26
2012
Rubin: Doing Nothing At The Trade Deadline Was A Kick In The Teeth To The Players
An article by 
“The players won’t say it or admit it publicly, but the fact that the Front Office didn’t make any moves to help them at the trade deadline, was a “kick in the teeth” to them.”
Before you hit “Leave Comment” and go off on a tirade against Adam Rubin, let me confess that it wasn’t Adam who made that quote. It was in fact SNY’s Kevin Burkhardt. My apologies to Adam, but I wanted to use this opportunity to make a point.
Kevin Burkhardt made that statement during last Thursday’s Mets Pre-Game Show on SNY while reporting from the field to studio analyst Bobby Ojeda.
The comment went unreported and if not for catching a little exchange about it on our threads over the weekend, it would have probably been long forgotten. However I didn’t want it to be forgotten because the quote speaks volumes. Read it again.
“The players won’t say it or admit it publicly, but the fact that the Front Office didn’t make any moves to help them at the trade deadline, was a “kick in the teeth” to them.”
The problem here is that if Adam Rubin had reported that, it would have launched a thousand inflammatory tweets and posts, all bashing him for not naming the players or sources, calling the charge untrue, and questioning his integrity. Bloggers like Howard Megdal and Mack Ade would have dashed to their keyboards with all due haste to pen an appropriate (in their minds) retaliatory response as they’ve done many times before.
After thoroughly checking Kevin Brukhardt’s twitter feed that night, there was not so much as a peep about this let alone a tweet. Not one word. Weird, huh? Most Mets fans and bloggers either chose to ignore it or pretend like it was never said.
The problem here is that it was said, and the reason Kevin said it was to impart the feeling in the clubhouse regarding the front office and their inaction when the team got hit with injuries to Francisco, Gee and Santana. The team was still battling for a wild card and expected something in the way of help, but help never came and naturally the team began to struggle and never recovered.
I thought long and hard about whether I should post about this or not, and in fact I even reached out to Kevin to try and get a little bit more clarity (hence the delay), but he had already hit the road for Dallas to cover the Cowboys game and I never got a reply.
I think this is a perfect example of how un-objective the Mets blogosphere can be at times. A quote like that from someone who covers the team as closely as Kevin does, deserved a lot more prominence than it got. I’m sure even Kevin himself wondered why nothing came from it. It took guts to say it…
I’m almost certain that if this had appeared on ESPN New York instead of SNY, the you-know-what would have certainly hit the proverbial fan.
This isn’t a knock on Kevin, who we love… Kevin did his job and he gave us a great insight about the the players that was both important to note and also very relevant. Kevin is a a top-notch reporter and an absolute gem. He’s not a shill and in fact neither are GKR and Bobby-O. In fact they were all recognized this week for being the least biased broadcast team in baseball. Congratulations, guys….
My purpose here is twofold.
First, lets talk about the sentiment in that clubhouse and whether the players have a legitimate gripe.
Second, I simply wanted to point out the unevenness and bias that takes place every day in the Mets blogosphere and Twitterverse. Unfortunately, too many like to pick and choose what they want to believe and what they want to report on. Sorry, but we don’t roll that way on MMO.
I believe it’s very important to represent all opinions and every angle, otherwise all you’re really doing is pushing an agenda. Having a community like ours which espouses all points of views from our writers and our readers leads to many a heated debate and frequent tensions on our very active comment threads. But that’s what passionate Mets fans have always done. We argue at the games, we argue at the dinner table, we argue at the bar, we even argue at weddings and funerals…
Arguing about our team? It’s our lot in life. 
About the Author: Joe DeCaro
I'm a lifelong Mets fan who loves writing and talking about the Amazins' 24/7. From the Miracle in 1969 to the magic of 1986, and even the near misses in '73 and '00, I've experienced it all - the highs and the lows. I started Mets Merized Online in 2005 to feed my addiction. Follow me on Twitter @metsmerized.
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Joe D, first of all let me say this, we said that during the month of july, however articles and comments were made praising alderson for staying put. we all thought it was a mistake and a slap to the face to the players, who even though we all knew were not talented enough to sustain it throughout the entire year (Look at the record in the second half) played their asses off and were not rewarded with a single bullpen arm to at least apiece the masses.. did you know that the mets bullpen lost 7 out of the first 11 games when came back from the ASB? SEVEN LOSSES alone basically pushed us out of contention and the guys in the FO still stay put. at this point it is what it is, we have an inept GM and 2 guys who if it wasn’t for SA wouldn’t have a job in baseball.
Also, let me point out that i like rubin, i think he’s a straight forward guy who tells mets fans the truth, and we all know how the truth hurts. that is the reason why many fans (specially the ones who love SA) hate the guy, but he’s just being honest and not sugar coating it as others do.
