Jun 16 2006 09:33 AM
| ]Floyd: Nothing like winning in New York 06/15/2006 11:43 AM ET MLBPLAYERS.com There's still a lot of baseball left1, but there is no feeling like winning in New York2. Our fans here have been unbelievable and I look forward to giving them something to cheer about this season. It's been hard for Mets fans in recent years, certainly since I joined the team in 2003. But now they have a team they can feel good about. I think they're looking forward to us getting further than we did last year. We won 83 games last year, but we felt like we should have won more. Overall, we're happy where our club is at right now3. We're playing winning baseball and we just need to stay healthy and keep everyone on the same page.4 My ankle has kept me out a few days, but it's coming along and I should be able to get back in the lineup soon. I feel good that the club has been able to keep the momentum going without me. This has been a very good road trip for us. It's like we faced a tough test, we beat some good teams in their own parks and we performed well. We've had some success on the road and at home this year, but winning on the road is an important thing for a club because it's the mark of a good team5. You have to show people that you can do it. Winning on the road also leads to confidence.6 Now, it's a matter of focusing on each game and not getting too far ahead of ourselves7. Any team can beat any team on any given night.8 But if you play smart ball9, maintain focus10 and do the little things on the field11 -- like making defensive plays and pitching out of jams -- there's a good chance you'll be happy with the results at the end of the season. We've played winning baseball so far, but we've still got a lot of season left.12 It seems like it's easy to do when everything is going right, but it's not. We have to find a way to keep making it look easy. I think the best way to do that is to focus and be the aggressor. We shouldn't concern ourselves with who's behind us in the standings13. It's better to let them worry about us instead.14 Cliff Floyd, who hit a career-high 34 home runs in 2005, was a member of the Marlins when they won the World Series in 1997. He's become a team leader and a constant threat in the middle of the Mets' batting order since signing with New York in 2003. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs. |