Do the Mets Shuffle [J. Mark English]

The New York Mets dismissed hitting coach Rick Down, replacing him with third base coach Howard Johnson (HoJo). They also officially brought in Ricky Henderson to join the coaching staff.

What is odd to me is that as great of a player Ricky Henderson was in his career, he had the symptoms of a player who didn't run out every play. If that was his attitude as a player, and Willie showed how he felt about that last week with Reyes, why would you bring in Henderson?

Of course his experience alone will be invaluable to the Mets. Also, they will lose the experience of Julio France on their bench, as the 48 year old will be reassigned to make room for the much younger outfielder, Lastings Milledge.

Here is what D.J. Short of Mets Blog has to say about the coaching shuffle:

Marty Noble of MLB.com notes that while Rickey Henderson has been added to the coaching staff, current Mets first base coach Howard Johnson is likely to assume most or all of Rick Down's job responsibilities.

And Adam Rubin of the Daily News responds to the other moves the Mets made today:

The Mets did the right thing by designating Julio Franco for assignment today to make room for Lastings Milledge, even if I must admit it was surprising.

Omar Minaya has been so loyal to the people who go way back with him to the his Rangers days, including Franco. I was actually concerned Minaya might re-up Franco for 2008 just to allow him to play until he's 50, even though that would have been absurd.

It's nice to see the Mets are making evaluations based on on-field criteria and divorcing emotional ties.