The Reyes Injury Conundrum

Six days ago, Jose Reyes was removed from a game against the Yankees at Citi Field. After watching replays of his activity on the field during the game, it wasn't evident when or if he had actually hurt himself. Was Reyes simply being extra cautious in a contract year, not wanting to push himself on a hamstring that didn't feel perfect that day? After the Mets completed a thrilling comeback the next day, it was disclosed that Reyes had suffered a Grade 1 strain of his hamstring (the least severe grade, confirmed after an MRI), and that he would not be landing on the disabled list. Rather, he would fly to the West coast with the team in hopes of returning to the lineup mid-week.

Since then, what has happened has been a bit strange. On Monday and Tuesday, Reyes participated in limited activity. He walked on the treadmill, took grounders at short, and took batting practice from both sides of the plate. It appeared that he was progressing, and that his return to the lineup was a day or two away. On Tuesday, Reyes reported that his hamstring was feeling better and that he would attempt to run on Wednesday. Then, his agents stepped in. They requested for the MRI results to be reviewed by the doctor who performed Reyes' hamstring operation in 2009. Reyes' rehabilitation attempts were shut down - not by Reyes or the Mets, but because he had to wait for clearance from a doctor who was hand picked by his agents to review an already conclusive MRI.

To no one's shock, Reyes' agent's hand picked doctor recommended for Reyes to rest for a period of three weeks. The doctor didn't disagree with the initial diagnosis (Grade 1 strain), and didn't report that there was anything else wrong with Reyes. Instead of jumping all over what appears to be a clear move by Reyes' agents to err on the side of caution in a contract year, the beat writers (as expected) chalked this up as another "Met injury disaster" - which makes zero sense.

Let's review the events again:

-Reyes felt discomfort in his hamstring, and was immediately removed from the game on July 2nd.

-Reyes had an MRI on July 3rd, which revealed a Grade 1 hamstring strain.

-Reyes participated in light baseball activity on July 4th and July 5th, in hopes of returning to the lineup. Reyes himself stated that his hamstring was getting better, and that he would attempt to run on July 6th.

-On July 6th, Reyes' agents requested a review of the MRI and Reyes was shut down while he waited for the results.

-On July 7th, the doctor who reviewed the MRI (as requested by Reyes' agents), recommended for Jose Reyes to rest for a period of three weeks - while at the same time not disputing the initial diagnosis.

...Again, it's quite clear to me that Jose Reyes' agents stepped in to make sure that their prized client would take more time off than needed in an attempt to be extra cautious in a contract year. Nothing the Mets did raised any eyebrows prior to Reyes being shut down on July 7th.

Now, will this ploy by Reyes' agents come back to bite them (and Reyes) in the end? According to most who are familiar with Grade 1 hamstring strains, they heal in a matter of days - not weeks...which jives with the fact that Reyes came on the road with the Mets in an attempt to get back into the lineup quickly. Since Reyes' agents have stepped in, they have guaranteed that Reyes will miss no less than three full weeks (if Reyes returns the day he is eligible to come off the disabled list, which is doubtful). More likely, Reyes will miss around a month with an injury most believed would force him out of action for only a few days.

On the surface, it may seem that Reyes' agents are being prudent here. If Reyes returned too quickly and aggravated the injury, who knows how much time he'd have missed. However, by requesting a second opinion that forced Reyes out of action and onto the disabled list, his agents have now re-opened the conversation about how brittle Jose Reyes actually is (something that is overblown, but nonetheless out there). They've placed doubt in the minds of those who may potentially bid for Reyes' services after the season, most likely lessening the amount of guaranteed years and dollars Reyes will be able to earn from his next contract. And that scenario benefits the Mets, who badly want to re-sign him.

In the short-term, being without Jose Reyes is a huge blow for the Mets - who last night entered a stretch where they'll face seven All-Star starting pitchers in a row, before facing the Cardinals. Reyes will miss all of those games, making the task of hanging in the Wild Card race much tougher on the team. However, if you asked Sandy Alderson if he'd exchange a month of Reyes' services in 2011 in order to secure his services after the season for less years and dollars, I bet he would have happily signed up for it.

