12
2011
3 Up, 3 Down – The Return Edition
An article by Gregg Hopps
3 Up/3 Down returns after a brief break, and yes it’s great to be back. Since we haven’t been here in a few weeks, today’s edition looks at the past few weeks; where the Mets have been, and where they are currently at.
3 Up
1. Manager Terry Collins: I watched a spring training interview with Terry Collins back in March, and the one thing that totally impressed me was his positive attitude and high energy level, heck even I want to put on a glove and play. Terry’s upbeat attitude has obviously had a positive effect on this team. He’s getting the most out of these young players. Another thing I like about Terry is the accountability he brings to the team. You either perform, or you don’t play. After so many years of no accountability, and cap tipping, it’s great to see a manager that holds his players responsible for their actions.
2. The Kids: My list of kids, Murphy, Tejada, Turner, Gee, Thole, and Beato (I’m sure I’m leaving some out). These kids are getting the job done on a nightly basis! When Ike and David went on the DL, some were waving the white flag, but the kids have proven the naysayers wrong. Each and every night I expect to see a solid job by them. No longer am I hoping, or praying they’ll get the job done, its an expectation.
3. The Old Timers: In particular Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran. Reyes is having an MVP caliber season so far, and I do believe the Mets will make an all out effort to re-sign him. Carlos Beltran has not only been solid, but has been a leader. Beltran’s been out there pretty much on daily basis, and has been quoted as saying the team can not afford to have him out of the line-up. Excellent!!
3 Down
1. Ike and David: I haven’t written since Davis and Wright went on the DL, which of course is the major downer of the season. I’ll be honest, I don’t know how Ike damaged his ankle, by falling on his backside, but I wish both these guys speedy recoveries.
2. Jason Bay: What happened to the Jason Bay who used to play for the Pirates and the Red Sox? Was Peter Gammons right last year when he said Bay would rather play in Beirut, than for the Mets? Could Bay simply be one of those players who lacks the chops to play in biggest market in the country? So many questions, so few answers.
3. The Negativity Factor: Our Mets, even without Wright and Davis, and without Johan and Chris Young, is still hanging out right at the .500 level. Why all the sad faces? I’m just not getting the negativity. This team is playing better than anyone could have expected. It’s time for fans to start acting like fans.
LGM!
About the Author: Gregg Hopps
Gregg lives on Long Island, and has been a Mets fan since Bud Harrelson and Pete Rose slugged it out in the 1973 playoffs. "Keith Hernandez is the best defensive first baseman to ever have played baseball."
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some fans like to be miserable no matter what. it seems to make them happy. I am pretty sure that some of them, if the mets won the WS, would just complain that they did not set themselves up to win the next one too.
Ike? I though DW stepped on his ankle too but somehow he twisted it good going down.
Bay is a mystery. I can’t believe it is the pressure/attention factor, because stepping into the middle of the Boston line up, replacing Manny, had to be worse that way than signing as a FA with the Mets. My WAG? a combo of getting old quick (see, Alomar) combined with letting Citifield get into his head (a reaction to Wright’s 2009 maybe) led to mechanical and approach changes that did not work, but snowballed into worse and worse problems.
and remember, he is 2 years removed from Boston now, and in you mid 30s 2 years can make a big difference.
You know, you guys make it sound like the fans have no business having negative thoughts. All because the team is two games UNDER .500, despite four key injuries. I fully agree that this team is hanging in there somewhat, so far, but it’s still pretty early in the season to be congratulating one another. Or for that matter to not see the very serious problems that this team still has. We are much better off than we were at this time last year no question, but when you have someone like Bay, acting as a sucking void in the middle of the line-up, who plays at the expense of better players, simply because of his contract, you have a big problem. David Wright before his injury was hitting .226? He seems to be a shell of the player he once was too, yet the team, and many fans, act like he’s Babe Ruth. You have a big problem there too. We still have no ace. Dillon Gee is nice, but he’s not an ace. When, and will, Johan ever return and pitch effectively? Guess what, there’s a big problem there. Can, and will, we ever have the way-with-all to go out and acquire a major leaguer from another team to fill a need, or will we always have to live with the Buffalo shuttle and a prayer? Not being able to trade for a major league player is a problem. There are no more arms on the farm, we’ve called them all up, what if someone else gets hurt? That’s a problem. What’s the deal with the stance management has taken towards Reyes? The way they are handling the situation, there is a very good chance he will be playing somewhere else soon. That would be a big problem. And how about our bullpen? Sometimes good, sometimes horrendous! If we can’t go out and get two or three veteran relievers to solidify the pen, then we have to keep seeing these heartbreaking losses in games where we lead in the late innings, only to watch the pen implode. So, we are only 2 games below .500. I guess it’s time to stick our heads in the sand again. Everything’s just perfect in Metdom.
One famous GM (I cannot remember who) once said it is better to get rid of a guy a year too soon rather than a year too late. Since the Wilpon became a full 50% partner we have specialized in getting guys with at best a year or two of good play in front of them and quite often having to live through the inevitable injuries and poor performance and after having given away so much depth in either prospects or draft choices to acquire these dinosaurs, then didn’t renew the roster by drafting and signing the best talent available in either the draft or international free agency.
If your giving away so many 1st 2nd and 3rd round picks (13 since 1998) and then drafting for slot instead of true talent and then neglecting to go whole hog in the IFA market your going to crash. It’s inevitable. Your going to run out of players. You cannot keep things going by throwing money at guys like Mo Vaughn, Moises Alou, Roger Cedeno, Roberto Alomar, Jeremy Burnitz, Vince Coleman, Jason Bay, David Weathers, Scott Schowenweiss, Luis Castillo, Billy Wagner
The reality is you lose now and you lose later.
You have to make a call and just refuse to give up picks or prospects for anyone over 30 because they won’t be around by the time your beefed up farm system starts playing up here. Once you have a young well rounded team it might be worth adding to it but not as the primary method of acquiring your best players. Just as a method of acquiring the one or two missing pieces that didn’t develop. For instance with all the college slot selection pitchers we have drafted over the last 14 years how is it even remotely possible that every single year we have to go out and get 4, 5, 6, 7 new guys and pay some of them anywhere from a million to 17 M a year to come here AND give up a #1 draft choice as well?
Hard to believe.
Yeah but we should be jumping up and down with joy, because we are only two games below .500!
It’s not about jumping up and down cause of our record but it is about enjoying some great play so far this season from guys like Turner, Murphy, Tejada, Pridie, Capuano and Gee who no one counted on being major players, other than Murphy being a PH/1B/1B/3B fill in!
The recent play especially the 2 out hits that were a bane to this team for many years has changed and a lot of the credit I say goes to Terry and his change of attitude and accountability especially.
When David, Ike and Johan return it will be like trading for 2 very good players and an ace for the remainder of the season.
What remains to be seen if this ownership and mgmt will tear this team down if they around .500 or competing for the wild card cause I believe that fans will really put a hurting on attendance, etc if they see a chance for postseason from a team that everyone including many fans gave up on.
The pitching of Gee, Capuano and now R.A. along with Niese and Pelf being better can’t help but keep this team in contention until injured players return.
It may not seem like a quality staff and lineup but till now this team has not quit in them and I like what I have seen this road trip, every game was winnable, no blow outs and the hitting in pressure situations by young and vet players alike.
I like what I see so far, season has less than 100 games to go but Mets are playing exciting ball right now.
My only concern it BP, will Beato return to form, how much does Izzy have left in his shoulder, can Parnell finally step up to give Mets two real option in 8th.
Great artiicle, Lets Go Mets!