Johan's Calling Out of Murphy

[Guest Edgy DC]

"It was just one mistake that he (Murphy) made, [and it] cost us the whole ballgame." --- Santana

"I was lazy to the ball, and I got exposed for it. Inexcusable. It can't happen. Johan threw the ball really well and deserved a lot better than that. I'm better than that. It won't happen like that again." --- Murphy

"I know he's in a learning process. This is not going to be the first time [Murphy makes an error]. I don't think it's going to be the last one." --- Santana

[metirish]

I went with "Kind of wrong" but easily could have gone with " kind of right". I was surprised when I read the remarks but at the same time I think Santana was no doubt frustrated after the game. I think he probably should not have called out Murphy like that when we all know that Murphy is not a good outfielder. Call out the people who put him there maybe.

[TransMonk]

Kind of right. If I was Santana, I'd be pissed and probably would have been much harsher.

Obvoiusly, Murph is accepting responsibility for the gaffe, which is right as well.

[seawolf17]

I think that's a tone-of-voice question. Of course Murphy's going to make another error at some point in his major league career; it's not like Johan's calling out Garry Maddox.

[Guest Edgy DC]

I've got to think, if his name ended in "eño," he'd be roasted with boos tonight.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Very wrong. Would Santana have been as vocal if Murph's error occurred during another pitcher's start? Would Johan have still steamed privately, if the Mets tied it up but won the game after Santana was relieved? We might never learn the answer to these very telling questions about self-interest but the cynic in me says that if you show me a ballplayer who tells the media he'd trade in his four for four with a Home Run performance for the win that eluded his team, I'll show you a player that's almost always full of shit.

I appreciate Johan's honesty even if it doesn't mitigate his unfortunate quote.

Edited April 13, 2009 by Guest

[Guest Edgy DC]

="seawolf17":1wgrq2vn]I think that's a tone-of-voice question.[/quote:1wgrq2vn] Yeah, those quotes, particularly the second one, can be read as an attempt to embrace a broad perspective rather than throw Gus under the bus.

