By Shannon Shark
Posted Monday, May 4, 2009

I was sad when Omar Minaya tried to backpedal his comments that the Mets lack edge, because he was right.

This team does lack edge. They lose, well there's another day and they say they'll do better next time. They lose the season by one game, well they'll try harder next year.

This team lacks a Keith Hernandez who insists on winning. For all the talk of "the core" not being able to win, let me stop that talk right now. If you trade Wright or Reyes you might as well trade Seaver and Kingman, because the fans will react the same way (by not paying money to sit behind plexiglass). So that ain't happening.

Delgado? He can't move and will be a free agent, that ain't happening.

Beltran? He would be the one to move, and you'd get value for him but he has this pesky no trade, so the only way he's leaving is if the Mets are 30 games out and none of us want that.

That means Keith 2 isn't coming. These are the players we have and these are the players we're stuck with.

It's up to Jerry.

Jerry impressed me during his first ever inning. Jose Reyes didn't run hard, so Jerry went to first base and got in his face. We haven't seen that yet.

Jerry, if you think Ollie needs to man up, say so. Challenge these guys. Go get thrown out of some games. If Dan Murphy kicks another ball, go Gil Hodges on his hiney and go get him.

If you insist on pitching Perez and he can't throw a strike, torture him and lose 26-5 instead of 6-5. Make him stay out there forever.

Yeah I know I'm proposing psycho managing, but the hands off approach doesn't work with these guys, so we can not make the playoffs and not make anyone upset, or we can take a shot.

If Jerry isn't up to it, how about taking a look at Wally Backman. Yeah he had the mysterious whatever it was that cost him the Arizona job, and he's a baseball pariah but so what. He's an 86 Met which would do wonders for a fanbase stuck in Dodgertown. Let him be scary. Let him teach these guys how to get in a fight and get thrown out of games. It may be what the franchise needs.

Jerry you had that fire in you the first night, how about we see some of it in Atlanta?