Communication Breakdown…………….

July 26, 2012 by 1 Comment

Was yesterday’s blow up between Tim Brydak, Josh Thole and Dan Warthen a shock or surprise to anyone? I didn’t think so. This situation has been simmering for a few weeks  and as the losses pile up the finger pointing stars to sprout and in the words of Dan Reeves, “when you point a finger, remember there are four fingers pointing back at you”. Terry Collins said something similar after the game about guys needing to take on accountability for their actions, which was directed at Tim Brydak, but is Brydak the villain here? Not to me he isn’t.

For most of this collapsible second half, the bullpen has been held as public enemy #1 but there is so much more to the ineffectiveness of the Mets relievers than lack of talent, it’s more of lack of direction.

Most Mets fans were puzzled when Dan Warthen was retained at the end of last season and many are pointing the fickle finger at him for the suckitude of the pen. I would put myself in the group questioning why Warthen was retained, but the one part of the pitching game that has been as much a problem as blown saves and three run late inning jacks is the lack of a veteran backstop.

Let’s face facts, if Josh Thole were in any other organization he’d be the Sunday catcher or the starter at Triple A, what earned him the job was his ability to hit for a decent average and get on base.  His work on defense is not very good and since he’s so green around the grills as a receiver, he’s left to relaying signs given to him by Warthen to the pitcher on the mound and as we witnessed yesterday, Brydak is tired of it.

Warthen and Terry Collins put Thole in a bad situation as he’s being told by Warthen on what fingers to throw down only to have Brydak shake him off. Warthen I guess being adamant on what pitch he wants thrown, flashes the sign to Thole again for a fastball , Brydak shakes him off again as he wants to throw a breaking ball which to me his his perogitive since he is, you know, the guy responsible for what happens when that ball leaves his hand, but Brydak gives in an releases a heater and Adam LaRoche turned on it for a home run. After giving Thole a stare down, Brydak comes out of the game is hotter than the Roosevelt Ave asphalt.

What Thole should have done before the pitch to LaRoche was call time, motion to Warthen to come to the mound and then address both the pitching coach and Brydak by saying “can you two fucktards get on the same page”. There’s no way in hell Thole would ever do this but I’m sure Jerry Grote would have punched both of them is the jaw.

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Not Much In The Mood For Baseball Today

July 20, 2012 by 2 Comments

With the tragedy that happened in a movie theater in Aurora CO, I’m finding it hard to get worked up about the Mets bullpen and whether the team can make a deal or much of anything that pertains to sports.

There is no way you can make sense of what happened in Aurora but the saddest part of this tragedy is it’s not the first time this has happened and unfortunately  it won’t be the last.  The first reactions I saw about this tragic event when I opened Twitter was the predicable attack of guns and the NRA. I agree a million percent that the gun laws in parts of this country are a god damn joke, the country could take a cue from NYC where getting a license to carry a gun is almost impossible. Then you have the states in the South where you can go into your local Wal-Mart and buy an assault rifle, I am all for the 2nd amendment of the U.S. Constitution because I believe that every American has the right to protect his family and property as he sees fit, but there has to be a rigorous screening process in order to own a firearm.

What also has to be addressed in the aftermath of this senseless attack is what made this killer do this? Why would someone make this kind of premeditated attack on these people who he never knew? There is a huge stigma in this country to people who suffer from mental illness and I’m sure in the days and weeks to come we will hear all about the shooters life and what warning signs that could have been telling that he needed help.

The police should be commended for bringing the gunman into custody and not executing him on the spot which I’m sure many would have celebrated but by bringing him in alive I would hope that the authorities bring in the best in the field in the study and treatment of mental disorders to study him and find out what it is that makes someone fall in such despair or hate that they could perpetrate this kind of carnage.

My sincere condolence to the families of the murder victims who are left to grieve and try to make sense of this attack on their love ones, I hope you somehow find the strength to carry on.

