Master Index of Archived Threads


Newsday Column Says Mets Lack Heart

G-Fafif May 01 2009 06:25 AM

Except this time it's not the hack parade, as led by Wally Matthews and supported by Ken Davidoff and Anthony Rieber. Instead, honest beat guy David Lennon [url=http://www.newsday.com/sports/baseball/mets/ny-spminside0501,0,5593997,print.column]expresses doubt[/url] and drops a little something on Billy Wagner along the way. ]Mets seem to lack heart David Lennon METS INSIDER 10:02 PM EDT, April 30, 2009 Three games separated the Mets from the Phillies at the end of the regular season last year. Was there really only that much of a difference between the second-place team in the National League East and the eventual world champions? The Mets thought so. But the first 21 games of this year suggest otherwise. Perhaps it wasn't as easy to bridge that gap as many had been led to believe. Retooling the bullpen seemed to be the solution rather than overhauling a $147-million team -- or sticking Manny Ramirez in the middle of the lineup. But the Mets, when compared to the Phillies, are missing something that is not easily bought or traded for. On the first day of May, there is a gaping hole where this team's heart should be, and Jerry Manuel -- the supposed savior after Willie Randolph's firing last June -- cannot fill that void from the manager's chair. Often, it's hard to pin down the intangibles with numbers, but not in this case. With Wednesday's loss to the Marlins, the Mets (9-12) stumbled to 1-10 when trailing after six innings. After seven, they are 0-11. As for the Phillies, they have come from behind in nine of their 11 wins and are 5-6 when down after six innings. They also were the best in the majors after the sixth inning with 56 runs, a .320 batting average and 15 homers before Wednesday's loss to the Nationals. Around the time the Mets are turning out the lights, the Phillies are just getting started, and the Mets have to find a way to reverse that trend this weekend at Citizens Bank Park. "Good teams never give up," Jose Reyes said. "That's what they do. They always believe they are able to come back. Last year, the Phillies did the same thing. That's the attitude you have to have. They're confident because they keep doing it." The only way to stop that from happening is for the bullpen to serve as a roadblock. That was the idea behind signing Francisco Rodriguez and the subsequent trade for Sean Green and J.J. Putz. Despite back-to-back losses this week that included meltdowns by Green and Putz on consecutive days, the Mets believe they are capable of shutting down the Phillies' late-inning heroics. It's the only weapon they seemingly have left -- other than Johan Santana, who won't pitch in this series. The Mets' bullpen leads the NL with a 3.22 ERA, but it also has two blown saves in six chances. K-Rod is 4-for-4, but with a struggling rotation and suddenly fallible setup crew, it's been hard to hand K-Rod the baseball. "If you can put good pitchers against good hitters, then good pitchers usually come out on top," Manuel said. "I'm not saying everybody doesn't have good pitchers. But I'm saying that what we have done is we have addressed our bullpen situation. So hopefully we get to the point where that won't be an issue if we have a lead. If it becomes an issue, then it's a huge plus for the ." One bonus for the Mets is they no longer have a closer with ties to the Phillies. It got to the point with Billy Wagner that he felt a little paranoid about his old team, believing they knew him too well and could pick up his pitches. As his velocity slipped, that became more of an issue, and the hitter's paradise of Citizens Bank Park didn't help. With Rodriguez, the Mets get a clean-slate closer, one they anticipate won't be bothered by the rabid crowds in Philly. He converted both of his save opportunities there for the Angels last season, allowing one hit in two scoreless innings, but he realizes this weekend won't compare to those visits with Los Angeles. The intensity level will be 10 times what it was then. "I love that," he said. "It's not something that affects me at all." The Mets will need K-Rod at his unflappable best for the Phils and can only hope they get to him with a lead. Otherwise, the work they did during the offseason, as well as the money they spent, won't mean much. At least the Mets no longer can be considered "choke artists," as Cole Hamels branded them last November. You can't "choke" from behind, which is where the Mets find themselves on a daily basis. "You'd like to go in there and see how you match up with the world champions," Manuel said. "I'm looking forward to seeing how we react more than what they do."

Nymr83 May 01 2009 07:09 AM

"lack heart" is a euphamism for "aren't winning at the moment."