Alex,
You and I are almost always polar opposites but I must say on the first paragraph of your comment, I am in almost lock step agreement with you. I felt that the team was really busting it and playing significantly over their heads. It seams like they almost assumed something was coming in the way of reinforcements and none came. Totally took the air out of their ballon.
On Rubin, I’m not a fan and never was. It has absolute nothing to do with Alderson. I think he’s a bit of a “Pot Stirrer”. He reminds me a bit of Gary Myers, (except that I actually USED TO like Myers) in that he sometimes creates something out of nothing (no I will not go back to site examples). But this is not an Alderson issue because he’s had problems in the past with other members of the front office. I also have ZERO doubt that he was infact bucking for a job with the team at one point.
Exactly, which is what most of us were saying at the time. at least bring in a fresh arm to help, and show the ballclub you were not gonna punt 2012 as you said you were back in december last year. then, once the mets were out of it, why not fill up your roster back with some prospects and trade the few chips other teams wanted? but isntead, he wanted to keep the few fans in attendance, that way we wouldn’t believe they were rebuilding or anything..
That man and his goons have been insulting our inteligence for 2 straight years…
well, if you are implying that this was hushed up because of Bias to Sandy, there are plenty of sites that have an obvious anti-sandy bashing agenda. So why did they not jump all over it?
and to the quote itself, maybe he has it backwards. Unlike the brewers and Phils, where the FO said you guys suck and have no chance so we are selling off any talent we can (meaning the FO “quit” on the team), the Mets effectively said you guys got here, and have to get the rest of the way. Just because they did not add (from outside, as opposed to the system) another mediocre RP or spare part OF is not a justification for the team losing so often.
It also bugs me because it implies strongly that the team was mentally weak. Instead of taking it as a vote of confidence, or even an “us against the world” challenge, they just curled up in a ball, sucked their thubs, and stopped trying? Bull freaking crap.
the team had also fallen out of the race before the deadline. If these guys wanted help so badly, all they had to do was play .500 in July, leading up to the deadline, and they would have been in the race and probably gotten some. Though by then Edgin and Harvey were up. Two big pieces of “help” for the 2nd half.
anyway, if you believe that the team went 4-20 or some such stretch because they felt picked on (big bad sandy did not get heath bell for us! Lets quit playing before the freaking ASG!) then you really should be trumpeting that they fire the manager, and trade every freaking player in the clubhouse, because they are a bunch of mental midgets.
or recognize that the talent found it’s level, and they came back to earth
The voice of reason.
The bias that if Adam Rubin had said instead of Burkhardt, most sites would have trashed him.
How could this be said and MMO be the only site out of 150 to write about it?
So is this more about who said it than what was actually said?
See my comment below regarding KB. Might be a reason KB is the only one coming up with that opinion.
Yes, I thought it was funny that this got no play time anywhere.
Honestly, I didnt hear him say it and then my friend who recorded it played it for me. I had caught our readers commenting about it and was wondering what the heck they were talking about. Then when I heard the quote I was like wow, this is pretty significant and couldn’t believe that even Metsblog who posts everything didn’t mention it.
I wrote Kevin because I really wanted to get more context on it, but he had already left for Dallas and I had been sitting on this post for 5 days.
As for the comment itself, it is what it is, many fans already said that here, but to hear it from the players only validates that but also adds a disconnect between “the Plan” and what the players think.
This usually would be the type of thing Rubin would be all over.
So it leaves me wondering if it really is just KB’s opinion or there’s some reason Rubin is avoiding reporting on what he may know about that.
Well Rubin and Burkhardt are beat reporters and even at Citi they are always together. I dont think it’s very common for one beat writer to write an article based on what another beat writer said. Is it? I don’t know myself, but I can’t recall Burkhardt or Rubin ever doing that.
No, I wasn’t implying KB got that from Rubin and ran with it.
I’m as curious as you as to why Rubin hasn’t so much as mentioned it when he generally seems to be all over anything NY Mets.
You know what, I’m gonna ask him… I’ll post his reply.
I should also add that maybe Adam Rubin doesn’t watch the Lincoln Mercury Mets Pre-Game Show, lol. Unless you were watching that, it was the only way to hear it. That’s why I initially missed it.
Stick, I didnt talk about what I believed in this piece. I talked about what the players believed as reported by Burkhardt and the hows and whys of why it was not reported.
Now if the players think that, and I believe they do, why would Burkhardt lie about that, who am I to tell them they are wrong for thinking that way?
oh, you were more interested in KB. I thought when this first came up it did not get more play because it was more of his personal opinion/gut feeling/speculation? And that would be logical since a writer like Rubin would not likely print it if they had no independent support for it (otherwise, they would just be reporting each other’s hunches!)
You hit every nail on the head Stick!
So, they think they proved their point by sucking in the second half? Is that it?
Joe, I think of these as grown men with pride and a sense of professionalism. What you and others are implying puts them in the light of teenagers mad at their parents.
