By Mitch Abramson
Named after Billy Martin's “Billy-ball” when he was the manager of the Yankees and Randolph was his star second basemen, the style was fast and aggressive and Randolph patterned his career off it. Now he is staking his coaching philosophy and basically the future of the Mets to it.”I'm not going to call it Willie-ball yet, but we are trying to be more aggressive,” Randolph said.In the home opener against the Houston Astros Monday, the Mets' first-year manager put his vision in motion and saw his team rally from a 4-3 deficit in the eighth to win 8-4 over the Houston Astros (4-2) at Shea Stadium.A day after getting benched because of inconsistent play, Kaz Matsui knocked in Jose Reyes for the go-ahead run as the Mets scored five runs in the eighth inning and ruined the homecomings of former Yankee Andy Pettitte, who was knocked out of the game in the sixth inning and ex-Met John Franco, who was clubbed by the only batter he faced.The game, in fact, was dripping with subtext. It was opening day for the Mets. Carlos Beltran was facing his old club, with whom he clobbered eight post-season homeruns with last year, allowing him to sign the monster contract with the Mets.And then of course, there was the Mets, who after starting the season 1-5, was in desperate need of a fan-pacifying victory. The crowd on Monday was searching for a little inspiration: a reason to believe that this season would be different from the last three seasons where the Mets finished in the basement twice.The Mets promised to do better. They signed Pedro Martinez and Carlos Beltran in the summer, hired a new general manager in Queens native Omar Minaya, a new skipper in Randolph and even rolled out a new slogan- The New Mets- that was brimming with optimism.The fans weren't buying it after an 0-5 start. Those happy-go-lucky New Yorkers, all 53,663 who attended the home opener, were beginning to sour on the team, the inbred cynicism surfacing, and the crowd, moody as a first date, was looking to be swept of their feet on Monday.What they got was a little sip of Willie-ball.”We were playing aggressive out there,” third basemen David Wright said. “We were putting pressure on the defense and taking extra bases. We were trying to keep the defense on its toes.”For a team that underwent heavy construction in the off-season, it took the absurd site of a maintenance crew trying to correct a mechanical glitch on a billboard above the outfield to galvanize the team.After a 14-minute delay before the bottom of the sixth, Mets right fielder David Diaz worked a 3-2 count into a single to right field, driving in Cliff Floyd, who reached base on a single to tie the game at 1-1.Miguel Cairo, pinch-hitting for starting pitcher Tom Glavine, came up next and gave the Mets a 2-1 lead on a chop single over the head of shortstop Adam Everett that scored Wright and knocked Pettitte out of the game.Diaz and Cairo next converted a double steal, proof that Willie-ball is more than just a cute slogan, and Matsui laid a perfect bunt down the first base line that scored Diaz for a 3-1 lead.”I heard the cheers after I bunted, and that felt good,” Matsui said through an interpreter. “Getting booed or not starting doesn't bother me. Obviously, I have to produce in order results if I'm going to be in the starting lineup. All I can control is (how I play so) I am in the lineup.”Trailing 4-3 in the eighth, the Mets took advantage of the opening day elements. Catcher Ramon Castro popped the ball into shallow left, where the sun's glare and second basemen Craig Biggio were waiting to corrupt the play.Biggio and left fielder Chris Burke both converged on the ball and collided, allowing Matsui to score from second to lead 6-4 in an inning that saw Houston use three new pitchers, including St. John's alum Franco, who entered the game to boos and promptly gave up a 2-run single to Cliff Floyd to help make it 8-4. “It's always frustrating when you lose a lead in a game,” Pettitte said. “But I enjoy coming back here. I had a lot of special memories here.”With the win, the Mets are trying to produce some fond memories of their own.Reach reporter Mitch Abramson by E-mail at TimesLedger@aol.com or call 718-229-0300 Ext. 130.
