15
2010
Confusion, Chaos, and Bewilderment
An article by Doug Branch
Even when the Titanic was doomed and sinking to the bottom of the North Atlantic the Captain, John Smith remained in the wheelhouse. Yesterday, as the Mets organization again was taking on water, their leader, Omar Minaya was in warm dry Arizona carrying Jeff Wilpon’s luggage.
At this point, that is all Minaya is-an overpaid lackey given menial tasks to earn his keep. While on the other side of the country, John Ricco, his successor, was spewing gibberish (and least the words weren’t mangled) on a conference call to aghast beat writers.
I’m sure all of the scribes were thinking, “here we go again.” The calendar might have flipped, but the team remains mired in 2009. The tapes of that season should be burned for the sanity of the fans.
A new year yes, but a chapter of the same old story. Confusion, chaos, and bewilderment.
In this space last season I hammered home the point that the Mets were a rudderless organization. Yesterday’s conference call only fortifies that believe. There simply is no one in charge, unless you believe an idiot son who has been handed the keys to the Ferrari is capable of running a baseball organization because he can manage an office full of real estate brokers.
It’s doubtful the offspring could steer a Pinto in an empty mall parking lot.
All you have to do is look at what has transpired on 34th street to know that just because you were born into privilege does not qualify you to run a professional sports team. Jimmy Dolan, New Paltz State (my alma mater) class of 1979, spent more time in the bars on Main Street than learning about business.
How many classed did Jeff Wilpon take at the Wharton Business School, or his he a graduate of Clown College?
That leads us back to the Mets mess. This organization has a black hole for a communications system. There seems to be no direct line between upper management, the front office, the medical staff, and the players.
Good thing there are competent lower management types or else no tickets would ever make it to the printer or hot dogs land on the grill. It’s a god dam joke.
What the Mets should have done with Carlos Beltran after the season is continue to put him through his baseball paces and see how his knee would respond. While he said on SNY in the middle of November that his knee was fine, who knows how hard he was pushing it. Working on an elliptical training regimen is a different stress level than running the bases and cutting full tilt.
You can hardly blame Beltran for doing what he believes is the best course of action for his own body and career. If he felt the Mets medical staff failed him previously he is allowed by contract to seek another opinion. He did and went to one of the best orthopedic surgeons in the country and decided to get cut.
The fact the Mets wanted a third opinion speaks volumes about the mass confusion hovering over this organization. What purpose would that serve? Not only it undermines Dr. David Altchek’s diagnosis, and the noted Dr. Steadman of Colorado, but it amounts to a rainmaker.
Beltran has had knee problems for the last few years and surgery was the last option. It should’ve been done last August but that is spilled milk. At least he didn’t wait until spring training to make a determination. That would have been truly disastrous.
(FYI: Arthroscopic surgery is an out-patient procedure where the surgeon cuts away torn cartilage that inhibits the movement of the joint smoothly and results in discomfort. From first hand experience, I had it done in my late 40′s and one week later jogged three miles on a HS track. A few weeks later I was playing tennis and cutting. 12 weeks to recover is hard to fathom for someone in their early 30′s. However, all bodies are not created equal and you can be sure Beltran will not set foot on a baseball diamond until he’s 100% confident he’s healed).
As the Mets steam into Port St. Lucie Florida in less than a month their vessel must be on automatic pilot because from behind these binoculars no one is steering as it heads for ground. And it’s only January folks.
About the Author: Doug Branch
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BELTRAN HAD TO DO IT! HIS CAREER IS IMPORTANT THE METS PLAY GAMES AND DAMAGE THERE PLAYERS WITH ALL THE DELAYS, LOOK WHAT THEY DID WITH REYES, THEY NEED SOMEONE MAKING SHARP DECISIONS, BELTRAN WILL BE BACK EARLY IN THE YEAR WITHOUT A PROBLEM SO HE CAN PLAY HEALTHY, I AM GLAD HE DID IT, KICK MINAYA OUT OF THIS ORGANIZATION HE SUCKS!