batmagadanleadoff Apr 13 2009 10:19 AM

="Edgy DC":ncy7chto] ="seawolf17":ncy7chto]I think that's a tone-of-voice question.[/quote:ncy7chto] Yeah, those quotes, particularly the second one, can be read as an attempt to embrace a broad perspective rather than throw Gus under the bus.[/quote:ncy7chto] My exact thoughts on that second quote, too. Edgy DC Apr 13 2009 10:22 AM I think maybe it's somewhere in the middle. He's trying to be Buddha, but some frustration leaks out nonetheless. Given a chance to reword it, he might have sounded more generous. Frayed Knot Apr 13 2009 10:23 AM Change Santana's name to 'Glavine' and fans would be roasting the hell out of him right now. metirish Apr 13 2009 10:38 AM I think Johan upon reflection will see that he was wrong and call his newborn Murphy to show that he is a great teammate. Swan Swan H Apr 13 2009 10:57 AM Johan gets asked if Murphy's error cost the Mets the game. I think he has three options: - What he did, which is say yes, and try to give Murphy some cover (from Newsday: "I'm pretty sure he was trying his best right there and it didn't work out. Tomorrow is a new day, and hopefully, everything will work out for him.") - Blame the offense, which opens up a different can o'worms. Then he's blaming eight guys, Murphy included. - Get all Torborgy about it, and throw a bunch of we're all in this together quotes out there, and look like an idiot in the process. Honest is the only way to go here. Murphy clanked one, and it cost them a game. If he can't handle that extremely mild criticism, well, change his number to 9 and put him in the pool for some swings. Edgy DC Apr 13 2009 11:01 AM "He knows he made a mistake, but we win as a team, lose as a team, and I'm sure there'll be days he'll be bailing us all out." RealityChuck Apr 13 2009 11:04 AM What makes this a "call out"? Johann is merely stating facts. He's not criticizing Murphy particularly. He's not saying he's a terrible fielder. Everyone knows that Murphy is still learning the position, and will be making mistakes. If anything Johann is being classy -- acknowledging the fact, but minimizing it. It's the press that wants to turn a pretty innocuous statement into bad blood -- since bad blood sells newspapers. The question was asked to see if any controversy could be raised. When Johann is noncommittal, they twist things to turn it into a story. Swan Swan H Apr 13 2009 11:10 AM Edgy, what you said is pretty much what Johan said. The first part makes the headline, though. LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Apr 13 2009 11:11 AM Didn't people give Willie crap for NOT calling a spade a spade, and always one-game-at-a-time-ing it for the press? Don't a lot of folk yearn for the simple cut-the-bullshit of guys like back-in-the-day Keith and Seaver? Well, here's your hombre, plain and tall (and broad-shouldered). I think the statement reads a lot harsher than it sounded; it's a matter of tone, context and source-- Johan earned an arm's worth of stripes with last year's stretch run. Secondly, I'd worry a lot more about the echo-chamber-ing of this if the comments didn't come a day before Opening-Day-at-new-stadium; as it stands, this'll get lost in the churn of that batch of stories. batmagadanleadoff Apr 13 2009 11:14 AM But you can make the argument that Murphy didn't necessarily cost the team the game. (Or at least I can). Every single Met that took an at-bat without homering can be said to have cost the team the game, including Santana who himself had three plate appearances. I realize that the expectation that Murph would catch a routine fly ball is considerably higher than that of any Met homering. But if not a homer, then what about back to back doubles? Or a long hit in the ninth right after Beltran's single? A team ought to win a game when it holds the opposition to two runs. If Murph never erred; if Fla's two runs were earned -- the result of back to back homers -- wouldn't the media be critical of the Mets offense? GYC Apr 13 2009 11:16 AM It was a comically bad play that was wrong in so, so many ways: he broke in first, he then had to back pedal, he didn't settle under the ball (never catch it while moving), he reached up with one hand instead of two, he looked away from the ball as it neared his glove... The only proper thing Murphy did on that play was reach with his glove hand instead of his barehand. He deserves criticism, especially since it would have ended the inning and it allowed two runs. I don't think Johan was being overly harsh or anything. He spoke the truth. I'd like to hear audio, though, for the context and tone of voice. And I'd like to know how Murphy reacted to what Johan said. Farmer Ted Apr 13 2009 11:18 AM I'm looking forward to a game winning hit by Murph to see Santana's reaction. If the guy fucks up, pull him aside in the clubhouse and hash it out. metsmarathon Apr 13 2009 11:19 AM i'm sorry, but i cannot for the life of me imagine johan spitting out that quote in anger and disgust in his fellow teammates carelessness. what i can imagine is johan using those same words in an attempt to be diplomatic about his teammate who is obviously still making his way up the learning curve, on a big stage. it obviously could go either way depending on the question asked