The Quiet Elimination

In 2011, we Met fans can be thankful for one thing: Unlike a recent time where the Mets were eliminated in the most public and ironic of ways, the Mets were eliminated today on their drive in to Citi Field, as the Braves victory over the Marlins ended the last hope the Mets had. So we’ve gone from being eliminated with all the style and explosion of a Sopranos episode, now being eliminated seems more like a scene from On Golden Pond, where old people are staring out admiring a sunset.

And there’s knitting … lots of knitting.

So now, there’s no reason for Jose Reyes to go stealing bases and running all over the place with his hamstring still bothering him. Now the world seems to think that Reyes’ admission that he’s not at 100% is going to cost him a bunch of money, keep in mind that if the Mets were in a pennant race, he’d be lauded for gutting his way through an injury to carry the Mets to a playoff berth. And if you think it’s costing him money to admit his hamstring is barking, then how much would it cost him to say “I’m not playing through this and risking my heatlh going into a contract year”. He’s damned if he does and damned if he doesn’t. He’s leading the league in hitting having played the last few weeks less than 100%. Who wouldn’t go into the off-season thinking “well, if he’s doing this at 80%, what will he do for us at 100%? This whole mess might cost him a year or two on his next contract, but then again what would last night’s admission cost him that his two stints on the D.L. didn’t cost him already?

But we still have something to watch for the rest of the season, now that the Mets have arranged for John Franco to tutor Bobby Parnell. Tells me that the Mets are committed to giving Parnell every chance and advantage to take the closer’s role in 2012. Of course, I’m not sure if we can see any tangible difference in Parnell, but if he blows a save, throws the water cooler, and has a hissy fit in the dugout for the world to see, then we know that the teachings of Franco have seeped in. I’m just thankful that this isn’t the last regime, who instead of bringing on Franco merely to tutor Parnell, they would have asked him to do it while giving him a roster spot. Hey, that’s how Julio Franco got a two-year contract.