Willie Has Forgotten Last Season
Randolph Has Moved On, and Wants the Fans to Do the Same
After managing the team that produced one of the most epic, devastating collapses in baseball history, Willie told reporters "In our mind, we moved on."
Willie Randolph just doesn’t get. After managing the team that produced one of the most epic, devastating collapses in baseball history, Willie told reporters "In our mind, we moved on. Obviously, the fans are having a tough time moving past that." Unlike the Mets’ manager, the fans understand. They cannot forget the last two weeks of the 2007 season and Willie is upset that they won’t allow the Mets to forget it either. Some fans still can’t forget the last six weeks of the 1951 season.
Brooklyn Fans Supported Their Team
In 1951, the Brooklyn Dodgers lost a 13-½ game lead over the New York Giants and then lost a three run ninth inning lead and the pennant. It was certainly as gut wrenching as the Mets’ 2007 collapse, but Brooklyn fans didn’t turn on their team. They identified with their team, didn’t blame their team for losing, and even rooted harder for their team in 1952.
Always Brooklyn Dodgers
There were no “hired guns” and no one heard of “bandwagon: fans. Gil Hodges, Carl Furillo, PeeWee Reese, Carl Erskine, Don Newcombe, Duke Snider, Roy Campanella, Clem Labine, and especially Jackie Robinson were Brooklyn Dodgers. Some played for other teams because they were traded and had little control over the situation, but they will always be identified as Dodgers, just as Willie, Bobby Thomson, and Sal Maglie will always be Giants. When Sal was sent to the Dodgers, he and Carl Furillo had to clear the air before Sal was accepted.
Brooklyn Fans Rooted for the Team AND for the Players
Brooklyn lost in 1951, but almost all the players returned in 1952. Brooklyn fans rooted for the Brooklyn Dodgers AND for the players. Today’s fans root for the franchise and for the players, but they support the players only when they produce, not when they fail. When Brooklyn lost in 1951, Erskine, Roe, Labine and Branca still led the pitching staff, and when ace Don Newcombe had to leave for the army, Joe Black, a former star Negro League pitcher whom Brooklyn signed to a minor league contract, joined the staff. When Gil Hodges had an 0-21 1952 World Series, the fans prayed for him.
Santana Just Wanted a Contract
Many of the 2007 Mets’ players have returned for 2008, although there have been some big changes. The Mets signed Johan Santana, who demanded a huge, long-term contract. He didn’t care if he got it from the Twins or from another team. The Twins, who are owned by Carl Pohlad refused. According to Forbes Magazine, Mr. Pohlad has a net worth of $2.6 BILLION, but the Twins decided that they could not afford to keep Santana and sent him packing.
Fans Don't Care Who Wins For Them
Fans are not stupid. Does anyone believe that the Twins felt any loyalty to Santana or he to them? Is Johan as deeply committed to the Mets as Jackie Robinson was to Brooklyn? Mets fans want the 2008 New York Mets to win. Brooklyn Dodgers fans wanted the 1952 Dodgers to win. The difference is that Mets fans – today’s fans – don’t care which players win it for them. Give them A-Rod or Chipper or maybe, just maybe, even Barry. If they win for the Mets (or the Yankees, or the Red Sox, etc.), that’s fine. Why, if the Yankees had made the trade for Santana, his loyalty to New York fans would have been the same.
References:
Hubbuch, Bart. "Willie: Shea Fans a Drag." New York Post. 6 May 2008.
Baseball-Reference.com