WHAT? CAN’T HEAR YOU
I am SURE this was necessary surgery and I am fairly confident no one will deny this, HOWEVER, HE too, is responsible for this DEBACLE. He has been seeing his own doctor since last summer and that DOCTOR did butkus. He has been in pain since November on a chronic ailment and they decided until NOW to do something?
Sorry but he and his doctor are NOT without fault either.
Beltran’s doctor prescribed surgery last year. Beltran didn’t get it done because the METS medical staff convinced/forced him to go the rehab route.
Stop – I realize its the thing to blame everyting on the Mets staff, and 99% they deserve it, but to say Beltran takes NO responsiblity of this is putting up blinders.
If he thought it was important enough to go to his own doctor, then why would he not take advise and go with the Mets staff’s advise – makes NO sense.
AGAIN, this problem came up in NOVEMBER.
Kay, Knock it off! You don’t have any idea what Carlos was experiencing in his knee. He decided because it’s HIS knee. He claims he told Omar the day before and I doubt that it’s a bald faced lie. Get over it and move on. Pagan will start the season in CF. That’s it. The Front Offie proves time and again it is dysfunctional. Don’t blame Carlos. Management needs to communicate properly within the chain of command. The Clown Circus of the Mets FO doesn’t know how to do that.
Knock this off – didn’t the articles say the pain begain in November? This pain which we’ve heard about before? He went to his own doctor since the summer? I do NOT understand how he and his doctor and their timing is not in question, I realize its easiest to always blame the office and usually they are to blame, and maybe they are in part to blame, but for the life of me, someone who went on their own to see a doctor and had pain for months did not receive surgery until January?
Kay, It’s pretty obvious from the reports that the Mets have pressured Carlos to wait for improvement and avoid surgery. The same “wait and see” approach they use for everything, which never works. We now know that the latest MRI showed Carlos had 20 to 30 pieces of loose cartilege in his knee. I have experienced 1 piece of loose cartilege and the pain in incredible at times. The latest MRI demonstrated there was no alternative and surgery was mandatory. Carlos did what was right. Minaya has now admited he was informed on Tuesday and told Carlos we need to go through the protocol. The Mets Doctor approved and the trainer supplied the paperwork. Sounds like the protocol was completed. John Ricco reacted like he wanted to go to war. The Mets are in the wrong and now it appears that John Ricco may be even stupider than Omar. If he’s the GM replacement, we amy really be in trouble.
I am not arguing anything you say, I am SURE he needed this, but I find it puzzling that he was strong minded enough to seek out his own doctor, and from all the debacles a good move, but not strong minded enough to say FU I need this surgery and I am getting it now back when he really needed? Do you think back in November it was reported and they still told him to hold off?
The bottom line now is, its done, and I hope he comes back strong. Perhaps this is a chance for Pagan to step up and show the mistakes he made last year are behind him. I am NOT in favor of Ankiel unless they sign him for a bag a balls and he is just a bench player. He hit .231 with an OBP of less then .300 and his best years where laced with HGH.
Kay, I agree with your latest post. It is done and now we have to move on. The incident showed us again the level of dysfunction in the FO with John Ricco showing he is no different. Now we need to look to Pagan during the early phase of the season. He certainly has ability but needs to improve regarding rapid decision making on plays in the field and on the bases. The Mets should give him a one on one special coach to work with him regarding playing responsiveness, being able to throw to the right base, approach the ball correctly, not over run bases and not get caught between bases, etc etc. Unless he really is stupid, he should be able to improve his play with some concerted effort and concentration. I also think the Mets should not pick up a replacement as that will only be an additional distraction with an unsuitable player acquisition. Let’s just make the best of this and hope Carlos comes back quickly and in better condition to play.
No doctors do not force anything. they give the mets
bosses all the scenarios and the met bosses decide they have to have the player on the field to sell tickets. The doctors work for Wilpon.
Okay its done. Beltran is out for the 1st month,lets get over it. Im looking forward to a spring training showdown. Put the centerfield job up for the best player.It is only till Beltran comes back,unless Martinez beats out Pagan??If Martinez can win the job and succeed,he then can move to rightfield,be trade bait,or go back to Buffalo.Lets look at this as a opportunity.
Do you seriously believe that Beltran is only going to miss the first month?
Have you been living in a cave for the past year?
