Randolph, the Mess and a mess

Want to know why Willie Randolph is dignified and upstanding? Talk to his momma. Sam Borden did and her reaction to his firing by the Mess makes the other New York team even more of a clod.

Minnie Randolph spent most of the time talking about how blessed her son was yesterday, the same day the Mets fired Willie Randolph in a manner that was classless and unprofessional and deserving of much more ire than this proud mother would give.

"I'm not upset," Minnie said, talking from her home in Holly Hill, S.C. "I'm relieved. Now is the time he can finally exhale. This season seemed tenser than the ones before."

She paused for a moment then, before adding, very quietly, "It could have been done at a different time that wouldn't have insulted him so much, but it happened when it did. I guess that's just what happened."

Just some sadness from a loving mom. And Borden's contrast of the Randolphs with the Mess is clear:

[Mets general manager Omar] Minaya isn't a bad guy - he's genial, warm and genuinely personable - but he still handled this horrifically. He actually stood at a podium in Anaheim yesterday and said the impetus for making this change was the environment that surrounded the Mets recently (as opposed to just saying it was the losing). "It was not fair to the organization to have this cloud hanging," he said, which sounded great except for the fact that the Mets created that "cloud" in the first place.

After all, Minaya conceded that the numerous reports regarding Randolph's tenuous job status were a main reason for the negative atmosphere around the club, and then went on to take "100 percent" responsibility for the organizational leaks that, by definition, led to the reports.

In other words, Minaya (and the rest of Mets management) were responsible for creating the situation that led to Randolph's firing, and then used that situation as the excuse for finally axing him the way they did.

Yup, the Mess are a mess.