matt harvey kisses

Bob Raissman of the Daily News ripped into Matt Harvey in his Sunday column and asked him to not to blame the media for any of the blow-back from his rendezvous with the glamorous lifestyle of the rich and famous.

Matt Harvey says he wants to be like Derek Jeter. He’s acting more like Alex Rodriguez , which is the last thing the Mets, desperate for a positive image, need.

Harvey’s nude modeling in ESPN The Magazine, and revealing his wants, needs and personal preferences in a Men’s Journal profile (including his idea of the “model” playboy) bring us back to the best of A-Rod’s self-indulgent, narcissistic moments.

Raissman doesn’t complain about Harvey’s over-exposure in gossip columns, celebrity magazines, and doing nude spreads. But takes issue with Harvey blaming the media for any negative fan reaction and public perception.

This all comes under the categories of superficial and harmless. Still, with Harvey, it’s worth wondering where it’s all going. “Baseball is my job and I love it,” he told Men’s Journal. “But it can’t be the only thing I’ve got going.”

That’s a healthy attitude. But if Harvey is willing to reveal his other side, he’d better be prepared for what comes along with it. If he didn’t know his “revelations” would become fodder for gossip columns, and blaring front-page headlines, either he, or the people handling his PR, are clueless.

Sudden fame, if not handled properly with care, can lead to a fall — especially in New York, especially with an athlete like Harvey, whom a fawning media quickly anointed with superstar status.

The Daily News veteran had sharp criticism for how Harvey took to twitter when concerns were raised during the All Star break. Harvey tweeted: “It really sucks how words get used and completely taken out of context.”

Harvey’s first instinct after the Men’s Journal fallout was to act like a weasel and tweet: “It really sucks how words get used and completely taken out of context.” Sure, kill the messenger. How many times have we seen a professional athlete do that? It’s just double talk for: “I wasn’t taken out of context but I don’t like the way the piece came out.”

Or in Harvey’s case, maybe someone else didn’t like the Men’s Journal profile, like his squeeze Anne Vyalitsyna.

Hey, the MJ piece wasn’t exactly hard-hitting or controversial. It was a vanity fluff job, a lifestyle of the rich and famous kind of thing. Of course Jeter, Harvey’s “role model,” would never speak so freely about his personal life to any reporter. It’s not the Jeterian way.

Who among the Mets hierarchy is going to take the initiative to go to Harvey and tell him to pull back on these media “opportunities”? We’re guessing they won’t want to ruffle his pitching arm. Or interfere with any future whiny tweets.

I think that a lot has been made about Harvey’s new found celebrity status. MetsBlog’s Matt Cerrone said Harvey’s recent interview concerns him and that as soon as he has back-to-back poor starts “everyone is going to point to the models, the late nights, the vodka and waters, the photo shoots and the life he is talking about in these interviews.”

I think that’s ridiculous. There were plenty of Mets who loved the limelight and the nightlife and had no problem balancing their free time with their work time. Two such Met players are now working in the SNY booth; Ron Darling and Keith Hernandez.