carter Shark is Circling

]Carter had openly campaigned for Art Howe's job as well while Howe was still at the Mets' helm. Carter also campaigned for Keith's team captainship throughout all of the 1987 season. He campaigned by whining and sulking, and then by openly denying that he was ever interested in the thing whenever Davey Johnson would ask him directly. In the end, Carter was able to manipulate the situation to his favor by getting Johnson to finally give the big spoiled baby the captainship that he so jealously coveted (co-captainship, really) a year later without ever having to specifically ask for it.

batmagadanleadoff May 23 2008 11:57 PM Re: Willie: The Gary Carter Shark is Circling

] Carter had openly campaigned for Art Howe's job as well while Howe was still at the Mets' helm. Carter also campaigned unsuccessfully for the 1986 NL MVP award and continued to do so even after it was awarded to Mike Schmidt, and even though Carter wasn't even the second best player on his own team that year.

batmagadanleadoff May 24 2008 12:02 AM

The [url=http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/24/sports/baseball/24carter.html]New York Times[/url] also reported this story. ______________ Carter Has Eye on Randolph’s Job On “The Mike & Murray Show” on Sirius Satellite Radio, the former Met Gary Carter campaigned to replace Randolph. Carter, a Hall of Famer, is the manager of the Orange County Flyers of the independent Golden Baseball League. According to a transcript of the program, Carter said that when he heard of Randolph’s troubles, he “immediately” called Jay Horwitz, the Mets’ vice president for media relations, and asked if he should call the team’s principal owner, Fred Wilpon. “I just want them to know of my availability.” Carter said. “I’m only a phone call away. I could be in New York tomorrow.” Carter referred to comments by David Wright about the team’s lacking spark. “You know my enthusiasm, and hopefully I would be able to bring that to maybe help turn that ball club around,” he said. “There’s way too much talent there for them to be a game under .500 and to lose four in a row to the Braves. I think that they’ve just become complacent in some ways ever since their demise of last year. And if you look at Willie’s record, it is right around .500 since June of last year. And when you have that much talent, there are a lot more expectations than where they’re at right now.” (NYT)

G-Fafif May 24 2008 02:20 AM

Did he also mention, "We all remember George Bamberger was replaced in June in California"?

Benjamin Grimm May 24 2008 04:51 AM

I really wish he'd go away. If he gets the Mets manager's job, I'm going to move out of the country.

Frayed Knot May 24 2008 08:01 AM

"When I saw that on ESPN today ... I got on the phone and I called Jay Horwitz and I asked Jay, 'Should I try to call Mr. Wilpon?' If there is this going on I just want them to know of my availability. I'm only a phone call away, because my contract allows me to leave the ballclub. I could be in New York tomorrow ... " Wow! Just wow.

metirish May 24 2008 08:05 AM

That's real scumbag type stuff from Carter.

Frayed Knot May 24 2008 08:09 AM

I suppose one could make the argument that if it's going to happen anyway he's just making sure his name is in the hopper for potential replacements ... but it does give the appearence of jumping on his grave before it's even completely dug.

batmagadanleadoff May 24 2008 08:42 AM

This just in: Gary Carter said that if he was given the Mets managerial position, he'll never play the race card.

AG/DC May 24 2008 09:26 AM

Really, is there anything unusual about this Gary Carter move? Among his other open campaigns was his campaign for the Hall of Fame, to the point where he actually scheduled a party to celebrate his election one year only to have to cancel it. One paragraph that got cut due to space concerns. I told Jay that my cell phone number is 714-821-9063 and that I can be reached by e-mail at 8kid8@thegamer.com --- that's 8kid8@thegamer.com. I can be reached at any time, and I've already booked a flight to Colorado just in case. I'm working on lineup cards right now! Praise God! I really think Willie is done. But this sort of thing so makes me root for him.

themetfairy May 24 2008 09:33 AM

I loved Carter as a player, but I truly don't think he's the right person to manage this team. This kind of maneuvering is desperate, and I don't think he has enough managerial experience to make this team productive.

Rockin' Doc May 24 2008 10:03 AM

A completely clueless, self promotional lack of class by Carter. Thankfully, I see little chance that his campaigning for the job will make any difference. I believe that he has virtually no shot at replacing Willie when that time inevitabkly comes.

AG/DC May 24 2008 10:10 AM

I loved Gary Carter as a player also. His unselfawareness made him the comic relief in my favorite action show.

batmagadanleadoff May 24 2008 11:36 AM

Rockin' Doc wrote: Thankfully, I see little chance that his campaigning for the job will make any difference. If nothing else, yesterday's story indicates that Carter hasn't been contacted by the Mets.

