((HT: NYPost))
The Mets today fired player development chief Tony Bernazard ((pictured with Fred Wilpon, thanks NY Post file)) after an investigation into a series of confrontations.
"After all was said and done, I had to make a recommendation to ownership, and my recommendation to ownership was that we had to let Tony Bernazard go," GM Omar Minaya said at a Citi Field press conference.
Minaya said the Mets' human resources department had been investigating Bernazard even before a series of published reports on recent behavior, which included confrontations with Mets minor leaguers in Binghamton and major-league closer Francisco Rodriguez.
"I was very surprised by some of the things in the report," Minaya said without elaborating. "I was not aware of the issues that made me make the final decision."
Reached by phone today, Bernazard said he did not want to comment on the situation.
Bernazard, the Mets vice president of player development, was pulled off the road while management conducted its investigation into the former big-league second baseman.
"The investigation was expedited by the reports that were out," Minaya said.
Minaya said he received the results of the investigation yesterday, and he discussed its findings with Bernazard.
"It was a thorough investigation, [and] a difficult decision for me to make," Minaya said. "I felt that after all the facts [were considered], I had to basically let Tony Bernazard go."
Minaya said he took responsibility for the controversy.
"It does reflect upon my watch," Minaya said. "I take full responsibility."
Rodriguez confirmed last week he exchanged angry words with Bernazard on the team bus in Atlanta.
"Yeah [it happened], but I'm not going to talk about that," Rodriguez told The Post. "Not going to get into it."
A team source confirmed the incident with K-Rod, which came to light hours after a published report said Bernazard cursed at the Double-A Binghamton Mets and challenged them to a fight in the clubhouse in Binghamton two weeks ago.
A veteran player described Bernazard to The Post last week as a cancer on the team.
"That guy [Bernazard] is crazy," the player said. "No one like[s] him."
Minaya said the internal HR investigation was launched because "Employees within the organization had complaints about Tony. But I can't get into details."
Several Binghamton Mets stepped up to defend Bernazard over the clubhouse incident, not surprisingly, considering he had significant control over their baseball futures as the Mets' minor-league overseer.
"This has been taken way too far," B-Mets catcher Josh Thole told the Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin. "It's uncalled for as far as you guys [the media] blowing this out of proportion, so I don't think anything more should be said about it."
The Mets' minor-league system was not performing well under Bernazard. Triple-A Buffalo has the worst record in the International League and Binghamton has the poorest record in the Eastern League.
Early indications from several team sources were that Bernazard, who is close to Mets chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon, would not be fired despite a long pattern of behind-the-scenes skullduggery since Minaya helped get Bernazard hired in December 2004.
Friends of former manager Willie Randolph told The Post last summer that Randolph held Bernazard -- with an assist from Randolph's replacement, Jerry Manuel -- responsible for orchestrating his midseason firing.
"Was Tony the most liked person in the world? No; we know that," Minaya said. "Was he a good baseball person? Yes."
Bernazard hit .262 with 75 home runs and 391 RBIs with Montreal, the Chicago White Sox, Seattle, Cleveland and Detroit from 1979-91.
