Willie Randolph Hates Mets Fans

After witnessing Mike Pelfrey pitch the game of his life live at Shea Stadium, one thing is clear: Willie Randolph hates Mets fans.

Pelfrey pitched a gem of a game going into the 9th inning. In fact, when his turn came up in the batting order the inning prior to that, and he stepped up to the plate, the entire crowd went wild. It was exactly the kind of intensity the Mets organization had been looking to rangel in for the past few weeks. And then, Pelfrey gave up a single. With only a 3-0 lead and a runner on base, Willie Randolph decided to pull his almost perfect starter.

Just one problem... he brought in closer Billy Wagner, who got shelled in his previous outting -- surrendering up a 3-run homer and losing the game for the Mets. Well, Wagner gave up another 3-run homer, effectively erasing Pelfrey's great game.

Pulling the starter that late in the game would generally make sense, but Randolph had fans elated with the team on a 5-game losing streak. He needed them on his side and since Pelfrey was pitching his way into a number of easy ground ball plays all evening, it was poor managing not to give him a chance to get the double-play in motion. Especially when the first pitch Pelfrey threw in the 9th was a 93 mph fastball. When Wagner came in, he seemed practically annoyed that he was already called to the mound.

A game that should've been a quick 9-innings turned into 13, and a team that needed its bullpen to get some relief, got the complete opposite instead.

Randolph keeps playing it safe, and probably the only reason Pelfrey stayed in the game even in the 8th was because pitching coach Rick Peterson pleaded his case to Willie. Had Pelfrey given up another hit or a run on his own, at least fans would still have applauded his efforts. Instead, fans mustered up futher disdain towards Manager Willie Randolph -- and he needs that to change.

At this point, he's simply adding insult to injury, stemming all the way back to when he pulled the race card (Note to Randolph: Barack Obama is the Democratic Party's presumptive nominee for President). Someone should inform Willie that when the fans are on your side, you don't gut punch them. With him at the helm, the Mets won't win the World Series, let alone make the playoffs.

It's time for him to go.