There are many adjectives that are used in conjunction with the 86 Mets. Confidence. Arrogance. Swagger. Obnoxious. But they were good, damn good. And they knew it. That’s a far cry from the 2013 Mets.

However, it’s not just wins that count. It’s playing as a cohesive unit. It’s playing as, no pun intended, a TEAM. And that is something this club does not do. You don’t have to get along off the field. You don’t even have to like it each other. But when you’re on that field, you play as a team. You fight as a team. The Jordany Valdespin situation shows in glaring fashion how incredibly dysfunctional this “team” is.

The 86 club was a bawling and brawling brazen bunch of ballplayers chasing women and partying. But there were exceptions. For all intents and purposes, Gary Carter was an outcast. He was a family man, religious and clean-cut. Heck, the guy was so pure he did a commercial for Ivory soap. Mookie Wilson was one of the longest tenured players on that club. Yet, he graciously accepted becoming a platoon player with Lenny Dykstra. Or moving to left. But yet, they won. 108 times. The 4th highest win total in the last 50 years.

That club had issues. No doubt about it. Darryl referred to Wally Backman as a “(expletive) redneck.” In his 1985 book, “Bats,” Davey Johnson referred to Dykstra as “an ***hole kind of guy.” When they were posing for their team picture in the spring of 1987, Keith Hernandez and Strawberry came to blows about seating proximity to Davey. What is this, 3^rd grade? But yet, on the field, they pulled together.

After being chided with chants of “Daaaah—ril” in Fenway, Straw answered back. In the 8^th inning of Game 7, it was he who hit a towering blast off of Al Nipper that was the final nail in the Sox coffin. And then he strolled around the bases in probably the longest HR trot in history. Confidence. Swagger. The following spring Nipper beaned Darryl. And the dugouts promptly emptied. Who else but the Mets could get in a bench-clearing brawl in spring training? Straw was not overly popular with some of his teammates. But they immediately came to his defense. Why? Because that’s what teams do. That’s what winners do.

When Valdespin gets set-up by his manager to get plunked, what do the 2013 Mets do? They sit on their ass. And then rub salt in the wound by condoning the actions of the Pirates.

This is a team?

Baseball is filled with players that did not get along off the field. But yet, they pulled together and they won. The Oakland A’s of the early 70s bickered constantly. Yet, they won 3 straight World Series. Barry Bonds and Jeff Kent loathed each other. But they put their differences aside and gave their team 2 division titles and 1 pennant over 6 seasons. Ruth and Gehrig were polar opposites who disapproved of the other’s lifestyle. Yet, the Yankees of the 1920’s and 30’s seemed to do okay. And how about ‘The Bronx Zoo’ of the late 70’s. Those guys not only clashed off the field but on the field. And in the dugout on national TV. When Reggie Jackson wasn’t avoiding being punched by Billy Martin, he was getting into it with Thurman Munson. Talk about a dysfunctional mess! But yet, the Yankees won 5 divisions, 4 pennants and 2 World Series over a 6 year span.

The Mets, meanwhile, bicker amongst themselves. Then, go out and lose.

Did Valdespin act bush league by hitting that HR and then showboating on a very small scale? Did he act inappropriately for a rookie? Personally, I don’t give a damn. He’s a New York Met and as such he should be defended by his, pardon the pun, “team” mates. Terry Collins set him up to get beaned. I guess we should be thankful Collins allowed him to wear a batting helmet.

Had any other rookie done that they’d be praised for trying to light a spark on a team where no spark exists. Last season Bryce Harper played with arrogance rarely seen in a rookie. And although Valdespin is no Harper, I don’t recall Harper getting blowback from his teammates. He gets praised while Valdespin gets violently slammed in the face by John Buck. John Buck who is on his 4^th team in the last 5 years. John Buck who will be riding the pine once D’arnaud arrives. Can you imagine back-up catcher Ed Hearn violently slamming a pie into the face of Lenny Dykstra? I can’t either.

Kevin Mitchell was a rookie in 86. Does anyone think had Mitch been purposely beaned like that, the Mets would not have retaliated? Tell me Bobby Ojeda wouldn’t have had someone kissing the dirt the next inning. In 1969 Wayne Garrett was a rookie. Garrett was unassuming and quiet. But can you imagine Gil Hodges setting up Garrett to get beaned? I can’t either.

