The Mets Police

I am uneducated on this subject, but my spidey sense thinks this we haven't heard the last of it.  For clarity, I am in no way suggesting that Reyes did anything wrong or should be on any list of suspects....my point is that there's a budding story involving name-athletes and Jose Reyes is now appearing in a headline, thus I can see an awkward Omar Minaya press conference within a week.  Read the Times for a far better explanation of the story than I could ever do.

The first sentence in the Times snippet is more alarmist than the rest of the story...again I'm not accusing Reyes of being on anything...and I'm being serious (not my usual catty self).  




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I like the premise of this article Was the Miracle Mets 1969 World Series Victory a Hoax? but I think they have the hoax all wrong.

The hoax is actually related to a player named Jose Reyes.

Jose Reyes was invented by the late author George Plimpton for the April 1, 2009 issue of Sports Illustrated.  As the story goes, Reyes is an amazing shortstop for the Mets and is best known for his tremendous speed.

Many Mets fans, not realizing that "Reyes" was a made-up player expected that this Reyes would walk, steal two bases and then score on a sac fly in the first inning of every game.  He would also hit two triples later in the game.

Some fans caught on that they had never seen "Reyes" at Spring training, but this was explained away by an even more preposterous story that the Mets had sent most of their stars to something called the "World Baseball Classic."

Finally, the Mets were forced to admit that this was all a put on.  There never was a "Jose Reyes" on the 2009 Mets, and Alex Cora was the starting shortstop.   Actor Jose Ruiz portrayed Reyes in the publicity photos and can be seen in the upcoming NBC series "Community" starring opposite Chevy Chase.

Interesting take from out of town.  Will Reyes be available?  Are the Mets bored with him?

SF Gate.

Who was it that always says he is overrated?  Oh wait, that's me.

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Saw this in a store.  Pretty random product endorsement.

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So Sheffield heads for an MRI today - this being the Mets I will assume it's the worst.  They likely will also discover that he has bubonic plague and will be out for 6 weeks.

If you're Omar Minaya what the heck do you do?

Mets fans, let me ask you.  Say you had a dopey GM on the other end who would let you rip him off.  What would you rather have right now?

A reliable starting pitcher?
A big bat?
Jose Reyes back in the lineup?

I bet most of you would put Reyes third on that list, and that's one of the reasons I think he is overrated.  Not bad, just overrated by folks who think he walks, steals two bases and scores three times a game (the other two at bats he hits triples).

Would you rather go into July with Matt Cain and Alex Cora or with Nieve/Redding and Reyes?

How about a  bat?  If the Padres would give you Adrian Gonzalez for Reyes straight up would you do it?  You are darn tootin' you would.   I don't think you'd do Wright for Gonzalez would you?  Beltran?

Let me make it more challenging....the Nats have been known to make dumb trades.  Would you take Adam Dunn and stick him in left and get by with Reyes at SS?  That's a tougher one.

With all that's going wrong with the Mets I don't see a lack of speed being a problem, nor do I ever notice Cora the way I do some of the other clowns the Mets have had to run out there.

Sometimes you have to give to get.

Here's a little reading for you:

A five-time All-Star who was widely revered for his feats on the field and his charitable contributions to communities throughout the region, (Player) ended his remarkable run with the (team) in the cramped visitors' clubhouse of the (stadium). He received the news in manager ('s) office just after 4:45 p.m. Eastern time by telephone from (GM). The deal was completed just before the 4 p.m. trading deadline.


The (team) also decided to move (Player) after he informed the medical staff within the last three days that he would need considerable time (more than just random days off but not a trip to the disabled list) the remainder of the season to rest his injured right Achilles' tendon

That's from 2004.   The Boston Red Sox won the World Series without Nomar Garciaparra.

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More people are coming around to my way of thinking about Reyes.



He is incredible to watch in moments like these, and when it's all going well for him, when he's getting on base and he's stealing bases easily and when he's rocketing throws from the shortstop hole, he's among the most dynamic players in the game.


But here's the problem: Whether it's because of injury or slump or mental lapses, those moments of dominance just haven't occurred consistently. Which is why the Mets' front office might start to draw on the lessons learned on the North Side of Chicago earlier this decade.

