Earlier this week, Jerry Manuel had a team meeting with his players after the Mets dropped their fifth straight game, a 6-3 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers. They had been playing sloppy, lethargic baseball and had fallen two games under .500. In the nearly half hour meeting, Manuel claimed the following:
“The whole key was to say that we have enough. We have enough. We’ve got enough in here to do what we need to get done. Let’s get it done.”
Although not a fiery speech, it seemed to do the trick for the next two games, as the Mets took the finale in Milwaukee and followed it up by rallying from a five-run deficit in Pittsburgh to defeat the Pirates. The latter victory evened the Mets’ record at 39-39 and pushed them to within one game of first place in the mediocre National League East. The team was back on course and was heading into Philadelphia confident that they were going to do some damage.
Then Livan Hernandez took the mound in Philly and Manuel’s words seemed to have been forgotten. Livan struggled mightily in his three-plus innings of work and was not helped by his defense. Apparently, someone also replaced the team’s Tom Emanski Defensive Drills video with a grainy copy of the Bad News Bears. Coach Buttermaker could have done a better job managing this team tonight. The Mets failed to cover second base on a hit by Jimmy Rollins, which allowed him to take the extra base. Later on, Daniel Murphy did not chase after a ball that had gotten away from him, allowing Shane Victorino to reach second base. Of course, even if the Mets had played fundamentally sound baseball, they still couldn’t hit Phillies starter Rodrigo Lopez. They must have mistaken him for Joel Piñeiro.
Three days after Manuel’s team meeting, the Mets played the same way they had played during their five-game losing streak. If Manuel can’t fire up his players before their biggest series of the year, then I think I have to step in and do the job. Actually, let me hand the podium over to my spokesperson. Perhaps he can inspire the team to have an extended period of success. President Whitmore, the microphone is yours:
How can any team not respond to a speech like that? The Mets must put tonight behind them and go back to playing fundamentally sound baseball. They might be shorthanded, but if they remember to cover a base or chase a ball every once in a while, you never know. They might just be able to pull this series out.
Jerry Manuel, I’m calling on you to lead this team to victory tomorrow. Make sure our Fourth of July is as successful as President Whitmore’s Independence Day. If you can’t get the team to respond to your leadership, then your world might come crashing down around you as it did for the aliens in the movie. Remember these words and watch the team turn this thing around. Happy Independence Day to all! This team meeting is now adjourned!
*Mets Merized Online Needs Your Help*
We need a Bluto
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q47bpOCTcaY
Animal House Speech.
I love it! Rally the troops Ed! Well done, great post!
