Already on Thin Ice

This is one long suffering season for Mets fans. After watching the Mets management execute their version of the midnight massacre by firing Willie Randolph and two of his coaches, his replacement, Jerry Manuel, is now ripping into the fans for booing.

In particular, they've been booing Aaron Heilman's awful performances.

When asked how Heilman was holding up to the constant streams of boos showered on him at home, Manuel took a not-so-thinly veiled shot at displeased Mets fans.

"It's very, very fertile ground for growth in Shea Stadium," Manuel said.

"It's fertile ground for a team's growth and development. Sometimes, fertile ground has fertilizer."

Manuel, who has put his foot in his mouth repeatedly since replacing Willie Randolph just six days ago, then tried to soften the metaphor.

"Fertilizer is a good thing," Manuel said in Denver before his team's victory over the Rockies.

"It's a good thing. You get the greatest results - get the most beautiful plants - when you put it in that type of fertile soil. That's what we have the opportunity to do."

It's been a rocky road for Heilman, who is 0-3 with a bloated 5.17 earned run average this season.

Mets fans are particularly angry at the veteran reliever because he's saved his worst games for Shea Stadium - where he's 0-2 with a sky-high 6.17 ERA so far in 2008.

A manager standing up for his players is a good idea, but antagonizing the fans to do so? That's historically been a real bad idea. No player or manager benefits from slamming fans. There's no quicker way to get people to stand against you than to antagonize them in such a fashion.

For those already on the fence as to whether Manuel had a role in Randolph's firing, his latest comments will surely not help matters.

HT: Anonymous emailer