"As the de facto offensive coordinator of Joe Torre's dynastic Yanks, Randolph was rejected as a candidate for one managerial job after another, this while every white bullpen catcher and his brother got a gig."
First of all, I had no idea that Randolph was the "de facto offensive coordinator" for the Yankees. In fact, I've never heard the term "offensive coordinator" used in regards to a baseball team.
I think he was the first-base coach for a while, then the third-base coach, and then the bench coach. I could be wrong. I don't really pay too much attention except when Bobby Meacham gets a guy thrown out at home with no outs.
Secondly, who else from Joe Torre's dynastic Yankees got a gig? Lee Mazzilli had a blah year-and-a-half in Baltimore. Now he's unemployed, I suppose, after some time on Sportsnet New York.
Did anybody else branch out from Torre's managerial tree?
All of Torre's white coaches and bullpen catchers have been getting gigs all over the place, but I can't think of any.
Does Girardi count? Girardi got a managerial gig really quickly. Girardi passed a lot of black candidates and white candidates, too. Hispanic candidates, too, and, if Lenn Sakata was looking for a job, then Asian candidates, too.
"Does anyone really believe that a white man who was a two-time champion Yankee as a player and a four-time champion Yankee as a coach would've waited as long as Randolph did before a franchise finally called his number? Especially when that man was considered a stabilizing force in those crazy George-Billy-Reggie, Bronx-is-burning days?"
Maybe he was a stabilizing force in the Bronx-is-burning days. I'm not sure. According to the TV show, Fran Healy was stabilizinger.
In the 1977 World Series, Randolph hit .160 while Reggie hit five homeruns.
In the 1978 World Series, Randolph did not play due to injury while his replacement, Brian Doyle, hit .438.
Perhaps Randolph really was the "offensive coordinator" for the dynastic Joe Torre Yankees. After all, Randolph has a history of sitting on the bench while other people win rings for him.
"Reg-gie! Reg-gie! Reg-gie! Reggie, hit the next one into the black seats. Way to go, Reggie!
I totally told Aaron Boone he was going to hit a homerun. I told him he was gonna! It's almost like I hit the homerun myself."
One more point:
I dug up this gem from my blog, from September 4, 2005. (I searched for the term "hippity hop"):
" 'We live in this hip-hop culture now, where players -- even white players -- are caught up in the whole 'respect' and 'dissing' and stuff like that,' " Randolph said last week. "To be able to speak that language is important. I'm not saying Grady Little or Jimy Williams can't do it, but I think it helps if you understand the culture."
...
"I've worked with the (Derek) Jeters and the Bernie Williamses and the (Gary) Sheffields, and I understand what makes them tick," Randolph said. 'And I think that's helped me to make this transition.' "
Essentially, Randolph is saying he was hired because he is black. Because a black manager can relate to black players better than a white manager can. No other way to interpret this quote.
Randolph's performance proves he was completely wrong and it's very obvious that a lot of his players -- "even white players" --have tuned him out.
I wouldn't go as far to say it's racist to call out Grady Little and Jimy Williams like that. I'd just say it's ignorant and misguided.
I suppose it's fair to some degree to use Willie Randolph, Mets Manager, as a prism through which to view this country's race issues. O'Connor is certainly correct when he says that race affects everything and, if it affects everything, then it must affect how Randolph is perceived.
But, in total, I'd say Randolph is using his chains as a whip. Art Howe would have definitely been fired by now.
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