CAPSLOCK=DISABILITY ACCOMODATION
SORRY, BUT THAT’S HOLLYWOOD FANTASY & IF I REMEMBER CORRECTLY IT TOOK THE HEROICS OF ONE IN MAKING THE SUPREME SACRIFICE TO ACTALLY PULL IT OFF. CRITICIZING JERRY AT A TIME LIKE THIS IS TANTAMOUNT TO CRITICZING CUSTER FOR NOT COUNTERATTACKING TO VICTORY. NOW, AS MOST OF YOU LIKELY KNOW, I’M USUALLY AN ULTIMATE OPTIMIST; BUT WITH THE LIKES OF CASTILLO,CORA,SCHNEIDER,MURPHY,EVANS,HOBBLED-UP SHEFF,CHURCH,TATIS,WRIGHT TO WHITTLE A WINNING LINEUP FROM WHILE STARTING LIVAN,NIEVES & EVEN SAINT-ANA AND ANTICIPATE A SERIES VICTORY IS CERTAINLY DRINKING MUCH STRONGER SPIRITS THAN KOOLAIDE. I LOOKED AT THIS SERIES & FIGURED OUR METS SHOULD LOSE 2 OF 3; BUT COULD WIN 2 OF 3. AFTER REDDING’S BULLPEN EHAUSTING APPEARANCE IN PITT, JERRY HAD LITTLE CHOICE BUT TO LET LIVAN TAKE IT ON THE CHIN. THE BIGGEST JOKE OF THE WEKKEND WAS THE CONCERN OVER FRANKIE’S AVAILABILITY ON FRI. I’M LOOKING FORWARD TO OMAR PULLING OFF THE BIGGEST, MOST IMPACTFUL MIDSEASON DEAL IN MLB HISTORY WHEN THE REPLACEMETS DEAL CORA,TATIS,MURPHY,REDDING,SHEFF,PARNELL,DESSENS FOR REYES,BELTRAN,DELGADO,MAINE,PUTZ,WAGNER
THE IMPACT MAY NOT BE FELT THE FIRST 2 WKS; BUT IN AUGUST, EARLY SEPT.(BEST KNOWN AS THE ‘DOG’DAYS) THESE UBER TALENTED, VERY RESTED REINFORCEMENTS SHOULD MANAGE TO RECOOP WHAT WAS LOST IN STANDINGS SINCE 5/22 ESP WITH 2 SERIES EACH AGAINST HOUSTON,CHICAGO,ARIZONA,COLORADO & 9G LEFT Vs NATS. THE MOST REMARKABLE THING ISN’T THE QANTITY OF PLAYERS MISSING; BUT THE OVERALL QUALITY OF THEM: ARGUABLY,
BELTRAN IS #1 CF IN NL
REYES IN TOP 5 SS IN NL, POSSIBLY #1 LEADOFF HITTER
DELGADO, TOP 10 IN POWERHITTERS
MAINE POSSIBLY BEST #4 SP IN NL
PUTZ, TOP 5 SETUPS IN NL
THE NYM HAVE BEEN MISSING THEM FOR MORE THAN HALF THE GAMES PLAYED TO DATE YET THEY STILL ARE IN THE HUNT, ONLY 3GB.
SOMEHOW THE FANBASE IS STILL COMPLAINING ABOUT NITS. FOR JERRY TO FIELD A COMPETITIVE TEAM, MANY PLAYEERS ARE OUT OF POSITION. YESTERDAY, 7/4, 3 OF 8 FIELDERS WERE IN RELATIVLY NEW POSITIONS WITH A FOURTH, SHEFF, LIKELY NOT PHYSICALLY UP TO CAPABLE FIELDING, GROUND COVERAGE,RANGE. TATIS @ 2B? CORA @ SS, MURPHY @ 1B? CHURCH IN CF? EVANS IN LF?
AND SOMEONE WANTS COMPETANT FIELDING? WHO? EVANS IN LF & SHEFF IN RF? MAYBE THAT WORKS WITH BELTRAN COVERING ALLEY 2 ALLEY; BUT CHURCH?
AT THIS POINT JERRY’S GOT TO FIGURE CUSTER HAD IT EASY! IT WAS OVER WITHIN HOURS.
PERSONALLY, MY BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT IS IN NOT SEEING HOW DOMINANT THIS ROSTER WOULD’VE BEEN IF HEALTHY ALL SEASON. MEX PREDICTED IT AS A ‘SPECIAL’ SEASON THIS YR FOR AMPLE REASON. THE GORILLA IN THE ROOM, PHILLY WAS REAlly a chimp on steroids(pun intended) NO MORE THAN AN OPORTUNISTIC PERENIAL SECOND PLACE TEAM WITH IMPECCABLE HOTSTREAK TIMING, NO WONDER THEY COULDN’T GET THEIR MINDS OFF US, THEY TRULY KNOW HOW FORTUNATE THEY WERE. HELL, DOES MIKE SCHMIDT HAVE TO PUMPUP THE EGOS OF A TRULY BETTER TEAM? UNLIKE HOLLYWOOD, THE BETTER TEAM DOESN’T ALWAYS WIN; BUT AS MY DECEASED FATHER USED TO TELL ME ON THE GOLF COURSE; “SON, IT’S OFTEN BETTER TO BE LUCKY THAN GOOD”.