Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, May 30, 1990 TAG: 9005300397
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: The New York Times
DATELINE: CINCINNATI LENGTH: Long
Despite having one of the strongest pitching staffs and the deepest talent in the major leagues, the Mets stumbled mightily under Johnson this season, losing 22 of their first 42 games and dropping into fourth place in the National League's East Division.
Changing managers did not change the team's fortunes, though. Under Harrelson, the Mets lost 2-1 on Tuesday night to Cincinnati.
"I felt our ball club was underachieving," said Frank Cashen, the general manager of the Mets, who made the decision to dismiss Johnson, 47.
"The time came to head in a new direction. I talked to the team about underachieving and having fire in the belly. I want this team to focus on winning because winning is what it is all about."
Johnson has been criticized in the past for not being enough of a disciplinarian and for not being a motivator. Though the Mets have been favored to win the World Series numerous times since Johnson took over in 1984, they won it just once, beating the Boston Red Sox in seven games in 1986.
In his tenure - the longest of any of the Mets' managers - Johnson won 595 games and lost 417, a winning percentage of .588. His teams never finished lower than second in their division.
Harrelson, who is 45 and played shortstop for the Mets for 13 years, becomes the 12th manager in the Mets' 28-year history. He met with his players before their game with the Reds on Tuesday night and immediately tightened some of the rules on a club that may have become too comfortable under Johnson.
"There will be a restriction on certain things," Harrelson said. "Such as preparation in coming to the ball park and getting prepared for games. If there is not a concerted effort by a player, it is time for him to sit and watch."
The new manager would not elaborate, but Ron Darling, a pitcher who has had well publicized differences with Johnson, did.
"The rules have been there," Darling said. "What Buddy is going to do is what the government would call a strict interpretation of the rules. I think he is really going to hold to curfew. There will be no more golf and no more playing cards. There will be a tightening of the reins. On the field. Off the field. Everywhere."
Darling often bickered with Johnson about pitching techniques and whether or not he should be a starter or a relief pitcher. He even criticized Johnson on Sunday for not ordering the Mets' pitchers to hit any Padres batters with a pitch after Kevin Elster had been hit. It was Darling, though, who gave an astute summation of Johnson's tenure with the team.
"We all had our differences with him, but we all respected him," Darling said. "I feel us not playing well let him down. He gave us room to succeed and we didn't do it."
Harrelson was signed for the remainder of the 1990 season and the 1991 season, and there is an option for the 1992 season. The monetary terms of the contract were not disclosed. Johnson is signed through 1991 and will be paid the remainder of his $350,000 salary this year and $500,000 next year, Cashen said.
Most of the Met players were not surprised that Johnson was let go. Some even felt responsible.
"It's unfortunate because we have a hand in his firing," said Dave Magadan, a reserve infielder. "I don't think whoever did the firing is a bad guy. We helped cause the firing. I'm embarrassed. You don't like to see anybody get fired."
"It got to the point where something had to happen," said Frank Viola, the pitcher who has been about the only bright spot for the team this season. "I hate to say it but things had gotten a little stale around here."
"If you're not playing well, you can't take four or five guys and trade them," said Dwight Gooden. "The manager has to go."
The Mets hope that Harrelson can rekindle the spirit that made them a feared team in 1986. John Franco, a relief pitcher with the Mets, was a member of the Cincinnati Reds that year.
"There was a little bit of a laid-back feeling here," Franco said. "We didn't have the fire in our eyes. The Mets had that in 1986. We hated them because they had it."
One of the challenges for Harrelson will be adapting to being a manager. A coach is a conduit between the players and the manager. When a coach becomes a manager, the relationship automatically changes.
"Buddy was always the guy you went to when you had a problem," Darling said. "I hope he doesn't change that."
When he was asked how the players would accept him, Harrelson quickly displayed the "tough guy" approach that Johnson lacked.
"I don't think the players are surprised it happened," Harrelson said. "Some players probably don't think I can do the job. That's their problem."
DAVEY JOHNSON IN THE NEW YORK METS ORGANIZATION:\ 1981 Guided the Mets' AA Jackson club to the Texas League championship.\ 1982 Served the Mets as a roving infield instructor.\ 1983 Guided the Mets' Tidewater team of the International League to the Governor's Cup championship and the Triple A World Series title.\ October 1983 Appointed Mets manager.\ Sept. 30, 1984 The team finishes season 90-72 for a second-place finish, 6 1/2 games behind the Chicago Cubs.\ Oct. 6, 1985 The team went 98-64 to finish three games behind St. Louis.\ Sept. 17, 1986 The team clinched the Eastern Division title, the earliest calendar date in NL East history, with a 4-2 victory over the Chicago Cubs.\ Oct. 5, 1986 The team finished with a 108-54 record to become one of only nine teams in modern history to win 108 games in a season. They finished 21 1/2 games ahead of the Chicago Cubs.\ Oct. 15, 1986 Won the NL pennant by beating the Houston Astros in six games.\ Oct. 23, 1986 Won the World Championship by beating the Boston Red Sox in seven games.\ Dec. 2, 1986 Johnson was given a salary adjustment for the last two years of his three-year contract after New York Yankees manager Lou Piniella was given a two-year deal worth more than $600,000.\ July 14, 1987 Johnson managed the NL All-Star team to a 2-0, 13-inning victory over the AL in Oakland.\ Oct. 3, 1987 General manager Frank Cashen announced that 1988 would be Johnson's final year as manager.\ Oct. 4, 1987 The team went 92-70 and finished in second place, three games behind the St. Louis Cardinals. Johnson became the winningest manager in Mets history with a 388-260 record.\ Sept. 22, 1988 The Mets clinched the NL Eastern Division with a 3-1 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies.\ Oct. 2, 1988 The team went 100-60, 15 games ahead of the Phillies. Johnson became the NL manager to win 90 or more games in each of his first five seasons.\ Oct. 12, 1988 The Mets lost the NL playoffs to the Los Angeles Dodgers in seven games.\ Oct. 27, 1988 Johnson signed a three-year contract extension to manage the Mets through 1991.\ Oct. 1, 1989 The team finished in second place with an 87-75 record, six games behind the Chicago Cubs.\ Oct. 5, 1989 Cashen, to dispel rumors and responses to the contrary, announced Johnson would return as manager for the 1990 season.\ May 29, 1990 Johnson is fired with the Mets in fourth place, with a 20-22 record and six games behind Pittsburgh. His career record is 595-417, a .588 winning percentage.
by CNB