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NY Mets Will Be Buyers This Trade Deadline

July 8, 2012 by Leave a Comment

 

Trying to get back into blogger mode after a week on Cape Cod and the cold reality that 5AM wakeup call awaits me tomorrow morning so  without much rhyme or reason here are some Mets thoughts:

The next three days with the All Star break should feature a whirlwind of Mets trade rumors in fact some are starting already. This team for all the hustle and flow it’s shown this season needs some big time renovation if they are going to go hard after a post season berth.

The biggest need is in the bullpen which posted its best ERA of the season at 3.77 but still sports the worst team ERA in MLB at 4.99.  It seems Terry Collins is relying on the arms of Tim Byrdak, Bobby Parnell and Miguel Batista in the late innings of games while Jon Rauch and Ramon Ramirez have the tag of “one or two batters only” attached to their names. Pedro Beato is back up and one would hope he would replace Batista in the late inning order, moving Batista back to the long man role he’s better at. Of course all will change once Frankie Frisco comes back from oblique rehab but where will he fit? Has Bobby Parnell turned a corner in his career where he’s figured out how to get his curve over for strikes and have the confidence to throw it in a tough situation? Seems the Mets brass is not 100 % sold on Parnell and Frisco as they have let the word out they would like to obtain a closer or a pitcher who has had closer experience, that doesn’t mean Parnell and Frisco are a concern but as we’ve seen so far this half of the season a strong back end of the pen is the difference between 4.5 games back of the Nats instead of 4.5 games ahead of the Nats and first place in the NL East.

Lots of talk of the Mets getting involved in dealing for a catcher, which Sandy Alderson has made known is a priority to upgrade in the Mets system, hence the drafting of Kevin Plawecki with a supplemental pick in this year’s draft, and while myself and many Mets fans would be happy if the Mets were to upgrade the position at the trade deadline, I’m not sure if it will happen or should it. As much as Mike Nickeas makes Mets fans groan, when it comes to the pitching staff and Terry Collins and Dan Warthen, Nickeas is a valuable piece to this team. Nickeas is kind of a player/coach on this Mets team and I know there is a segment of Mets fans and bloggers who feel team chemistry is overrated, it’s hard to watch this team day in and day out and not see that the camaraderie in the clubhouse has played a major role in the success of the team in the first half.  You may not believe it but the front office, coaching staff and the players do. I would be a bit surprised if the Mets dealt for a catcher in season, best bet is the team will go hard to upgrade the backstop spot in the winter.

Much has been made about Reggie Jackson dissing the late Gary Carter saying the Kid was not Hall of Fame worthy, if you know anything about Reggie Jackson you know he loves to say things just to get his name mentioned in the papers or TV/sports talk radio. We all know the stories of Reggie’s turbulent Highlander years as a self-promoting blowhard, who always felt he was above everything and anything. I have a Reggie story that was told to me by someone who worked for the Highlanders and is now deceased and it shows the true Reggie

When Jackson retired he was hired by George Steinbrenner to work in the front office with Gene Michael. On his first day as a front office employee, Reggie went into Steinbrenner’s office which doubled as his suite at Highlander Stadium and asked to be served a turkey sandwich and an iced tea.  Jackson was told by the gentleman who ran the suite that since he was now a front office employee of the Highlanders, he could not come into the office/suite whenever he felt like it and he could not eat there either, Reggie was told he had to eat in the cafeteria with the rest of the office staff. Jackson exploded when he heard this and said “Do you know who the fuck I am? Get me that fucking sandwich and drink”. To avoid further confrontation the attendant went and got Jackson his lunch. As Reggie sat and enjoyed his turkey sandwich, Boss George entered the suite. “Who’s that down there”? “Reggie, Boss” was the workers reply. “What the fuck is he doing here”? Asked Steinbrenner. “Eating his lunch” the worker said. “Eating his lunch” doesn’t he know he has to eat in the staff cafeteria”? said Big Stein. “I told him that Boss but he told me he’s Reggie Jackson and basically told me to go fuck myself” relayed the worker.