Doug, I appreciate your added firsthand insight of a surgical procedure that I knew little to nothing about. I believe that a lot of commentary I’ve heard on this situation steers away from the medical aspect of it and leaves those unfamiliar with the procedure in a more worrisome state than need be. All in all, thanks for some clarification.
FP, There is absolutely no mystery about arthroscopic surgery. I have had it twice on my right knee in the last 10 years. The most recent time, I was walking 3 miles a day within a week and babk to normal in a month. However, it’s not that simple. I don’t believe we know whether Carlos had arthroscopic surgery or microfracture surgery. That is the latest technique, is practiced by very few surgeons, and Steadman is the ace of them. Given that Carlos went to Steadman, he most likely had microfracture surgery. The recovery time and rehab is totally different. The rehab is longer and more individualized. That is what we are likely dealing with and the expectations are a lot less known and predictable. This may be an extended absence, but in the long run, Carlos will probably be much better off. The Mets were probably trying to hold off on that in their greedy, selfish little way. Carlos was probably unwilling to continue playing in constant pain. And the truth is that you can’t blame him for that.
Mask, I think microfracture might have finished him for the year. He will get that in June when they drop out of the pennant race. I read that he had spurs and other stuff in his knee because of his osteo-arthritis. It was a cleanup, but a fairly large scale one. we are doomed.
I contend that its a lot more serious than a simple arthroscopic procedure. I believe it was a far more involved surgery that will probably impact his playing ability more than we are currently being led to believe.
From all the op-eds being written that are half truths, innuendos, anonymous source gibberish to go along the actual quotes from Beltran, Boros, Ricco, Jeff Wilpon etc., it sounds like the breakdown in communication occurred between then Mets medical staff and the Mets upper management(aka Jeff and Fred).
I agree. Why did Ray Ramirez sign and fax papers to Steadman without his mgmt’s awareness. You have to be kidding. If that is factual, he needs to be fired. I blame him more than Altcheck for the communication gap. He is a Mets employee and needs to keep his bosses informed of what’s going on.
I believe the player. After all it’s his career and his life. It’s not like he didn’t play hurt last year and then come back in september. He never pointed the finger when his injury was misdiagnosed. He never even said anything when people were screaming about him not sliding at the plate. In fact he never says anything. It’s always the Met front office that has something to say and maybe now David Wright, the guy who couldn’t even take the bat off home plate when Beltran was coming home on a close play. It’s not his fault the knee started to act up during his off season conditioning. I’m glad he had it done now when 3/4 of his down time will be before the season starts. Carlos Beltran is an elite player, the best all around position player the Mets have ever had and as quiet, classy low maintenance a superstar as there has ever been. Can anyone say the same about any of the other characters in this freak show?
I agree completely. It’s the Mets Front Office that has the train wreck. The thing that upsets me the most about this is the future Omar replacement, John Ricco appears to be cut out of the same mold as Omar. He is also unable to communicate properly and seems to have the same faulty reasoning as Omar and even more dishonest. Changing the GM is not the solution, it he is the replacement. It’s ownership that needs to be changed so that all the culprits can be thrown out en masse.
As the Beltran post-operative melodrama unfolds, there are many unhappy folks connected to the Mets, ranging supposedly from the Mets top management to the truly chagrined everyday fans. But who might be the unhappiest of all?
Jason Bay and his agent, Joe Urbon, may have left millions on the table. When they worked out their deal, Carlos Beltran was thought to happy, hale and hearty. Surprise, surprise, it wasn’t so!!
Usually the Mets lack of communication costs them dearly, but in the Jason Bay case, it might have saved them a bundle.
If so, that will only come home to roost.
I don’t blame Beltran, he’s doing what best for his body and career.
I think he’ll miss MUCH more than a month though. And never mind Beltran, did everyone forget that Reyes is trying to come back from missing most of 2009, and having off-season hamstring re-attachment surgery? Does that sound good?
Not to mention Santana’s elbow problems (Tommy John coming up maybe?), and Wright’s sudden power outage.
Not to be overly negative, but all of our “big 4″ players have huge question marks on them for 2010. Expecting them all to be 100% is hopeful at best.