(Paul J. Bereswill)
The Mets are the Wild West of baseball. Anything goes. If you want controversy with your ballgame, the Mets have it all. If reality TV covered a baseball team, the Mets would be the perfect product. They’re the “Hard Knocks” of MLB.
They even had 13 hard knocks of their own last night, as they shocked the Phillies, 8-0 at Citi Field with knuckleballer R.A. Dickey making like Phil Niekro. Don’t look now but the Mets, for all their woes, are just four games back of first place.
“Maybe we should get our own TV show at some point,” Jason Bay said after the win. “There’s never a dull moment around here.”
DICKEY’S KNUCKLER BUCKLES RIVALS
There’s the Fightin’ Phils, these are the Fightin’ Mets with bullpen coach Randy Niemann and Francisco Rodriguez having a “verbal discussion” Sunday night. That was Omar Minaya’s way of describing the bullpen action.
Also, before the game, Jeff Francoeur said he had no problems with Darryl Strawberry being in the clubhouse and offering advice, another supposed Mets issue, then cracked about stealing signs from the Phillies, saying, “It’s all good to go.”
Francoeur went out and had one of his best games in weeks. The No. 8 hitter knocked in the first two runs with a single in the second and a sacrifice fly in the fourth. He then doubled in the sixth and scored on pinch-hitter Chris Carter’s single.
Francoeur got some new Sam Bats before the game and was raving that those bats were made of the kind of wood that he had been waiting for all year. The red-hot Bay recently got a shipment as well.
“That’s his secret,” Francoeur said of the streaking Bay.
“The mindset of this team is good,” Francoeur added. “We’re starting to play well.”
Said Jerry Manuel, “When you begin to hit, there’s a lot more positive vibe going on because guys feel good about themselves. It’s fun when they get hits, score runs, drive in runs. I think the mindset now is that we feel we have enough guys swinging the bats well that it can be a good night for us if we get the pitching.”
They got the pitching last night from Dickey and Raul Valdes. The Mets have not allowed a home run in the past 60 innings.
Controversy can be a good thing. The Mets have won four of five and Jose Reyes is heating up at leadoff with three hits last night, including the 1,000th of his career. He also stole two bases.
The Mets are their own Bronx Zoo. They have a bit of an edge to them these days. That’s what happens when a manager’s and a GM’s jobs are on the line and ticket sales are lagging. Everyone is living for the moment. Playoffs begin in May. Anything goes.
It helps having characters like Carter around, too. Before the game I ran into “the Animal” in the dugout and asked how he was doing.
“Doing good,” he responded, “but I’ll be doing a lot better after we beat these Phillies.”
That’s the kind of attitude that is needed on a ballclub. There’s nothing wrong with having a team living on the edge. Motivation is a good thing.
Niemann and K-Rod wasn’t exactly Billy Martin vs. Reggie Jackson, but it does show that Manuel has fires to put out everywhere he turns.
“We talked it out, and it’s over, and that’s it, period,” Niemann said.
Manuel said he doesn’t think there is any carryover onto the field.
“Once the game starts, I don’t see that as a thing that affects the team,” he said. Asked if any players have given him verbal support, he said, “No, I’m good.”
As long as the Mets win he’s good. Beating the Phillies was another step in the right direction. Bullpen dustups, former players criticizing the troops, none of that matters if the Mets win. It’s all part of the show.