But the fact is, the Metropolitans are the poster child for the problem with professional sports, specifically Major League Baseball.
With the acquisition of Johan Santana, the Mets became the gold standard of the National League. They were everyone’s pick to win the East and were heavy favorites to make the World Series.
But there is a stench that simply will not vacate Shea. Some say that stench comes from female Met fans, but really, it comes from the specter of the ‘collapse of 2007’.
It’s easy for players to say that what happened in September of last year is a distant memory and this is a new season. But as we have seen in the first seven weeks of the season, last year’s disgrace will not go away.
The clubhouse seems to be a lost cause. Willie Randolph never came across as a very vocal leader. I think he had a quota of 5 words spoken per year when he was the second baseman for the Yankees.
Randolph might have a baseball pedigree, but with today’s athlete, that isn’t enough. If a manager cannot get through to his players and form a bond with them, than all the talent in the world won’t save the squad.
Example: Charlie Manuel is a retard. But the Phillies players love him and feel a kinship with him. They play hard for him. Much harder than they did for Larry Bowa.
Do you ever get the feeling that the Mets players feel some kind of bond with Randolph? That any of them would care if he was fired?
The Mets continue to make mental mistakes all over the field. The baserunning gaffes from yesterday are the perfect example. It’s not the first time these have happened and it won’t be the last.
I’ll assume that Randolph has tried to beat into their heads that these goofs are inexcusable. Yet, they continue to occur and that tells you one thing. Randolph’s words carry no weight.
I’m not trying to advocate the firing of Randolph. In fact, I abhor the way players need to coddled and cajoled into doing their job.
If you’re job is cleaning out septic tanks, I can understand if you are crabby about what you do. That guy deserves an extra pat on the back.
But when you are getting paid millions and millions of dollars, work just 2 to 3 hours per day and only 162 days out of the year, mental lapses are inexcusable.
I want to lose it when I hear a player say he lost his focus while on the basepaths and forgot how many outs there were. You only get three an inning! How hard is it to count to three?
On the day of a game, every hour leading up to the start is about those 9 innings. Finally, the time comes and if you are lucky, you get on base once, maybe twice a game. After hours of preparation and training, you finally get on and have a chance to make an impact on the game.
And then suddenly, you zone out? Your stomach growls and you start thinking about food? You start to wonder if it’s going to be nice for your off day next Monday?
Consider this. Based on his yearly salary, Jose Reyes earned over 36 thousand dollars for yesterday’s game. And in a 1-0 loss, he simply flaked out on the bases. Try that at your job and see what your boss does.
This is not a rant about player’s salaries. We all know they earn too much money, but if the money wasn’t there, they wouldn’t be getting it.
But with all that money comes added responsibility and scrutiny. Too many players want to take the coin and then bristle at any and all criticism.
Mets closer Billy Wagner is a loudmouth bore, along the lines of Curt Schilling. But Wagner’s rant following yesterday’s game was dead on.
The Mets lost a close game, one that Wagner wasn’t even involved in. But after the game, a number of players who did play a role in the loss conveniently disappeared when the media filled the locker room.
When reporters approached Wagner, he didn’t hesitate to call these guys out. Not because it was a tough loss, but because these guys have been pulling this type of stunt for a while now.
When the ship is going down, the rats are always the first to bail out. It happened last year during the Mets collapse and it is carrying over this year.
Why should Wagner be the one to talk to the press about Carlos Delgado’s game ending double play? Why should he be the one to talk about the baserunning mistakes? He was in the bullpen all day.
Because this is New York, these situations always get more hype. But it is a problem which permeates every clubhouse to some degree.
Players feel they are accountable to nobody, which is wrong on so many levels.
They are accountable to their teammates, something Wagner is trying to point out.
They are accountable to the press, because if it wasn’t for them, nobody would know who the heck they are.
They are accountable to the fans, because it is them who are paying their salary. Go ask professional soccer players in this country how they would act if they were able to sell out 162 games a year.
I felt compelled to write this only because I love the sport of baseball so much. I really can’t stand how things have changed over the past 20 years.
Players are a different breed and have become out of touch with the heart of the game. Instead of playing because they want to, too many are playing because they want to be rich.
I often thought it would be nice if someday, the economy of baseball just collapsed. Suddenly, the max salary a player can earn would be 50,000 a year. How many guys do you think would simply quit, because they weren’t earning enough?
