Whiny Dogs

There’s no limit to how much this baseball team infuriates me.

Consider if you will the hard slide by Chase Utley on Ruben Tejada in the fifth inning on Friday night. Honestly, I thought it was a clean slide. Late? Maybe. But that’s good hard baseball. But when the announcers started talking about possible retaliation, I was all for it. Even if I believe the Utley slide was clean, I will always be on board with the Mets standing up for themselves if they think they’ve been wronged. Think about it … when was the last time you saw a Met pitcher retaliate for anything? I’ll tell you” it was Braden Looper. Yes, Braden Looper in 2004, coincidentally for a hard slide by J.D. Closser which sent Joe McEwing to the end of his season.

When the retaliation didn’t come, I was disappointed. No, make that downright pissed off. But not surprised. Not surprised at all. So I let the initial, yet admittedly useless anger wash away.

But then I found out about the Mets reaction after the game, and the anger became justa little less useless:

“I think it’s a little dirty because he slid right on top of the base. You don’t need to do that there in that situation. But he plays the game hard, so what can I say?” –Jose Reyes

“They’ll take care of it. If they felt that way, or we felt that way, they’ll take care of it. I mean, they’ll go in and slide hard against him, that type of stuff.” –Jerry Manuel

Now I knew this team had no spine. But I never took them for whiny … until tonight. “We’ll take care of it?” Really??!?!!??!? Earth to Manager: You had a chance to “take care of it” in the eighth when Utley was up at the plate if that’s how you really felt. What happened? Pedro Feliciano didn’t come close, that’s what happened. If you really wanted to “take care if it”, and didn’t want to put it on one of your elder statesmen, then why not Manny Acosta? Or here’s a novel idea, how about Oliver Perez? Even if Perez is in the mood to sulk and not protect his teammates, he can hit Utley without even trying! Hell that was probably the only chance you had to make Met fans change their mind on him for a day (small chance but still …)

No, instead you did what you always do, what the block “NEW YORK” letters on the front of your jersey dictate you do, and that’s to lie down. Like dogs. But then to whine about it? “Boo-hoo we’ll slide hard next time.” Can it! You manage a team that can’t get to first base without a GPS and you’re worried about getting to second base? Stuff it. You had your chance to act. Instead you and your team waited to voice your displeasure from behind reporters. No wonder this organization is a damn laughingstock.

Let me repeat that: A damn laughingstock. A laughingstock who has joined the world of taking care of problems by talking about their feelings and expressing themselves from the safety of the bench “Eh, excuse me Mr. Utley, but please don’t slide hard or we’ll have to go to the media and tell on you.”

“We’ll take care of it.” Yeah, if the Mets ever take care of anything it’ll be while you’re watching from a diner with the Québec Les Capitales while taking a road trip through beautiful downtown Sussex, NJ, because my guess is that’s the next managing job you’re going to get. So have your passport ready.

And this “gangsta” stuff, all a lie. Gangsters don’t acknowledge that a team is going to clinch in front of them. They get their teams ready to play and ready for the challenge of keeping the Phillies from clinching in front of them because they have some pride. Jerry lost the series before it even started. And now the Phillies really will clinch with a Mets having to watch. And Jerry says maybe it will be good for the young kids. Sure, just like collapsing in 2007 and 2008 was supposed to be a good lesson. How’d that work out?

“We’ll reevaluate the way that we go into second base. Chase plays the game hard. He plays the game passionately. But there is a thin line being going out there and playing the game hard, and going out there and trying to get somebody hurt . . . if (Utley) doesn’t mind guys coming in like that when he’s trying to turn a double play, we don’t have any problem with it.” –David Wright

Oh good. The Mets are going to reevaluate going into second base. Nice to know that before tonight they would never go into second base without cookies or wine. Yeah. Don’t forget to reserve the conference room to have your reevaluation breakout session on how to play the game hard.

I’ve said it before, and it still applies: Don’t sing it, bring it. Let’s stop telling everyone what we’re going to do and just do it. I mean, how can a team a million games out of first place be this infuriating in late September?

R.A. Dickey, as usual, is the smartest player on the team:

“You don’t ever want to be a team that has a reputation that you can be kicked around, and you’re going to go back in the dugout at the end of the game with your tail between your legs.”

Maybe Robert Allen Dickey should manage this team next season.