G-Fafif May 24 2008 01:41 PM

Heard Kid on the FAN with Steve Somers in the 2 o'clock hour. No, of course I'm not campaigning for Willie's job, he said, while continuing to campaign for it. He regrets if referencing that moment of trauma for our entire nation, and particularly for the Bamberger family was in any way offensive.

John Cougar Lunchbucket May 25 2008 08:57 AM

biographer hopes WWSB will still be around when his book comes out... ]The Willie Randolph I know well BY Wayne coffey DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER Saturday, May 24th 2008, 8:01 PM Men's Health magazine First, a disclosure: I am not unbiased on the subject of Willie Randolph. I am, in fact, quite biased. I am working with him on his autobiography, and have been for more than a year. I have spent time with him at home and on the road, walked through his old Brooklyn housing project with him, been inside the sharecropper's shack he was born in in Holly Hill, South Carolina. I've seen him in proud paternal afterglow, after giving the commencement address at Fordham for his daughter's graduation last spring, and seen him at the other end of the emotional spectrum, in teary-eyed despondence after the Mets' collapse last fall. Through it all, I think I've gained much insight into the man behind the stoic mask you see in the Mets' dugout, and can offer this without qualification: Willie Randolph is not just a good man. He is an exemplary man. He is a man of strength, dignity, character and steadfastness. After a horrible week in which his team took another maddening downturn and he said things he should not have said about race and supposed network plots, and the usual media bottom-feeders began calling for his head, I think it is a point worth noting. It is also worth noting that this is a person of profound toughness and resiliency. Has there ever been a major-league manager who went on more job interviews - at least a dozen over a dozen years - and never allowed himself to give up? Underestimate him at your own peril. Willie Randolph, after all, didn't merely find a way out of the projects. He found it with a moral compass learned from a loving and unyielding mother, and a work ethic learned from a father who worked construction all day and drove a gypsy cab at night - even while his son was a world champion and All-Star playing for the Yankees. You can fairly question (and many have) any number of Randolph's in-game decisions. You can say that he has shown excessive faith in Aaron Heilman, much as he did last year with Guillermo Mota. You can point to the inarguable truth that the Mets have been a .500 team for a calendar year now and the manager has not been able to find a way to shake them from their win-a-few, lose-a-few doldrums. But does that mean these Mets will never lock into a winning mindset, won't ever learn how to grind out victories, won't ever locate and sustain the inner resolve that is their manager's trademark? Maybe it does. But maybe it doesn't, and if there's any man well-equipped to battle and keep battling, to reach the players (and let's be honest - there are a few of them who are such one-gear guys as to make Kevin McReynolds look grittier than Pete Rose), it's Randolph. Eight months ago, Tom Coughlin was a sideline lunatic and out-of-touch control freak who needed to go off and play shuffleboard. How's the lunatic looking now? The point is that perceptions change, teams change, players - and who knows how or why this happens? - find character and grit they didn't know they had. Four seasons ago, Willie Randolph did the hardest thing there is to do in sports: he came in and helped shed a team of its losing culture. I've seen Willie Randolph bestow all sorts of small kindnesses on people, when nobody was looking. I've seen him privately console a battered reliever who took the ball to help the team and got booed off the mound. I've seen how he treats hotel housekeepers and parking lot attendants. I've seen how, in the midst of last September's ugliness, he invited an ailing, old friend named Joe Goldberg into the dugout before the game, saw how he hugged him and told him that he loved him. This doesn't make him the manager of the year, and certainly isn't going to change the tenor of WFAN calls if the Mets don't start winning. But it speaks to the essence of the man - a man worth rooting for, and a man the Mets are fortunate to have.

MFS62 May 25 2008 01:46 PM

IMO the only reason Carter wants to manage a major league team in New York is bacause there will be cameras from at least five tv stations at the daily post game news conferences. Later

Frayed Knot May 25 2008 01:52 PM

Keith just called Carter "unconscious" Def #1: without awareness, sensation, or cognition

batmagadanleadoff May 25 2008 10:26 PM

="G-Fafif"]Heard Kid on the FAN with Steve Somers in the 2 o'clock hour. No, of course I'm not campaigning for Willie's job, he said, while continuing to campaign for it. I read about Carter clarifying his initial comments on your web-site. Carter's explanation doesn't jibe; he could have spoken to Jay Horwitz in private to throw his (big) hat into the ring without disrespecting Randolph publicly. Carter's actions were not mutually exclusive.

batmagadanleadoff May 25 2008 10:30 PM

Frayed Knot wrote: Keith just called Carter "unconscious" Def #1: without awareness, sensation, or cognition "Unconscionable" is also acceptable.

