I guess this seems like a victory for the Mets but the Mets were wrong in doing this. K-Rod attacked a 50 year old man at Citi Field in front of the families of his teammates.  The 50 year old had to be taken the hospital after the savage attack.  I find it amazing that so many people are willing to look past this and just move on.

I would have respected the Mets if they had taken this grievance as far as they could even if they lost.  Of course the Mets were only thinking of that 3.1 million dollars.  I understand that they were scared of a union with way too much power, but this was not K-Rod’s first incident here in New York and with the Mets.  Let’s not forget the incident with Brian Bruney where K-Rod had to be held back.  Also last year it was reported that K-Rod had an argument with Tony Bernazard.  Then earlier this season K-Rod had a confrontation with Randy Neimann, the 54 year old bullpen coach. Clearly K-Rod likes to fight with older men.  K-Rod also violated a court order by texting his girlfriend.  It also was reported by the daily news that K-Rod at least on 1 occasion attacked his girlfriend and the mother of his two children so bad that she had to be hospitalized.  Even with all this evidence to support their argument, the Wilpons decided to take their 3.1 million dollars and let this guy continue be handsomely paid and a part of the team.

K-Rod is a bully and an abusive pig, no other way around it. The guy obviously has personal problems and should not be on this team.  I respected the Mets originally for going up against the Players Union but in typical Mets fashion they took what little money they could save and just dropped it.  Everyone wondered why the Angels would let K-Rod walk after a record setting season, and let the Mets sign him.  Obviously it wasn’t just the money, they were just happy to get him off their team.

It’s just a matter of time before K-Rod does something to hurt someone else or make the team look bad.

Bruney had a so-so season with the Yankees, but had clearly fallen out of favor as the season drew to an end.

Last season he went 5–0 with a 3.92 ERA in 44 relief appearances.

I think the Nationals may be one of the more active teams in the NL this off season.

Rumors are swirling that both Josh Willingham and Adam Dunn could be traded. The Mets definitely like Willingham, but they should also take a look at Adam Dunn who can play first base.

Dunn is one of a handful of players that could hit the ball out of any park including Citi Field where he hit the longest homerun in it’s short history.

Last year when the Phillies were celebrating their World Series victory Jimmy Rollins mentioned Johan Santana and the Mets during their parade.  Of course during the off-season we all heard Cole Hamels call the Mets choke artists more than once.  During Spring Training the team to beat talk got started once again.  K-Rod coming over from the Angels got into the mix and declared the Mets the team to beat.

After Luis Castillo lost the game for the Mets on Friday, Brian Bruney, a reliever for the Yanks who spends most of his time on the DL said

“He’s got a tired act, I think that’s bad, but two years ago, when he lost the game…I don’t know if anybody saw it, I did. He was in Oakland and he was pitching for Anaheim, didn’t get a call, and so he was like complaining.

“The catcher threw it back and he just kind of did one of these [Bruney half-heartedly holds his arm out] and hit off his glove and bounced behind and the guy from third scored and they won the game. He gets what he deserves, man. I just don’t like watching the guy pitch. I think it’s embarassing.”

Normally that might have been it if this was the last 2 seasons.  The Mets don’t really respond, they don’t get angry, the nod and say something that will sound totally fake.  K-Rod is not backing down, he is not going to sit there and take it when a nobody like Brian Bruney who has spent more time on the DL than actually on the field talks trash to him.  K-Rod had a few responses on Saturday:

“Instead of sending a message through the paper, next time when he see me at Citi Field come up to me and say it to my face, don’t be sending a message through the media.”

“I don’t even know who that guy is. Somewhere in Double-A? I believe he hasn’t even pitched one full season. He’s always been on the DL. That’s all I know right now. He better keep his mouth shut and do his job and not worry about somebody else.”

That wasn’t the end of this verbal smackdown.  Before Sunday’s disaster K-Rod confronted Bruney and had to be pulled away by Mike Pelfrey.  I like this attitude. It’s something that has been missing the last 2 seasons.  K-Rod wasn’t happy with what Bruney said, so he went out and made his point.  He could have just gone back and forth in the press but he wanted to confront him man to man, face to face.  K-Rod showed he had some fire in him, something that the Mets do not display on a regular basis.  How many times this season have we’ve seen pitchers throw at David Wright’s head or force him to move out of the box?  Wright does not glare at the pitcher.  The Mets pitcher(s) do not brush the opposing pitcher or the other team’s third baseman off the plate.  I’m not looking for the Mets to become brawlers and start fights every night.  We don’t need these guys to get suspended, break a hand, hurt their backs, etc… fighting but it would be nice to see some of fight and passion in the rest of the team.

No word yet if the Three Fernandos or ‘Han the Man came in to separate the pitchers.

Here are my two cents on this.  Frankie Rodriguez is not the only pitcher who celebrates on the mound.  If he were to celebrate after any out he records, then Bruney would be right when he said “it’s a tired act”.  However, Rodriguez does his celebration after the last out of his saves.  He’s celebrating a victory, not the 15th out of the game.  Has Bruney forgotten the fist-pumping actions of his teammate, Joba Chamberlain?  Joba’s “act” sure got the attention of the Orioles’ Aubrey Huff earlier this season, when the first baseman mocked Chamberlain by pumping his fists after hitting a home run off the Yankees’ starter.

Perhaps Bruney should look in his own clubhouse before claiming that he’s never seen anything like it on the major league level.  This is what Rodriguez had to say in response to Bruney’s comments.

“If it comes out from somebody big, somebody who has been around and who is good at what he does, I would respect that from him.  But some guy that I don’t even know who it is…”

Good for you, Frankie!  Rodriguez has established himself as one of the best closers in the game.  Brian Bruney has appeared in fewer career games than K-Rod has saves.  He should focus on staying healthy (two trips to the disabled list this year) and throwing strikes (132 walks in 191 1/3 career innings).  Perhaps Bruney thinks the Yankees are paying him by the word.  If so, he’s doing his best to earn his salary.

The Mets and Yankees resume their rivalry in two weeks at Citi Field.  Let’s see what happens if Bruney comes in to pitch at Citi Field.  It would be fitting to see Bruney get the loss and K-Rod get the save.  Who knows?  Maybe Bruney just gave the Mets a verbal hotfoot that will motivate them to heat up their performances on the field.