30
2010
Mets Are Chasing Their Own Tails
An article by 
In a must-read article by Andrew Marchand of ESPN, he interviews David Wright and gets him to open up about his frustration with the state of the team.
“I thought we created a lot to build on in ’06, but it seems like we have taken some steps back, off of that year. It is frustrating being able to experience that, but not being able to experience that on a consistent basis.”
Wright also goes on to say that the Mets should be built around pitching and hopes that the team acquires “a no-doubt-about-it top-level starter like Cliff Lee“.
I thought that was pretty amusing and wondered if they did get that “no-doubt-about-it top-level starter”, if his team would give him the same crappy run support they have given Johan Santana in the last two years.
Anyway, my favorite part of Marchand’s article is how he describes the Mets offseason strategy during the Minaya era.
The Mets’ history is this: They chase their own tails. They usually look at their previous season, decide where they were deficient, try to fix that area and hope they receive the exact same production from their strong areas. It usually doesn’t work out well — and they go tail-chasing in another area the next offseason.
Spot on. I couldn’t have said it better myself.
About the Author: Joe DeCaro
Went to my first Mets game, a Mayors Trophy game at Shea, in '73. We beat the Yankees 8-4 and I was hooked. I marched in two Banner Day parades, and before the Grand Slam single, there was the "Hendu Can Do" grand slam - I was there. I've collected Mets memorabilia all my life and started Mets Merized Online to feed my addiction.
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Golly Mr. Wright-how about taking some responsibility for the players on the field and their lack of offense in key situations. That can’t be blamed on not having enough starting pitching. We have Santana, Pelfrey, Dickey at the top of the order. Not bad in my book. Look at what you (not you per se but the entire lineup) are doing in key situations. Last week with the bases loaded and a chance to go ahead and win, Reyes strikes out last at bat and went 0-5 that day. As fas as off seasons go, all teams look at their deficiencies and try to improve on them. All GMs do that and the Mets are no different. The bottom line is-you have to execute on the field, between the lines and you guys are not doing that on a consistent basis. That is why you are 9.5 games out of first. Grow up be a man and take responsibility!
Johan Santana must cringe when he reads what David Wright is saying. Run support? Where is it?
Des, Your comments got me thinking that if David Wright’s comments start to circulate throughout the Met clubhouse, it could cause a “firestorm” from the Wilpons on down to the players. He disses the owners and GM for not making the right trades or signing a front line pitcherto improve the team. What must Minaya think when he pulled one of the biggest coups in baseball history by trading for Santana. David Wright will never be the Captain of the Mets a-la Derek Jeter of the Yankees. His comments are making me start thinking that he may be better off moving on to another team? What do you think?
Wright might be better off but the Mets wouldn’t. You almost never win a trade when you dump your best. Nolan Ryan deal was a rarity. We lost on Seaver. We won on Santana, Clendenon, Carter, Hernandez.
LOU, DPON’T BE REDICULOUS. IF BEING ANOTHER JETER WERE THAT IMPORTANT OR EASY WOULDN’T EVERY TEAM HAVE ONE? JETER IS A BONA-FIDE HOFer BECAUSE WHAT HE IS IS SO RARE & SPECIAL. LET’S STOP EXPECTING IT FROM OUR REYES & WRIGHT, FINALLY ACCEPTING THEM FOR EXACTLY WHO & WHAT THEY ARE; PRETTY DAMNED GOOD BALLPLAYERS IN THETOP 5 @ THEIR POSITIONS! YOU WANT TO REBUILD? TOSS THE CORE? GET BIG PROSPECT PKG IN RETURN, THERE’S ONLY 1 THING THIS TEAM HAS THAT A REBUILDING TEAM DOEN’T NEED, SANTANA! JOHAN GIVE U THE BIGGEST BANG IN FREED UP BUDGET & REURNED PROSPECT PKG HIS QUALITY SP IS A NECESSITY ON A CONTENDER; BUT LIPSTICK ON THE PIG FOR A REBUILDER…
ridiculous. (all lower case is a disability accommodation)
Lou, I’ve read the whole ESPN article. Joe is 100% correct in what took place.
But there was a bit more to the interview. Wright said, “It would be nice to get those guys a few more runs….”