With that Boss George erupted and starting screaming at Jackson and grabbed the plate the sandwich was on and flung it at the wall, Steinbrenner then asked Jackson if he knew “Who the fuck he was”? Steinbrenner then told Jackson if he pulls a stunt like that again, he’ll fire him but before he made him leave Steinbrenner had two more things for Reggie to do, one, apologize to the suite attendant who Steinbrenner informed him was more valuable to the organization than Jackson and two, get a broom and clean up this mess. Jackson performed both tasks.

 

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Mets Dreck Pt. 2

June 27, 2012 by 1 Comment

 

What else is there to say about last night’s game than what Terry Collins said in his post-game presser :

“I haven’t the faintest idea. I don’t know if it’s fatigue. I don’t know what it is. We didn’t run the bases. We didn’t play good defense. We didn’t drive in the runs we needed to drive in. It was a combination of a lot of things. We didn’t pitch very goodl. It was the worst Dillon’s pitched probably in awhile… We’ve played two bad baseball games here. We are a better team than what we’ve played.”

I’m not buying the fatigue factor at all, it’s not like Collins is running out the same eight guys game after game, in fact everyday seems like there is a different lineup.  Two areas that were a big problem last year and are still a big problem this year, the defense and the bullpen have to be addressed soon or the feel good first three months of this season will be forgotten fast.

As much as I love Daniel Murphy the leash on his 2nd base job is getting shorter and shorter. 28 is getting another start today against the Cubs but it could be Collins is ready to go to a platoon of Murph and Ronny Cedeno . Last time I was at Citi Field sitting in on Collins’ pre game press conference, the question of Murhpy’s slump came up. What was interesting in Collins response was he and hitting coach Dave Hudgens had told Murphy to take a break with watching video and taking batting practice in the indoor cage, which sounded to me like Collins was cryptically saying Murphy suffered from paralysis from analysis.  Collins also spoke on how Murphy keeps changing how he holds his hands from at bat to at bat along with his stance in the batter’s box. For all the hard work and dedication that Murphy puts in it seems like Collins is hinting that he’s overdoing it and needs to relax.

The one thing that should save Ike Davis from a fine and suspension is the incompetence of umpire Manny Gonzalez. Gonzalez blew the pick off call in the 8th inning last night and Ike just put his glove on the umps arm which is an automatic ejection but I’d hope Gonzalez apologies to Ike today for blowing that call.

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I Love The NY Mets, Sorry If That Offends You

June 12, 2012 by 1 Comment

 

Sometimes I just don’t get the anger that spews from what I hope is a minority of the Mets fan base. Yes it sucked to lose three in the South Bronx this past weekend and yes the defense and the bullpen along with zero production from Ike Davis and Jason Bay when he’s healthy have led to a nasty slide, but has it gotten to the point where some of our Mets brethren have lost their ever lovin’ minds?

If you took to Twitter yesterday and you are a follower of Jon Rauch you got to see the worst and thankfully the best in Mets fans.  Some of the angry mob attacked Rauch in such a way that it made me blush, not an easy thing to do. There were calls for Rauch to just go on the DL and never be heard from again and others who feel if it weren’t for him the Mets would be 1st place by a wide margin and there were some you called Rauch names in a screen that never in a million years would ever say to his face. In fact I tweeted to Rauch that the same “fans” who say you suck and that you’re a big pussy are the same ones who hang out by the player’s entrance at Citi Field begging for your autograph.  I know the club has lost a lot of games of late but have we all lost our minds as well?

Jon Rauch will be the first to tell you he’s “pitching like horseshit” as he said after giving up the game winning HR to Russell Martin. He gave no excuses and stood at his locker and showed his emotions on how it sucked for the team and him to give up that shot. That kind of accountably had been lost in the Mets clubhouse but not anymore. That’s a big step forward. No one on this team hides in the trainer’s room after a loss, no one  says “no comment” to any question, which is why this is an easy Mets team to root for, they’re stand up guys.