Why should we expect the 2013 Mets to fight the other teams in the NL when they don’t even fight for each other?

You can clearly see the dissension on this “team” by some of the quotes of Valdespin’s “team” mates.

Latroy Hawkins: “What, now we’re supposed to get into a fight for that?” First of all, I didn’t even know Hawkins was still in the majors until the Mets found him on the scrap heap. Secondly, to answer your question, Latroy, yes. Yes you are.

Marlon Byrd: “The Pirates did what you’re supposed to do. We would have done the same thing.” With all due respect, Marlon, I disagree. When was the last time the Mets protected one of their own and retaliated?

If the Mets are going to lose, at least lose with some dignity. Losing is one thing. Being a doormat is unacceptable.

And to David Wright, you’re the captain. Avoid the politically correct statements and settle this in the clubhouse. You’ve got that “C” on your jersey. Now act like a captain. I can’t imagine Keith or Gary or John Franco allowing this to fester. Isn’t it David who said, “You play for the name on the front of your jersey, not the one on your back.”

One vivid memory of 86 was the all-out bench-clearing brawl when Ray Knight decked Eric Davis in Cincinnati. Dugouts emptied…except for one player. Former Red George Foster sat on the bench and watched the Mets fight his old team. And although Foster was the 2^nd highest paid player on the team (and yes, an outcast even before), GM Frank Cashen had no problems immediately getting Foster out of New York. Why? He realized that Foster was not a team player.

Thank goodness Alderson was not the GM in 86. He would’ve kept Foster and gotten rid of Ray Knight.

And ask yourself this: What’s easier to imagine—a guy like Valdespin fitting in with the 86 Champions…or a guy like Keith Hernandez fitting in with the 2013 Mets?

So, to Valdespin, I say, hang in there. Your time here is probably limited. The fact that you’re exciting, try to light a spark and want to win, is clearly not in synch with the 2013 Mets. Management wants everyone to be nice and quiet. We don’t want to upset anyone else in the league.

Shhh. Heaven forbid someone gets mad at us. So, sit tight, Jordany. We’ll probably get rid of you like we did Beltran or Pagan. You know, two ex-Mets who escaped this madness. Two ex-Mets now wearing or pursuing World Series rings. Yes, World Series rings, something Terry  Collins can only view on Google Images.

Starting Lineup

1. Ruben Tejada – SS
2. Daniel Murphy – 2B
3. David Wright – 3B
4. John Buck – C
5. Ike Davis – 1B
6. Marlon Byrd – RF
7. Lucas Duda – LF
8. Juan Lagares – CF
9. Matt Harvey – RHP

Game Notes

• Jon Niese is expected to throw a scheduled side session tomorrow, but remains on target to make his next start according to Terry Collins, although he’ll feel a lot better when he sees Niese back on a mound. Niese left Tuesday’s game in the third inning after being hit on the foot on a line drive.
• Shaun Marcum is in New York and ready to make his Mets debut on Saturday against the Phillies, Mets manager Terry Collins said today. Marcum threw 52 pitches over five scoreless innings in an extended spring training game Monday and later threw more pitches in the bullpen.
• Robert Carson and Brandon Lyon are not available out of the bullpen tonight according to Terry Collins. Jeurys Familia might not pitch either, Collins said.
• Lucas Duda is a first baseman by trade, but Collins will reluctant to move the left fielder to his first position even when Ike Davis is out of the lineup. “I want to have this kid be able to do is when he takes the field each day is be comfortable out there,” Collins said. “Can he play first base? Absolutely.”
• Center fielder Matt den Dekker, who suffered a fractured right wrist on an attempted catch in a March 24 Grapefruit League game, is due to have the cast removed Monday. Den Dekker then will begin an approximate two-week rehab program to regain range of motion before beginning baseball activities.

Game Preview

The Mets look to rebound after last night’s loss against the Dodgers as they play game two tonight. It’s the time of the week that all Mets fans look forward to because ITS HARVEY DAY.

