Mets' Randolph Thought His SNY Comments Were Off The Record

Randolph Says He Thought Comments About SNY Were Off The Record

RANDOLPH APOLOGIZES: In N.Y., Adam Rubin reports prior to last night's Mets-Braves game, Randolph apologized for his remarks. Randolph: "I want to apologize to Met ownership, SNY and my team for the unnecessary distraction that I created, that I caused the last couple of days. I shouldn't have said what I said. It was a mistake. Simple as that, it was a mistake. There's no excuses for that."  Randolph said that he "unsuccessfully tried to reach out to owners Fred and Jeff Wilpon to convey his remorse" and claimed that he "wasn't prodded to apologize" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 5/22).

NO BASIS FOR COMPLAINTS? In N.Y., Richard Sandomir writes if Randolph's complaints were valid, SNY would portray him negatively in victory as well as defeat, which was "not in evidence." If the Mets lose, it is "standard procedure to show a manager reacting to what hurts his team or uttering a profanity." If the team wins, it is "proper to show the manager clapping, fist-pumping, cheering and shouting." Even if Randolph were 100% "accurate about his view of SNY, he probably didn't recognize how his lament would be exacerbated at the channel." Randolph's complaints about SNY "stress the enduring belief that the local TV crew should blindly support the team," and that belief may have "been reinforced in Randolph's mind because the Mets own" the net. Sandomir: "But SNY is not a homer channel. ... The essential problem with Randolph's lament is that he was not armed with proof for a thesis that implicitly criticized the Wilpons. He could not cogently argue that negative camera work is anything more than an accurate portrayal of his team's plight" (N.Y. TIMES, 5/22).

STRANGE BEDFELLOWS: WFAN's Russo said of the relationship between teams and their TV networks, “I don’t think the teams like these Yankee and Met networks because they ask for a lot of favors. ... They ask for appearances, they ask for this, they ask for that. They’re in the way a lot, and I think that bothers lots of these teams.” Russo later clarified the relationship between SNY and the Mets was not the real issue with Randolph’s comments (“Mike and the Mad Dog”, YES, 5/21).

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