I’ve been called a sellout, a stooge and an apologist because the Mets have been gracious in allowing me and my fellow bloggers access to the players, if that’s what you think that’s fine by me. I will gladly admit I have not posted many negative posts here as I’ve done in the past, that’s because I really like this team, the manager and the front office. Before I was invited to such events at Citi Field, I advocated hiring Sandy Alderson to run the organization and when the Mets not only hired Alderson but got Paul DePodesta and J.P. Riccardi on board it was in my opinion, one of the best days in Mets history. I still feel that way.

The only people who mock and can’t see the future of the Mets is on the upswing are the ignorant. Those who refuse to see the good work that is going on in the minor league system and in the front office. Of course there is plenty of work to be done, this team not only has to pitch and catch the ball better and they have to play smarter baseball as well, we know that, the team knows that.

Believe me there have been Mets teams in the past like the Jeff Torborg and Art Howe led teams, and the end of the Willie Randolph era teams and the Jerry Manuel teams that I have despised.  This team is the opposite of any of those lazy ass teams that embarrassed me as a Mets fans. This year’s team has me rooting harder for the Mets than I have in a long time.

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So Listen Mr. D.J., Pack Your Bags

May 17, 2012 by 1 Comment

It was a bad night all around for the Mets, in particular Johan Santana, who pitched another gem and left without a win, the Mets bullpen which imploded once again, for D.J. Carrasco who had to confess his sins to Terry Collins and David Wright before the game and asked to be used in pressure situation in late innings got his wish and pitched like shit and mercifully Sandy Alderson did a mea culpa and cut his ass after the game.

Collins did not have a great game either when it came to bullpen management. Heads were on swivel at Citi Field last night when Bobby Parnell did not come out to pitch the 8th inning after a just a 5 pitch one batter K in the 7th. I was waiting to see Parnell come out the dugout but instead Jon Rauch ran in from the bullpen. I know Collins is trying to keep everyone in their role but so far this bullpen has been dreadful with only Parnell and Tim Brydak pitching effectively so why not let Parnell start the 8th and have Rauch up just in case ? I love all the positive spin that comes from the Mets clubhouse but its games like last night that has many in the fan base unconvinced that this positive first two months is real.

With Jason Bay getting back to baseball activity, the speculation is on as to who will be chucked once Bay comes back to the big league team.  The club is making it known that Ike Davis will not be shipped upstate so he’s safe. Mike Baxter is more than safe with his uncanny ability to get a hit off the bench to match his speed and defensive ability he has become a very valuable piece to the 2012 Mets. That leaves Scott Hairston and Kirk Nieuwenhuis as the last options to be re-assigned.

Nieuwenhuis’ bat has cooled as he has gone 8 for his last 33 (.242) but no one expected him to hit at the pace he has and even though his strikeout rate is high he still gets on base at a decent .367 clip. Kirk also plays terrific defense and can play all three outfield positions and he has added toughness to the team that has been sorely needed.

Hairston biggest plus is he’s a right handed hitter with some pop and that is in short supply on this team. The other RH on the bench right now are Rony Cedeno and Justin Turner but if Hairston was traded to make room for Bay’s return you could platoon Bay and Nieuwenhuis in LF so on days a right-hander pitches you’d still  Bay and his righty bat ready off the bench.

I guess it comes down to do the Mets feel it’s better to have Nieuwenhuis play every day in Buffalo  and have him ready if another outfielder goes down or leave him here in a platoon in LF and to spell Andres Torres in centerfield. I’d go with the Bay/Kirk platoon myself and make Hairston expendable. Stay tuned!