Read the rest here on ESPN.com.  Interesting stuff from some scouts who don't see him getting better.  I've said it before...good, yes.  Overrated, yes.   (I know walk, steal, steal, score.   Let me know when that actually happens.)

Read here.

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Trolling around the blogosphere, I stumbled across this great analysis of the disabled list from 2002 - 2008 (thanks to www.beyondtheboxscore.com). I won't regurgitate all of it here, but a few things really jumped out at me:

• In total number of trips to the DL, the Mets placed 3rd among all teams, trailing only the Rangers and Reds
• The Mets had the third most average days on the DL for pitchers, behind the Orioles and Twins
• Total days lost, Mets were fourth, behind the Reds, Angels, and Diamondbacks

Again, this is only through 2008.

Over the last few years the Mets trainers and staff have seemingly completely mismanaged their players' health. From the Ryan Church fiasco last year, to Billy Wagner's arm, to Delgado and now Reyes, I really have to wonder how Ray Ramirez has remained the Head Trainer.

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Reyes:  I worry when they say he will play next week right after telling me he has a tear.  The last two years make it clear that the organization is not good with the injury thing.

As I said yesterday, of all the players I miss Reyes hasn't been one of them, and his game without speed isn't going to be very impressive.

NJ.com Star Ledger has a nice piece about Gooden starting to be more of the Mets family.   Let's hang a 16 on the fence next to the 17.

Bitter Bill tells us:  Bob Raissman has a good column in Friday’s News ripping John Sterling. All of it is true, but I’d still rather listen to Sterling over Wayne Hagin. Hey, if I’m going to be in the dark about what’s going on in the game, I at least want to be entertained.
Read more:here
Maybe Bill will endorse Chris Carrino with me.  Funny that there was something in the air about Hagin the other day because I also was on a "not feeling it" kick with Wayne.

Bill also asks:   Before I get to the rest of the stuff, I’m interested to see the reaction of Met fans who were killing Reyes a few weeks ago for not running out that double against the Braves. Many of them wanted him gone. Well, they got their wish for at least a few more weeks. How do they feel now?
Read more:here.
Well, you know my answer....also someone yesterday mentioned that bloggers (like me) were wrong when we thought Jerry benched Reyes right when all this started.   Maybe he did...why can't it be both?

With injury talk never ending, I'm going to plug my 2009 reminds me of the 1987 Mets article.

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The Reyes news doesn't bother me.  I know I'm counter-culture on this and I will be called names...but Reyes being out just doesn't bother me as much as some of the other injuries.  Alex Cora bothered me more.  

When Cora got hurt it was like "whoa, now who's going to play?"   When Angel Pagan gets hurt I worry "whoa, now who's going to play?"   A summer of Tatis at third (or I guess Murphy might go there since it was his real position) would sadden me.

As I've said many times, I know y'all think Reyes walks, steals two bases and scores a run on a sac fly in every at bat where he doesn't hit a triple, but I just don't see it.   Good player, sure.  Great player, no way.  Reyes without speed won't have much "game."

Fiend of mine last night said that when he pictures Reyes he pictures him in a black Mets jersey.  When he pictures Wright he pictures him in a blue hat and Mets pinstripes.  If you've spent time on this blog you probably get the vibe of what he was saying, and I think he's right.

I'm not going to freak if Reyes is out.   I don't expect you to agree.

....

Before my fellow bloggers start the "sign Tom Glavine" stuff.  Don't.

Here's some helpful reminders...

Mets Headed Home After Historic Collapse Washington Post - Oct 1, 2007 By MIKE FITZPATRICK. AP. NEW YORK -- The collapse is complete. When the New York Mets needed a big game, Tom Glavine pitched one of his worst. ...

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Yahoo, which is one of the leading sites in the world for internet news, has picked up on the Trade Reyes discussion.


"You could get an impact hitter or maybe a front-end starter for Reyes, and then go out and get a shortstop. Last winter a guy like Orlando Cabrera(notes) was out there forever. Obviously he doesn't have the same talent, but he's a heady player and that's what you want from your shortstop."

Since I like to toot my own horn I will point out that I told you on April 24th that if you want to break up "the core" it is Reyes that needs to go.

