For the last few weeks, the status of Willie Randolph’s job has been much debated by media outlets. Those against him argued that Randolph had done very little to defuse a broken clubhouse and seemed too passive in the dugout.

Whatever the reason, Randolph lost his job Tuesday. When general manager Omar Minaya traveled Monday from New York to Anaheim, where the Mets were playing the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, his status should have already been known.

Despite finishing his first managerial stint with a very good 302-253 (.550 winning percentage) record, Randolph will be remembered for the Mets’ late-season collapse last season. Over the final 17 games of the year, they blew a seven game lead over the Philadelphia Phillies.

Rick Peterson, a very good pitching coach, and Tom Nieto, previously the Mets’ first base coach, were also fired.

“I don’t have much to say, really,” Randolph said to multiple news outlets from his hotel. “I’m just disappointed that I’m not going to be able to fulfill what my dream is, which is to come here and help this team win a world championship…I was really stung by it. I was surprised.”

Firing Randolph was not the panacea for what ails the Mets. An objective view tells us that the players are to blame. There is no reason that players like Carlos Beltran and Carlos Delgado should bail before reporters enter the clubhouse.

Paul LoDuca raised that point last year, but nothing was done about it. Billy Wagner had to bring up the point once again this season.

The Mets’ clubhouse was apparently a fractured one. But you know what? This is not Randolph’s fault. The manager has the responsibility to be encouraging toward his players (Bobby Cox) and defend his players well (Joe Torre), but he does not need to baby-sit grown men. If these wealthy athletes are going to let a few differences between them ruin a season, then they are truly to blame.

But maybe that’s too simplistic for members of the Mets’ front office. Perhaps they should try a different, and better, approach: blaming the general manager. After all, Omar Minaya has been given a $137 million payroll. That figure ranks second in the major leagues, but the Mets’ record (through Tuesday) is only 34-36.

Minaya must have forgotten that pitching wins championships. The team entered the season with the injury-prone Pedro Martinez, the erratic John Maine and Oliver Perez, and an assortment of Mike Pelfrey (a youngster) and Orlando Hernandez (also injury prone) in the starting rotation.

The bullpen isn’t much better, having put up a 4.03 ERA on the season. That figure ranks them 18th in the major leagues.

It would be difficult for even the most die-hard Mets fans to spin that as a championship set of pitchers, especially in a division with quality offenses.

The players and the general manager are much more responsible for the action on the field than the manager. Too bad it was Randolph who was axed Tuesday.

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