July 23 (Bloomberg) -- New York Mets owner Fred Wilpon said he mishandled last month's firing of manager Willie Randolph.

General Manager Omar Minaya should have waited until the morning after the Mets beat the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim, California, on June 16 to dismiss Randolph instead of making it public at 3:18 a.m. New York time.

``I know I screwed up,'' Wilpon told reporters at SportsNet New York's Manhattan studios. ``I should have said, `wait a second.'''

New York (53-47) is 19-12 since Jerry Manuel replaced Randolph. The team, which was 6 1/2 games out of first place before Manuel, is now one game behind the division-leading Philadelphia Phillies.

Minaya told Wilpon of his decision on Randolph after the Mets' doubleheader against the Texas Rangers in New York on June 15. Wilpon said he told Minaya that he couldn't let Randolph go on Fathers Day and that they should talk about it again early the following day.

Wilpon said he regrets not speaking up when Minaya told him the next day that he was going to fly to California and tell Randolph in person after the game. Because of the three-hour time difference, the announcement of Randolph's firing was left out of New York newspapers.

``I wasn't smart enough to say, `you are going to cut the New York press out?''' Wilpon said. ``I didn't even think of it.''

Wilpon was speaking to reporters at the announcement of the club-owned SportsNet New York's deal with the Big East Conference to broadcast more than 125 college football and basketball games a year as the league's official television station.

Wilpon has been an owner of the Mets since 1980 when he purchased a controlling interest in the Major League Baseball franchise with Nelson Doubleday for $21 million in 1980. He bought out Doubleday in 2002 and became the sole owner of the team. Wilpon said he intends for his family to retain control of the Mets.

``Everything has a price, but not the Mets,'' Wilpon said. ``I'm never going to sell, my family is going to have this asset.''

To contact the reporter on this story: Danielle Sessa in New York at dsessa@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: July 23, 2008 15:47 EDT