Despite four consecutive years of bad baseball, I think most of us can agree that some things are more frustrating than losses. What I’m talking about is insult to injury. Its having your fandom dragged through the proverbial mud as a result of not just the team’s performance on the field, but their disastrous attempt at public relations off of it.
Some highlights of the franchise’s ineptitude in recent years… There was Omar Minaya’s claim that Adam Rubin was actively politicking for a position within the organization. Then there was the Walter Reed disgrace. How about the “Carl Crawford money” comments by team owner, Fred Wilpon? Its amazing that one organization can make so many massive mistakes. These instances highlight the major faux pas, but ultimately they are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the earth shattering nonsense the average Mets fan must wade through on an annual basis.
Another theme that most Mets fans should be well versed in is the team’s insistence in sugarcoating injuries. This is a notion that is truly endless when looking back at the last decade. Just this week brought about another addition to this list of infamy. Over the past six weeks, and only five starts, Johan Santana has compiled an 0-5 record with a 15.63 ERA. It doesn’t take a four year degree to connect the dots and determine that something is wrong here. No once elite pitcher falls apart at a moments notice. Not on the heals of a solid first half capped off by the franchise’s first ever no-hitter.
Yet the Mets remained adamant… “Nothing is wrong…Johan is healthy!” Everyone involved…Terry Collins, Sandy Alderson..even Johan Santana himself went out of their way to let us know that Santana was okay. In doing so, not only did the organization deny the obvious, but for the umteenth time they’ve insulted our collective intelligence. Yesterday’s news that Johan Santana had an MRI on his back and the resulting news that he will in fact miss his next start should come to the surprise of absolutely no one.
In their latest attempt to lead us askew, the Mets ignored the obvious in the hope of selling a few more tickets. In a division that will see the first place team shut down their ace, Stephen Strasburg, to avoid the risk of injury, the Mets have decided to soak a few more innings out of their once great overinvestment. It appears the more things change, the more they stay the same. A new front office and even newer players have only yielded more smoke and mirrors.
You see, as much as I want the Mets to put together a successful baseball campaign, I want them to figure out that they don’t need to lie to their fans to fill the seats. I realize that a fan base as a whole may be gullible, but they won’t turn a blind eye to the obvious in the midst of what could be a full decade of mediocrity. Its time for the Mets front office, the coaching staff..hell even there players to realize that if they invested as much effort into baseball operations as they do in covering up the organizations flaws, we’d all be better off!
Follow me on twitter at @RobPatterson83.