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The United Mets of Flushing

May 14, 2012 by Leave a Comment

 

I didn’t see any of yesterday’s game as it was Mother’s Day and my kids had no sporting events (all through Little League we never scheduled games on Mother’s Day, I can’t say the same for youth soccer my kids regularly played on Mother’s Day making life difficult for a bunch of families, thankfully this season the schedule worked in our favor) but I received updates on my phone, it’s tough to be sitting in a theater during a play to check my phone when it’s vibrating with Mets news especially when my wife is sitting next to me, so it wasn’t until the conclusion of Perfect Crime did I see the carnage in Miami by left by the Mets bullpen.

So instead of a beyond belief 6-0 road trip the Mets head home to Flushing with a 4-2 mark instead. Now we all would have co-signed for that record at the start of the trip but since the two losses were of the blown by bullpen variety, it made for an angry fandom after the game because as I discussed on Saturday, nothing turns a baseball fans red like a blown save to lose a game, in fact Jon Rauch took to Twitter to lay some knowledge on some fans when it came to commitment to winning and having your teammates back. As we saw with the Frank Francisco taking on inept home plate umpire Todd Tichenor, who by the way is in his first season as an everyday MLB umpire, this Mets team has passion and they seem to have enacted the practice of no teammate left behind as Rauch put on display last night. They win as a team and they lose as a team. It seems some Mets fans are not grasping this concept; maybe some of you are pining for the days of “One Met Said” cowardice we’ve seen in the Mets clubhouse during past administrations.  Thankfully those days look to be over.

Now that doesn’t mean Terry Collins will keep the status quo in the bullpen as the manager stated he has “8 options” to use as a game closer and let’s be honest here Mets fans, you can scream and curse Frank Francisco and Manny Acosta for yesterday and Friday but the toughest thing to build in baseball today is a proficient bullpen. Look at the regal Bronx Bastards, they need help in their pen but even with their unlimited financial resources, they can’t go out and buy a closer to replace the Sainted Mariano the Majestic. So TC may have to go with the hot hand to close games or use a combo of Tim Byrdak, Bobby Parnell and Jon Rauch, the three most effective relievers so far, to finish out games.

At the end of last season, Sandy Alderson pointed out that all the blown saves that led to losses at the end of the season were unacceptable and that these types of situation’s can bring down a team. Right now this Mets team is united but you wonder how much that unity can stand if the late game meltdowns continue?

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No Sleep ‘Till Brooklyn

May 6, 2012 by 1 Comment

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We were invited to a party last night in our old neighborhood in Brooklyn, as many you know how much pride I have in being born and raised in Brooklyn  and with the passing of Adam Yauch a fellow Brooklynite and Beastie Boy I  made sure as we crossed over the Verazzano Narrows Bridge last night I  made sure I had this song queued up R.I.P. MCA

Just so happened I was in Brooklyn last night to attend a dinner to for the son of friends who was receiving his Eagle Scout award from his Boy Scout troop.  We were all waiting for the festivities to begin but before we would get started, the pastor from the church of this young man’s parish was to give the invocation prayer before the start of the evening. Seems the priest was running a bit late, most guessed he officiated the 5 o’clock mass at his church, not at problem, it just gave the guests more time to socialize and enjoy each other company. Finally after being over 45 minutes late, the priest walks into the hall, shakes a few hands and arrives at the podium. The crowd rises as we prepare for his opening prayer, but before we get to make the sign of the cross, the priest makes the following confession.

“Ladies and gentleman,  I have to apologize for my lateness this evening.  I’ve been sitting in my car the last 20 minutes listening to the 9th inning of the Mets game, (all of a sudden a lot of eyes focused in my direction “hey did I sit in the car “? “No I followed the game right here on my phone”) a game they needed to win because Johan Santana has been such an inspiration and deserves to see a W next to his name in the box score and with this bullpen lately, nothing is certain. So with that in the name of the father, son and the holy spirit………………”

Mets fans. Go figure.

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Same Old Mets ? I Don’t Thnk So !

April 30, 2012 by 1 Comment

 

WHEW!!!!!  Yesterday’s Mets-Rockies game is like trying to eat a Carnegie Deli sandwich, where do you begin?