RealityChuck May 01 2009 07:22 AM

This game of baseball is only one half skill. The other half is something else . . . something bigger! <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/06103o2dv5c&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/06103o2dv5c&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

Edgy DC May 01 2009 07:24 AM

I'm still waiting for the article that says, "You know, it's a good thing this team is winning, because apart from that, they have no heart."

batmagadanleadoff May 01 2009 07:30 AM

Chuckie Baby: You can do better than that! <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/kGMPSaEwcek&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/kGMPSaEwcek&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

Swan Swan H May 01 2009 07:30 AM

Batmags got there first.

Edgy DC May 01 2009 07:32 AM

Nolan looks like somebody put him out there at gunpoint.

Benjamin Grimm May 01 2009 07:35 AM

He should have savored the moment. I bet he'd never imagine that he'd pitch another quarter century (thanks, steroids!) and never get to another World Series.

batmagadanleadoff May 01 2009 07:38 AM

Wanna know why Hoppin' Rod Gaspar is smiling so much? Read his lips. He's singing: "Who the hell is Frank Robinson?"

metsguyinmichigan May 01 2009 07:47 AM

That clip is ... incredible! Love how they used all their real names instead of the nicknames. And Tug's belt buckle on the outside of he suit jacket. And Ed Sullivan with the on-camera presence of a turnip.

John Cougar Lunchbucket May 01 2009 07:52 AM

Gentry looks like the fifth Beatle.

TheOldMole May 01 2009 08:37 AM

From the Times: ]One statistical measure of clutch hitting is how players do in close and late situations, which is defined as at-bats in the seventh inning or later when the score is tied, one team is ahead by a run or the tying run is on base, at the plate or on deck. Utley (.714, 2 homers), Ibanez (.583, 3 homers) and Matt Stairs (.500, 1 homer) currently have three of the top six averages in the N.L. in those situations. The Mets do not have anyone in the top 25.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr May 01 2009 11:50 AM

="TheOldMole"]From the Times: ]One statistical measure of clutch hitting is how players do in close and late situations, which is defined as at-bats in the seventh inning or later when the score is tied, one team is ahead by a run or the tying run is on base, at the plate or on deck. Utley (.714, 2 homers), Ibanez (.583, 3 homers) and Matt Stairs (.500, 1 homer) currently have three of the top six averages in the N.L. in those situations. The Mets do not have anyone in the top 25. AhemahemguhguhSAMPLESIZESAMPLESIZESAMPLESIZE! Sorry. Something in my throat.

John Cougar Lunchbucket May 01 2009 12:08 PM

Not to mention all of these splits are simply slices of the whole and not something completely different, as you might believe. They are sucky slices so far, no doubt, but they will look more like the overall hitting numbers as time goies on.

