For all of those who hate the Wilpons—even those who hated them BEFORE the Madoff scandal broke and re-broke recently—we have a vivid example of how things could possibly be even worse.
According to sources all over the sports world, Hank Steinbrenner actually said the following today, clearly referring to Derek Jeter: “Some of the players are too busy building mansions and doing other things, not concentrating on winning. I have no problem saying that.”
Ah, start the spring with a public rebuke of the clear leader of your team, the heart and soul of some of the greatest Yankee teams in history, a player who is perhaps as close to being beyond reproach as any player in the game today.
Jeter apparently built a massive new home over the last couple of years. Regardless, Hank Steinbrenner, to quote Ann Richards, was clearly born with a silver foot in his mouth. Jeter may now be overpaid, he may no longer truly be a Gold Glove shortstop, but even the most ardent Yankee hater must admit that this is a player who truly wants to win and hustles like few of his peers.
George Steinbrenner was not born poor, but he did work hard and build what he was born into into something much, much larger. His son Hank proves once again that he is sort of like a much more obnoxious version of his father, but without the long list of achievements.
We can all be grateful that Jeff Wilpon does not open his mouth in the manner in which Hank Steinbrenner does.
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And the card playing issue resurfaces.
According to the NY Post, Terry Collins made it clear that there will be a cut-off time when it comes to pre-game card playing.
http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/mets/know_when_to_fold_em_gj8mToKwFcw1DVEEpl32oO
Hmm, was this an issue after all?
Decide for yourself fellow Met fanatics.
David Wright, as he always does when not conversing on the field with Larry Bowa, said all the right things, in his non-confrontational style. But did he deny that there is a load of card-playing going on when other teams might have actually been on the field working? He sure did not.
“You are talking about a bunch of grown men, where this is what they do for a living,” Wright said. “If they are going to let a card game get in the way of what they do for a living or their profession, then you have bigger issues than that.”
BINGO! Precisely why Terry Collins was hired.
To this writer, this is yet another sign that the right man may have indeed been chosen for the job.
Was Collins perhaps a tad quick to criticize Castillo for being late to camp due to family health issues? Maybe he was. But being quick to issue discipline and tough opinions is most definitely what this team needs and needs badly after the cruise-control, country club vibe of 2010.
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A special shout-out to my friend and colleague Rusty Jr., for his continuing amazing series on the Top 50 Mets of All-Time.
Every morning we are given a new topic to debate, a new player to learn about, another name crossed off as we approach the very top of the list.
Thanks to Rusty for taking what must have been a truly mammoth amount of time to put together this piece of work, which is helping our modest blog gain even more respect.
To paraphrase our wise leader TRS, Rusty is carrying us all on his broad Le Grande Orange shoulders.
And let’s hope the top three are in the order they should be—Tom, Keith, and Mike, 1-2-3.
38 comments
rustyjr
2/21/2011-8:03pm at 8:03 pm (UTC -4)
Great read as usual – thanks for the kind words
kingman 26
2/21/2011-8:04pm at 8:04 pm (UTC -4)
Thanks buddy; I mean every word of it.
stickguy
2/21/2011-9:11pm at 9:11 pm (UTC -4)
get a room.
njstuckintx
2/21/2011-8:09pm at 8:09 pm (UTC -4)
“as he always does when not conversing on the field with Larry Bowa,”
Remind me not to get on your bad side or make fun of large primates who climb big buildings and smash airplanes.
kingman 26
2/21/2011-8:12pm at 8:12 pm (UTC -4)
Prismo
2/21/2011-8:15pm at 8:15 pm (UTC -4)
Castillo’s excuse for being late is very much acceptable, the issue is that Terry never heard his excuse until he was already late! *That* is unacceptable.
stickguy
2/21/2011-9:12pm at 9:12 pm (UTC -4)
still not sure why he needed an excuse for being late, when he was on time.
darknova306
2/21/2011-8:21pm at 8:21 pm (UTC -4)
“most definitely what this team needs and needs badly after the cruise-control, country club vibe of 2010″
BINGO! A perfect sentence for last year’s pathetic excuse for a baseball team, Kong. I stopped caring about watching every game last year when the team started showing that they didn’t care about winning every game. My only request for the team is to see them drop that mindset and actually baseball in a way that’s respectable.
stickguy
2/21/2011-9:16pm at 9:16 pm (UTC -4)
I just don’t see where they stopped caring or trying.’
They were right in the race up until July (1/2 the season). Then they got swamped again by more injuries, and an ill timed slump by a rookie.
did they not care or try all season, but win anyway? Or did they stop caring when 2 guys that shouldn’t have been playing (health and/or talent wise) got shoved back into the starting lineup, they lost the LF, and the SS tried to play with a pulled oblique?