What Can We Do?

At this point, there's no need to recap Fred Wilpon's quotes that appeared in the recent issues of the New Yorker and Sports Illustrated. All Mets fans and most casual baseball fans are well aware of what was said. The question most have , is how do we interpret these quotes? After being completely sane all of his life, has Fred Wilpon gone mad? The comments he made to Jeffrey Toobin were cleared by Wilpon to appear in the article, so he certainly wanted people to read them. Ditto for the quotes in Sports Illustrated about the team's financial issues.

So, what's the deal here? Some think that Fred simply let loose during a casual conversation while watching a game. Others think he planted the quotes to attract attention to a positive story about the Bernard Madoff situation, and some people believe he made the quotes in order to set the stage for drastic player moves - to gauge the fanbase's reaction of his critique's of the team's cornerstone players before acting.

At this point, I don't give a damn why the quotes were made. I don't believe they were as salacious as they're being made out to be. I don't think Wilpon actually "ripped" his players, as the beat writers would have you believe. But I do think airing his grievances in public at this point in time was a huge mistake. A mistake that has taken the focus off the baseball field (where the Mets have one of the best records in the National League over the past month), and placed it firmly on the front office and the coming reaction from the clubhouse. Instead of reading about a team that's persevering and playing hard, we're reading about how quickly that team is about to be torn apart by trades.

If trades (most specifically the trade of Jose Reyes) are on the horizon, what can the fanbase do to prevent them? We certainly can't sit in on meetings with the Wilpon's and the front office and offer our advice. We can't reach out to Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran and David Wright, and let them know how much we value them as members of the team. And we can't call up the other 29 teams in baseball and order them to not trade for Jose Reyes and/or the other players we want to stay.

So, what can we do?

Unite.

Mets fans who have partial ticket plans (I've had one for 11 years) and full season plans need to band together. This isn't meant to be a slight on fans who support the team in other ways (or from afar), but the only thing that can get the attention of ownership is the thought of more money slipping out of their hands. And money is exactly what ticket holders represent and provide. I'd imagine most of us want the team to keep Jose Reyes. I don't care what the reason would be for letting Jose Reyes go. People can speculate until their heads fall off, it doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is that Reyes stays. What do we do?

At every game we attend, we each bring a sign. That sign should be as follows:

Account Number: 469***
Years I've had my ticket plan: 11
Amount of seats in my plan: 4
If Jose Reyes goes, my money goes with him.

...the sign is simple and to the point.

The next game I attend will be May 31st against Pittsburgh. I'll have that exact sign with me.

No one knows whether or not ownership will give a damn if we all show up with those signs. No one knows if it will change the way they're thinking. What I do know is this: There's no way in hell we can sit idly by and allow the team to get rid of Jose Reyes. We need to make our voices heard, and make ownership realize what the consequences will be if they deal Jose Reyes.

How Satisfying Would It Be?

The following is not going to be a post that discusses the Mets' chances of reaching the 2011 Postseason, and it's certainly not going to be a post that claims the Mets are likely to reach the 2011 Postseason. Rather, it will be a post that asks what if?

The Mets are 21-22, a robust 16-9 since their awful start. They sit 4 games out of the Wild Card (behind Florida). That awful start seemed like a bit of an anomaly then - the starting pitching and the bullpen alternated between being terrible, resulting in the majority of those losses. Since the pitching has come around, so has the team (despite the short term losses of both Ike Davis and David Wright).

As I stated above, I don't expect the Mets to make the Playoffs in 2011. I expect (as I've stated since Spring Training) for the team to win somewhere between 84 and 88 games, which would likely leave them a few games short. However, what if?

Back in 2006, the Mets waltzed through the regular season. Making the Playoffs was never in question, the only question was how far they would go once they got in. Most people conveniently forget that the 2006 squad was dealt two major blows right before the NLDS against Los Angeles began (losing Orlando Hernandez and Pedro Martinez for the year), after losing Duaner Sanchez in late July. They entered the Playoffs undermanned, and bowed out in 7 games to a flawed Cardinals team that won 83 games during the regular season. There's no doubt in my mind that a full strength 2006 Mets team makes the World Series, and likely wins it. But they weren't full strength, and they didn't make it.

