When I arrived at CitiField today I was asked by various members of the media if I still thought the Mets were a playoff team in 2019 and my response was that I would never go back on a prediction because that is so gutless. I would be the first to admit that things have not gone right for this team but to put this season in the garbage can is not the way to go.
As most of you know, I have tried to develop a better relationship with Mickey Callaway this season and to his credit, he has been very open to that. So after his presser I gave him some advice. And it is advice I’ve been hearing in past few weeks. Those of you who know me well understand I couple my Mets reporting with Ad Sales consulting and my position was eliminated by RNN a few weeks ago. I have been searching for some replacement work and have actually received some hopeful interviews.
The thing I am learning from this process (yes a 58 year old man can still learn stuff) is that I need to concern myself with only the things I can control and not those things I can’t control. There are 2 reasons for this: First of all, I can’t do anything about the things I can’t control and secondly if I do I am not spending enough time on the things I can control. The best example I can give to explain this is you can’t control your displeasure with your height but you can control displeasure about your weight.
And I stressed this concept to Mickey because I genuinely like him as a person and if I had a son I’d want him to manage him because I know he would help him become a better player but also a better teammate. And to be honest in my short time knowing Mickey, I’ve learned a whole bunch being around him about honesty in communication.
He is the absolute right man for this job and out of crisis comes opportunity. Of course, this team needs to play better but that time will come. I believe this roster has the components to do that and the starting pitching will get better as the season goes on with the defense on the field being the biggest issue I see right now.
The clamoring we hear in this town about the Cano situation is really not productive to be conducted in a public setting. Mickey has addressed it with Cano but please understand this. Baseball is a grueling 162 game season and I can safely tell you that conserving energy is a big part of insuring the players will be healthy when the games mean the most. That being said there are certain times when you MUST hustle and run hard and not doing it twice in the space of 3 years is not a very good optic.
But making your outcry about it public just so the media can see your anger is an utter waste of time. That needs to be a one on one conversation–not a public display. Mickey knows that. I know that. Why the rest of media does not understand that is a mystery to me.
I have tons of respect for Robinson Cano as a player and a person. He understands what he did was unacceptable but he does not need to beg for forgiveness on his hands and knees. Life is never about mistakes–it is about responding to those mistakes and knowing Cano he will respond to this in a positive way. As far as Callaway is concerned, Brodie and the Wilpons did the right thing today–a show of support to relay to all that all is not lost.
I know backing up the Met organization is not a popular way for a media member to behave because in this town you kick a dog when he is down. But all those who know me understand I will never be a Met beat reporter that follows the herd–I have my own viewpoints and I have no issues owning those viewpoints because it is who I am.
This was Brodie’s first true tough moment and he handled it with grace, class and honesty. And every great season for any team has moments like this in which your resiliency is tested. Those are moments you look back on to examine how a group of players respond to it.
I told you in spring training I though this was a special group and I still believe that. Supporting a team when the rest of the media wants their head on a platter will not make me very popular on press row but who cares?. That is what I am doing here–like it or don’t like it–that is your choice. But this club reminds me so much of the 2015 team in how it gives honest assessments and has a group of players that absolutely love the manager.
I know the so called experts wanted a managerial change but not me. They need to tweak some things and play better by looking in the mirror and making sure the focus and committment is there. But to capsize the leadership would have been the wrong way to go. And I appauld Brodie Van Wagenen for not taking the easy way out here to appease those experts.
Things will get better Met fans and keeping the same cast in charge was the right way to begin the turnaround of this 2019 season.