The guys that stayed would be the ones that deserved our attention. I could come up with a list of guys that I know would retire on the spot.
I know this is supposed to be a fantasy column, but the goings on in the Mets locker room yesterday just got me riled up. On to this week’s YEA or NAY.
YEA: To Reds farmhand Jay Bruce. The 21 year old uber-prospect is on a ridiculous roll, creaming pitching in AAA. Over his last 10 games, Bruce is 22 for 36. That’s a .611 clip for those without a calculator. Unfortunately, Bruce can’t play centerfield, so the Reds are keeping him in the minors until Ken Griffey’s Alzheimers kicks in.
NAY: To all the weird saves coming out of the woodwork this week. Masa Kobayashi, Blaine Boyer, Jarrod Washburn. I hate saves.
YEA: To Blue Jays reliever Scott Downs. Somehow, Downs has 5 saves, despite BJ Ryan being the full time closer and Jeremy Accardo getting 4 saves in the early going. Downs has as many saves as Detroit’s Todd Jones, who has the job all to his lonesome.
NAY: To Livan Hernandez. The Twins opening day starter is 6-1, despite a fastball that averages only 84 miles per hour. That’s right, I said his FASTBALL.
YEA: To any of you who held onto CC Sabathia. I wish I would have traded for him.
NAY: To the Gatorade commercial starring Mia Hamm and her wife Nomar. The two of them are doing some stupid mini-bowling thing, so I’m supposed to want to run out and buy some Gatorade. Right.
YEA: To the Japanese film ‘Audition’. If you are a Netflix subscriber, queue it up. This film is disturbing on more levels than you can imagine, but you cannot take your eyes off it.
NAY: To the situation in Seattle. The Mariners are horrible and they had better turn things around quick, because the Angels and A’s aren’t letting up. How bad is it in the Pacific Northwest? In their 4-3 win over Texas earlier this week, the M’s came back from a 2 run deficit. It was their biggest comeback of the year. 2 runs.
YEA: To the Beverly Hills 90210 spinoff that is hitting the air next fall. You may not want to admit it, but you know you are excited.
NAY: To Brett Myers. This is the second straight week he has been on this list, but I need to add a caveat. Everyone keeps saying that Myers is screwed up because of his move to the bullpen last year. But I’d like to point out that before 2007, when Myers was strictly a starter, HE WAS NEVER THAT GOOD IN THE FIRST PLACE! His career best ERA is 3.72. He’s never won more than 14 games in a season. Everyone penciled Myers in to be an All-Star, but I think the expectations were just way too high. Is he better than he is pitching right now? Yes. But is he Cy Young material? Never has been.
YEA: To Jacoby Ellsbury. Considering the whole Coco Crisp dilemma, Ellsbury has played remarkably well and has set a pace for 56 steals and 116 runs scored.
NAY: To Michael Bourn. Now you know why the Phillies didn’t hesitate to trade him. 17 steals are allright, but he’s batting .180 and has scored a paltry 16 runs, despite having Carlos Lee, Lance Berkman and Miguel Tejada there to drive him in. Ed Wade strikes again!
YEA: To Pedro Feliz. Feliz hasn’t been terrific, but you need to watch him play. I kid you not, he swings at the first pitch every single time up. EVERY SINGLE TIME. It is really bizarre, in a fun way.
NAY: To Sarah Jessica Parker. I never got the whole ‘Sex in the City’ thing because SJP is PDU. Pretty Damn Ugly. The redhead is a lesbian. The other blonde is a grisly old cougar. And I could give or take on the brunette. Wouldn’t the show be more enjoyable if it was Jessica Biel, Cameron Diaz, Scarlett Johanson, and Elisha Cuthbert?
YEA: To bailing out on trading for a while. I’m getting close to saying something that I will regret in one of my leagues, so I think it’s time I back off the owner interaction for a little while. I’ve created some lifelong enemies in the past with some things I’ve said in other leagues. But I like to think I’ve grown with old age and I don’t want Big Z to get mad at me for ruining his league. I’m doing this for you buddy!
YEA: To the Giambino!!! Speaking with doctors in the know, based on his current day size and frame, this picture had to have been taken when he was 11 years old. Our first pic of the week. Enjoy.
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