If there ever was a perfect example of the indecisive nature of Jerry Manuel it’s during his pre and post game sessions with the media. Often, the information in these meetings change during the three plus hours it takes to play a ballgame. Take a few of Jerry’s pregame quips from yesterday transcribed courtesy of Metsblog:

Regarding Hisanori Takahashi, Manuel said he’s in line for Saturday’s start against the Phillies, but hasn’t decided for sure as of yet, and could use someone from the minor leagues.

Manuel said he could use Takahashi in an eighth inning role, depending on the matchup.

Regarding Jeff Francoeur, Manuel said it’s possible he could use him against right handed pitching, but for now he will primarily be used against left handed pitching.

Manuel doesn’t feel Mike Pelfrey has regressed back to his 2009 form.

Here are some of my thoughts regarding those statements:

1) Takahashi pitched an impressive eighth inning setting down Colorado in order. So how does one outing change Manuel’s decision about Saturday? Apparently Takahashi will stay in the bullpen and someone else will take the start against the Phillies. Most believe it will be Pat Misch, who is having an All Star season in Buffalo. What if Takahashi implodes tonight? Does he lose his eighth inning role? How absurd that it’s now August 11th and this manager is still attempting to establish roles out of that bullpen. Some of that is the personnel, but Takahashi has been great out of the pen all season. Did you ever think indecision is helping cause the poor bullpen performance and not talent? There are some interesting arms out there and they can perform better if used properly.

2) Is Jeff Francoeur and platoon player or everyday player? This has been going on since Carlos Beltran returned in San Francisco. It appears that Frenchy, at best, should be starting against LHP. His performance this year really should have resulted in a minor league stint or DFA. As a matter of fact, Francoeur needs development time in the minors to figure out how to approach his at bats. With that said, I can understand his frustration regarding his role on this team as it changes almost daily. Not the way you want to maximize the talent from a player on the roster.

3) Mike Pelfrey hasn’t regressed, but he was considering skipping him just a few days ago. Does he skip Johan Santana when he is struggling? What about R.A. Dickey now that he had a stinker against the Phillies? This constant questioning of his players capabilities publicly has to wear thin on the team. Jonathon Niese clearly was upset when he was told he might be skipped after his Arizona implosion. Why are there constant mixed signals from the manager’s office? Doesn’t he realize this is a terrible way to build confidence, especially with a developing pitcher like Niese?

Finally, there’s the Jose Reyes story regarding Manuel’s explanation about his defense. First, and most important, if Reyes is losing focus and, in his words, “acting lazy” at shortstop, it’s a problem. He will never be the player his talent dictates with that kind of issue. Again, why is there such a communication gap between Manuel and his star? This isn’t the first time we’ve heard about Reyes’s concentration problems. It doesn’t sound like it was addressed until Manuel spoke about it with the media. How can this linger all year? Why is he not being held accountable?

This isn’t the first time Manuel has spoken to the media before a player about a situation (see Ryan Church). A skipper can use the press as a tool to motivate and police the players, but it has to be tactical and done infrequently. There appears to be too many communication gaps between Manuel and his team which start with what he says to the media.

If you want more examples of this type of behavior throughout the year, read “Essential Jerry” posts from Metsblog after each game and look at what transpired the days, or hours, after Manuel says something. You can’t get a group on the same page when they don’t know what to expect from their leader. I haven’t even gotten into the tactical disasters that are born from Manuel’s Pandora’s Box. Jerry Manuel has gone from cool to an unmitigated disaster.

Before the 25 man roster is addressed this offseason the organization needs to bring a competent field manager into the helm. They haven’t had one since Bobby Valentine was fired in 2002.

Mike Silva is a freelance writer and radio host since March of 2007. This website is his own personal "digest" of New York Baseball He's also hosts NYBD Radio on Blog Talk Radio and 1240 AM WGBB. Check out his sports media commentary at www.sportsmediawatchdog.com. Check out his official website, www.mikesilvamedia.com

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Tags: Jerry Manuel, New York Mets