You know that 1973 team you were so fond of referring to? Well, let me again ask the question neither you or anyone else crowing about that has answered:
What was the big trade that year? Who was brought in to put them over the top as a playoff team?
You cannot be serious… dude, in 1973 Trades weren’t made as they are made now, you cannot compare the situations, totally different. also, in 1973 we pretty much had the same roster of young players that won the championship 4 years earlier.way different that the mets of 2012 compare to the 2008 mets no? we have gotten worse and the players that made us watch all the way till september are all gone, the only one left is wright who is making a habit of disappearing in the second half now.
“dude, in 1973 Trades weren’t made as they are made now, you cannot compare the situations, totally different”
So, you are saying it is a bad comparison? You should tell that to all the people who were harping about it.
Like you.
The plain fact is, these are grown men who had a job to do. The tailspin started well before the trade deadline. If they are mad at anyone, it better be with the guys they see in the mirror.
Deadline deals weren’t made back in 73 like they are today? Really? I guess getting Don Clendenon in 1969 at the trade deadline doesn’t count 4 years earlier.
Fonzie,
Deadline deals back then were made by June 15, not now like July 30. That’s going from approxmately one third a season to more than half way through.
Big difference. If the deadline was earlier, we can only speculate as to whether or not Sandy would have made a move.
I agree with your post on this Joey. We were starting to slip just before ASB ever so slightly (including DW). I saw Atlanta and Washington away right after ASB. I new this was a time we needed a closer as FF became chicken winged after subway series. A tweak move for a closer was clled for. An astute GM would have realized (now hindsight by me) that the two out attack without power could not continue and be sustained. Kirk showed he did not belong. Nothing was done. It was as if they literally said we are not going to mortgage the future. SA said he tried up to the last second and nothing in return was better than we had. SA also said trades could not be done earlier. All of that might be true. But nevertheless it was like letting yourn kids go to school w/o helping them with their homework. .
I
I’m not the KB hater many Met fans seem to be – just wanted to make that clear up front.
I think he does a fine reporting in the job he was hired to do.
That being said, I have to take a bit of what Kevin says with a grain of salt. He’s openly a bit more biased sometimes in his reporting than GKR are. For instance, when the great debate from 2 years ago of whether to send Mejia down to AAA after ST or bring him north in the BP was going on – and Jerry was lobbying hard for Mejia to be in the BP, Kevin agreed whole heartedly. His quote was something along the lines of: ‘I want to win now, not three years from now.’
I think we can all agree that was one colossal failure. Having an under developed 20 year old projected to be a starter, work out of the BP and telling him to basically scrap his secondary pitches for now was nothing more than Jerry trying to save his job. Some speculate that may have lead to Mejia’s blowing out his arm and requiring TJ surgery.
I have no doubt that KB is privy to more behind the scenes conversations and speculation than an outsider looking in. It’s his interpretation of same that leaves something to be desired at times. I just don’t put him in the category of ‘baseball analyst’.
Because what he said is clearly a shot at Alderson and you take exception to that. Got it.
Lmao, right on que…..
Bayonne, had he said SA is a smart dude and would’ve gone on to praise him, i am sure she wouldn’t have taken it with a grain of salt but instead would’ve said : this or would’ve said how much she admires and likes KB… Lol, amazing… But hey, there’s no proof she LOVES SA!
Wrong again, Alex, but hey thanks for playing.
Still waiting for proof from you that quotes me as saying ‘I love Sandy’.
You just belittle KB because he took at shot at the FO run by your lord, and you still want proof??? Are you kidding me right now???
Alex, when did saying “take things with a grain of salt” become equivalent to belittling someone? I don’t see her belittling anyone and this obsession that she loves everything Sandy does is not apparent to me either. I’ve had many debates with srt and not once did I ever get that impression. She agrees or disagrees with me on a variety of moves this franchise makes and not because of who made them.
In fact this is what I keep imploring you to do. Forget who made the moves and analyze the moves them selves with facts and opinion.
Your obsession with my comments is getting bizarre.
Wrong Joe D, all she does is take exeption to anything anyone says about the FO. why do you think the whole BLAME THE WILPONS campaign started? it was her who had no choice but to put the blame on someone else BUT Sandy Alderson. this affection with SA is getting out of hand, i guarantee you had KB said how great and smart SA is she would’ve been praising KB and going on about how smart and good he is etc..
Don’t bet your ranch on that guarantee, Alex.
I put the blame on the Wilpons b/c that’s where I believe it belongs. Who do you think fired Omar and hired this FO?
Your willingness to give the Wilpons a pass is mind boggling to me, to say the least.