I remember the feeling of jubilation I had at Shea when the Mets clinched the Division, the elation and explosion that I felt when they clinched a trip to the NLCS after closing out the Dodgers. And I remember standing in Shea, as if I was experiencing some kind of out of body experience, half expecting the Upper Deck to collapse after Endy's catch. It was an incredible feeling each time, but not one that was borne out of surprise.

Since 2006, everyone knows what's befallen this team. The actual collapse of 2007, the Wagner-less collapse of 2008, the injury riddled misery that was 2009, and the mediocre year that was 2010. Fairly or not, the Mets have been made out to be a laughingstock, even though they're not one. They've been spat upon, disrespected, and snickered at. Before the 2011 season, they were left for dead by the local and national media. After they started 5-13, some in the media wondered if they'd lose 100 games.

I'm sure if the 2006 Mets made it to the World Series, I would've gone absolutely insane - along with the rest of the fans who've been waiting for this for a hell of a long time. Seeing them in the Playoffs in 2007 and/or 2008 would've been great. But to make the Playoffs this year? After being disrespected by everyone, after getting asked by strangers why you're wearing a Mets hat, after dealing with pompous Yankee fans who have basically the same record as the Mets with a Payroll that's $80 million dollars higher? That'd be a feeling that would have to be experienced to realize the potential magnitude of it.

Again, this is not about expectations. It's not about making a crazy boast regarding a 21-22 team. It's simply about imagining it. If nothing else, a Playoff run by the 2011 Mets would ensure that Jose Reyes remains a Met through the end of the season - and likely re-signs. It would take the focus off the ridiculously overblown Madoff issue. It would allow us to enjoy Carlos Beltran for at least a few more months. It would shut up every local and national writer who can't wait to type that next article bashing the Mets, no matter how absurd or out of line that article is. Think about it: We've seen articles this year claiming that Jose Reyes was to blame for being incorrectly called out at 3rd base because he slid. That's how absurd the coverage of this team has become.

Imagine the 2011 Mets clinching a Playoff spot at Citi Field on September 28th against the Reds, or any day before that. Think about how sweet it would be, how satisfying it would be, to see this team go absolutely berserk on the field after the way the last 4 years have played out. After the way they were talked about before the 2011 season began. In order for that to be a possibility, they'll have to get Ike Davis and David Wright back when they're supposed to (about a week and change from now). If those two are out long-term, regardless of how gritty the fill-ins have played, the team is probably screwed. But Davis and Wright should be back soon.

Ever since the Mets moved from Shea Stadium to Citi Field, there hasn't been one single game where the crowd energy was even close to how it was at Shea. Maybe it's because the fans are constantly waiting for the other shoe to drop, maybe it's the acoustics of the new place, perhaps it's the fact that so many fans are always walking around and not paying attention to the game - or some combination of all three. I can guarantee one thing, though. If the first Playoff game at Citi Field is this season - whether it's Game 1 or Game 3 - the Shea noise will be there. The electricity will be there.

The fans who stuck with this team after pretty much everyone was telling them they were crazy for doing so will be in those seats. Personally, the Mets making the Playoffs in 2011 would be more satisfying than a 2006 World Championship would've been. Simply because of what the team and the fans have been through, and what rising up and making it all the way back this season would mean to them and us. I yearn for a cool September afteroon or night where David and Jose once again puff away on their victory cigars, while dumping champagne on each-other and the fans. It's why I keep watching, why I keep going. I know the team has it in them. Just imagine what it would feel like if they made it happen.