and the tone of voice. for something like this, i'd really like to hear the way it was said. if it were cut and dry, like if johan had said somehting like 'i don't know what the hell he was thinking or why he's even out there in the first place, but he ruined my pristine outing and i'm sick of it!' then it'd be easier to figure out. there's enough qualifiers in both johan quotes that, to me, come across as judicious and diplomatic, not throwing a bus onto his teammate. Edgy DC Apr 13 2009 11:52 AM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Apr 13 2009 12:04 PM A lot of things here. ]What makes this a "call out"? Johann is merely stating facts. He's not criticizing Murphy particularly. He's not saying he's a terrible fielder. Everyone knows that Murphy is still learning the position, and will be making mistakes. If anything Johann is being classy -- acknowledging the fact, but minimizing it. A lot of people get paid to state the facts. What a teammate --- particularly a more secure, higher profile teammate --- can do is minimize it. You say he did, and he seems to have been trying to, but Murphy didn't cost them the game alone. A lot of silent bats helped. ="RealityChuck"]It's the press that wants to turn a pretty innocuous statement into bad blood -- since bad blood sells newspapers. That's quite possilbe, but Johan may have a learning curve of his own to deal with here. ="SwanSwanH"]Edgy, what you said is pretty much what Johan said. The first part makes the headline, though. Maybe, but I think there's some ambiguity. ="LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr"]Didn't people give Willie crap for NOT calling a spade a spade, and always one-game-at-a-time-ing it for the press? Don't a lot of folk yearn for the simple cut-the-bullshit of guys like back-in-the-day Keith and Seaver? I don't think what I suggested is bullshit. And I think the Mets have had plenty of outspoken types in recent years --- LoDuca and Wagner spring to mind. ="LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr"]I think the statement reads a lot harsher than it sounded; Maybe indeed. ="batmagadanleadoff"]But you can make the argument that Murphy didn't necessarily cost the team the game. (Or at least I can). That's where I think Santana falls down --- or the quote clanks out of his glove, if you will. ="GYC"]He deserves criticism, especially since it would have ended the inning and it allowed two runs. Deserving criticism is one thing, but it's typically not a teammate's place to provide it and provide it publickly. ="Farmer Ted"]If the guy fucks up, pull him aside in the clubhouse and hash it out. There's an alternative. ="metsmarathon"]i'm sorry, but i cannot for the life of me imagine johan spitting out that quote in anger and disgust in his fellow teammates carelessness. I'm betting that Johan was attempting to say something better and it came out wrong. But I don't think a harsher intent is beyond the realm of imagination. Moreover, whatever the intent, I just hope that the comment or any repercussions of it don't serve to undercut Murphy. I guess that's very Alan Lans of me. LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Apr 13 2009 11:56 AM Can't seem to find audio anywhere at the moment. Heard the snippets on WFAN while driving-- even out-of-context, they sounded measured and reasonable, with nary a tinge of blame or whinging(Murphy, as you might guess, sounded miserable with himself). An auxilliary benefit of the gentle public admonition-- it allows Manuel to strike the conciliatory, let's-everybody-relax grace notes that seem to be his forte, PR-wise: "Here, you have a young man who works extremely hard and he's getting better," manager Jerry Manuel said of Murphy. "He's getting better. I don't think you're going to see that type of stuff from him on a regular basis. I really don't. I think that's just something that out of nowhere happened." It's early, but for all the Carlos/David talk about clubhouse leadership/captaindom... for better or worse, here's your guy. The team goes as Johan goes, methinks, in a lot more ways than the win column can measure. metsguyinmichigan Apr 13 2009 12:01 PM It's part of the learning process. Does anybody doubt that Murph is kicking himself harder than Santana is kicking him? John Cougar Lunchbucket Apr 13 2009 12:03 PM He better be. metirish Apr 13 2009 01:23 PM From Lennon over at Newsday Daniel Murphy promised he would work hard to improve after Sunday's costly drop and that's exactly what he is doing this afternoon. Murphy was shagging fly balls off the bat of coach Razor Shines to help him get accustomed to leftfield here at Citi and now Gary Sheffield is doing the same in right. It's been a mixed bag so far. Sheffield made a running catch at the warning track a moment ago, but then had a deep ball sail over his glove as he reached toward the fence. *62 Apr 13 2009 03:38 PM (Miami) After losing 7 or 8 W's to the bullpen last season, and now losing a shutout to a misplayed fly ball, Santana has to be one pi$$ed off hombre. Fish fans down here, all eleventy of them, are crowing like mad. Murphy might should have been shagging extra flies SATURDAY. Rockin' Doc Apr 13 2009 04:08 PM It appears that Santana may have just a little touch of Wagner in him.