A Pass??? i took a dump on the wilpons!! are you kidding me? i blasted them on the madoff stuff and even said they shoudl’ve sold!! however, to put all the blame on them is ridiculous…
SA was praised for his ability to find undervalue players, we knew there were gonna be no money, so hiring him was the smart idea at the time right? articles and comments all over the place about him being smart and knowing what he was doing, Remember all those articles right away praising his acquisitions of brad eamus and beato? then the trade for HU? remember those? then after failing the first year and blaming omar minaya entirely the second offseason comes along, loses another all star, sing a bunch of crappy relievers with the little $ he had to spend, and NOW since that failed as well we’re supposed to blame the wilpons? You cannot have your cake and eat it too… Either the guy was praised for being smart at finding unfervalue players, but since we’ve seen HE’S NOT, now we switch the blame to the wilpons because there’s no money right? Pathetic and lame excuses!!!!!!!!
You might have ‘switched’ the blame. I have not.
IMO, it doesn’t much matter who is sitting in the FO as long as the Wilpons own this team and the Mets are in the financial situation they are.
Again, you all had a chance to see that and roll with it then, instead of saying how we have no money and should only blame the wilpons. The guy has been a total failure at pretty much EVERYTHING HE’S DONE as a GM and you only focus is on money.. How about a trade? signing a guy who can help? nothing to help this ballclub get better, he inherited a club with a bunch of All Stars, he emphatically made it worse.. Blame the Wilpons too???
I still believe the Mets are broke and all roads lead back to the Wilpons. I haven’t wavered on that one bit. The clue was the Wilpons hiring CRG and the payroll being slashed 50 MIL dollars from ’11 to ’12.
If that’s not enough, the farm system was a bottom feeder one (25th or so) coming into 2011.
How do you a signing when they were cutting money right and left, or a trade when the farm had no depth and the talent level on the big club was thin?
If we had one glaring hole that a trade could have helped us stay in contention, I’d be all for trying that at the deadline. But man…where do you start? Coming out of the ASB, we had the worst BP in the NL (probably in both leagues), we stopped hitting, our defense was suspect and speed almost non existent. Where do you start????
“He inherited a club with a bunch of allstars”. Maybe somebody should’ve told those allstars to start playing like allstars so maybe we can at least watch the team play 500 ball with all those allstars.
Excuse me! Are you now trying to say Reyes and Beltran were not both elected to be All Stars in 2011?
Is that anything like your crap about there only being 16 teams in the MLB?
Maybe you should try not talking until you foot is removed from your mouth!
Lol!
What’s the record been with all those Allstars? Hmmm? 500? Nope! 16 NL teams. Not MLB. NL. Go get hooked on Phonics. Maybe if they would’ve played like Allstars over the past few years and won some damn games, fans would’ve shown up and then Omar would still be here and the team would’nt have sucked ass for 4 years and choked for 2 years before that. Yeah a bunch of Allstars. Wish we had them all back. Get Ollie to be a LOOGY. So we can go 80-82. We waz a jugganot I tell ya.
Yeah they made the All Star team so they must be the reason we lost half our games…
Not the other 22 guys that sucked!
You know like the mighty Hairston? What did he hit in 2011?
Or Willie harris? How many did he win for us?
How about Chris Young was he also held back by Beltran and reyes in 2011?
Get a clue and stop thinking that tough bluster is a substitute for facts or a having a point that actually exists!
What’s their record again with all those Allstars the last 4 years? How did those Allstars do in 2007 and 2008 against the Marlins and Nationals choking away the playoffs? Yeah so many Allstars yet so many losses = less attendace = major financial losses equal say goodbye to all those Allstars.
2006 97-65
2007 88-74
2008 89-73
Whats our record without them?
71-84
Yep You tell ebveryone it was the fault of those ALL STARS that hurt this team and keep right on chewing on shoe leather!
And what happened to
2009 70-92
2010 79-83
2011 77-85
I notice you stopped at 2008. What happened did the world end? You keep making my point. Haven’t had a winning season in 4 years with all those allstars. The other 22 players sucked? That’s pretty harsh coming from an Omar apologist.
Yes because thats what happened in years those All Stars were not there!
Reyes and beltran were hurt in 2009 and 2010 and missed games,
And in 2011 we traded the best All Star away!
You realize your making my point here right?
That when those guys are not on the field we lose and when they ARE on the field we win?
Yes the other players sucked!
Pelfrey was our ACE!
Bay was our Ofer!
Sure they are Omar guys just as Harvey and Tejada and Davis and Murphy and Niese and Gee and Dickey are all Omar guys….
Minus the guys who suck from the guys who dont’t and tell me who comes out on the plus side…
Do it for Sandy too just to be thorough!
Then cry us all a river when your forced to post that Sandy is on the negative side of aquisitions and removing your foot from your mouth!