I Reject Your Hypothesis

It's been all over the place the last few days. It's been on blogs, on ESPN, and on Twitter. It's even been uttered by Gary Cohen in the SNY booth: What are the Mets going to do with Jose Reyes? If they decide to trade him, when will they pull the trigger? Who are his suitors? What can they get in return? It's becoming exceedingly difficult to ignore the avalanche of speculation that's been thrown around recently regarding Jose Reyes. It's beginning to anger most Mets fans, who know from watching him play over the last 9 seasons that Jose Reyes should go absolutely nowhere. So, what is there to do?

You can believe that Sandy Alderson - he of the Ivy league education and decades of experience as an executive in Major League Baseball, is a moron. Then you can go ahead and believe that everyone who's advising Sandy Alderson is also a complete moron. After convincing yourself of those two things, you'll have to convince yourself that the owners of the Mets have no interest in drawing fans, selling merchandise, or generating revenue in any other way. No, they'd rather go bankrupt. You'll have to believe that Fred and Jeff Wilpon and whoever the minority ownership consists of are willing to watch the New York Mets franchise spiral into oblivion. The above isn't believable, is it? Well, it would take an army of morons and owners with no interest in making money to let Jose Reyes leave the Mets. The prior sentence is why I believe this is all media speculation, and why I reject their hypothesis.

Take the following into account:

-Jose Reyes is 27 years old. He is one of the most dynamic offensive players in baseball (currently on pace to hit .313 with a .363 OBP with 100 runs scored, 219 Hits, 52 Doubles, 16 Triples, and 57 Stolen Bases). As if that isn't enough, he plays a prime position (Shortstop) at a Gold Glove level. That's the strictly on field stuff. Contrary to what people like to say, this is not an "all legs" player who will deteriorate as soon as he begins to lose a bit of his speed. This is a once in a generation talent, not Tony Womack.

-Along with David Wright, Jose Reyes is the face of the Mets. He is the one player fans come to the ballpark always excited to see (sans a healthy Johan Santana). The team markets itself around Reyes and Wright. In the face of the Madoff situation (even with how unfairly the Media have smeared the Wilpon's), sagging attendance, and the poor on field performance of 2009 and 2010, letting Jose Reyes go would be ridiculous. It would be even more ridiculous for the Mets to let him go during or after the 2011 season cosidering....

-The Mets have at least $40 million dollars coming off the books after this season (close to $60 million if Francisco Rodriguez's option doesn't vest). If there was any offseason where the Mets have payroll flexibility, it's the upcoming one. With all of that money coming off the books, and the new minority ownership scheduled to be finalized in the next few weeks, it's clear that the Mets can afford to pay Jose Reyes. Big market teams do not let franchise players in their prime (who also happen to be the face of that respective franchise) walk out the door (nor do they trade them). I invite anyone to find one example of a healthy player 28 or younger with the stature of Reyes who was discarded by his large market team.

...To recap, there is no reason to even begin to consider trading Jose Reyes. There is no reason to let him leave via Free Agency. That conclusion can be reached by simply looking at his stats. When you combine those stats with the impact he has in the clubhouse, and the fan mutiny that would be caused if the Mets let him go, it becomes unfathomable that the Mets could be that shortsighted.

So...

I'll again state that I reject the media's hypothesis. The Mets don't have to trade Jose Reyes, the Mets don't want to trade Jose Reyes, and the Mets won't trade Jose Reyes. They'll re-sign him, because it makes no sense not to.

Yes, This Does Indeed Suck

So far this season, the Mets are making me and any other fan/blogger/writer who had confidence in the team look like fools. That much is not debatable. Yes, it's only been 17 games. And a determination regarding the ultimate fate of the 2011 Mets (or any other team) can not be made after 17 games. However, if any team in the Majors needed a fast start, it was the Mets. How they've performed so far has not only been bad - their play at times has bordered on unwatchable. So, what should be done?

For one, it's important to note that negativity for the sake of being negative helps no one. If the fans show up at the ballpark every night and boo anything and everything, it won't help. Boo a lack of effort (of which there's been some), but nothing else. It puts the players on their heels. It undoubtedly makes them feel like garbage.

Would I be stunned if the Mets continued falling downward and spiraled into oblivion? No. Would I be stunned if the Mets won 7 games in a row? No.