[batmagadanleadoff]

="Edgy DC":ncy7chto] ="seawolf17":ncy7chto]I think that's a tone-of-voice question.[/quote:ncy7chto] Yeah, those quotes, particularly the second one, can be read as an attempt to embrace a broad perspective rather than throw Gus under the bus.[/quote:ncy7chto] My exact thoughts on that second quote, too. Edgy DC Apr 13 2009 10:22 AM I think maybe it's somewhere in the middle. He's trying to be Buddha, but some frustration leaks out nonetheless. Given a chance to reword it, he might have sounded more generous. Frayed Knot Apr 13 2009 10:23 AM Change Santana's name to 'Glavine' and fans would be roasting the hell out of him right now. metirish Apr 13 2009 10:38 AM I think Johan upon reflection will see that he was wrong and call his newborn Murphy to show that he is a great teammate. Swan Swan H Apr 13 2009 10:57 AM Johan gets asked if Murphy's error cost the Mets the game. I think he has three options: - What he did, which is say yes, and try to give Murphy some cover (from Newsday: "I'm pretty sure he was trying his best right there and it didn't work out. Tomorrow is a new day, and hopefully, everything will work out for him.") - Blame the offense, which opens up a different can o'worms. Then he's blaming eight guys, Murphy included. - Get all Torborgy about it, and throw a bunch of we're all in this together quotes out there, and look like an idiot in the process. Honest is the only way to go here. Murphy clanked one, and it cost them a game. If he can't handle that extremely mild criticism, well, change his number to 9 and put him in the pool for some swings. Edgy DC Apr 13 2009 11:01 AM "He knows he made a mistake, but we win as a team, lose as a team, and I'm sure there'll be days he'll be bailing us all out." RealityChuck Apr 13 2009 11:04 AM What makes this a "call out"? Johann is merely stating facts. He's not criticizing Murphy particularly. He's not saying he's a terrible fielder. Everyone knows that Murphy is still learning the position, and will be making mistakes. If anything Johann is being classy -- acknowledging the fact, but minimizing it. It's the press that wants to turn a pretty innocuous statement into bad blood -- since bad blood sells newspapers. The question was asked to see if any controversy could be raised. When Johann is noncommittal, they twist things to turn it into a story. Swan Swan H Apr 13 2009 11:10 AM Edgy, what you said is pretty much what Johan said. The first part makes the headline, though. LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Apr 13 2009 11:11 AM Didn't people give Willie crap for NOT calling a spade a spade, and always one-game-at-a-time-ing it for the press? Don't a lot of folk yearn for the simple cut-the-bullshit of guys like back-in-the-day Keith and Seaver? Well, here's your hombre, plain and tall (and broad-shouldered). I think the statement reads a lot harsher than it sounded; it's a matter of tone, context and source-- Johan earned an arm's worth of stripes with last year's stretch run. Secondly, I'd worry a lot more about the echo-chamber-ing of this if the comments didn't come a day before Opening-Day-at-new-stadium; as it stands, this'll get lost in the churn of that batch of stories. batmagadanleadoff Apr 13 2009 11:14 AM But you can make the argument that Murphy didn't necessarily cost the team the game. (Or at least I can). Every single Met that took an at-bat without homering can be said to have cost the team the game, including Santana who himself had three plate appearances. I realize that the expectation that Murph would catch a routine fly ball is considerably higher than that of any Met homering. But if not a homer, then what about back to back doubles? Or a long hit in the ninth right after Beltran's single? A team ought to win a game when it holds the opposition to two runs. If Murph never erred; if Fla's two runs were earned -- the result of back to back homers -- wouldn't the media be critical of the Mets offense? GYC Apr 13 2009 11:16 AM It was a comically bad play that was wrong in so, so many ways: he broke in first, he then had to back pedal, he didn't settle under the ball (never catch it while moving), he reached up with one hand instead of two, he looked away from the ball as it neared his glove... The only proper thing Murphy did on that play was reach with his glove hand instead of his barehand. He deserves criticism, especially since it would have ended the inning and it allowed two runs. I don't think Johan was being overly harsh or anything. He spoke the truth. I'd like to hear audio, though, for the context and tone of voice. And I'd like to know how Murphy reacted to what Johan said. Farmer Ted Apr 13 2009 11:18 AM I'm looking forward to a game winning hit by Murph to see Santana's reaction. If the guy fucks up, pull him aside in the clubhouse and hash it out. metsmarathon Apr 13 2009 11:19 AM i'm sorry, but i cannot for the life of me imagine johan spitting out that quote in anger and disgust in his fellow teammates carelessness. what i can imagine is johan using those same words in an attempt to be diplomatic about his teammate who is obviously still making his way up the learning curve, on a big stage. it obviously could go either way depending on the question asked and the