And what happened when all those allstars were not hurt? Choked against the Marlins and Nationals 2 straight years. Against the 2 worst bullepns in the sport 2 straight years they couldn’t get it done. And if those allstars can’t stay on the field then why should they keep brining them back? 2010 the Redsox lost Youkilis, Pedroia, Beckett, Lester, Big Papi, Buchholz and they won 89 games. I don’t wanna hear that half a season without Beltran in which we went 11 games over 500 without as an excuse for a 2nd half tank job. He was there during that tank job. As was Johan, Reyes, Wright, K-Rod, Pagan, Davis, Francouer who everybody here loved, Dickey, Takahashi, Niese, Feliciano, Barajas. And they still tanked. That’s one expensive losing team.
What year was it that they were not hurt Fonzie? 2011 when they were traded instead?
When they were not hurt in 2006-2007 they made a playoff and missed two by a game each!
WHy? Because the Pitching got hurt both years!
So really you can trash Beltran and reyes all you want (to make yourself puke) but the truth is you blame the guys that got you that far not the guys around them that didn’t help!
Thought you guys should know there was a Met game today and Dickey won his 20th. Sorry for interrupting, thought you should know. :-/
Whats the mater Kev never heard of multitasking?
No I blame the entire team not one player but I don’t dwell on losing players that were part of 2 consecutive choke jobs to bad teams and then follow that up by constantly getting hurt and underperforming and if you need to be reminded no one was showing up to watch said allstars which caused an owner to lose over 150 million dollars. Who do you get rid of when you can’t keep your current payroll, the guy making 18 million or the guy making 500K? None of these allstars were drawing enough fans to watch those allstars which gave them no choice but to get rid of them.
Were you this broken up after the worst team money can buy Part 1 was broken up in the early 90′s. We had a bunch of allstars then too. How about the worst team money can buy part II? Miss all those allstars too. Or is it just the part III version you long to return?
Yeah they missed the playoffs by a game in 2 straight years. LMFAO. They choked away big leads cause those ALLSTARS couldn’t beat the lousy Marlins and Nationals when their seasons were on the line. Yeah they missed by a game after choking a 7 game lead with 17 games left and a 4 game lead with 9 games left. Both years it was the Marlins adn Nationals that sent us home. Couldn’t beat Scott freakin Olsen who’s out of baseball .
Do you need a Barf Bag or do you ha a Hawiian Shirt to hid all this puke your making yourself do trashing guys like Beltran whereas you said about other fans doing the same just a few posts above?
Keep Diggin that Ditch Doggie!
I didn’t trash Beltran or any one individual player. I trashed the team. You still have reading comprehension issues I see. Tell me how long did it take you to get over the worst team money can buy Part I? How bout Part II? I can see Part III still has you crying. Can’t answer the questions as usual so you do the typical diversion tactic and ignore the subject. Who do you get rid of when you’re losing millions the guy making 18 million or the guy making 500K?
No you trashed the ALLStars!
Are you now trying to say the entire team made the All Star Game?
Face it your fat tough guy mouth and supreme anger got you so deep into the hole that not even a Black Hole Gravity well can untwist you from your predicament!
You trashed Beltran and Reyes “All Stars” for not winning you something all on thier own and then claimed People who THINK they are INFORMED BASEBALL folks but complain about Beltran make you sick!
SO you make yourself sick…Don’t worry you it’s not just you as you make everyone saick with your crap!
But we do get a laugh when the guy who calls everyone a Bull$#itter gets caught by his own bull!
Wear it proud tough guy!
Man am I glad I had work to do this morning. Alex, you have known SRT since Metsblog you just don’t know it. And if you would take the time to look, she blamed the Wilpons back when Omar was GM. Her belief was that the Wilpons where tying his hands and helping create PR disasters. She did not suggest removing Omar until the TB and Rubin disaster. That part hasn’t changed and has nothing to do with Sandy. It’s her personal belief that the beginning and end signs all point to them. Big deal, move on.
This.
Most owners don’t have a clue about running a baseball team.
Their job should be to write the checks and trust those they hired to get the job done.
And is there any proof to suggest thats not exactly what they are doing and it’s not Sandy that is the one doing what he feels is best?
Only the several stories over the years about the Wilpons being too involved – specifically Jeffy since 2002.
Those were not stories backed up by even a shred of evidence just unsubstantiated rumors that are no different than what you guys are doing today!
The only time these guys have ever acted on anything is when the press gets on them!
So please cite examples of thier meddling with the proof that they got in the way and stopped a GM from doing what he wanted to.
Or even show a quote from Sandy where he said I wanted to spend 120 Mil on Payroll but the Wilpons said no make it 90M instead….
Bet you can’t find even one documented example where the Wilpons made the GM do something he didn’t want to do with the exception of staff behaving badly and the WIlpons saying get rid of him.
And none of that has ever been in regards to a player!
K-Rod was the closest you could say they came and they got screwed by the Union not that the GM disagreeing.
I can’t even be bothered…..
no you can’t can you? Anything that has to do with an opposing view to anything Alderson does you take exception to.