If no one has wished you a Happy Harvey Day yet today, well a Happy Harvey day to you. Harvey will be making his fifth start of the season today. Fun fact, if the Mets wear the blue softball tops (and I don’t think they will) then Harvey will have worn 5 different jersey tops in his first 5 starts of the season. Anyway Harvey has dominated this season posting a 4-0 record with a 0.93 ERA over 29.0 innings where he has struck out 32 batters. Harvey has never faced the Dodgers and the only Dodger who has statistics against him is Schumaker who was 1-3 last year.

For the Dodgers, Ted Lilly will be making his season debut for a starting rotation that has caught a serious injury bug. Last year Lilly was 5-1 over 8 starts  over 48.2 innings with a 3.14 ERA. This year, he has allowed 13 ER, 15 total over 17 innings in three starts in the minor leagues. The last time he faced the Mets was in 2011 where he allowed 3 ER and 6 hits over 6 innings of work. The Mets have the following numbers against Lilly:

Byrd 8-17, 2B, HR
Murphy 1-6, 2B
Wright 1-5
Buck 1-4
Cowgill 1-3
Duda 0-3

Lets Go Mets!

Check 213 Miles From Shea!

As all Mets fan recall, it didn’t go so well and after 9/11 the Mets could not finish the comeback. I was at the Piazza home run game against Atlanta and I recall being so happy that I was sure they would go on to win the World Series. It never happened. As the Piazza era came to a close with no ring, I felt as though my favorite team was never going to win anything to have a parade over.

That feeling began to change as the 2005 offseason took shape. First Paul Lo Duca then Carlos Delgado. The Mets were well on their way with a mix of youth and veterans. That offseason I purchased a Jose Reyes authentic jersey. He was my favorite player and I spent my work bonus to buy the $200 jersey.

Every year since 1997 my family and I would go to opening day and get together – we were a group of 20 or more! We watched as the Mets spent 2006 beating up everyone and giving Mets fans the kind of run we had been waiting for since 2000. I laid motionless for more than 20 minutes as I watched the Cardinals celebrate on our field that October. (Side Bar: We should have bunted instead of sending Floyd to the plate).

The pain subsided and the Mets came out the gate on fire in 2007. It was such an amazing run until late September. We couldn’t close the deal again, and I can still remember Tom Glavine saying, “I’m not devastated.” Or whatever his exact quote was. I swore on that day, “I will never spend another dollar on an athlete.” I was so angry and he seemed to just get on with his life.

Despite the disappointment, my family and I returned to say goodbye to Shea on opening day in 2008. 2008 was our chance to wipe the slate clean and fix everything. We traded for Johan and we still had a great core. We had rooted so hard for them to take it to the National League. It was setup for another magical run until once again, we were mistaken as the Mets collapsed again. How could this happen again? How could our guys not have it in them to win one more game? To make matters worse, the Phillies won the title. Our group has not returned since.

We all know what it’s been like around here since 2008. No one needs a reminder so I will spare everyone. The point is, I want to come back. I want to be a Mets fan again. I want them to be relevant again. I have given the Mets everything since I was 5 years old and I want to keep going.

My wife asked me what I wanted for Christmas. I asked for a 4 pack of Mets tickets and a David Wright Authentic jersey to replace my Reyes jersey. I want the purchase to symbolize my renewed dedication to the the future of the Mets. It does not need to be this year. Or next. But I need it to become respectable. This is my commitment to Fred, Jeff and Sandy. I am also renewing our family tradition this year to exercise the demons of the last 5 years. Please dont fool me again. Please lead this team to prosperity again.

If not, I won’t be able to stay a Mets fan. It saddens me to say this. But the reality is, I am giving the Mets one more chance over these next few years to return my loyalty. You gave my Reyes jersey one good year and plenty of years filled with disappointment. All that I am asking is to give my Wright jersey more than just one good season. I am dedicated to you, show me the same this offseason and next.

Sincerely,

A Lifelong Mets Fan

This Fan Shot was contributed by MMO reader, Peter. Have something you want to say about the Mets? Share your opinions with over 12 thousand Mets fans who read this site daily. Send your Fan Shot to GetMetsmerized@aol.com. Or ask us about becoming a regular contributor.