Talk about a move that has been in the making for seemingly forever. Willie Randolph’s tenure as Mets manager has ended after a disappointing start to the 2008 season. While the Mets, who are floundering at 34-35 right now despite a payroll bigger than everyone in baseball not named the Yankees, Red Sox, or Dodgers, will have to press on with interim manager Jerry Manuel at the helm. You might remember Manuel from the one-dimensional White Sox teams he ran prior to Ozzie Guillen taking over. Then again, you might not.

What can we say about Randolph’s time as Mets manager that hasn’t been said about the Mets before. Underachievement will forever mark his time as manager after an epic collapse last year that can only be catergorized as hilarious. Compound last year’s disaster with the train wreck of a start to the 2008 season and you have the makings of a shit-canning.

Can we blame this whole thing on Randolph? Can we blame him for Carlos Delgado reverting back to playing like Pedro Serrano in the first half of the movie Major League instead of the Delgado that was one of the most feared left handed bats in the National League. Can we blame Randolph for Carlos Beltran not exactly living up to the five tool phenom that he was signed and promoted to be. Not entirely. It’s not his fault Pedro Martinez has all but kicked the bucket on his career. But thus is the tragedy in baseball; someone must take the fall.

Randolph will be missed in the media. Sure, he may not have rolled around the dugout with disguises on like previous managers, but he had his moments. I’d also like to note to GM Omar Minaya that, despite the illusion that I might not have the “experience” like Manuel, I’ll be awaiting a call for an interview for the job. What’s not to like about a resume that is chalked full of baseball video game strategy and a dabble of the Spanish language.