Andrew Marchand of ESPN said: “Wright declined to play GM and didn’t shirk responsibility….”
So, Lou, I’m still a David Wright person. David said multiple lines in the interview. All are O.K. with me.
I’m sure that Johan has regrets about approving that trade to the Mets. He could have waited one season and then sign with any team he wanted as a free agent.
hey, nothing to do with the Mets but want to know what you guys think. My beautiful second granddaughter will be christened at a Baptismal Mass on Sunday Oct 10th, and I ordered a Mets wrap around blanket. I wonder if the priest would allow it to be worn as a christening blanket. Just a thought? I don’t worry about my son and his wife, a fat check in the card will buy, oops, win them over.
Lou, you’ve got your priorities in order, I think!!1 lol
Yeah Des, thanks but what if the Father is a Yankee fan? Of course we could try to find a Father who is a Met fan-but what are the odds?
Lou,
The odds are good, very good. You just need a change of venue. Try to speak to a priest from Gil Hodges old stomping ground. Maybe the Father Redmond is still around.
Back in the 1950′s, Father Herbert Redmond of St. Francis Roman Catholic Church stood in Brooklyn pulpit one Sunday, and said, “It’s too hot for a sermon. Just go home and say a prayer for Gil Hodges.” That’s the kind of folks who live in Brooklyn. Clem Labine later remarked, “Not getting booed at Ebbets Field was an amazing thing. Those fans knew their baseball and Gil was the only player I can remember whom the fans never, I mean never, booed.”
It’s your move, Lou. That Mets wrap around blanket would look great on your granddaughter. Best wishes and good luck.
Des
Des, I liked your story on Gil Hodges. I never heard that before and I love hearing about things like that. If there was one thing this site could use more of it’s short anecdotal tellings of when baseball was still pure and unblemished by the statheads.
Met Maniac, I’m glad you enjoyed the story. I’m afraid that Martin’s ears were ringing with your response. he he he LOL
Perhaps Martin is a purist of the new generation.
Please, that guy or kid is warped and knows nothing about baseball. 50 years from now he’ll be able to tell his grandkids about the day he saw Wright draw a walk to raise his OBP to .408. What a great moment in history. The Mets lost the game of course, but that was just a footnote.
Great response. I’m a bit old school in terms of expecting everyone to do their utmost for the team’s ’cause’ on the playing field, in the dugout, and in the locker room.
Though I’m a totally different person than him, I like what Frank Robinson represents. Give Frank your all, and he’ll do all he can for you. Give him less, and he’s turned off. I remember Frank being a disciplinarian with Ryan Church, sending him to the minors in 2006 when Ryan thought he was a cinch to be a starting player for the Nationals. When Ryan was recalled, he had more verve and discipline. By the same token, in 2006, Frank’s last year managing the Nats, he showed his compassionate side.
During a game against the Houston Astros, Robinson pulled the Nationals third string catcher, Matt LeCroy, in the middle of an inning. Before the common use of the double switch in the National League, Managers normally didn’t remove position players in the middle of an inning. Instead, they switched them between innings. However, LeCroy was charged with seven stolen bases and two throwing errors over seven innings. The Nationals won the game but Robinson found his lineup change decision very difficult because he respected LeCroy as a hard nosed player. He later broke down crying during the post-game interviews. To me, Frank is a great human being — normally tough and fair but also compassionate.
Des: you lifted my spirits. My church was Our Lady of Perpetaul Help on 5th ave and 60 st. in Brooklyn. It is a beautiful church but catechism class was brutal. The Sisters didn’t take kindly to me and my buddies fooling around. I think I still have some scars. There wasn’t any politically correct crap around back then-just gettin’ the stuffings beat out of you was a relgious expeience by itself. I degress though. Gil Hodges was probably the most beloved Met of all time (but I loved Casey too-a lot). Do you think a
man of the cloth would admit to being a Met fan-they may pity us and say a novena but would they consider a Met fan worthy of heaven? (only kidding)
Lou, I grew up a neighbor in nearby OLA(Our Lady of Angels & know OLPH well; but you’d be hard pressed to find a bigger Dodger fan than our pastor of the 50s Bishop Riley, namesake on local HS, when every Children’s Mass was his domain & nearly every homily contained the word Dodgers. Tinking of yourslf, have u scoped out the NYM logoed coffin yet? it’s a beauty!
http://libn.com/blog/2008/11/13/fans-of-pop-culture-can-take-their-obsessions-to-the-grave/ IF U R SO INCLINED, THEY’VE ALSO INTRODUCED URNS
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2630637
SLLEP WELL!