I’ll start with Johan Santana who has topped everyone’s expectations so far this season.  Santana relied on fastball/change up combo and I hate using this word, battled. If you want to take Johan to task (I don’t know why you would) his walk rate 4.13 BB/9IP is high but as he progress through the season that should drop.  The main thing that separates Santana from Mark Prior and Chen Ming Wang, the two pitchers who have had the same surgery as Santana, is he is a superior pitcher than either two. Prior was more a thrower than a pitcher and Wang is a back of the rotation guy, Santana is an anchor. Since his 1.1 IP performance in Atlanta on April 17 th, his last two starts have been outstanding, having  pitched 12.2 innings and given up 1 earned run dropping  his season ERA from 3.97 to 2.25. See how easy life is with a solid #1 pitcher.

Well somewhat easy I guess. I have no problem with Terry Collins pulling Santana after 6 innings in a start where Johan had thrown 105 pitches in his last start with an extra day rest.  So far the program the Mets have put together for Santana has been working so why get greedy, besides with the exception of Frank Frisco, the back end of the bullpen has been good. Now would I have gone with Miguel Batista in the 7th inning? No, I’d have gone with Bobby Parnell, but when I thought about why TC would go with Batista in that spot, I thought it would be to show confidence in Batista after that awful start last Monday, putting him a spot to succeed. Collins is the anti-Joe Girardi, he’s more a feel and from the gut kind of manager, he knows when a player needs a confidence boost and when a guy needs a day of reflection from the bench. Binders? Terry Collins doesn’t need no stinkin’ binders. Batista pitched a fine 7th inning and things were moving along nicely until………………

We could scream and yell about home plate ump Paul Emmel squeezing the strike zone on Jon Rauch especially on the Michael Cuddyer at bat (as per pitch f/x, Rauch only hit the strike zone with a pitch once but look at the 4th and 5th pitch of the AB, can we have some consistency please !)But the Carlos Gonzalez at bat was the at bat to look at. Rauch’ first pitch was a strike that was called a ball after that Rauch lost all control of the strike zone. Getting Cargo there would have left Fowler on first with 2 out but instead it’s 1 out runners on first and second with Troy Tulowitzki up. Rauch starts off with two straight strikes and then gets Tulo to hit the next pitch back to him for a 1-3 put out and it looked like Rauch was getting out of this jam until of course the Cuddyer base on balls and out goes an irate Jon Rauch and in comes Tim Byrdak to face Todd Helton with the bases loaded.

Just like that, a slider that was middle in took away a stellar start by Santana, a breakout game for Ike Davis, the continued wonderment of Kirk Nieuwhenhuis, the continued rejuvenation of David Wright and of course a 4 run lead, went for naught as the ball of Helton’s climbed to the upper reaches of right field for a Grand Salami. Heads of Mets fans were hung, obscenities were screamed, scapegoats were being named, jobs had to be terminated, but this Mets team laughs at your lack of faith, you think they packed all those cowboy clothes to wear to Houston for a loss, HELL NO!!! This Mets team does not go quietly.

I guess it’s due to the Mets having had some bad managers the last few years from Art Howe, the Admiral James Stockdale of baseball managers (Who am I ? Why am I here?) The insecure and overmatched Willie Randolph and the “is it payday”?  skipper Jerry Manuel , we are still getting used to the passion of Terry Collins.

TC has learned a hard lesson in baseball, his last three managerial stints ended very badly and he had to go back to baseball purgatory as a minor league coordinator to rebuild his resume. Give the man credit, he could have left baseball, gone to a 9 to 5 job and just be another working stiff, instead he went back to the bushes and rebuilt his reputation as baseball man and worked on what were his short comings.  If it weren’t for the financial fallout from the Madoff mess, Collins wouldn’t have gotten this shot. He got the job because he came cheap and this cheap investment is paying dividends.

