At 3:15 AM this morning, the New York Mets fired manager Willie Randolph. The Mets are currently underachieving with a record of 34-35, though the firing may have had more to do with the team’s monumental collapse at the end of 2007’s regular season. The Mets have posted winning numbers in each of Randolph’s three complete seasons, but with a payroll of $138 million, Randolph has apparently come up short—at least in the eyes of general manager Omar Minaya.

My take: The Mets are a classic example of a team built too much around free agency, much like the Yankees. Bulking up their roster with big names on year to year basis, they lack the chemistry necessary to make a World Series drive.

Last week I detailed my experience getting run out of Starbucks like a filthy vagrant despite my dedicated years of patronage. I got a response from the corporate office that said they had forwarded my e-mail to the district manager, who would be contacting me soon. Today I received said dispatch:

Daniel~
My name is Cheryl and I am the district manager for Starbucks Coffee Company in the Chico, Red Bluff and Susanville area. I am sorry not to have responded sooner, but did not get your email forwarded to me until my day off. I am currently looking into this and will be addressing it ASAP! Something that concerns me is that for an extended period your drink has been given a derogatory name, I’m ok with that if you call it that but not our partners, it is essentially a no water Iced Americano, which is a menu item just as a triple iced espresso is! I am very sorry for your experience and hope to be able to make it right for you, not only for your last experience but the continued experience! Please feel free to contact me and thank you so much for bringing this to our attention!

AH, VINDICATION! Even better was the fact that in the interim, I had already pinned a far lulzier version of my original e-mail for publication in the weekly edition of the Synthesis, which hit the streets this morning. It is reproduced below for your edification. More updates are sure to follow!!11 Stay tuned…

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