tone of voice. for something like this, i'd really like to hear the way it was said. if it were cut and dry, like if johan had said somehting like 'i don't know what the hell he was thinking or why he's even out there in the first place, but he ruined my pristine outing and i'm sick of it!' then it'd be easier to figure out. there's enough qualifiers in both johan quotes that, to me, come across as judicious and diplomatic, not throwing a bus onto his teammate. Edgy DC Apr 13 2009 11:52 AM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Apr 13 2009 12:04 PM A lot of things here. ]What makes this a "call out"? Johann is merely stating facts. He's not criticizing Murphy particularly. He's not saying he's a terrible fielder. Everyone knows that Murphy is still learning the position, and will be making mistakes. If anything Johann is being classy -- acknowledging the fact, but minimizing it. A lot of people get paid to state the facts. What a teammate --- particularly a more secure, higher profile teammate --- can do is minimize it. You say he did, and he seems to have been trying to, but Murphy didn't cost them the game alone. A lot of silent bats helped. ="RealityChuck"]It's the press that wants to turn a pretty innocuous statement into bad blood -- since bad blood sells newspapers. That's quite possilbe, but Johan may have a learning curve of his own to deal with here. ="SwanSwanH"]Edgy, what you said is pretty much what Johan said. The first part makes the headline, though. Maybe, but I think there's some ambiguity. ="LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr"]Didn't people give Willie crap for NOT calling a spade a spade, and always one-game-at-a-time-ing it for the press? Don't a lot of folk yearn for the simple cut-the-bullshit of guys like back-in-the-day Keith and Seaver? I don't think what I suggested is bullshit. And I think the Mets have had plenty of outspoken types in recent years --- LoDuca and Wagner spring to mind. ="LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr"]I think the statement reads a lot harsher than it sounded; Maybe indeed. ="batmagadanleadoff"]But you can make the argument that Murphy didn't necessarily cost the team the game. (Or at least I can). That's where I think Santana falls down --- or the quote clanks out of his glove, if you will. ="GYC"]He deserves criticism, especially since it would have ended the inning and it allowed two runs. Deserving criticism is one thing, but it's typically not a teammate's place to provide it and provide it publickly. ="Farmer Ted"]If the guy fucks up, pull him aside in the clubhouse and hash it out. There's an alternative. ="metsmarathon"]i'm sorry, but i cannot for the life of me imagine johan spitting out that quote in anger and disgust in his fellow teammates carelessness. I'm betting that Johan was attempting to say something better and it came out wrong. But I don't think a harsher intent is beyond the realm of imagination. Moreover, whatever the intent, I just hope that the comment or any repercussions of it don't serve to undercut Murphy. I guess that's very Alan Lans of me. LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Apr 13 2009 11:56 AM Can't seem to find audio anywhere at the moment. Heard the snippets on WFAN while driving-- even out-of-context, they sounded measured and reasonable, with nary a tinge of blame or whinging(Murphy, as you might guess, sounded miserable with himself). An auxilliary benefit of the gentle public admonition-- it allows Manuel to strike the conciliatory, let's-everybody-relax grace notes that seem to be his forte, PR-wise: "Here, you have a young man who works extremely hard and he's getting better," manager Jerry Manuel said of Murphy. "He's getting better. I don't think you're going to see that type of stuff from him on a regular basis. I really don't. I think that's just something that out of nowhere happened." It's early, but for all the Carlos/David talk about clubhouse leadership/captaindom... for better or worse, here's your guy. The team goes as Johan goes, methinks, in a lot more ways than the win column can measure. metsguyinmichigan Apr 13 2009 12:01 PM It's part of the learning process. Does anybody doubt that Murph is kicking himself harder than Santana is kicking him? John Cougar Lunchbucket Apr 13 2009 12:03 PM He better be. metirish Apr 13 2009 01:23 PM From Lennon over at Newsday Daniel Murphy promised he would work hard to improve after Sunday's costly drop and that's exactly what he is doing this afternoon. Murphy was shagging fly balls off the bat of coach Razor Shines to help him get accustomed to leftfield here at Citi and now Gary Sheffield is doing the same in right. It's been a mixed bag so far. Sheffield made a running catch at the warning track a moment ago, but then had a deep ball sail over his glove as he reached toward the fence. *62 Apr 13 2009 03:38 PM (Miami) After losing 7 or 8 W's to the bullpen last season, and now losing a shutout to a misplayed fly ball, Santana has to be one pi$$ed off hombre. Fish fans down here, all eleventy of them, are crowing like mad. Murphy might should have been shagging extra flies SATURDAY. Rockin' Doc Apr 13 2009 04:08 PM It appears that Santana may have just a little touch of Wagner in him.