Jerry though, I don’t think he cared very much at the end. And he certainly ceded control of the asylum to the inmates.
kingman 26
2/21/2011-9:52pm at 9:52 pm (UTC -4)
Sorry buddy, I saw it constantly after the mid-July west coast trip.
And they weren’t really “in the race”….where you are before the all-star break means little when you charge out of it with a 2-9 west coast trip and never come close to being “in it” again. The Mets had a good 5 weeks where they went 23-9. They were thoroughly mediocre before and after that.
The last two months of the year they mailed in game after game.
Almost every postgame Ojeda railed at how they played—how they went to AZ, with the DBacks having the worst pen in the game, and would go hitless for 5 innings, swinging at the first pitch and desperate to get it over with.
Feliciano coming up for his first MLB at bat and jogging down the first base line.
Jose getting thrown out on the bases four times in a series in PHIL.
And Wright gesturing to the empty dugout when talking to Bowa on the field.
Not making it up buddy, people can disagree till the end of time, but just about every game I watched in Aug and Sept was narrated by Gary/Keith/Ron and Ojeda after the game supplying the same point of view as me here.
Jerry set the tone, and the team almost completely gave up after the west coast trip in July.
oleosmirf
2/22/2011-12:30am at 12:30 am (UTC -4)
playing with emotion and trying are two completely different things and its not fair to accuse guys of not caring about winning…
darknova306
2/21/2011-10:00pm at 10:00 pm (UTC -4)
What I saw was a mediocre team that played over their heads for about 5 weeks. Then they went back to being what they were: a team that wasn’t really that good. They compounded that by switching their approach to get on the bus as early as possible whenever they would fall behind in a game. Sorry, I witnessed a band of losers going through a losing season with a losing mentality.
kingman 26
2/21/2011-10:08pm at 10:08 pm (UTC -4)
I largely agree with this.
Wright, Dickey, Pagan, and Feliciano were veterans who I believe did care, from start to finish.
But I believe many of the rest of the players definitely did not try their hardest in August and September, and I also think it may have influenced some of the kids.
And as time went on, I definitely agreed with those who said that Jerry was ultimately a weak manager who commanded zero respect, was two-faced, and did not inspire anyone to do anything other than give less than 100%.
Still not sure why some so vehemently deny what Gary/Ron/Keith/Ojeda/Strawberry/HoJo all agreed was clearly going on.
Just don’t get it.
stickguy
2/21/2011-10:32pm at 10:32 pm (UTC -4)
probably some of both sides of the fence going on.
sometimes, people look at results and “back into” the actions that caused them (attribution).
teams with less talent can look like they aren’t trying, when in reality, they just suck. And maybe undisciplined hacking is what you get out of an undisciplined hacker.
and as we know from the Wally debate, some guys are gritty, dirty, heart on the sleeve types, and others are quiet and composed. and there is no direct correlation between the 2 styles and success, or even how hard they are working.
I agree 100% though that if there was any attitude issues, or going through the motions, that is on Jerry’s head (and Omar, etc. for letting him stay on to do it).
beyond that (since jerry is gone), it comes down to individual player names. Feliciano? Gone. Wright? not a problem.
so who else do we have to excise to cut out the cancer? That is the bottom line. Terry is the knife. Or can the slackers be “rehabilitated”?
if there are any that can’t be, they need to be wished into the cornfield. so let’s name them, but the problem is, it gets hard to pick them out.
so let’s just hope that the cancer was jerry, and the surgery was done, and now Terry is the radiation treatment to make sure it doesn’t grow back.
TRS86
2/22/2011-8:09am at 8:09 am (UTC -4)
“teams with less talent can look like they aren’t trying, when in reality, they just suck. And maybe undisciplined hacking is what you get out of an undisciplined hacker.”
Bingo.
Just because Frenchy is swinging at every pitch does not mean that the Mets don’t care.
TRS86
2/22/2011-8:08am at 8:08 am (UTC -4)
So you don’t think Beltran was giving his all in August and September? Or was he not giving his all when he was injured?
I think we are underestimating the fact of how bad many of the players that got significant AB’s for the Mets last year were. Remember that post that Ted Berg (I think) made illustrating how many AB’s went to players that had under a .320 OBP? Sure I think these guys could have been more focused and I am anxious to see how they do this year, but fact is we suffered more from lack of talent than drive.
stickguy
2/21/2011-9:19pm at 9:19 pm (UTC -4)
If there is really justice in the world (and I know that there isn’t, but ST is a time for hope), the mets will have a nice, quiet successful year. No PR debacles, big injuries, or off field nonsense.
Instead, it will all hit in the Bronx instead. A few injuries, old guys showing their age, a poor record, and one media mess after another.
