21
2011
Baseball Musings: Should I Stay Or Should I Go?
An article by Former Writers
I would hate to be in Carlos Beltran’s shoes, or better yet, cleats right now - or any other baseball player’s for that matter who are in the same situation as No. 15 is.
It seems to me as though the player has very little to say about his career for the most part. For instance, does Beltran really want to uproot his entire family, take his kids out of school, sell the old house, find a new house, etc. etc. just to play with another team who he never wanted to sign with in the first place? And most of he times not even see a penny more for his trouble? I say he’s losing money and family time – and of course the kids don’t want to leave their friends or the neighborhood or their school.
Does MLB really mess around with players like this and not realize what they are doing to the family? Or, don’t they care as long as their needs are met?
No wonder players like Jeter stay single – it’s a rare player who doesn’t get moved during their whole playing career. Some players will play with as many as five or more teams scattered all over the country and even Canada.
Oh, but Jeter’s special, you say – no he’s not and he would be the first to tell you – that Brian Cashman asked him to ‘look around’ if he didn’t like his new contract offer.
Julio Franco Turns 48
On the flip-side, do any well known players ever just hang them up before they start to decline in their ability, sometimes drastically so - or do they stay around even if then have to be propped up just so they can grab the final penny?
Sounds to me like the old system of the feudal lords… and we are supposed to be way past that, living in the USA.
About the Author: Former Writers
21 Comments + Add Comment
NL East Standings
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Braves | 23 | 18 | .561 | - |
| Nationals | 23 | 19 | .548 | 0.5 |
| Phillies | 20 | 23 | .465 | 4.0 |
| Mets | 16 | 24 | .400 | 6.5 |
| Marlins | 11 | 31 | .262 | 12.5 |
Last updated: 05/18/2013
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Could be worse. The military makes those same decisions for it’s service men and woman only they don’t get paid a quarter of what ballplayers do. Both sign up though knowing this will always be a reality so not like it should be a surprise.
Also, Carlos has a full no trade clause so technically he doesn’t have to go anywhere until end of this season – even though that won’t be happening.
I understand your point but it’s a reality they all know going in.
I know about the military – USAF – and their decisions. We were stationed on Long Island, Mitchel Field, but whenever bad weather threatened, my husband had to fly with his crew to the Chicago area, leaving me home with a newborn. Fun, right?
LOL, doesn’t sound like it.
For the record, I’m going to miss Beltran. Best CF the Mets ever had.
LOL be thankful Annie, If you think being alone with a newborn is hard wait till they hit 15 and their hearing (only where parents are concerned) go bad!
My son was born on the AFB at Mitchell Field, many years ago, but I still tell tales about him. I have two sons, and they are great guys, I’m blessed.
great article annie, although with agents handling pretty much everything for the players, if they get traded or sign somewhere else, they don’t have to stress as much as i regular joe, i worked on a europe last year, and let me tell you, the first month or so, i was pretty much in a hotel, it was hard for me to rent a place, i had to go and get the place myself plus a lot of hours of work.
Alex68 – Right now one of my son’s best friends is looking for an opening on a cargo ship. For years he has traveled to Dubai and thereabouts, delivering tanks and other military supplies. However he chose this – what he didn’t chose was those nasty little boats coming out into the Red Sea with people shooting at them with guns. Now that I’m starting to really think about who stays in their home area to work, I’m not coming up with much except for myself, with a 10 mile commute to Yale University.
ahhh, nice annie.. my friend actually went to yale, and another guy who works here went to penn university, it benefits when you don’t have to go the extra mile for work or school.. unlike me, i have to go the extra super duper mile, but so far it has paid off, i knew what i wanted to be and done, and thank god i’ve done it, wish the same for you annie.
Doesn’t Carlos’ wife live in Puerto Rico full time anyway? I like Carlos Beltran, will be sad to see him go but trust me…I’m pretty sure that the prospect of winning a championship and his millions will make him realize he is doing the best thing for his family.
