It didn’t take that long before New York Mets manager Willie Randolph pulled out the ultimate scapegoat card - race! No, Met fans are totally content watching their favorite players run themselves out of innings, middle relief roles not being defined, and a blasé attitude from the manager, who seems to have no sense of urgency (eerie familiar to last September). The boos reigning down on Willie have to do with one thing and one thing only - because he is black!

That is what Randolph is trying to either convince himself or us, both to no avail. The last time anyone checked, Art Howe is as white as they come and he didn’t receive a free pass here either.

During an interview with Ian O’Connor of The Record, Randolph opened up and let his true feelings and sentiments be known, albeit with the conspicuousness of adding him being booed as fluff.

“They don’t like me?” Randolph asked himself to O’Connor. “‘We don’t like Willie.’ Wait a minute, why don’t you like me? I don’t get it. Did I do anything to you? If you look at what I’ve done for your club, you should like me a little bit.”

It is hard to argue that since the team hired Randolph, they have been contenders. Some have said that the team has won despite their manager instead of because of him. While that may have some legs, it does seem a little harsh.

Without provocation, Randolph wonders to O’Connor why his calm, cool and collectiveness is questioned while the likes of Joe Torre (he of the four World Series championships in five seasons) are lauded for the same demeanor.

“Is it racial?” Randolph asked his interviewer, and many more that would be reached once this made print. “Huh? It smells a little bit.”

As if blaming race is not enough of a reach, Randolph then goes deeper into the annals of nonsense by making comparisons to other black coaches that will not have a day named after them anytime soon.

“I don’t know how to put my finger on it, but I think there’s something there,” said Randolph in response to a question if he believes that black managers are held to a different standard than whites. “Herman Edwards did pretty well here and he won a couple of playoff [games], and they were pretty hard on Herm. Isiah [Thomas] didn’t do a great job, but they beat up Isiah pretty good…I don’t know if people are used to a certain figurehead. There’s something weird about it.”

Then Willie throws himself on the proverbial table to become a martyr for the future.

“I think it’s very important…that I handle myself in a way that the [African-American managers] coming behind me will get the opportunities, too.”

Let’s catch our breath and try to make some sense out of all this dribble. Edwards did do a decent job with the Jets, and his 39-41 record in five seasons with Gang Green should have earned him his own wing at the team’s headquarters with their checkered history. The team did win two playoff games during his tenure, and any Jet fan cannot complain about that. (Although that same fan will rightfully say that Edwards blew the game in Pittsburgh.)

But his departure from New York/New Jersey/wherever they play was more from he himself choosing to leave and not being ran out of town on a rail. His present employer, the Kansas City Chiefs, could have had tampering charges brought on them by the way president Carl Peterson publicly wooed Edwards, who was coming off a 4-12 campaign in 2005.

With two more years on his contract, Edwards didn’t have much of a choice, but still tried to shake the Jets down for an extension and a hefty pay raise. In the end, the Jets allowed KC to hire Edwards as long-time friend Dick Vermeil’s replacement in exchange for a 2006 fourth rounder, which resulted in running back Leon Washington. Thank you very much!

So, Randolph’s argument using Edwards as an example of a ‘victim’ hold no water. Mentioning Isiah Thomas as someone being vilified due to the color of his skin makes the former comparison look valid. The one with the Bizarro World Midas Touch came and made a situation somehow worse than the worst situation ever, if that makes any sense.

Regardless of what town and what race Thomas is, he would have been given a hard time. Every move that he made blew up in his face. It wasn’t even fair after a while, but to try to gain any compassion from a New York fan by using Thomas as a shield is downright insane.

Fans can be hard on the managers, but that is their option to boo or cheer once they paid for their seat at the ballpark. If Randolph wants to quell the negative noise, he should try getting his players to stick to the fundamentals of the game, especially Jose Reyes. Getting caught in rundowns, making the first or last out of an inning at third base, and swinging at the first pitch following a walk are just a few of the things that make even younger fans playing Little League shake their heads in disbelief and disgust.

Randolph would be surprised on how quickly fortunes can change when doing the simpler things right, the type of things that are directly attributed to a manager and coaching staff.

It’s as plain as black and white.