Might be petty, but man, wouldn’t that be satisfying?
hazmet
2/21/2011-9:22pm at 9:22 pm (UTC -4)
Fun read, knog. I was amused to read over the weekend that this years Yankee’s are in the running for the fatest team in MLB history. I’m not making that up, seriously, this stat has been kept and they are currently fatter then I believe it was a Philly team, might have been the Kruk years. Following up on that Loud Mouths had a funny e-mail that stated “the Yankee’s have the best starting Offensive Line in NY by listing Sabathia, Joba, Garcia,…” can’t remember the other 2 guys.
On card playing to me it’s one of those things they blow up on when teams don’t win and when they do nobody cares. Kind of like the relevance of a hitting coach now that I think about it. To paraphrase D. Wright this evening “I get to the park at 1pm to start getting my work in before a night game, there’s spare time to get in some cards so long as your getting your work in… etc” Really if he and some guys are there that early working are a few card games in between really going to matter. It’s not like when Rickey and Bobby were playing during the playoffs with the game going on. This seems like one of those things Terry will take away and then an easy thing to give back later in the year if they need a clubhouse boost to loosen things up.
hazmet
2/21/2011-9:28pm at 9:28 pm (UTC -4)
Man my laptop is sucking…
Last thing I read in Newsday was about Castillo still having the dropped pop up in his head and that it was effecting him still. This came up during his meeting with Collins with Terry apparently telling him to get over it that it was 2 years ago. That Luis is still letting that play bother him really set my thinking about him off kilter. As in thinking he doesn’t give a crap about the team and is past it to he actually does care and has gotta let it go already and stop beating himself up. He’s still shot though, sorry Luis.
stickguy
2/21/2011-9:33pm at 9:33 pm (UTC -4)
it seems reasonable to set expectations for the team, and block out times for preparation time (going over hitters, going over pitchers, game plan for the day, etc.) But there is also going to be free/relax time in there. and that might be cards for some guys, or a nap, video games, TV, whatever.
now, if guys were really playing cards instead of the required game plan time, then that is unacceptable. And 100% on Jerry’s head. Getting the team ready to play is a huge part of the managers job.
hazmet
2/21/2011-9:34pm at 9:34 pm (UTC -4)
Exactly, right on the mark as usual. I can’t wait for the games….
TRS86
2/22/2011-8:12am at 8:12 am (UTC -4)
Right, I think every attempt was made to relax the culture around the clubhouse for the Mets because the previous admin believed they were to anxious or stressed and still feeling the effects of the collapse.
Looks like now they are trying a different approach.
metsfan4decades
2/21/2011-10:35pm at 10:35 pm (UTC -4)
I can’t take too much stock in that card playing story.
That 86 team was probably about as lax in showing up on time, in good shape (i.e. not hungover), and in good shape. When you’re winning, these things fly under the radar.
I agree with stick in that the inmates were running the asylum towards the end…or more to the point no one was.
I watched just about every game last season. What I saw was a mediocre team, no decent depth and the handful of players like Wright who were clearly there from start to finish to win – were clearly frustrated by the lack of focus from the FO on down.
Here’s hoping the attitude will be different across the board this year.
My only concern is a minor one…..it involves Terry being a little too outspoken with the media (for example, the Castillo not arriving early quote). Time will tell how he handles the NY media, especially if they don’t get off to a good start.
stickguy
2/21/2011-9:26pm at 9:26 pm (UTC -4)
I too like the Collins move. Sure, he might have some issues at time with the NY media, and might piss off some of the entrenched veterans (although at this point, how many do the mets even have that aren’t 1 step out the door?)
but I agree with Knog that the team was probably ready for an attitude adjustment, and if collins supplies anything, that should be it. Getting a swift kick in the ass on occasion is good for any group to help keep them focused!
still, I don’t think you can attribute a personality to a team. Just individuals. and I have no clue who the lazy/slacker/card player problem guys are (and also don’t know if the card players weren’t the best players on the team!).
but bottom line, it is the managers job (and the coaches) to define expectations, and enforce the rules. Players are like any other employees. Let them run around with no oversight, and they tend to abuse the privilege!
hazmet
2/21/2011-9:31pm at 9:31 pm (UTC -4)
I think we inherited your computer woes. My laptop is sucking now including the left mouse button under the touchpad falling off and my wife’s Dell having 3 keys stop working so she had to by keyboard to usb to the damn thing. I really hate Dell now. These 2 laptops are both not even 3 years old yet. I think I’ll have to go HP next.
stickguy
2/21/2011-9:37pm at 9:37 pm (UTC -4)
you tell me this 2 hours after I hit the submit button on a new Dell?
actually, my primary desktop (9 YO) has done Yeoman duty. it is just way over burdened (can only do so much with a 40 gig HD). One of the CD drives crapped out recently too. But, it keeps chugging right along. I have another on (sons old one) that is 6 YO now, but it just sits around now that he is at school.
