3 NY Mets managers whose firings delighted the fans most

New York Mets fans love to question the managers and their decisions. We all do. And questioning the managers is part of the game and part of being a fan. But some managers just aren’t the right fit, no matter what their in-game decisions might be, they don’t belong in a Met uniform.

The Mets have had some great managers, and they have had some bad managers. And there are those hired as manager that you have to wonder just what went into that thought process. Mets fans often wonder that. And they often wonder how soon they’ll get to see these managers go.

Here are three New York Mets managers that fans were all too happy to see gone:

Art Howe 2003-2004

After retiring as a player for the club, Art Howe spent five seasons as the manager of the Houston Astros and accomplished nothing.

It is a bit confusing as to how he even ended up here, but he spent seven seasons managing the Oakland A’s. But not without its troubles. After resisting Billy Beane’s Moneyball philosophy and eventually succumbing to Beane’s ultimatums, Howe was “credited with leading the A’s to seasons of 87, 91, 102, 103 wins and post season appearances the last three years.

The Mets hierarchy, meaning the Wilpons, decided if he could do that well working with players from The Dollar Store, perhaps he could do even better if he was handed some decent players to put on the field. It was 2003 and the Mets had a roster that included future Hall of Famers Mike Piazza, Roberto Alomar, and Tom Glavine, as well as Al Leiter, John Franco, Jeremy Burnitz and a young stud named Jose Reyes.

It didn’t work out as well in New York as it did in Oakland. And things are kind of more laid back in Oakland. The media, if they show up, is not as harsh. The fans, the ones that DO show up, come late and leave early. The New York media is demanding and relentless, The Mets fans, the show up early and wait and leave late and still wait.

Art Howe was not a fiery player and he was NOT a fiery manager. And he never looked comfortable addressing the New York media, he always seemed like he was unclear as to why he was being asked the questions. He had that perplexed look on his face.

So when the Mets lost 95 games in 2003 and then lost another 91 after adding some more high-priced players like Braden Looper, Japanese star Kaz Matsui, and brought up David Wright to the mix, Howe had no excuses. Heck, he couldn’t even give any if and when asked. He even agreed to leave quietly after word leaked out.

He was too laid back but that wasn’t even the issue. He did not have the personality to deal with the atmosphere surrounding the New York Mets. He was a nice guy, really, but he was in way over his head and the fans let him know it. He was lucky to make through the second season.