[Guest Edgy DC]

I think maybe it's somewhere in the middle. He's trying to be Buddha, but some frustration leaks out nonetheless. Given a chance to reword it, he might have sounded more generous.

[Frayed Knot]

Change Santana's name to 'Glavine' and fans would be roasting the hell out of him right now.

[metirish]

I think Johan upon reflection will see that he was wrong and call his newborn Murphy to show that he is a great teammate.

[Guest Swan Swan H]

Johan gets asked if Murphy's error cost the Mets the game. I think he has three options:

- What he did, which is say yes, and try to give Murphy some cover (from Newsday: "I'm pretty sure he was trying his best right there and it didn't work out. Tomorrow is a new day, and hopefully, everything will work out for him.")

- Blame the offense, which opens up a different can o'worms. Then he's blaming eight guys, Murphy included.

- Get all Torborgy about it, and throw a bunch of we're all in this together quotes out there, and look like an idiot in the process.

Honest is the only way to go here. Murphy clanked one, and it cost them a game. If he can't handle that extremely mild criticism, well, change his number to 9 and put him in the pool for some swings.

[Guest Edgy DC]

"He knows he made a mistake, but we win as a team, lose as a team, and I'm sure there'll be days he'll be bailing us all out."

[RealityChuck]

What makes this a "call out"?

Johann is merely stating facts. He's not criticizing Murphy particularly. He's not saying he's a terrible fielder. Everyone knows that Murphy is still learning the position, and will be making mistakes. If anything Johann is being classy -- acknowledging the fact, but minimizing it.

It's the press that wants to turn a pretty innocuous statement into bad blood -- since bad blood sells newspapers. The question was asked to see if any controversy could be raised. When Johann is noncommittal, they twist things to turn it into a story.

[Guest Swan Swan H]

Edgy, what you said is pretty much what Johan said. The first part makes the headline, though.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Didn't people give Willie crap for NOT calling a spade a spade, and always one-game-at-a-time-ing it for the press? Don't a lot of folk yearn for the simple cut-the-bullshit of guys like back-in-the-day Keith and Seaver? Well, here's your hombre, plain and tall (and broad-shouldered).

I think the statement reads a lot harsher than it sounded; it's a matter of tone, context and source-- Johan earned an arm's worth of stripes with last year's stretch run.

Secondly, I'd worry a lot more about the echo-chamber-ing of this if the comments didn't come a day before Opening-Day-at-new-stadium; as it stands, this'll get lost in the churn of that batch of stories.

[batmagadanleadoff]

But you can make the argument that Murphy didn't necessarily cost the team the game. (Or at least I can). Every single Met that took an at-bat without homering can be said to have cost the team the game, including Santana who himself had three plate appearances. I realize that the expectation that Murph would catch a routine fly ball is considerably higher than that of any Met homering. But if not a homer, then what about back to back doubles? Or a long hit in the ninth right after Beltran's single? A team ought to win a game when it holds the opposition to two runs. If Murph never erred; if Fla's two runs were earned -- the result of back to back homers -- wouldn't the media be critical of the Mets offense?

[Guest GYC]

It was a comically bad play that was wrong in so, so many ways: he broke in
first, he then had to back pedal, he didn't settle under the ball (never catch it
while moving), he reached up with one hand instead of two, he looked away
from the ball as it neared his glove... The only proper thing Murphy did on
that play was reach with his glove hand instead of his barehand. He deserves
criticism, especially since it would have ended the inning and it allowed two
runs.

I don't think Johan was being overly harsh or anything. He spoke the truth.
I'd like to hear audio, though, for the context and tone of voice. And I'd like
to know how Murphy reacted to what Johan said.

[Farmer Ted]

I'm looking forward to a game winning hit by Murph to see Santana's reaction. If the guy fucks up, pull him aside in the clubhouse and hash it out.

[metsmarathon]

i'm sorry, but i cannot for the life of me imagine johan spitting out that quote in anger and disgust in his fellow teammates carelessness.

what i can imagine is johan using those same words in an attempt to be diplomatic about his teammate who is obviously still making his way up the learning curve, on a big stage.

it obviously could go either way depending on the question asked and the tone of voice. for something like this, i'd really like to hear the way it was said. if it were cut and dry, like if johan had said somehting like 'i don't know what the hell he was thinking or why he's even out there in the first place, but he ruined my pristine outing and i'm sick of it!' then it'd be easier to figure out.

there's enough qualifiers in both johan quotes that, to me, come across as judicious and diplomatic, not throwing a bus onto his teammate.

