Sometimes, you have to let go

Willie Randolph's late-night dismissal was hardly the first suspiciously timed or otherwise unusual firing in professional sports. Here are a few others:

The wrath of George

* George Steinbrenner's secretary: Steinbrenner reportedly fired a secretary after the secretary brought him the wrong sandwich for lunch.

* Yogi Berra: Went 87-75 in 1984, started 6-10 the following season and was fired by Steinbrenner. This prompted a 14-year feud between Berra and Steinbrenner. Berra refused to attend all official functions at Yankee Stadium, even when he was honored in the stadium's Monument Park, because of resentment over his firing. In 1999, Steinbrenner, prompted by Joe DiMaggio, flew from Florida to Berra's museum in New Jersey to apologize to him. Berra forgave him and the two repaired their relationship.

* Billy Martin: During his tumultuous five tenures as Yankees manager, highlighted by on- and off-the-field altercations with players and Steinbrenner, Martin managed the Yankees to two World Series appearances and one title in 1977.

* Bob Lemon: Lemon took over for Martin after Steinbrenner let Martin go during the 1978 season. Lemon then guided the Yankees to a World Series title. In 1979, Steinbrenner moved Lemon to the front office to make room for Martin after the Yankees started sluggishly. Lemon then took over as manager late in the strike-shortened 1981 season, when he again guided the Yankees to the World Series, only to lose to the Dodgers. Then, 14 games into the 1982 season, Steinbrenner fired Lemon again.

* Dick Howser: Fired by Steinbrenner after losing the ALCS in 1980 despite winning 103 regular-season games.

Happy holidays . . . you're fired

* Mike White: Fired by the Oakland Raiders on Christmas Eve in 1996. Other coaches fired the week before Christmas in '96 were Rich Kotite (Jets), Dan Reeves (Giants), Rich Brooks (Rams) and June Jones (Falcons).

* Scott Skiles: Fired on Dec. 24, 2007 by the Chicago Bulls. He was off to a 9-16 start after taking them to the playoffs each of the past three seasons.

* Glen Hanlon: Fired by the Washington Capitals on Thanksgiving 2007.

What have I done to deserve this?

* Joe Girardi: Fired after one year as Florida Marlins manager. During the 2006 season, Girardi led the Marlins, who had the lowest payroll in baseball, to a 78-84 record and had them in contention for the National League wild-card spot. Girardi was fired because of disagreements with the Marlins' front office. Six weeks after his firing on Oct. 3, Girardi won the NL manager-of-the-year award.