Unsalvagable Incoherence

So I'll spare you my normal geopolitical lectures and focus once again on the poor excuse of a metropolitan baseball team.

Setting aside the fact that the 140 million dollar Mets risk becoming an average team, losing fan support before a brand new stadium opens, and SNY continues to falter, I'm simply an aggressive, annoyed Mets fan, as many can empathize. (not the Joe Beningno Type...I haven't had an aneurysm yet while complaining).

Let's not harp on broad, dumb things and get straight to the facts. As of Friday, May 23rd, the New York Mets are 1 game under .500, 4th in the NL East in a thank-the-lord parity league, have two stellar pitchers, a shaky rotation, a pin-up closer, more injuries than Hillary Clinton will have once the media gets done with her, and just got swept by an organization so bad, it makes my blood curdle. And I'm not talking about PETA, I'm speaking of the mighty Braves down south, a team whose hometown media rants and raves about the suckiness of the Mets, while they also have little to be proud of. Next time the team I favor wins 14 g-d damn National League East Titles, I'd expect more out of then than a single World Championship. As much as I hate to say it, some Yankee 'smart' fans, have a right to bitch.

Anyway, I think the problem rests not with Willie (though the thought that he actually thinks he can manage a major league bullpen is as ridiculous as when Joe Namath thought he'd actually get something out of ESPN Sideline Reporter Suzy Kolber) and somewhat with Omar. Matthew Cerrone of Metsblog.com (my fav! - yeah I went there) makes a good point that Omar tends to deplete the farm system, and might not be able to adapt to the changing business of baseball, where teams hold onto their grown boys and trade less. Frankly, while I wouldn't pay Castillo THAT much and Beltran hasn't lived up to his earnings, I still cannot fault Omar. I can hold him accountable, but not personally responsible.

Watching the past few weeks, I can say two players stick out in my mind as culprits of this fever. Before I continue, G-d Bless Ryan Church (even though you apparently told your ex-g/f that she was going to hell cuz she was Jewish....all is good).

a) Jose Reyes:
- Hitting subpar
- Looks Inexperienced as in '03-'04
- Too many SOs
- Low ABs, thereby, not as many steals.
- Doesn't really 'look' into it.
My buddy Justin pointed out that in 2006 (which of course was the coulda-shoulda-woulda year) there was a system that clicked with each inning in most games. Jose Reyes hit ball/walk, Paul Lo Duca move Reyes over, 3,4,5 hitters finish job, score run(s). Why is this basic, mechanical process not occuring again? Well, I think a lot of it comes down to (b).

b) David Wright:
Yes I know what you're gonna say...how in the world could I put a guy who has 35 Rbis, 8 Hrs, 6 sbs, and 50 hits onto the hit list. Well, when you're hitting .286 with an okay OPS, there's something to be said, not yelled. Wright is not hitting poorly though. So I'll give him credit that he's avoiding the hitting plague. But what he hasn't done is spoken up. And I don't mean screaming and yelling and all that nonsense, I mean really become a true leader. Ryan Church, after getting a concussion two games ago, came in to pinch hit in a sticky situation, and got a single. Reliable, Consistent, a mental leader per se who leads by example. But let's be honest, Church, a 3 month veteran of the Mets, can't pick up these team. Wright can. Wright needs to convey, however, that this is not about us, its about them, and I think when he comes in and makes some big hits, and starts acting more like a leader and less like the pretty posterchild, that the mentality of this team might change. It's not a formula, it's a theory. I really like Wright, he seems like a great baseball ambassador. The guy allegedly (and I believe him) doesn't smoke, do drugs, is good with kids, has a charity organization that he personally runs, is a good baseball player, and a overall nice guy. But it's time for his teammates to see him less like that cheerleader and more like the consistent Jeter or fiery but nevertheless strong-headed Rollins. Dare I even say Chipper "larry" Jones? No...cuz he's a bastard. End of Story.

I'll always have faith in this team to pull it together. But while I'm in Spain, I'm just hoping for something to change. Ignore the media, fight each other, kill the Philly Fanatic as a team, just do something. Cuz at this point, I'm having terrible flashbacks of Pete Harnish, Rey Ordonez, and Rico Brogna...three cool, but mediocre players. Mediocrity in the Big Apple just isn't our style....

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