It’s all you do. It’s everything you do.
Dont bother with them srt. I know they like to chase you down here, but I think it’s mostly because of your charm and wit.
Ha! Thanks, Joe.
Truthfully, it reminds me a little of trying to reason with my teenager back in the day……
Well, the obsession and flat out stalking will just be taken into the shoutbox as usual.
no you can’t can you? Anything that has to do with an opposing view to anything Alderson does you take exception to.
It’s all you do. It’s everything you do.
Bayonne, this is funny coming from you. You do the same thing only the other way around and to an extreme that is a thousand times greater than anyone else on this site. You are not only the most unobjective one here and the most biased, but you even admitted many times that you hate Alderson personally. Personally. Do you know how immature and foolish that sounds? So for you to judge anyone else on their objectivity is really bizarre and very hypocritical. You have no ground to stand on because you torched it.
Yeah that’s something right,
I despise the guy that has taken the team i grew up rooting for and turned it into a metric machine, has had two terrible off seasons where he did NOTHING while other teams got good players that can help them contend at prices the Mets can afford.
AND YOU KNOW THAT.
I despise the guy for 2 consecutive season did NOTHING near the trading deadline to help the team i grew up rooting for INCLUDING the times when Cashen said he was going to rebuild and it would take time but at least he tried to compete every year while doing so.
YOU’RE DAMNED RIGHT I HATE THE GUY.
And you’re offended by that? Well Too bad. That’s how i roll and at least you know exactly how i feel about him and highly doubt that the way this guy does business, with his metrics and all, will be able to bring this team to the finish line with a title.
it’s NOT gonna happen. Not as long as he’s here.
So yes I hate the guy.
And if that means to you that i’ve torched the ground i stand on because of the way I expressed it then what can i tell ya. I really don’t care to be honest because i don’t know you from jack – **** outside the area of my keyboard
And how do you know srt? Or Jessep? You see what I mean? You’re so fueled by hate that it’s blinded you and rendered you unobjective, mean spirited, always in attack mode, and hurling insults. That doesn’t make you smarter than those you like to castigate, it only reflects what you are. Your own words are the image you project. So you should think about what you say because ultimately your words define you, not the people you are directing them at.
Joe D, i will say this, not on behalf of bayonne, but on behalf to a lot of us, isn’t that what most people do here? Yet, it seems only a few get condemn for it? we have been called haters, lack of baseball knowledge, old school etc yet you don’t seem to condemn those people?i wonder why.. we get called out pretty much all the time for what we do, yet if others do the same you seem hesitant to say something..
Xtreemicon told a blogger who criticize mchugh to basically get out of here yet nothing was said.. However, if it would’ve been one of us that you have called out i am sure you would’ve pointed that out to us publicly. this is your site and we should respect it, and sometimes i do believe bayonne goes out of line, but for once it’d be nice to show us some loyalty and defend us from some of this people who constantly attack us, bait us as well..
Speaking for myself and no one else….
I’ve never personally attacked anyone here. I’m not into that name-calling-sandbox behavior.
I don’t get the baiting comment. An opposing opinion and stating that opposing opinion is not baiting. It’s just that, an opposing opinion. I don’t condone any of those that include personal attacks to get a point across.
Is there a group of KB haters out there? Your comment is the first I’ve heard of that. I love KB and wouldn’t swap him for anyone else in the world. Truthfully, I wouldn’t mind having more of him in the booth, he’s fun to listen to.
Joe:
KB is a “company man” and most fans hate the company right now.
From what I read on other blogs, I would say yes.
It’s ranged anywhere from hating the during-the-game interviews he does (which I generally like), to mocking his analysis of all things Mets when some see him as nothing more than a voice for fluff pieces.
That’s kind of sad to hear because I think KB is critical of the team when he needs to be. And Mack, yes he is a company man as well, I can’t disagree with you about that. Maybe I just have an extra special fondness for him because in addition to being a diehard Mets fan, I’m a diehard Cowboys fan, and KB calls the Cowboys games. lol
Joe, you now the old saying: ‘Can’t please all of the people all of the time’.
Heck, there’s not a doubt in my mind there are actually Met fans out there that don’t like RA Dickey. Always one in every crowd.
“From what I read on other blogs, I would say yes.”
Show proof where this is running rampant like you’re suggesting. Where’s some links? Or was it one or two people’s opinions about KB over the last few months that you gleaned this from the many, many, blogs you claim you visit
She saw it…with her eyes.
I’ve been reading comments on KB for a few years both on Metsblog and AA.
Well, haters gonna hate.
I’ve seen some people say stuff referring to him looking like a kid or only doing fluff pieces etc etc. It isn’t so much stuff directed at KB, but stuff people say in general about “sideline reporters” despite that fact that it isn’t true.
Joe:
First, I hope things are well with you and your family.
