Bloomberg: Mets Owner Wilpon Says He `Screwed Up’ How Randolph Was Fired

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General Manager Omar Minaya should have waited until the morning after the Mets beat the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim, California, on June 16 to dismiss Randolph instead of making it public at 3:18 a.m. New York time.

``I know I screwed up,’’ Wilpon told reporters at SportsNet New York’s Manhattan studios. ``I should have said, `wait a second.’‘’

...Wilpon said he regrets not speaking up when Minaya told him the next day that he was going to fly to California and tell Randolph in person after the game. Because of the three-hour time difference, the announcement of Randolph’s firing was left out of New York newspapers.

``I wasn’t smart enough to say, `you are going to cut the New York press out?’‘’ Wilpon said. ``I didn’t even think of it.’’

...Wilpon has been an owner of the Mets since 1980 when he purchased a controlling interest in the Major League Baseball franchise with Nelson Doubleday for $21 million in 1980. He bought out Doubleday in 2002 and became the sole owner of the team. Wilpon said he intends for his family to retain control of the Mets.

``Everything has a price, but not the Mets,’’ Wilpon said. ``I’m never going to sell, my family is going to have this asset.’‘