Lou, if I’m not mistaken, being a NYM fan most likely qualifies as Purgatory on Earth, a Pirates fan, Hell on Earth lmao!
At least Wrights voicing his opinion on something. Rather than be the coporate yes man hes been. Now if we can get him to man up about his lack of clutch performances and how to fix that we would be better off. Cant say the same for Beltran.
I like to call this being a Patchwork GM.
Patchwork GM is a good way to describe it, and Doomsday Strategy works too.
Hey, thanks for the comment Matt. I’ve long complained about this annual ritual of signing one big player to fill the biggest need each offseason, and then hoping for the best. The Mets keep doing the same thing and learn nothing from their mistakes. Those last two big signings, Bay and K-Rod, might end up being a deathblow in 2011.
Here’s my take on it. Changing the GM isn’t going to change much. I’ve always felt that the Wilpons are the ones who tell their GM’s to make their wish list and then lets them go after the top choice. That’s what we’ve seen from Minaya and even Phillips if you examine his offseason record.
I dont get some of you and your apparent disdain for David Wright. When he’s interviewed and says all the right things everyone pounds on him for not being a leader. When he responds by levying some criticism you make him out to be a jerk. The guy cant win.
these folks never care about skill or baseball ability. they care about media perception and goofy personal stuff. if a guy tries hard and smiles, they all love him, regardless of anything else. if beltran is awesome, but is so smooth that he appears indifferent everyone wants to trade him. they dont actually care that people are skilled at baseball ot help the team win.
Wright should do the right thing for the Mets and himself
He should force the trade of himself for King Felix who is “a no-doubt-about-it top-level starter like Cliff Lee“.
There is no pressure ever in Seattle. He can be Wright the never in crutch and be the star.
When he strikes out with the bases full or sends a errant throw to Ike in a tight situation ,which happens regularly, they will say “Don’t worry David, there will always be the next time.”
NO #^%#@#%%$#!!!. Very civilized and dull. Just the place for Wright.
u must be a yankee fan, U only get a player like david wright once on 20 yrs
Wright is another Hojo ,not Piazza.
FRANK IN THIS CASE IT’S ONCE IN 48 YRS! ALL THINGS CONSIDERED WHO ARE BETTER @ 3B IN TODAY’S GAME?
Joe D., isn’t there a filter u can install to block out the ideas of 12 yr olds?lol
Hey 12-year old are people too, lol
Certainly Martin is a nice kid. But I think he claims to be only 11 years old. Maybe an exception would be made for his tender years. He’s smart and mostly civil until he meets someone he considers stupid. Truth be told, I’m not sure, but in Martin’s eyes, that just might be most fans.
Anyway Martin would pass the filter test. He’s at least in his late teens. And he likes the cookies and milk offerings I’ve suggested. LOL
joe is right, i am 12. time passes, we all are getting older. but i should mention that i am also retarded. dont make fun of me about it. in fact, lets simply talk about baseball and not me at all, eh?
Mets need a upgrade at hitting coach..I like hojo, thankful for all the things he has done for the club , but come on, we need a hitting coach that hit .300 in the majors
I wonder if John Olerud would want the job?
Funny you say that Joe. I suggested Johhny O a few days ago to be hitting coach. I’d see to see either him, Piazza, or Rick Down come back as hitting coach. Why did they even fire Down in the first place? I don’t remember.
If Wright says the Mets need a “true top of the line starting pitcher”, I’d like to see Johan give an interview and say that he thinks the Mets need a “true top of the line third baseman.”
Nice… Touche`
right, but see, you need more than one good pitcher but only one 3b. analogy doesnt make sense.
I am sure Johan would like another top-of-the-line starter, too. He will have someone w/ whom to commiserate!
I like the tail-chasing metaphor.
can’t seem to find it in print, but ‘think’ i just heard Mejia had a good or great outing in AAA…