May 27 2011 11:24 AM
The Mets’ Bobblehead Curse Lives
By KEN BELSON
The Mets’ lineup of bobblehead misery.
| In the latest issue of New Yorker magazine, Fred Wilpon said that the Mets were “snakebitten” because of the rash of player injuries, last-season meltdowns and financial calamities to befall the club the last few seasons. If Wilpon wants to at least figure out why so many of his players end up on the disabled list, he ought to look at the curse of the bobblehead. Since 2002, nearly every player who has been commemorated with a bobblehead sponsored by Gold’s Horseradish has already been injured, gotten injured or ended up performing poorly. Marc Gold, co-owner of Gold Pure Food Products and a lifelong Mets fan, said that his company’s signature horseradish has “tons of of health benefits.” But with tongue firmly in cheek, he noted the sad scroll of Mets who have been honored by the company with a bobblehead day. Mike Piazza was given a bobblehead day in 2002 and finished the year with 33 home runs and 98 runs batted in. The next year, he hit 11 home runs in 68 games. In 2003, John Franco had a bobblehead day. “He had been injured and was coming back midseason, so we thought it would be great,” Gold said. But Franco’s recovery was short-lived. He pitched in 38 games that year before his numbers went downhill the next season, his last with the Mets. The next year, Kaz Matsui, who was heralded as the next Ichiro, was given a bobblehead. “Great preseason hoopla,” Gold said, “But …” As the face of the new Mets, Pedro Martinez was deserving of a bobblehead in 2005. It turned out to be his last effective year on the mound. David Wright was an anomaly in 2006. “A great choice and one of the greatest Mets of all,” Gold said. The grim list continues: Paul Lo Duca in 2007 was not nearly the sparkplug he was the year before, when the Mets went to the playoffs. Johan Santana was welcomed in 2008 with a bobblehead and performed valiantly. His record of staying healthy since then has been spotty. Francisco Rodriguez got a bobblehead in 2009. The next year, he assaulted his father-in-law and injured his hand. Last year, Jason Bay was celebrated. “Where did the home runs go?” Gold said. “He did not even play on his bobblehead day.” The streak appears intact this year. The next Gold’s Horseradish bobblehead day is on Tuesday, July 19. Hopefully this year’s recipient, Ike Davis, will be off the disabled list by then. |
http://bats.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/05/2 ... rse-lives/
Epilogue:
Davis not progressing as Mets hoped
| CHICAGO -- Injured first baseman Ike Davis is not progressing nearly as quickly as the Mets had hoped, keeping the date of his return in doubt. "He thought he'd be back tomorrow, and he's not even on the field yet," Mets manager Terry Collins said after Thursday's 9-3 loss to the Cubs. Davis, who originally hit the disabled list on May 11 with a sprained left ankle, expressed optimism earlier this month that he would be able to return when first eligible this week. But Davis has not progressed at all in his rehab, confined to pool workouts on Wednesday and Thursday. The Mets still have no clear timetable for his return. |
http://newyork.mets.mlb.com/news/articl ... m&c_id=nym