You tell me we could have a front line starter and live with "Orlando Cabrera" at shortstop?  Done.

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Is Jose Reyes good?  Of course he is.  Is he over rated?  Of course he is.   Jose is someone with God given talent who chooses to get by on a smile and speed rather than learning how to play.   He gets by on being  "young" even though he's in his seventh season.

Some time between cadillac-ing it in Wednesday's game and the first pitch last night Jose developed a (cough) calf injury so he sat last night.

As I typed this, I googled some stats and when I typed "Jose Reyes" into Google, discovered that John Harper thinks similarly, and since I need to get ready for work I will pass it off to the Daily News.



Read more: "Mets at crossroads with erratic shortstop Jose Reyes" -http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/mets/2009/05/14/2009-05-14_mets_at_crossroads_with_jose_reyes.html#ixzz0FZQPAkQw&A


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After yesterday's look at homegrown players on Opening Day, I started to think about what the Mets All Time Homegrown Team might look like. To recap, I am defining a homegrown player as someone who had their first major league appearance in a Mets uniform.

(Yes I know that a "true" homegrown would be someone who came all the way up through the Mets farm system - but honestly, I don't have the time or patience to do that level of research.)

So here's my full 25 man roster:

STARTING LINEUP
SS - Jose Reyes (755 Games)
2B - Edgardo Alfonzo (1,086)
3B - David Wright (703)
RF - Darryl Strawberry (1,109)
C - Todd Hundley (829)
1B - Ed Kranepool (1,853)
LF - Cleon Jones (1,201)
CF - Mookie Wilson (1,116)

BENCH
Bud Harrelson (1,322)
Lee Mazzilli (979)
Wally Backman (765)
John Milner (741)
Hubie Brooks (654)
Ron Hodges (666)

ROTATION
Tom Seaver (401 Games, 198 Wins)
Dwight Gooden (305, 157)
Jerry Koosman (376, 140)
Ron Darling (257, 99)
Jon Matlack (203, 82)

BULLPEN
Jesse Orosco (368 Relief Appearances, 107 Saves)
Tug McGraw (325, 86)
Jeff Innis (287, 5)
Aaron Heilman (280, 9)
Roger McDowell (278, 84)
Craig Swan (184 Starts, 45 Relief)

Feel free to debate - I know there are some guys I left off (Wayne Garret, Bobby Jones for example)

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Glad to hear that Omar called the Dominicans:

From the Post

Reyes didn't start the first game of the WBC, ceding shortstop to Hanley Ramirez before starting the final two games. Reyes said he told Dominican manager Felipe Alou he would play anywhere, but Alou told him that MetsNew York Mets GM Omar Minaya called Alou to demand that Reyes play only at short to avoid injury.

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I have a Mets blog and the rules of blogging mean that I have to have the obligatory "Santana pitches today" post that every other blog has.

This is my woo-hoo Santana pitches today and Jose Reyes rejoins the team post.  Obviously those are good things.

Now if someone could knock out Puerto Rico and the USA (yeah I'm a communist I guess) we could get back to having the Real Mets back in camp.

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PLAYER NAME said he is willing to "play anywhere on the field" for the Dominican.

PLAYER said he didn't think BASEBALL TEAM FROM NEW YORK would mind if he played a foreign position for a dopey nobody cares international tournament.

"I told (Felipe Alou) if he puts me in another position I'm going to play it because I'm here to represent my country..." the DR.

Guess who?

Nope, not A-Rod because if A-Rod said it we'd be lynching him for being stupid enough to play out of position for this WBC silliness.

Since Jose Reyes said it, it's cool and Jose is one hell of a teammate.  If Jeter said it they'd be adding it to the highlight reel right after the Gehrig speech.

Bad idea Jose.

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I was down at the Daytona 500 all weekend, so thanks to fellow Mets Policeman "Cyclones Fan" for minding the store.

Did Jerry really say he wants to bat OverReyes third?  Jerry that's the kind of thing that will get me back on the Lee Mazzilli for manager kick.

Anyways as I catch up on all thing Mets, my "Tom Seaver" google tracker caught this one.  I know links are lame but I bet most of you didn't read the Seattle Times  over the weekend.