batmagadanleadoff May 26 2008 01:28 AM

="Frayed Knot"]Keith just called Carter "unconscious" Def #1: without awareness, sensation, or cognition [url=http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080526/SPORTS12/805260334/1060]Here's Keith's exact quote:[/url] "Keith Hernandez ripped his former New York Mets teammate, Gary Carter, during Saturday's game on New York's WPIX-TV, calling him 'unconscious' in the wake of Carter openly campaigning for the Mets' managerial job currently occupied by Willie Randolph. '... I've kept quiet for such a long time, but for the people out there listening, just go in the dictionary and look up unconscious and you'll find a picture of Gary Carter,' Hernandez said. "I know that's strong, but it just happens too many times and it's just, you're walking around unconscious." Carter said in a radio interview Friday that he had reached out to the Mets when he learned Randolph's job might be in jeopardy.

batmagadanleadoff May 26 2008 01:46 AM

]Keith Hernandez said: "... I've kept quiet for such a long time, but for the people out there listening, just go in the dictionary and look up unconscious and you'll find a picture of Gary Carter" Keith's "for such a long time" phrasing interests me. Who knows what deep-rooted animosities exist between Keith and Gary? Carter's narcissistic pursuit of the team captainship that was originally given to Hernandez only always bothered me. If Davey Johnson originally intended for Keith and only Keith to be the Mets captain, then that should've been a part of Keith's legacy. And it was selfish of Carter to manipulate Johnson otherwise. Carter essentially diminished the great honor bestowed upon Keith in order to tame his own jealousies. I can still remember Hernandez being interviewed right after Keith's team captainship was diluted into two co-captainships in order to placate the spoiled Carter. When asked how he felt about it, Hernandez politely said that it was Davey's decision all the way and if that's how Davey wanted it to be, then Keith was fine with it. I could swear that Keith was rolling his eyes during the whole interview. Carter's no Kid. He's a baby. A spoiled baby. I hope that the next Mets manager is assigned uniform #8. Or the next call-up.

Frayed Knot May 26 2008 06:07 AM

My recollection of the whole captaincy stuff is that Hernandez never wanted it to begin with - or at least never cared one way or the other - thinking that trying to designate who should lead and/or follow with a meaningless title was pretty much a waste of time. 'Uhhh yeah ... this is, ummm, quite an honor ... I guess.' That he objected to Carter's subsequent whining was probably more annoyance at Gary's penchant for butting in when he wasn't getting all the ink than it was about having to share his newly minted 'C'. The "unconcious" line sounds like it was aimed at Carter's "unawareness, sensation, or cognition" at how what he does affects anyone other than Gary Carter. Keith preceded that comment with one about how he had tremendous respect for Carter the balplayer, but ...

batmagadanleadoff May 26 2008 09:54 AM

Frayed Knot wrote: That he objected to Carter's subsequent whining was probably more annoyance at Gary's penchant for butting in when he wasn't getting all the ink than it was about having to share his newly minted 'C'. I agree. As far as I remember, Keith never openly complained about having to share his captaincy with Carter, and was always diplomatic about the situation whenever asked.

AG/DC May 26 2008 11:48 AM

Yeah, those elipses before the quote were telling.

SteveJRogers May 26 2008 12:47 PM

IIRC it was always assumed that Hernandez was always the "unofficial" captain without the title as he brought his 1982 ring with him, was the unquestioned field general of the infield and the guy always talking to the pitcher. In Jeff Pearlman's book Keith describes an incident in the summer of 1986 where he actually identifies himself as the Met "captain" so even if he wasn't the official captain, or even the MLBPA rep (I believe it was Ray Knight at the time) for the Mets at the time he did consider himself a leader of the Met clubhouse. Not sure why it was made "official," perhaps the Mets were concerned with some off the field issues with Hernandez, or just plain thought he needed to be more of a leader than he actually was? Was he named after the infamous photo day fight with Strawberry in 1987?

Farmer Ted May 26 2008 02:56 PM

Buster Olney on Mike & Mike today eluding to Keith possibly being the next Mets manager if Willie takes the axe. Wow.

AG/DC May 26 2008 06:27 PM

Keith absent from the booth tonight? Would he still get those in-season vacations to maintain residency in Florida?

themetfairy May 26 2008 06:34 PM

AG/DC wrote: Keith absent from the booth tonight? Would he still get those in-season vacations to maintain residency in Florida? That's my assumption.

AG/DC May 26 2008 07:33 PM

I'm quite joking. I'm certain Keith does not get liberal leave if he's appointed manager.

themetfairy May 26 2008 07:41 PM

There's no way he's going to be named manager.

seawolf17 May 26 2008 08:01 PM

I think Gary Carter, classless douchebag, is more likely to be named manager than Mex.

AG/DC May 26 2008 08:06 PM

Doubting Buster Olney

Elster88 May 26 2008 08:33 PM

Farmer Ted wrote: Buster Olney on Mike & Mike today eluding to Keith possibly being the next Mets manager if Willie takes the axe. Wow. Did Olney elude sources when researching this?

