I have never been one to freak out in April. After watching baseball over so many years you learn that the successes (or failures) of April are not guaranteed to be carried over to May, June or September. Derek Bell’s 2000 Mets season is a prime example of this. I also understand the team is tied in the loss column for first place despite NO ONE in the lineup outside of Ryan Church doing anything remotely well with the bat, the absence of Pedro (I will not count Duque or Alou because no one figured they’d play much anyway) and the mental breakdown of Aaron Heilman. You can say that once the Mets start playing up to their career averages this team will get on a roll. This is perfectly reasonable and a solid argument.

But Billy Wagner nailed it on the head. Inconceivably after the collapse of last year this team has not come out with any sense of urgency at all! It’s mind boggling to think these professional athletes wouldn’t be locked in mentally to show everyone that last year was last year – a fluke. Actually the better word for it is simply, “scary.”

Now again, before I go any further, the arguments stated for this team correcting itself two paragraphs above are both reasonable and practical. If I’m a member of the Mets organization those are the lines I’m spouting whenever someone with a pen or a camera wants to talk to me.

That said, I believe we are a month away from a day of reckoning for Willie Randolph.  Is it fair? No. But he is the manager and the buck stops with him.

Your argument might be, it’s not Willie’s fault Delgado isn’t hitting his weight, or Heilman is a mess. I would counter that by directing your gaze to the St. Louis Cardinals and the job Tony LaRussa is doing right now. Here is a team with one superstar – Albert Pujols – who is playing with one arm. Their starting rotation is Adam Wainwright, Kyle Lohse, Braden Looper, Todd Wellemeyer and Joel Piniero. Yet somehow, some way they are 18-11 and tied for first place in the National League Central.

Sure it’s early and you could point to the success Baltimore and Florida are having to refute this argument. But the fact remains that Tony LaRussa, despite having far less talent than the Mets have has gotten his team focused to play each and every game. Something Willie cannot say about his ballclub for the past year.

It’s too early to put Willie Randolph’s neck on the chopping block. He deserves to see if he can right the ship himself. The month of May is a somewhat tough month, but good teams find a way to win difficult games. First there is a six game road trip – Arizona and LA. Next they come home for seven games, three against the Reds, four against the Nationals. Following that it’s a nine game road trip – three in the Bronx, three in Atlanta and three in Colorado before they finish the month at home against the Marlins and Dodgers. If this team is still lounging about around the 500 mark then something has to be done. The National League East is wide open right now with all three favorites having their own problems and obstacles to overcome. The Mets have to take advantage of this to assert themselves and reclaim their rightful place on top of the standings.

If not things are going to get ugly around here.

Last week I closed the column with,

“And maybe, just MAYBE come next Wednesday my cousin Matt will be proven right and I’ll be writing about how Delgado just needed a couple of weeks to get into his groove.”

Well Delgado might not have found his groove yet, but he did provide plenty of fodder for the newspapers and talk radio stations. After several days of thought here is my take on things.

It doesn’t matter if he has only given two curtain calls in his career. The Mets fan has been EXTREMELY patient with Carlos Delgado since he arrived. 2006 was up and down depending on the month, and 2007 wasn’t the best of years for him either. (Of course arriving to spring training 20 pounds over your playing weight MIGHT have had something to do with it) Yet for the most part I’d say the fan base has been patient with him. But after watching him not only struggle on offense, but commit mental lapses in the field enough is enough. The only thing the Mets fan cares about is your success on the field. So when you don’t perform over a long, extended period of time they are going to be vocal. It isn’t them booing the person, just the results. This is proven when Carlos banged out two home runs on Sunday.

Now instead of Carlos embracing the moment and releasing some pressure he decided to ignore the fans request to come out and take a curtain call. How does this help anything? What does he gain from showing defiance? Is it the proverbial finger to the people in the stands for getting on his case? You know what will get them off his case?

Hitting at least 250! Driving in runs! Fielding your position! If the defense is giving you the entire left side, take the cheap hit now and then! Don’t feel the need to pull every ball and show everyone you are the 1998 Carlos Delgado! That guy is long gone. Stop playing macho and start playing smart!

Nothing can be gained by taking on the fan base of any team. They are going to the games and watching them on television, living and dying with every result. If the crowd wants the curtain call, stick your head out and then run back down inside. No one is asking for the Gary Carter, “Two Fist Pumps, a Jump and a Point to Every Fan in the Stadium” curtain call.

Although they were a lot of fun to see.

The Carlos Delgado era in Queens is five-six months away from ending. Unfortunately he might be the main reason why that wide open window, which looked so promising in 2006 is slammed shut and locked down.

Tom realizes he’s a day late with his column and would like to apologize to all his readers by offering a full refund. Tom would also like to point out it’s amazing how nostalgic he is for the “God Bless America” days. If you agree with Tom that Willie should be held accountable, or if you think Delgado is a swell guy and I should get off his back email him at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it As always check out Mike Silva’s Gotham Baseball Live!

Keywords: Mets