Dave Hudgens fires back after firing

Fired Mets hitting coach Dave Hudgens hinted that team ownership was the driving force behind his ouster, then fired back at the club's own television broadcasters, who have long criticized the hitting approach espoused by general manager Sandy Alderson as too passive.

Did Hudgens believe he got a fair shake?

"It depends on who you're talking about, from who," Hudgens told Newsday Monday night in a phone interview, just a few hours after his dismissal. "From Sandy, from the front office, from the players, from Terry [Collins], from the other coaches, yeah, absolutely."

He omitted team ownership. Hudgens and Alderson have ties dating to their time with the Athletics organization. Hudgens, who joined the Mets in 2011, defended the team's patient hitting approach, which has been bashed by broadcaster Keith Hernandez.

"The naysayers, the guys who disapprove of us, the guys who I listen to on TV all the time, those guys that know everything about the game, I'm just amazed at it," Hudgens said. "What's wrong with getting a good pitch to hit? Somebody, please punch a hole in that for me. I just shake my head at the old-school guys that have it all figured out. Go up there and swing the bat. Well, what do you want to swing at? It just confounds me. It's just hilarious, really.

"That's one thing. I'm glad I don't have to listen to those guys anymore."

Hudgens said he was "a little bit surprised" by his firing since he believed the Mets had shown signs of improvement. "Every one of the players came in and gave me a hug and said how sorry they were," he said. "I was really happy with my relationship with all the guys, with coaches, with Terry, Sandy, the front office. I've got nothing but positive things to say."

Once again, he did not mention team ownership.