DocTee May 26 2008 08:38 PM

Olney was on ESPN earlier...Mex was one of a half dozen names (Manuel, Mazzilli, and the usual suspects) mentioned. My take was that the Mets did not have a "go-to guy" ready so they --or he--had compiled a list of likely replacements.

AG/DC May 28 2008 07:27 PM

I've been thinking about thi and, with respect to his minor league record, here are 100 Men Who've Worn the Uniform Whom I'd Rather See Manage Than Gary Carter Manny Acta Edgardo Alfonso Bill Almon Wally Backman Kevin Baez Don Baylor Jay Bell Bruce Bochy Tim Bogar Hubie Brooks Brett Butler Mike Cameron Jose Cardenal Chris Chambliss Kelvin Chapman Tony Clark David Cone Jeff Conine Roger Craig Guy Conti Mike Cubbage Carlos Delgado Duffy Dyer Damion Easley Pete Falcone Mike Fitzgerald Cliff Floyd Doug Flynn Tim Foli John Franco Julio Franco Matt Franco Ron Gardenhire John Gibbons Ed Glynn Jerry Grote Lenny Harris Steve Henderson Orel Hershiser Ron Hodges Ron Hunt Clint Hurdle Al Jackson Howard Johnson Davey Johnson Mike Jorgensen Ed Kranepool Tim Leary Terry Leach Paul Lo Duca Skip Lockwood Barry Lyons Ray Knight Dave Magadan Pedro Martinez Lee Mazzilli Roger McDowell Joe McEwing Brian McRae Butch Metzger Felix Millan Keith Miller Kevin Mitchell Dan Norman Charlie O'Brien Tom O'Malley John Olerud Jose Oquendo Amos Otis Rick Peterson Mike Piazza Todd Pratt Lenny Randle Jeff Reardon Bill Robinson Nolan Ryan Bret Saberhagen Ray Sadecki Rafael Santana Dick Schofield Tom Seaver Ken Singleton Rusty Staub Rick Sweet John Stearns Pat Tabler Joe Torre Del Unser John Valentin Bobby Valentine Robin Ventura Fernando Vina Frank Viola Jose Vizcaino Turk Wendell Mookie Wilson Chris Woodward David Wright Joel Youngblood Todd Zeile

SteveJRogers May 28 2008 07:43 PM

I have found the only guy, well actually the only three guys (all from the same family, one of my uncles and two cousins, all of them pretty much life long Met fans (uncle since '62)) who actually think Carter did the right thing, and should have been given the job! Then again, I'm dealing with three ultra right-wing "ends justify the means" types, including one (one of my cousins) who did the same thing on a high school level (contact a school before a coach was officially canned). I was completely stunned when all three of them agreed that what Carter did was a good thing, and that Carter should have been given the job on the spot! Starting to wonder if I'm actually the sane one in the family...

Kong76 May 28 2008 07:47 PM

Hanging curve, you're leaving there, Steve.

metirish May 28 2008 07:54 PM

Why can't htings be simple , I got lost reading the second paragraph.

SteveJRogers May 28 2008 08:10 PM

Sorry Irish, Then again, these are three ultra right-wing "ends justify the means" guys. One of which, one of my cousins, pulled the same EXACT thing on a high school level when he heard a coach was soon to be out the door! Should also be noted that despite their devotion to the Mets, I wouldn't call them the most knowledgeable though. I mean they are the types who advocate the Joe McEwings and Endy Chavezs for starting time when the players they are replacing return, despite all evidence that the replacement players aren't good enough to be everyday starters (and often aren't good enough to be normal off the bench guys).

Elster88 May 28 2008 09:03 PM

SteveJRogers wrote: I have found the only guy, well actually the only three guys (all from the same family, one of my uncles and two cousins, all of them pretty much life long Met fans (uncle since '62)) who actually think Carter did the right thing, and should have been given the job! Then again, I'm dealing with three ultra right-wing "ends justify the means" types, including one (one of my cousins) who did the same thing on a high school level (contact a school before a coach was officially canned). I was completely stunned when all three of them agreed that what Carter did was a good thing, and that Carter should have been given the job on the spot! Starting to wonder if I'm actually the sane one in the family... I'm feeling provoked.

seawolf17 May 29 2008 06:30 AM

SteveJRogers wrote: anything Elster's feeling provoked.

metirish May 29 2008 10:07 AM

Steve , I would rather you told me to fuck off instead of sorry , nothing to be sorry for, it's all a bit-o-fun.

themetfairy May 29 2008 02:54 PM

I found [url=http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?id=3416777&sportCat=mlb&campaign=rsssrch&source=jeff_pearlman]Jeff Pearlman's column[/url] on the topic funny.