Collins holds players accountable, you know Ike Davis was mad to be pinch hit for and I’m sure he was livid to be out the lineup but he wasn’t producing and as TC said I have faith in my players but it’s about the team and it’s about winning. Since that time of his benching and with some work with hitting coach Dave Hudgins, Ike has picked up his hands and maybe using his anger as a positive, has started to look like the Ike we love. Give tons of credit to Ike for his two run single in the top of the 11th that proved to be the game winner but don’t forget the manager for instilling a mindset into this team that they are a good baseball team and to the other 24 players who refuse to give up.

 

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Maybe I’ll Tip My Broadway Hat To Jose Reyes

April 17, 2012 by 1 Comment

This magnificent looking young man for you non-Puckheads, is Brian Boyle of the NY Rangers. The Ottawa Senators have tried to intimidate this young man by having a filthy goon named Matt Carkner jump him like he was strolling through Central Park in the 1970′s at 2 AM. So what did that attack do? It just made Boyle get stronger as he played like a hockey player possesed last night, banging any Senator he could get his shoulders into, winning face offs  and scoring the game winning goal.  Also the greatest goaltender on planet Earth, King Henrik Lundqvist I (and only) was in stealth goalie mode which is why the Broadway Blueshirts are up 2 game to 1 in this series and Boyle get to wear the coveteted Broadway Hat. 

I have to admit, I didn’t watch much of last night’s Mets-Braves game as it conflicted with Game 3 of Rangers-Senators, a pivotal game in the series after the Rangers losing in OT in Game 2 to allow the Sens to even the series at 1 apiece.  

I did see the start of the Mets game as they started a half hour earlier than the Rangers and luckily FiOS has SNY on Ch. 76 and MSG on 77 so I could click back and forth during commercials and longer during between periods intermission and as much as I know it’s real, real early in the season, it just seems this Mets team has a more confident look than we have seen in a while.  Good solid starting pitching will do that along with a so far so good back end of the bullpen and David Wright on fire.  

As Mets fans we are programed to expect the worst and hope for the best, but so far there really isn’t anything to bitch and moan about so as any good Mets fan will do, some of you folks have gone and found something to shake your fist at.

Seems the Mets will honor Jose Reyes will a short video tribute when he arrives with the rest of his school of Fish next week at Citi Field. I have absolutely no problem with the club honoring the ex-Met in this manner. What I can’t believe is there are some of the congregations that do and for the life of me I don’t know why.

Last year the cry from the stands was “Don’t Trade Reyes” in fact an over the top self-promoting t-shirt maker, made a small fortune off the Reyes  fanatics  by selling shirts with the slogan and parading around Citi Field like a court jester, all in the name of saving shortstop Reyes.  When the season ended, and it ended on a sour note of Reyes ruining for Mets fans (the couple of thousand of us that showed up for the last game of 2011 at Citi Field) his final day by bunting for a hit to secure his batting title and retreating to the clubhouse for the remainder of the game.  

As much as I was a fan of Reyes’ I was in no hurry to bring him back at a big price or multi years. I’ve always felt the as go Reyes, so goes the Mets, was overhyped tripe. Was he an offensive catalyst? Sure , but you what makes the Mets go, just what we’re seeing now, solid pitching.  

The way Sandy Alderson handled Reyes during his free agent tour was text book baseball management, f out of the Branch Rickey GM Handbook, as The Mahatma told Ralph Kiner when he asked for a raise,  “we finished last with you, we can finish last without you”, words that the 89 year old Kiner still bristles at.

Look, Reyes was the best all-around shortstop the Mets ever had, his departure was good for him and the Mets. The club by holding a short video tribute for Reyes is just a thank you for the years he gave the team and a very classy thing to do.

Stop getting all  pissy Mets fans and enjoy the present. It looks like we have a team that is well worth your while to root for and come out and support. By the way, we have Johan Santana on the bump tonight; see I knew that would make you smile.

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