When Tom Seaver returned to the Mets in December 1982, he was treated like returning royalty.

Yet Seaver, acquired in a trade for three players, was coming off a dismal season for the Reds in which he had gone 5-13 with a 5.50 earned-run average.

No one knew quite what the Mets were getting — the greatest player in club history, or a vague facsimile.

"I don't know what the public will remember or expect," Seaver said at a crowded news conference at Shea Stadium. "I'm not going to go out next season with a sign saying, 'It's 1983 and I'm 38 years old.' "

"When I pitch, I still have to get Pete Rose and Mike Schmidt out. ... They want me to come back here and be Tom Seaver."

Full story here.  It's an article about Griffey Junior returning home to Seattle...and brings up these not so great comebacks...remember these?

Other major stars who returned to their initial team for one last fling, albeit with less panache than the Babe, included Tony Perez and Pete Rose to the Reds (1984 for both, a dalliance that would not end well for Rose, brought in to be a player-manager with an unanticipated sidelight as a gambler); Reggie Jackson to the A's (1987); Phil Niekro to the Braves (for one ceremonial start in 1987); Don Sutton to the Dodgers (1988); Gary Carter to the Expos (1992); Eddie Murray to the Orioles (1996, for a stint that included his 500th home run); Rickey Henderson to the A's (the last time in 1998); and Tom Glavine to the Braves (2008).

Man that 1983 return was awesome.  Doesn't the SI cover just warm your heart?  If only it had lasted.   Imagine Tom on that 1984 team (my favorite Mets team of all time) - or would that have meant Gooden wouldn't have made the team....and in retrospect maybe not hitting fame and fortune at 19 might have led a more mature Dwight Gooden not to let his demons get to him?




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Multiple reports out yesterday say that Jerry Manuel is thinking about batting Jose Reyes third.

WHAT??????

I came to like Jerry last year, but even the thought of doing this makes absolutely no sense. Reyes (or as my Mets Police colleage calls him Over-Reyes) does not have eitther the discipline or the tempermant for that slot. Plus, why would you put your fastest player in the three hole? Can anyone show me where that has happened before?

If this is the type of decision Jerry's going to be making in 2009, I really fear for this season.

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Wondering what it will all look like at Taxpayer Field?



My seats are so high they aren't even in this video.  See ya in the 500s!  Boy "500s" sounds so Philly.
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I didn't see much of the Met game, but Pelfrey still looking like an Ace.  I didn't see that coming.

Knuckleheads who booed Duaner in the 9th need to get their time machine out go back a month and a half ago and see how you feel.   Jerry has a 2 game lead, don't you dare boo this team right now.

I never touched upon OverReyes and his finger waving?  Anyone want to guess what I'm going to say?  Keep your hands down knucklehead.   I hope one of the veterans verbally smacked him.

Nice trade by the Yankees tonight getting Nady and Marte without giving up the top prospects.  They are doing a good job of "rebuilding" with a $200 million payroll while still competing.

Nice job out of young Joba tonight showing up at Fenway big time.  How great is a 1-0 game between these two teams!

How often would a Subway Series be with both stadiums closing?  How much do you think a ticket for Game 7 would go for?

Heard Jerry this afternoon with Mike Francesca.

Jerry was talking about Jose Reyes and basically said (my words) Jose spaces out sometimes as young players do.

That's nice except one thing.  This is Jose's 6th season.  In 2000 Jeter was in his 6th season (5th full season) and about to win his fourth ring.  This young player thing doesn't hold water.  Apparently young players can learn the game and stay focused.

So you're saying, "Mets Police.  This is unfair.  Jose is only 25.  OK fine - that would be like Jeter in 1999, on his way to win a third ring.

At some point this young player thing expires and it's time to admit he's a flawed player.  The Mets marketing would like you to believe he's the goods.  He's not.  He's good but not the goods.  He's homegrown and not a Brave or Red Sock or Dodger so that's a major bonus - I'd rather lose with the homegrowns than win with Rentals.

However, I warn you - he's a Cylon.  Some day, in a clutch spot with everything on the line, he's going to do something stupid.  Not strike out or make an error, that stuff happens, but something stupid.