Now, my HP laptop, this is junky. But more a fact of having 1 meg of RAM and a very early version of Vista.
hazmet
2/21/2011-9:41pm at 9:41 pm (UTC -4)
lol, sorry. But I believe your going desktop so I would think that would be significantly better. I tend to beat the crap out of my laptop keys so part of it is I pound the crap out of them when I’m typing. Sigh on the HP laptop view. I’ve still got some time, I’ll have to start researching.
metsfan4decades
2/21/2011-10:39pm at 10:39 pm (UTC -4)
I’ve had extremely good luck with Dell.
Have on desktop that’s still running good and is now 6 years old.
Have another desktop that’s 4 1/2 years old and running as quick as it was when new. Only replacement on that was a fan.
Have a brand new Dell laptop with an 7i processor that is just amazing. Prior to this I did have a Dell XPS laptop that was 5 years old that the hard drive burned up last Nov. I did much research and came to the conclusion since we never turn it off, it just constantly ran hot. Bought a fan type lapdesk for the new laptop that runs continually. So far, it’s not even come close to running hot no matter how many processes are opened.
metsfan4decades
2/21/2011-10:47pm at 10:47 pm (UTC -4)
stick…I saw your question on a previous thread asking about a device to stream MLB games to your HD TV.
I typed a response – twice – but for some reason it went into never, never land. Might have been b/c I provided a link in the response.
To be short, my hubby has done a lot of research on this since getting the new laptop. He wants to stream from Xfinity on the laptop to the HD tv.
Netgear makes a device called ‘push2tv’ that will do this wireless. Looks like the push2tv PTV1000 will do it but only supports up to 720 HD resolution. The PTV2000 will support up to 1080 resolution but this device isn’t out yet. Should be out shortly, I think.
I’d provide the netgear link to this but I think that’s what hosed my last comments on this. Should be able to find it on netgear site. Amazon sells the PTV1000 right now.
stickguy
2/21/2011-11:08pm at 11:08 pm (UTC -4)
thanks. Checked it out, and looks neat. Too bad it requires an Intel core processor, and the PC I ordered has an AMD.
the way technology keeps changing, there will be more choices soon.
I also plan to shop for a new wireless router once I get the PC, since the one I have is somewhat outdated now. Technology there has moved on too!
metsfan4decades
2/22/2011-8:00am at 8:00 am (UTC -4)
Yeah, I saw that in the description after I sent you that response. Obviously my new laptop as that Intel core processor. I suspected yours did not, only b/c I saw the price you paid (good deal, btw) and since the base price on mine was more than that to begin with, I assumed one of the differences was the processor.
The other option my hubby is looking at has something to do with a 8 port switch hooked up to the router, that somehow will run as a server that will provide that capability. I’m not going to pretend to understand that technology behind that one.
Regarding routers, we just purchased a new high speed one a couple of weeks ago too. Our old one was VERY old and barely hanging on. Between the new high speed laptop and Comcast Xfinity that was just released in our area we couldn’t take advantage of that with the old router. Plus after much research realized our new Skype account wasn’t working b/c the router was just too old to support it.
metsfan4decades
2/21/2011-10:48pm at 10:48 pm (UTC -4)
For whatever reason, the Steinbrenner’s can get away with comments the Wilpons would never. Same with the GM. I believe it’s b/c this current Yankee’s team since the mid 90s have been contenders every season and the Mets…well, not so much.
stickguy
2/21/2011-11:02pm at 11:02 pm (UTC -4)
just like your comments about the 19186 squad.
if you win, no one cares about the side crap. Have a couple bad years, and they think it is vital.
kingman 26
2/21/2011-11:30pm at 11:30 pm (UTC -4)
Chicken and egg; largely irrelevant.
The 86 team cared about every game.
The 2010 team did not.
stickguy
2/21/2011-11:43pm at 11:43 pm (UTC -4)
that was responding to MFs question about why the yankees get a pass on this stuff.
stickguy
2/21/2011-11:45pm at 11:45 pm (UTC -4)
oh, and cared about every game? You mean the guys that showed up so hung over (or still wasted) that they had to sit out games?
more like they had enough talent to still win when they were pissing some of it away!
oleosmirf
2/22/2011-12:26am at 12:26 am (UTC -4)
being a Knicks and Ranger fan has unfortunately shown me what a bad owner is. Say what you want, we could do so much worse than the Wilpons…
stickguy
2/22/2011-12:42am at 12:42 am (UTC -4)
so i should assume that if Dolan buys them out, you won’t be throwing a party?