With pitchers and catchers reporting on Thursday, Mets manager Willie Randolph sported his 1977 World Series ring yesterday, hoping that three decades after winning it with the Yankees, he can pick up another one with their crosstown rivals.
There was plenty of good cheer inside El Nuevo Caridad Restaurant on 116th Street and Second Avenue as Randolph, Ron Darling, Roy White and Ray Negron, the special assistant to George Steinbrenner, donated $10,000 to the East Harlem Little League. Randolph, however, was in no mood to talk to reporters, declining to answer any baseball questions.
He did sign many autographs as he walked to a waiting car after the festivities. Now, Randolph can start focusing on preparing the Mets for a run like the Yankees had in 1977.