I turned on the heat for the first time of the season tonight. A suitable ending to a day that began with news of big changes: Jerry Manuel and Omar Minaya were relieved of their duties. Finally.

I was a big fan of Jerry Manuel’s when he was Willie Randolph’s underling. I had different issues with Willie Randolph, listed here, loosely that I thought too many people mistook his stoicism for capability and quiet passion. One particular incident perfectly illustrated the dynamic at the time. The Mets played the Yankees at the old Yankee Stadium on May 18, 2008, a Sunday. Carlos Delgado hit a ball down the left field line which curved over the fence and hit off the foul pole, which was actually a few feet beyond the fence. The umpire, Bob Davidson, called it foul when it was a home run. He later admitted his mistake and this situation hastened the advent of widespread use of instant replay for such calls. Importantly, there was a shot of Willie Randolph at the top of the dugout, Jerry Manuel right next to him. Willie was his usual sleepy self, and Jerry was the one barking at the umpire for making the wrong call. I knew then all I wanted in a manager in the short term, for Randolph to be out and for Manuel’s visible and audible passion to have earned him a chance to manage the team.

Jerry Manuel wasn’t all to blame for the downfalls of the last three years; the 2nd collapse, the lost season, this year’s trials. But managers are held accountable and this time it’s no different. Maybe the last twenty-four months or so have taken their toll on that fire – the team’s failure and subsequent decimation by injury can soothe even the savage beast. Maybe it was easier for him to argue since he wasn’t the manager on that particular night in May. Either way, this year, I questioned his decisions more than anything, more than ever. Chris Carter batting fourth? He had two home runs for most of the season. I like the guy, plays hard, is very smart, but he’s not protecting David Wright, no matter who’s hurt. Ike Davis isn’t a number four either, not yet, though I admire Davis’ level of success this year with that occasional pressure on him. Organizations can hurt players by making them think they’re too special (Joba Rules) but also by making it too easy to fail. Davis has power but he’s still young. He has the makeup to have gotten through it, but what if it didn’t work out? I’m glad we’ll never know.

One side note: I got tickets for my family for the Met game on May 30, 2009. The Mets were playing the Marlins and Josh Johnson was pitching. As this recap states, Manuel rested most of the successful Mets players, all on the same day, possibly if not likely because the Mets were facing a terrific pitcher. This disappointed me as a fan and as a spectator. Yes, resting all the players makes sense in the long run, especially on a team marred by injuries. But on the same day, and one when I went and paid for all those tickets? If we’re going to lose, at least let us see two or three of the players we want to see. Stagger their rest. Beyond giving the team at least a chance to win, you’re giving the fans a reason to continue coming to the ballpark, to see these guys in person. If I wanted to see Triple-A players, I would have gone ahead and moved to Buffalo.

Looking back at my earlier thoughts on Omar Minaya, mentioned in “Willie Go” and also in this post here, I’m surprised I wasn’t more fed up. I thought I’d never really been a fan of Omar Minaya’s, but I recognized his few achievements and I won’t disown any of that. But it became clear he wasn’t the man for the job, and over his tenure the Mets kept finding new ways to lose. The last five years have been so tremendously disappointing, but he had a real shot this year. After the injuries in ’09 almost made it okay to lose, he could have made things happen in ’10 and been given all the credit in the world. But he forgoed improving the rotation, standing by his current staff seemingly because he brought them in and kept them, hoping they would justify their remarkable contracts. They didn’t, and not even Jason Bay’s 6 home runs could save Minaya.

Incidentally, as of this writing I’ve heard different wordings on Minaya’s dismissal. Some reports have him leaving the organization, some have him merely being fired as general manager but perhaps being reassigned elsewhere. Despite his success in scouting in Montreal all those years ago, I think this would be a terrible idea. His taste in players seems to be off. The cut should be clean if ownership wants the fans, if not only me, to think they’re really ready to change. I’ll give Omar Minaya every bit of credit he’s earned, however much or little that really is.

Clearly the title of this piece is overstating my satisfaction: If this birthday is my 29th, the next is my 30th and there’s no reason to rush into that just yet. But speaking of the Mets, I’m glad these changes have come, though it’s not contentedness, really, it’s relief. There’s no joy in Flushing or anywhere else among Met fans when our team is underperforming so much that such a shift needed to be made. Now, I do some perspective here: The Mets finished the season only a few games under .500. They were playing surprisingly well until the All-Star Break, the nail in the coffin really being the adding up of injuries, for reasons unfortunate or ridiculous. This team didn’t lose 100 games, hasn’t been terrible for going on two decades like the Pirates, or anything like that. The Mets and their fans just have comparably high standards. I’m lucky enough – in my way – to root for a team that for the last five years has at least had a very good shot, where .500 is unacceptable and not just the promised land. Things could get worse before they get better, but I’ll side with Phil Connors for tonight and just say, “Anything different is good.”