Flushing Willie

Remember "Baghdad Bob"? Also known as Muhammad Saeed al-Sahhaf, "Baghdad Bob" was the colorful name the American media gave to al-Sahhaf, the former Iraqi Information Minister under Saddam Hussein, when during the early stages of the Iraq war al-Sahhaf could be seen daily on Iraqi television proclaiming that American forces were suffering heavy casualties and soldiers were committing suicide at the gates of Baghdad. Said al-Sahhaf during his last television appearance: "The Americans are going to surrender or be burned in their tanks. They will surrender, it is they who will surrender."

Of course, these things were completely untrue. Baghdad Bob made these claims as American military forces were patrolling the streets only a few hundred yards away from where he was being filmed. Shortly after his last appearance on April 8, 2003, Baghdad fell officially and al-Sahhaf achieved his immortal status as an international joke.

Last night after the Mets 10-inning, 9-8 loss to the Padres, in which Billy Wagner blew a 7-6 lead in the ninth before Aaron Heilman came on to give up a game-winning gopher ball to Adrian Gonzalez in the 10th, Willie Randolph spoke of an "uncharacteristically bad outing" for the Mets 'pen, adding that he "couldn't be too frustrated" by what he apparently took as an abberation.


Despite hitting something of a bump in the road lately, (Wagner gave up the go-ahead run on Tuesday night, as well, before the Mets bailed him out) Billy's been great this season. At this stage, a bad outing from Wagner is uncharacteristic. But right now, him and maybe Pedro Feliciano are the only Met relievers who you feel like you can place any trust in in a close, late-inning situation.

And Willie didn't mention Wagner specifically. After a gut-wrenching loss, he referred to the entire bullpen and spoke of an "uncharacteristically bad outing." Aaron Heilman, the Mets best excuse for an 8th inning setup man, has six losses and has given up 8 home runs. One night after defending Guillermo Mota and saying he'll continue to call on Mota and his 6.28 ERA in crunch time, Willie had the gall to talk about an "uncharacteristically bad outing" for the bullpen.

I don't mean to cross Willie Randolph with a former government operative in one of the more brutish political regimes of the last 20 years, but he's quickly turning into "Flushing Willie." This guy either lives in a fantasy land, or his propaganda-spewing skills really do rival those of Baghdad Bob. I tend to think it's a little of both, because this is ridiculous. The myth about the Mets having a good bullpen needs to be put to bed.

I understand the need, as a manager, to stand by your players; let fans be fans and the media be the media as far as criticism is concerned. But following a painful loss such as last night's for the Mets, it's both insulting and incredibly frustrating to have your team's manager talk about rainbows and butterflies.

It's been clear since the beginning of the season that the Met bullpen isn't what it was last year. We got by in the beginning of the season, largely because Aaron Heilman to that point had only given up 1 or 2 home runs, and because Joe Smith was so lights out. But ever since the league caught on to Smith, Guillermo Mota came back from his steroid suspension, and Heilman's faltered a few more times, the 'pen has been sailing on stormy seas. Some acknowledgement from Willie Randolph that things aren't necessarily all well and good - an admission, for instance, that Mota has sucked it up all season instead of a vow to give him more chances; a slight insinuation, perhaps, that the bullpen needs to step up, instead of a flat out statement that there's absolutely nothing wrong - would be nice.

It's up to the manager to keep a nice lid on things - to keep minor failures from becoming catastrophes, to keep internal club business from becoming back page headlines. But it's also up to the manager to challenge his players, and while I'm sure Willie does a certain amount of that in private, clearly when it comes to the Mets bullpen a few people aren't feeling quite the swift kick to the behind that they should be.

The Mets had no business losing last night's game. It was encouraging to see them twice battle back in the latter half of the game, but when your top starting pitcher puts you in a 6-1 hole and your lineup somehow manages to bail him out with an exciting, 6-run rally capped by a pinch-hit, three-run homer, YOU HAVE TO WIN. Especially after your closer then blows a save and you still manage to come back and tie the game against the all-time major league saves leader.

Blame the bullpen, blame the bullpen. Willie Randolph doesn't have to scream fire and brimstone, but it would be nice to at least see some brutal honesty where it's necessary. The Mets don't have to be run like a totalitarian regime in war time just because their manager knows how to make that happen.

(Photos courtesy cnn.net, writingcompany.blogs.com)