Jason Bay Restores My Faith In Humanity

It was a lot of faith that needed restoring after Wednesday night.  Now keep in mind that I was out of pocket, but had the choice between hitting the bar and watching the final game against the Diamondbacks, or sitting in my hotel room and following the game via the power of Android.  After losing the first two against Arizona, you would think I would choose Mets baseball and alcohol (which go well together these days.)  But I was so disillusioned after Tuesday, and scared to death that an extra inning game would turn one drink into seventy, I chose Android.

And after I saw that Aaron Heilman pitched two scoreless innings against the Mets, a scenario I long feared after Heilman left Flushing, I chose sleep.  Because I knew it was a lost cause from there.  That’s how much I was sick of this team.  I woke up at 3AM checking the phone for the winner, but deep down I knew.  And rather than blogging, which wouldn’t have been any more insightful than *%^@_$*#*&% , I went back to sleep, unaware that the Turk was about to call Fernando Nieve and his blown out arm.

So after that, and Thursday’s extension of “Dude, Where’s My Bat“, it would have taken a grandiose act of awesome to give me some of my hope back.  For the time being, Jason Bay did just that.

My theory is that when Bay slammed into the wall to make that super-duper catch to rob Jamey Carroll, he must have smacked himself out of some sort of amnesia that was making him think he was Miguel Cairo.  This, in turn, enabled him to put Friday’s game out of reach with a three run double, which was something Cairo would have never done.  Hopefully, Bay’s teammates will be careful when smacking him on the head after a big hit, a nice play, or just horsing around in the shower.  Nobody wants Bay to think that he’s Cairo again.

But feel free to take a crowbar to Pelfrey’s head … and then tell him he’s Orel Hershiser.  Oh, and that it’s 1988.

Unfortunately, I have a feeling the Mets will do something dumb like rest Bay because he’s nicked up, and put Jeff Francoeur in there Saturday in time for him to get hurt and kill any deal that would involve him going to Kansas City, Oakland, or 8th Street Steak Softball.  And that’s too bad … because I like the new lineup.  Castillo was a waste hitting eighth, and we knew that last season.  Why a lineup with Luis Castillo hitting eighth was ever drawn up is beyond me, but nothing surprises me anymore, as I’m sure you know by now.  But this lineup?  Johan Santana approves of any lineup that gives him six runs to work with.  Of course four runs came when Johan was pretty much out of the game, but who’s going to quibble?

But can we lose the notion that Snoop Manuel getting kicked out of the game is going to “light a fire under this team”?  It’s just as ridiculous and random a notion as blaming Carlos Beltran for altering team chemistry.  Manuel was ejected in June of 2008 and the team went 4-4 before going on a ten game win streak.  In ’09 he was ejected and the Mets went 8-2 afterwards.  But they had already won their previous three, so did they really need a “fire” then?  And most recently, Snoop was ejected on July 5th during that whole Mike Pelfrey deal.  The team went 3-10 after that.  So take a breath, and don’t think too much.  Where the Mets go from here will have nothing to do with Manuel cursing out Doug Eddings for a terrible call at first.  It’ll have more to do with Stimulus seeing a few more of those eephus curve balls, preferably twice in the same at-bat. (thanks, Vicente.)

Nobody’s going to start hitting because their manager threw a fit.  We’re dealing with grown men here.  Yes, even Oliver Perez.

And nobody’s going to start hitting because Howard Johnson might be let go.  Sometimes, streaks like the one the Mets are/were in get fans so frustrated that they’re looking for a scapegoat.  Acknowledging that grown men just aren’t freakin’ hitting and that they had just better start isn’t an answer, and there’s no scapegoat involved.  Johnson is an easy one because he’s the hitting coach and the Mets aren’t hitting.  But Milt Thompson was fired because the Phillies, after years of burning down churches with their fiery bats, have all gone into slumps at the same time.  Did Thompson become an idiotall of a sudden?  No … same way Rick Down wasn’t an idiot in 2005 and 2007 when the Mets would go through similar streaks, nor was he a greek god when the Mets were shattering records in 2006.

Maybe firing Hojo would put a scare into the roster, but is it really going to help Rod Barajas bear down against Doc Halladay?  Or help Jose Reyes see pitches better?  Or maybe help Frenchy’s batting eye?  Think about it, Johnson helped David Wright and Frenchy in the offseason.  Wright has responded, meanwhile Frenchy does what he does.  Do we give Johnson credit for Wright and call him an idiot for Frenchy?  Do you blame Johnson for Bay’s struggles even though he’s had other hitting coaches for the rest of his adult life and that he’s dealing with some other things like moving to a new park and new expectations?  I’m not making excuses for Bay, quite the contrary.  Bay is ultimately the one that has to come out of it.  Is a change of hitting coaches the answer for Bay?  I highly doubt it.  Hitting coaches?  Pitching coaches?  Necessary, but overrated.

Hopefully the answer for Bay lies in more early BP sessions, and less amnesia.