[Guest Edgy DC]

A lot of things here.

]What makes this a "call out"? Johann is merely stating facts. He's not criticizing Murphy particularly. He's not saying he's a terrible fielder. Everyone knows that Murphy is still learning the position, and will be making mistakes. If anything Johann is being classy -- acknowledging the fact, but minimizing it.

A lot of people get paid to state the facts. What a teammate --- particularly a more secure, higher profile teammate --- can do is minimize it. You say he did, and he seems to have been trying to, but Murphy didn't cost them the game alone. A lot of silent bats helped.

="RealityChuck"]It's the press that wants to turn a pretty innocuous statement into bad blood -- since bad blood sells newspapers.

That's quite possilbe, but Johan may have a learning curve of his own to deal with here.

="SwanSwanH"]Edgy, what you said is pretty much what Johan said. The first part makes the headline, though.

Maybe, but I think there's some ambiguity.

="LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr"]Didn't people give Willie crap for NOT calling a spade a spade, and always one-game-at-a-time-ing it for the press? Don't a lot of folk yearn for the simple cut-the-bullshit of guys like back-in-the-day Keith and Seaver?

I don't think what I suggested is bullshit. And I think the Mets have had plenty of outspoken types in recent years --- LoDuca and Wagner spring to mind.

="LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr"]I think the statement reads a lot harsher than it sounded;

Maybe indeed.

="batmagadanleadoff"]But you can make the argument that Murphy didn't necessarily cost the team the game. (Or at least I can).

That's where I think Santana falls down --- or the quote clanks out of his glove, if you will.

="GYC"]He deserves criticism, especially since it would have ended the inning and it allowed two runs.

Deserving criticism is one thing, but it's typically not a teammate's place to provide it and provide it publickly.

="Farmer Ted"]If the guy fucks up, pull him aside in the clubhouse and hash it out.

There's an alternative.

="metsmarathon"]i'm sorry, but i cannot for the life of me imagine johan spitting out that quote in anger and disgust in his fellow teammates carelessness.

I'm betting that Johan was attempting to say something better and it came out wrong. But I don't think a harsher intent is beyond the realm of imagination. Moreover, whatever the intent, I just hope that the comment or any repercussions of it don't serve to undercut Murphy. I guess that's very Alan Lans of me.

Edited April 13, 2009 by Guest

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Can't seem to find audio anywhere at the moment.

Heard the snippets on WFAN while driving-- even out-of-context, they sounded measured and reasonable, with nary a tinge of blame or whinging(Murphy, as you might guess, sounded miserable with himself). An auxilliary benefit of the gentle public admonition-- it allows Manuel to strike the conciliatory, let's-everybody-relax grace notes that seem to be his forte, PR-wise:

"Here, you have a young man who works extremely hard and he's getting better," manager Jerry Manuel said of Murphy. "He's getting better. I don't think you're going to see that type of stuff from him on a regular basis. I really don't. I think that's just something that out of nowhere happened."

It's early, but for all the Carlos/David talk about clubhouse leadership/captaindom... for better or worse, here's your guy. The team goes as Johan goes, methinks, in a lot more ways than the win column can measure.

[Guest metsguyinmichigan]

It's part of the learning process. Does anybody doubt that Murph is kicking himself harder than Santana is kicking him?

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

He better be.

[metirish]

From Lennon over at Newsday

Daniel Murphy promised he would work hard to improve after Sunday's costly drop and that's exactly what he is doing this afternoon. Murphy was shagging fly balls off the bat of coach Razor Shines to help him get accustomed to leftfield here at Citi and now Gary Sheffield is doing the same in right.

It's been a mixed bag so far. Sheffield made a running catch at the warning track a moment ago, but then had a deep ball sail over his glove as he reached toward the fence.

[Guest *62]

(Miami) After losing 7 or 8 W's to the bullpen last season, and now losing a shutout to a misplayed fly ball, Santana has to be one pi$$ed off hombre.

Fish fans down here, all eleventy of them, are crowing like mad.

Murphy might should have been shagging extra flies SATURDAY.

[Guest Rockin' Doc]

It appears that Santana may have just a little touch of Wagner in him.