No longer is Willie Randolph managing the Mets, but he insists he still roots for them, even if he also says he’s anxious to get past his Shea days.
Today, Randolph was pure pinstripes, returning to Yankee Stadium as not a fan, which he did last month at the All-Star Game, but as an honored guest for Old-Timers’ Day. Randolph, a former Yankees player, coach and executive, was showered with cheers, and he admitted afterward that being a Yankee has never truly left him.
“I’ve been away for a while,” he said, “but I think my heart and soul’s always been here.”
At last month’s All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium, Randolph was a guest of the Steinbrenners, but he blew off the media completely. Today, he was accommodating and open.
Wearing his No. 30 Yankees jersey, Randolph sounded as if he only follows the Mets when it’s convenient.
“I’m a New Yorker, I’m here. I don’t rush home to turn the TV on or anything like that,” he said. “If the girls or my wife are watching something on TV, they’ll watch it and I’ll flip back and forth maybe even once in a while. But no, I’m looking forward to moving past all of that to where it’s not a central point in my life. So I’m just a regular dude.”
Since being fired late on June 16, Randolph’s managerial work has probably worsened because of how the team has fared in his absence. The Mets entered last night with a 24-16 record under Jerry Manuel, and they’ve looked far better this season during Manuel’s 40-game tenure than during Randolph’s two months plus.
It may be hard for Randolph to watch as the Mets thrive now. But if it is, he refused to admit it.
“No, I have a lot of people there that I really have a big affection for. David Wright and [Damion] Easley and Marlon [Anderson] and those guys, Aaron [Heilman],” he said. “Those are my guys. And a big part of me feels that’s my team.
“Listen, I [led] that team back to where it is today. You don’t just let that go. Obviously I want them to do well because that’s the team that I’ve lived and died with for the last three years. That doesn’t change anything.”
Randolph tipped his cap multiple times and tapped his chest after hearing the cheers when he was introduced, showing how much he appreciated the reverence.
“I grew up here, I learned my chops here, I learned how to be a winner, a champion here,” he said.
Randolph called himself a baseball “lifer” and said he’d “love to manage again,” though he said it has to be the right situation and not just anything. As far as working for the Yankees again, GM Brian Cashman said today the issue isn’t currently being explored.
“It’s just great to see him,” Cashman said. “But that’s really all I can say.”
What else has Randolph been busy with?
“I’m just enjoying life, man,” he said. “This is the first time in my life I’ve been able to enjoy a summer with my family and friends and do things that I have not been able to do since I was in high school I guess. I’m having fun. It’s a little different, a little bit of a transition, but that’s natural. But it’s good.”