Okay, I have been a Mets fan just about my entire like. I follow MMO every day and I have never commented before, but this time I have to. I am a Dominican kid from Brooklyn who has served in the U.S. Army for 21 years. I have been to Iraq several times and have had to move my family more times than I want to count. Please don’t give us a sobb story for a player who makes more in one game than most Americans made last year. I love the Mets, and I appreciate Carlos Beltran. He is a great player and I hate that we are going to lose him, but he does not have to move his family unless he wants to, and his kids will be just fine. Let’s stick to baseball here.
RICARDO!!!! dominicano!! my salutes to you my fellow dominican!!!
I meant: “My entire life.” Typo.
Yeah I would have to agree that when you make more than 10 Million a year you cant’t really say they are putting a lot of hardship on the family.
I will say though that I would have no problem if Sandy resigned this guy.
And that could happen even if he does get traded.
If no one is willing to give up prospects for him they probably won’t break their wallet for him either.
But the chances are slim to none we would even make an offer.
Metsie – I think it’s going to be interesting to see how Sandy works. Right now, I think the Mets fans are the friendliest around, no matter how the team is doing. Over at Yankee stadium, they’ve got empty seats and no cheering. Last night at Citi, we had Keith Hernandez serviing hot dogs to the group in the Pepsie porch area when Carlos Beltran hit his homer up there. Mets fans really love their players, win or lose, don’t you think?
Most fans do. It seems each player has a vocal contingent, however small, that just has to take every opportunity to remind us “he sucks”.
Well many do, but some of the postings made by people here would say otherwise. LOL
The thing about this franchise is you should never count them out no matter how bad things might appear.
86 was a destiny waiting to happen but also a once in a lifetime confluence of good timing, long losing leading to high draft picks and the right mixture of personality and leadership that is very hard to repeat.
Some think that should be possible every year. And when it doesn’t they hate the team.
I say they are unreasonable myself.
The Mets have always been the Blue Collar team in NYC.
Just as the Jets were the blue collar team.
The Yankees and Giants have always been the blue bloods.
and when those teams lose it’s like rats leaving a sinking ship!
Our History has made us used to not winning so I would say we are more hardened to it. And now that we have a fun stadium to go to that doesn’t remind us of blight years in NYC (which shea did in spades) I have to say a Met game is fun to go to regardless of the outcome of the game!
And SNY has a much more layed back attitude and fun factor that no Yankee Broadcast will ever bring to the table.
Yes is like a bunch of yankee snake oil salesmen and would never lower themselves to hang with JoeQ Public.
So yes I think the Mets are much more fun and easier to love.
Metsie – I have to agree with you about SNY – particularly since they had the good sense to hire Keith Hernandez and Ron Darling – two men who not only played on the ’86 team, but are baseball records in themselves. They give us more information in one inning than most of the other ‘team announcers’ do in a whole season. And they are charming, funny and the kind of people you like to associate with.
Plus they don’t have a megalomaniac watching every word they say or taking them to task for telling it like it is.
They obviously want the team to win and it shows. Gary too!
And normally that leads to a jingoistic broadcast that gets uninteresting after awhile.
But what saves it is they call a duck a duck and when they screw up they say so!
Nary a bad word is ever said about a Yankee player lest they get reprimanded.
LOL
In fact some of the most entertaining broadcasts on SNY happened last year when we were pretty much playing out the season and the guys in the booth just let loose (Much the way they did last night!)
Thats nice to see because it shows they look at the game from a fan persepctive and then add the expert commentary (good or bad) as it is warranted.
I Love when I get to work Met games.
it’s always a blast!
Metsie – I didn’t realize you were connected with The Mets/ SNL – what’s your connection?
I was hysterical last night with Keith putting all that stuff on his hot dog – he was messy and careful at the same time – priceless.
Not connected but have worked freelance. Most of the time I work Met games it is doing the Visitor team broadcast in the truck. SNY has their own staff which I would love to get onto but there are no openings for engineers.
Yes poor poor filthy rich athlete he will have to buy a new mansion in the next big city and his poor children will have to enroll in a different private school. I don’t remember hearing any stories of any GM’s holding a gun to some athletes head and forcing them to play the God awful family wrecking sport of baseball. Maybe I missed that one though