Just a small correction on the Adam Rubin reference.
I only have personal issues with Adam. He asked me years ago to secretly feed him via email and texts, info on the Mets minor league players so he could use it for his weekly minor league report. This was done, in person, sitting in the Mets press room during spring training. It was well before fine sites like yours added minor league coverage and, as Adam said to me, “I really don’t know anything about the Mets minor leaguers.”.
I did this for a year and, when I returned to ST a year later, he completely ignored me. I wrote about it, Matt Cerrone took liberties with it, and the rest became distorted history.
Adam is the only Mets writer or blog I follow on Twiiter because he reports the most Mets info and the most Mets info correct. But, I don’t like him and chose to write about it.
Say hello tp Spector and Petey for me.
Mack
Thanks Mack, I mentioned you because I still read what you write and caught your take on Rubin after that whole Ike Davis is uncoachable story. I hope you are feeling and doing well too. I will say hi to both Joe and Pete for you.
Yeah, I had to shut down the blog into a much small version… just me now… I couldn’t keep up with the grind mentally. I’m writing for Brian Joura once a week and doing a weekly draft thing for Matt Grabusky.
Life wise, big operation this Friday which will determine “quality of life” left…
Joe, there always was a reason I targeted 2014 as a year the Mets would win it it. I had hoped it would give me the strength to hang around that long.
Lastly… for today… (don’t tell anyone…
look for someone to take the bullet around 3 days after the season ends..
LGM.
Mack
I wish you well on your surgery and I hope after it you’re around for years and years and hope we both get to see another championship. Despite our recent differences, I wish you nothing but good health and good fortune always.
Good luck with your surgery, Mack.
And now you’ve got me curious: ‘…look for someone to take the bullet around 3 days after the season ends..’
3 days? Wonder what you mean there, Mack. The only thing I could think of is firing Collins only because GM’s hang the blame on the managers anyway when things dont go according to plan. I wouldn’t mind that if it happened, especially if he’s replaced with Mike Scioscia.
I say Warthen. Maybe Hudgens.
They should kick themselves in the teeth. For the Mets to have made an impact, they’d have to have made several BIG moves. We needed bullpen help, another starter, a real catcher, a COMPLETE outfield, more clout from the shortstop and a second baseman who didn’t have his head up his ass. What move would’ve made a difference? They could’ve brought in Albert Pujols and it wouldn’t have mattered. Kirk and Duda faded, Bay should have given up his salary, waved the white flag and retired, and they never should have traded for Andres Torres.
I could go on, but why? They did well in the first half of the season and it spoiled us. I was hoping they could repeat that in the 2nd half and they would have had a pretty good decent season on which to build for the future. Instead, people forgot–like the Pittsburgh Pirates of 2011 and 2012–that the season is LONG and difficult. And the Mets are awful.
You’re confusing journalistic integrity (anonymous quotes from mystery “baseball insiders’) with sideline perceptions. Burhhart is no more a journalist than Keith Hernandez – nor is he presented or advertised as such.
Sorry, I don’t buy your argument.
Rubin and the fans were right though. A move or two would have help the team instead of sitting on the asses. M. Donald Alderson. Believe that!
A move or 2? Really?
Who? Who did we have the resources to acquire that would have turned things around?
Keep in mind, the entire team stopped hitting and the rotation couldn’t get guys out after the All Star Break.
A move or 2 would have been a token gesture meant to appease dumb people.
That’s always been my point, I did not see any need in trading valuable pieces for mediocre players for a shot in the dark.
Here’s the thing, we are talking in hypothesis. What if the Mets played poorly because they thought that one of their players would be traded? Maybe the uncertainty and instability caused the decline? We have all kinds of contradictory info this year.
The Marlins added a ton in the off-season just to tank and set the organization back.
The Phillies and Brewers traded away some of their top players only to play better.
The Dodgers made moves that we have never witnessed before and have placed themselves in a bind going forward to make a splash this year, only to be most likely on the outside looking in.
Also to this point, the players and the FO can’t always be on the same page. The players are paid to win and want to win every year. I see this all the time as a coach even for amateur sports. Do you think my seniors care about the fact that I also need to get players ready for the following season? There only concern is winning this year, as a coach I have to not only think about this year but the future as well. Not that hard to understand.
you dont run a team by caring what the players want.
KB’s quote by itself says he feels either due to direct knowledge by asking or his impression based on things he over heard or some other unknown variable that it felt like in his words a “kick in the teeth”.
Speaking for myself I don’t know if KB is saying this as his opinion or otherwise or if he is saying based on what many or a few have said or if he is saying this based on what one person said that was making the statement for the team overall so I don’t take too much from this.
As long as the players didn’t use the excuse of a non move to play any less harder I think it’s OK if a player decides he feels disappointed that an addition to the team was not made.