Ceetar May 01 2009 12:13 PM

="Edgy DC":1ekc2645]I'm still waiting for the article that says, "You know, it's a good thing this team is winning, because apart from that, they have no heart."[/quote:1ekc2645] Never going to happen. When the Mets start winning, people will be falling over themselves to declare what it was that gave the Mets heart. Met Hunter May 03 2009 06:18 AM My favorite part of that video is when they sing 'mister, you can be a hero" as the camera pans to Koosman. There is an oldtime autograph collector that I know from the Bronx. He's about 70 years old. He's gotten Ty Cobb and Cy Young's autograph when he was a kid. I once mentioned that Ed Sullivan taping to him and he told me he was there out back, alone, and got every Met to sign his WS program for him. SteveJRogers May 03 2009 06:48 AM ="Ceetar":123lz2r5] ="Edgy DC":123lz2r5]I'm still waiting for the article that says, "You know, it's a good thing this team is winning, because apart from that, they have no heart."[/quote:123lz2r5] Never going to happen. When the Mets start winning, people will be falling over themselves to declare what it was that gave the Mets heart.[/quote:123lz2r5] Not really, in late 2006 the Mets were starting to show signs that they really were a "paper champion" and a team that couldn't take a punch. It would be proven in the NLCS that year. This year's round of "Mets have no heart" is a culmination of the Mets not getting the job done in the aforementioned NLCS, the worst choke job in the history of professional sports, and another choke job last year. Despite the use of small sample size stats, this is really the same tune that has been said about the franchise since 2007. You can actually pinpoint where it all fell apart to the sweep at Atlanta just before the trade deadline in 2006. Pretty much the last "important" games the Mets dominated and showed that they could be "championship material." The Mets haven't showed any kind of killer instinct since, but rather have been acting like the playoffs are entitled to them, that they can just throw out their equipment on the field and beat anyone. Ashie62 May 03 2009 08:07 AM Paper Champion 2006, 2007, 2008, and possibly 2009..Omar Goodbye, Jerry Goodbye. This core group of Mets Reyes, Wright, Beltran..suspect Frayed Knot May 03 2009 08:49 AM ]Not really, in late 2006 the Mets were starting to show signs that they really were a "paper champion" and a team that couldn't take a punch. You mean while they were cruising to a easy NLEast championship? What "signs" - aside from not winning every game by double-digit scores - were those? ]This year's round of "Mets have no heart" is a culmination of the Mets not getting the job done in the aforementioned NLCS, the worst choke job in the history of professional sports, and another choke job last year. Despite the use of small sample size stats, this is really the same tune that has been said about the franchise since 2007. You can actually pinpoint where it all fell apart to the sweep at Atlanta just before the trade deadline in 2006. Pretty much the last "important" games the Mets dominated and showed that they could be "championship material." This is all after-the-fact nonsense, part of a popular theory where something is declared to be fact by those who know they can't be proven wrong because the causes and turning points are retroactively determined only after the scenario plays itself out. batmagadanleadoff May 03 2009 10:23 AM ="SteveJRogers":2iazl18l] Not really, in late 2006 the Mets were starting to show signs that they really were a "paper champion" and a team that couldn't take a punch. It would be proven in the NLCS that year. This year's round of "Mets have no heart" is a culmination of the Mets not getting the job done in the aforementioned NLCS, the worst choke job in the history of professional sports, and another choke job last year.[/quote:2iazl18l] But do you believe all that? And does it mean that a team that doesn't get to the WS has no heart, even when their season ends in the 7th game of the LCS? TheOldMole May 03 2009 11:43 AM The worst choke job in the history of professional sports? What about Sonny Liston in Lewiston, Maine? SteveJRogers May 03 2009 12:28 PM FINE, in team season sports Kong76 May 03 2009 12:45 PM SJJ: The Mets haven't showed any kind of killer instinct since, but rather have been acting like the playoffs are entitled to them <<< Steve, you're just as bad as the guys who get paid by the papers here. How do you measure acting entitled? You (not you, I mean everyone) can get away with lack of killer instinct (although I'm not sure how that's measured either) because they totally blew it late the last two seasons. But acting en- titled? How do you act entitled on a baseball diamond, in interviews, etc. to the point that one can say, "that team looks like it thinks it's entitled?" Phooey, it's just another annoying buzz phrase when you break it down. SteveJRogers May 03 2009 01:19 PM Delgado's "sometimes we get bored" comment in 2007 is a prime example. There are times where it does seem in interviews, and reactions on the field that this team thinks it is the best team out there, but their play doesn't mesaure up to that. Or they act like the bully in the playground, where you just show that you are capable of fighting back, and they back off. Kong76 May 03 2009 01:43 PM I don't remember the bored quote, but I certainly believe you. I still think that when you get into "seems" and reading of "reactions" and derive entitlement it becomes a little bit of a stretch but at least you have a quote to leap from and that's more of an explanation I could get from a source like Wallyworld, et al. Edgy DC May 03 2009 02:32 PM ="SteveJRogers":1flq6nbx] ="Ceetar":1flq6nbx] ="Edgy DC":1flq6nbx]I'm still waiting for the article that says, "You know, it's a good thing this team is winning, because apart from that, they have no heart."[/quote:1flq6nbx] Never going to happen. When the Mets start winning, people will be falling over themselves to declare what it was that gave the Mets heart.[/quote:1flq6nbx] Not really, in late 2006 the Mets were starting to show signs that they really were a "paper champion" and a team that couldn't take a punch. It would be proven in the NLCS that year. This year's round of "Mets have no heart" is a culmination of the Mets not getting the job done in the aforementioned NLCS, the worst choke job in the history of professional sports, and another choke job last year. Despite the use of small sample size stats, this is really the same tune that has been said about the franchise since 2007. You can actually pinpoint where it all fell apart to the sweep at Atlanta just before the trade deadline in 2006. Pretty much the last "important" games the Mets dominated and showed that they could be "championship material." The Mets haven't showed any kind of killer instinct since, but rather have been acting like the playoffs are entitled to them, that they can just throw out their equipment on the field and beat anyone.[/quote:1flq6nbx] This is about 93% wrong. And "heart" /= "killer instinct"