The main problem with the Mets' 5-12 start is that it's the only sample size we have. If they had a stretch like this after beginning the year 26-21, people would be upset. They'd be disgusted. But they wouldn't be calling for an immediate firesale. Doing that after such a tiny sample size (no matter how brutal it's been) is foolish. The Mets aren't this bad. I think that's pretty apparent. So, what ails this team? What can be done immediately to alleviate some of the issues? Here are a few suggestions:

-Release Chin Lung Hu: Most fans have been saying this since day one. Hu has absolutely no value to the team. He's strictly a defensive replacement, who is not being used as a defensive replacement. His main value is as a shortstop, and the Mets have a shortstop who plays every inning of every game. Hu is completely overmatched at the plate, which has led some to pronounce that they'd rather pinch hit with RA Dickey. Hu needs to go. Now. Cut him and call up Nick Evans.

-Increase Pedro Beato's responsibility: Terry Collins intimated today that Jason Isringhausen is the team's 8th inning man, which is fine. However, the bridge to Izzy and Frankie must go through Beato. He's been the best arm in the pen so far, and has fantastic stuff. There's no need to baby him.

-Argue when horrendous calls go against you: This is for Terry Collins...the worst possible thing for the fans to get a sense of is apathy. And that's exactly what they sensed last night after a series of terrible calls against Josh Thole and an almost impossibly bad call at 2nd base doomed the Mets. It was the perfect time for Collins to get himself run, to maybe light a fire. At the very least, getting tossed there would've given the umps some pause...maybe they'd be a little less apt to screw the Mets. Just maybe. Next time that happens, I expect an explosion.

-Disprove the notion that the team is soft: Ever since 2006, there's been a belief that the team is soft. That they quit when they're down, don't go above and beyond, don't pitch inside, don't fight back when someone (an ump, an opposing player), bullies their team. That has to change. Winning solves everything. However, while this team is learning how to win, it's important to show that they have a chip on their shoulder. As Billy Joel says at the end of each of his concerts, "Don't take no shit off nobody." For the longest time, this team has not only taken it, they've fallen down and rolled around in it. That has to stop.

I'm confident that the Mets will turn this around. That they actually have talent. That there's absolutely no way they can continue to underperform to the level they have so far this season. If they improve, and do the four things listed above, the clouds will start to part. There will still be storms every now and then, but the daily sense of dread will go away. Their mission starts tonight, at home, against a brutal Houston team. Destroy them, please.

The Mets Are Coming Home

In less than 24 hours, the Mets will take the field at home for the first time in 2011. Is it somewhat disappointing that the Mets will arrive home at 3-3 after starting 3-1. Yes. If I could've signed up for 3-3 after the first 6 games on the road (knowing that Josh Johnson and Roy Halladay were pitching two of the three), would I have? Yes. Can we base anything definitive off of the first six games of the season? No. Therefore, I'm not going to try. The Mets hit the ball well at times, not so well the rest of the time. They pitched brilliantly at times, not so brilliantly the rest of the time.

What I do know is this: Tomorrow around Noon, Mets fans will start trickling into the parking lots at Citi Field. I plan on leaving Brooklyn a bit after 12:30, so I should be there shortly after that. Mets fans will enter the lots with cars full of food, beer, and hope. Hope that the 2011 season may turn out to be special. No matter what happened in the seasons prior, or what the new season eventually turns into, there's always Opening Day at your ballpark.

During the offseason, it's common to pass the ballpark a few times on the highway, craning your neck as it disappears from view. It may be a brisk November day, a March day with snow still on the ground, or sometime in-between. Whenever you pass it, it's natural to wish that it was Opening Day, and not some Fall or Winter day that's completely devoid of baseball. Well, tomorrow is Opening Day. If you're one of the people who's lucky enough to be heading out to Citi Field tomorrow, remember that. Remember all the days from October through March where we would've given anything for there to be a Mets game to go to. Or a Mets game to watch. Or a Mets game to listen to.

