New York Mets: Callaway fired, Camp Kumbaya is officially closed

After a tumultuous season in their history, New York Mets manager, Mickey Callaway was relieved of his duties on Thursday and will no longer manage the team.

Few New York Mets fans are surprised Mickey Callaway was let go. Some read into the fact that because MIckey was wearing a different number, that he would be retained to manage the 2020 season. The real reason Callaway was given a different number was not that he was coming back, but because the number 36 was being retired to honor Jerry Koosman of the 69 Miracle Mets.

Mickey Callaway was brought in by former general manager Sandy Alderson to replace the retired Terry Collins. He came with a different approach than Collins. Collins was old-school no-nonsense analytics-resistant, but he managed to lead the Mets to the 2015 World Series and then repeated going into the playoffs two years in a row. Callaway was a former pitching coach under Terry Francona with the Cleveland Indians and was credited with having one of the best pitching staffs in the majors.

Mickey wowed the Wilpons during his interview with his positivity ability to interact with players and coaches. Callaway went on to declare that the New York Mets had even more talented pitchers than the Indians which begged the question, “Why are the Indians doing better than the Mets?”

After listening to Callaway a few times, I labeled him, Kumbaya Callaway, and the players were campers at “Camp Callaway.” They will play games, have a pie-eating contest and the three-legged race. At night, let us all sit around the campfire as Callaway takes out his guitar and strums a few chords as he gets ready to play while the campers toast their marshmallows.

Such is life in  Camp Callaway. You make a mistake, no problem because Mickey will make many more. From batting out of turn in a game against Cincinnati to telling reporters that he did not have Dom Smith sacrifice bunt because he never had to.

From pulling pitchers dominating games with less than 80 pitches on their pitch count, to taking pitchers out too late. From giving players a day off when on a hot-hitting streak, to playing baseball’s version of prevent defense, and when the bullpen doesn’t hold their end of the deal, he’s left without position players.

Yet, Callaway says things like New York City has very intense fans compared to laid back who cares Cleveland Indian fans. He did not expect that! Or the other gaffes when he makes a total blunder of a move by saying he would do it 100 out of 100 times. Or that 85 percent of the time he is going by human nature and not analytics. Really? Why even have analytics if you are not going to use it?

Callaway just seemed to be over his head in a town that accepts nothing less than excellence and effort. there are so many postgame press conferences where he can say Diaz had really good stuff tonight while he blew another game, again, and again, and again.

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Now things start to come out after an announcement like this is made. New York Post writer, Mike Puma, wrote that that well-known player called Anomalous said that  Mickey was not doing what he proclaimed he would be doing upon his hire, maintaining communication with the players. Callaway would withdraw to his office and delegate those lines of communication to his coaches. I guess the pressure of being a manager of a New York team was a bit much.

So now Camp Director Callaway is strumming Kumbaya and has asked everyone to join in. The campers are singing along as the sound of a crackling fire competes with their singing. It is getting late and Brodie Van Wagenen has a bucket of water to douse the campfire.

He turns to Callaway and Mickey hands over his guitar and the keys to Camp Callaway. The head-scratching decisions, the quotes that seemed more like pixie dust than reality, and painting a picture of positivity when the New York Mets were eleven games under .500 became too much to bear.

Kumbaya Callaway is no more. I wish Mickey well in his future endeavors. It is business, nothing personal. The Mets had to take a different direction. After all, at least he isn’t Brad Ausmus was fired twice after managing one season. Like I wrote back in June, it is time to change the culture.