I think it’s also possible that the NY media which is always looking to throw dirt on the Mets overall and never miss an opportunity to report something like they did last year with Dickey’s comments didn’t this time cause this was more KB’s opinion that anything else.
Couldn’t agree more. Not only a kick in the teeth to the players who performed so well during the first half but an insult and a slap in the face to loyal Mets fans. It’s going to take some really big bold moves to erase the sickening sour taste of this season, which even the Dickey and Santana moments could not help.
Ok to the first point
RE Played in the press – It didn’t get press play because it was said on SNY which none of the press was watching or even able to watch as they were likely all in the press box or cafeteria eating at the time it was said. So no one but FANS actually heard KB say it!
It might have become an issue if it was a direct quote made in earshot of all the reporters but thats not how KB got this.
I am also sure a lot of fans heard it and shut it right out hoping no one else heard it because the few of us “ALWAYS WRONG” folks have said this same thing was true as far back as the Harvey is ready/not ready fiasco!
It is clear that some fans prefer to ignore facts or conveniently ignore certain quotes and facts to support thier fantasy “that everything is just fine and Sandy is on the right path” they cling to to feel better about life.
As for the kick in the teeth itself it was two fold!
First there was the announcement by Sandy that Harvey was not ready yet to replace Gee and decided to go with Batista and hefner instead. Then after that losing streak that followed that announcement he added to it by reversing himself from being a buyer to NOT a buyer!
I have asserted all along this was the thing that drained the fight and the drive the team exhibited in the first half.
If the Boss isn’t going to try why should you bother?
I’m glad Joey and I mentioned the quote and that JoeD picked up on that!
Just goes to show who actually pays attention around here when things are said and funny we are all those who are on the wrong side of the Sandy propagandists!
Well if the ones who pay attention don’t like Sandy what can we conclude about those who DO like him?
They aren’t paying attention!
They are playing Ostrich and sticking thier heads in the sand and hoping when they finally pull thier head out of THE HOLE everything will be Sunshine and Rainbows!
At this rate they should not look up until 2022 or they will be very disappointed.
I still don’t like the idea of a team thinking they are not good enough and then essentially tanking because they didn’t get help.
What help did they want? The kind the Dodgers got?
How about some Bullpen help or perhaps a starter to replace Santana (taking into account Harvey as replacing Gee)
Here is the key point, it wasn’t JUST the not making a deal it was also the refusal to bring up Harvey to replace Gee…
The Organization was selling these guys as the ones who were going to change everything and at the time we could have used thier help the FO refused!
The lack of a deadline deal just put the period on the sentence that the GM had given up and wasn’t going to try to win. And they followed his lead as most workers do when thier boss is leading them into complacency.
We all feel as Kevin did, we thought that a move, maybe even another BP arm or a journeyman pitcher, how many were picked up by other teams like P. Maholm by Braves, would have shown players that FO bought into what players were doing, not what they though was a 1st half dream.
Just read this one Joe…To me, irregardless of who’s reporting it is immaterial. The question is whether it’s true. I believe it is…
I believe not only was it a kick in the teeth to the players, but it was a smack in the mouth to season ticket holders’, and paying customers who purchased 2nd half tickets or packages that included 2nd half games. What are these guys in the clubhouse supposed to think?
We love that you played over your heads 1st half and we’re happy you guys did…BUT those T-shirts we gave you and everything TC told you guys about shocking the world in ST WAS HORSESH**! Now just play out the string and see if you guys can keep the fanbase interested and the turnstiles moving…
Hi Joe,
That’s what I meant about team spirit. To ignore the possible ramifications of the front office as to how it effects the players is trying to dismiss it. No matter how much these guys are paid, they are still human beings – wealthy ones indeed, but still human. So to simply imply that they are paid to play baseball, etc. is not an answer.
I might have mentioned my surprise at Kevin being so candid with that. I wonder if other sports writers just didn’t pick up on his comments or are aware of that possible feeling with the team but need to retain a relationship with players so unless one is willing to be quoted, they are not reporting it. In turn, as a journalist, I wonder how much this might cause the players to be more careful talking to Kevin in the future.
And I agree with some others who suggested this might represent a riff in the clubhouse between the bullpen guys and the rest of the team.
And I guess R.A. Dickey still doesn’t know what he is talking about, saying that the team can rebuild and be competitive at the same.
http://bleacherreport.com/tb/d8yWk?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=new-york-mets
Notice that he also said five to six more years to rebuild, which by my calculations means around 2017 or 2018.before anything is done.
And he closed by saying what the course of action the Mets take with David Wright infers:
“But if you see them not really pursue him hard, that’s the message that I get. Unless they trade him and get multiple, big-league pieces back.”
OK, that means getting big league pleces in return to offset the loss of David is one thing, but getting something other than that in return is another. Guess he’s not interested in another A-level Zack Wheeler or two.