As the parking lot morphs from empty concrete to a mass of fans dressed in orange and blue, and begins to smell like an enormous barbecue...as the smoke from the grills and the hops from the beers enters your nostrils, remember how you felt from October through March. Then remind yourself that it's April 8th, and the Mets are about to take the field at home for the first time this season. For those of you who will be partaking in the consumption of alcohol in the lots, remember to use Solo brand cups to conceal your drink - unless you want a ticket from an overzealous cop.

The pageantry will be on full display tomorrow at Citi Field, from the pre-game introductions to the unfurling of the giant American flag. The stands should be filled, and the fans should be loud. Tomorrow is not a time to attempt to draw conclusions off a 3-3 start, nor is it a time to dwell on 2009 or 2010 - or 2007 if you're still hung up on that. It's a time to simply enjoy the Mets. And revel in the fact that what you waited for all Winter is finally here. Baseball is back, and the Mets are home.

Mike Francesa Isn't a King - or the Pope

Since a definitive answer regarding the outcome of the Mets' 2011 season can't be gleaned from a three game sample, I was wrestling with exactly what I would write about today. At around 2 PM, Mike Francesa made my mind up for me. Mike Francesa isn't a King or a Pope (though he would lead most to believe he held one of those Title's with the way he talks down to people). No, Mike is not one of those things, nor can he tell the future. However, after three games and a 2-1 record, Mike Francesa has proclaimed the following about the 2011 Mets:

"The Mets aren't even a good team."

If the above information is accurate, the Yankees (at 2-1) aren't a good team either. Nor are the 0-3 Red Sox, the 0-3 Brewers, etc. What defines "a good team" after three games? Three wins? Three shutouts? I'm confused. But Mike continues spewing brilliance:

"Nobody in the World thinks the Mets are good, but that's OK."

Ah, so Mike has cleared it up for us! It's not that the Mets aren't actually "a good team," it's that "nobody in the World thinks" they're a good team. Cool. I know Mike takes up a significant portion of the gravity and air supply with the space he fills and the hot air he blows, but I don't think there's any way that statement can be taken as definitive. I think the 2011 Mets can be a very good team (again, can't make concrete judgments based on three games), but pushing that aside for a moment, aren't they at least a better team than the 2010 version? Mike?

"Are the Mets a better team than last year? No."

I see. The 2010 Mets, who sent out an Opening Day lineup that included Alex Cora, Luis Castillo, Mike Jacobs, Jeff Francoeur, Gary Matthews, Jr., and Rod Barajas, that had two rotation members who are currently not in the Majors (Oliver Perez and John Maine), were an equal or better squad than the 2011 Mets are or will be. Thanks for clearing that up, Mike. Makes total sense. Any more pearls of wisdom for us today?

"Well Mets fans, you'll always have Florida."

In a way, that's true. Mike was basically trying to tell all Mets fans that winning the Season opening series in Florida will be the high point of the season. What I take from the claim that "we'll always have Florida" is the following: Mets fans are a loyal bunch, as evidenced by the fact that their fans drowned out the fans of the Marlins in their own ballpark - nearly 2,000 miles from New York. It reminded me that we've done the same in Baltimore, Boston, Philadelphia, Washington, and San Diego (to name a few). It reminded me of why exactly the majority of Mets fans despise the Yankees. It's imbeciles and Yankee fans like Francesa, who think Championship's are owed to their team. Who bash the Mets even when there's nothing to bash. Who snicker under their breath at the supposed genius of their words - even though they sound like fools. Mike Francesa isn't actually a moron, but he also has his head placed firmly up his ass regarding his current opinion of the 2011 Mets.

If I could've gotten through to Francesa this afternoon, I simply would've discussed facts - by discussing The 2010 Mets' Opening Day lineup, bullpen, and rotation, and putting them up against the 2011 version. And if Francesa had the guts to answer honestly as to which team had better personnel, and a better chance to win, he would've looked like a fool. I emplore anyone who has the patience to attempt to reach him to use that strategy. If nothing else, It'll take up a bit of the time between now and the first pitch in Philly tomorrow night.