On the Mets beat

You would think after the Mets just enjoyed a mini-sweep over the Yankees, manager Willie Randolph could enjoy a break from the intense glare of the media spotlight. But noooooo -- and he has only himself to blame.

Randolph's comments to Bergen Record columnist Ian O'Connor, in a story that ran on Monday, put the manager right back on the griddle -- with Mets' ownership and the team's TV network, SNY. Randolph blamed SNY for creating a passive image of him on the TV screen, and also went a step further by suggesting there was a racial element to the criticism he's received.

When asked about those comments this morning, and if he has been unfairly attacked, Randolph backed off his statements to O'Connor. Here's a portion of his explanation:

"Well, you know, this really just boils back down to wins and losses. It really does. I think when you’re an environment like this where expectations are high and we don’t play up to our capabilities at any point in time, there’s going to be a lot of talk, a lot of fodder, opinions on how we played. Yeah, it does seem like after a while it gets to be pounded on a little bit.

"But I understand that. I think I mentioned to [O'Connor] about feeling almost racial or whatever, but that was pretty much kind of a tongue in cheek kind of reaction to what I’ve been feeling. Not that anybody is racist, or this is racist or racial. I’ve known Ian a long time. We were just kind of chit-chatting and talking or whatever.

"But the Wilpons hired me because – not because I’m black – because they can feel like I can do a good job for them. They trusted this team to me and they hired me because they feel like I can do the job not the color of my skin.

"Again, it’s been a lot of negative stuff going around here and I’ve been feeling some of that. Again, I was just expressing how I felt at the time, but it wasn’t anything to do with race and I wasn’t trying to bring race into it. I was just talking to an old friend and obviously I probably should have thought more about what I was getting ready to say. I don’t think it’s about race. It’s about winning ballgames, it’s about getting to the way we’re capable of playing and winning."

The pregame interview session lasted roughly 16 minutes, and Randolph was further questioned about his apparent frustration with SNY. Here's the remainder of the session:

Q: Are you upset with SNY?

WR: "No, I’m not really. I mean, these guys get paid to do their job and sometimes they’re critical and that’s part of what they do. But, no I’m not necessarily upset with anyone. Obviously if I’m sitting around having a sandwich watching TV at home I’ll flip on our network if I want to find out what’s going on or check on the programming or something like that. But I understand that’s what they do, that’s part of the job of what they get paid to do, so no I’m not necessarily upset with anyone. It’s just there’s so much perception out there about me, that sometimes when you hear it or see it, you kind of shake your head a little bit, well that’s not really me. that’s part of what they do."

Q: With the camera angles they use, do you feel it’s unfair?

WR: "That’s really not an issue. A lot of times when something happens negative they show me, but there’s other things I do that are not shown. It’s not a big issue. I mean, like I said, I can express myself, just like everyone else does. It’s nothing more than saying what I feel. Having said that this is about just winning ballgames and playing baseball, moving forward in the season, a blip into what everyone talks about every day. my main concern is winning games.

"Like I said before, when you win and do well, all this kind of stuff is not even really talked about or brought up. So we need to play good baseball. We had a good series in New York and we’re looking forward to playing well here in Atlanta and starting to really play the way we’re capable of playing. If we do that and keep the focus on that then everything will be fine."

Q: Do friends and family point these issues out to you?

WR: "Yeah, well, again it’s just that I’m more than what you see. So you know, show the whole person, the whole attitude, the whole persona. Be balanced on it. It’s not anything that bothers me or I’m upset about. It’s just me playing producer if you will."

Q: Do you regret bringing race into it?

WR: "No, no, no. We live in this country. Race is an issue in this country. Let’s not fool ourselves here. Did I say it was racist or a racial issue? No. I just made a comment, almost tongue in cheek or whatever. But let’s get real. We live in a country where racism exists."

Q: When you bring up Herm [Edwards] and Isiah [Thomas], that makes people think of the whole racial aspect?

WR: "No, there’s nothing racial or racist about this. I can express my feelings. But this is about playing baseball, winning games and moving forward."

Q: Being in the Yankees organization with managers on hot seat, does this prepare you for this or make you think you don’t want to be a part of this?

WR: No, I’ve addressed this before. I’m not uncomfortable in this spot. I understand what goes along with the job. I understand that and I’m fine with that. There’s nothing about what I feel right now that is stuff I didn’t expect or is unexpected. This is my fourth year. This is something I’ve dealt with and something that’s going to happen. That’s part of it. so I’m very comfortable and just staying focused on doing what I need to do, whatever happens along the way, it happens. But I’m not taken aback by this or surprised by it or uncomfortable with it. You guys have been around me three or four years now. I think I’ve handled myself pretty well.

Q: Are you disappointed coming off those two wins against the Yankees that this comes out?

WR: "Well, what I’m disappointed with is that we have not played better consistently all year. Again, coming off the Yankees series which we won, we’re playing better. If we had been playing better prior to the Yankees series then this still wouldn’t be going on. That’s the only thing disappointing, That we need to play better. That we need to play the way we’re capable of playing and when we do, then these discussions won’t be coming up.