I knew Willie Randolph was on the hot seat, but I thought he'd be given until the all-star break. The Mets also fired him in the middle of Tuesday night, which is questionable timing.

Randolph was let go in the middle of the night Tuesday, 2½ months into a disappointing season that has followed the team's colossal collapse last September.

 

Bench coach Jerry Manuel takes over on an interim basis for Randolph, who led the Mets to within one win of the 2006 World Series. They got off to a strong start again last year but plummeted down the stretch and have been unable to rebound.

 

A preseason favorite to win the NL pennant, the $138 million Mets (34-35) had won two in a row when Randolph was dismissed early Tuesday morning -- making him the first big league manager to get fired this season.

 

 http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3447973