Tracksuit Off and Running in a Stupid Direction

[G-Fafif]

From "Mets Insider" Andy Martino:

PITTSBURGH - Jose Reyes passed Philadelphia's Jimmy Rollins in All-Star voting, but still trails Colorado shortstop Troy Tulowitzki. The Midsummer, ahem, "Classic" is meaningless and dull, but for Reyes, the quest for election clearly is not. "Really, I'm in second now?" he said, when informed of the latest voting. "How far behind?" About 600,000 votes, he was told. (Tulowizki has 1,828,509, Reyes 1,241,553 and Rollins 999,537.) "Oh man," he said, shaking his head. "So this really matters to you?" "Yeah, yeah it matters," he said, eyes widening and head nodding. Meanwhile, Sandy Alderson, whose job requires a certain reserve when discussing the free-agent-to-be, acknowledged the pleasure of watching Reyes at peak form this year. "It's almost a privilege, it has been great to watch," the GM said, without offering further specifics about, say, how much Reyes was worth or if he might remain a Met.

1) The All-Star Game, by definition, is not meaningless. It determines home field advantage in the sport's championship round.

2) Sometimes it is dull. Sometimes it is exciting. That would describe any given baseball game, including the one that features most of the best players in the sport gathered together for the only time all year. But no matter what, it does feature most of the best players gathered together for the only time all year. Last year, with the National League breaking a long-term losing streak in the late innings, it was more exciting than dull. The year before that, it was a one-run affair that saw the decisive run score in the top of the eighth and the potential answer runs stranded on second and third in the bottom of the eighth. The year before that, when it was played in the city where the "Insider" works, runs were exchanged in the eighth inning and the game wasn't settled until the fifteenth inning. The year before that, there was a furious comeback cut short in the bottom of the ninth inning with the bases loaded, resulting in a one-run decision. The year before that, the winning runs were scored in come-from-behind fashion in the top of the ninth on a two-RBI triple. They were all, even for an exhibition game in which stars are taken out early (but are replaced by other stars), pretty exciting if you like baseball.

3) Someone who covers the team daily is surprised that a player acknowledged by all to be among the most vibrant and passionate in the sport takes his potential selection by the public at large seriously. Sounds like someone could really use the All-Star break to take some much-needed time off, and it isn't Jose Reyes.

[Ceetar]

G-Fafif wrote: 3) Someone who covers the team daily is surprised that a player acknowledged by all to be among the most vibrant and passionate in the sport takes his potential selection by the public at large seriously. Sounds like someone could really use the All-Star break to take some much-needed time off, and it isn't Jose Reyes.

And it's not an act either. I remember how bummed he was..last year? when the oblique was bothering him and he couldn't play. He was still there, and named to the team, but was upset he couldn't get in the game. Three days (four this year right?) of no baseball for Reyes is like..well, three or four days of no baseball to us.

[ashie62]

We all wanted to be on the all star team in little league, didn't we?

[G-Fafif]

Ashie62 wrote: We all wanted to be on the all star team in little league, didn't we?

Not Martino. He liked the chance to spend time with his family and sit in the inflatable pool.

[seawolf17]

Ashie62 wrote: We all wanted to be on the all star team in little league, didn't we?

Exactly. Why wouldn't you want to be elected the best player at your position?

[Ceetar]

around the league..my pick of Verlander for AL Cy Young looking pretty good.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Reyes also gets $50,000 for an All-Star selection.

[Frayed Knot]

Edgy DC wrote: Reyes also gets $50,000 for an All-Star selection.

See! I knew he was just a greedy bastard.
Probably a clubhouse cancer too. Can't trade this guy soon enough.

[bmfc1]

Martino wants Rollins to be the NL's starting SS.

[Valadius]

Ashie62 wrote: We all wanted to be on the all star team in little league, didn't we?

I would have settled for a hit.

[bmfc1]

Your opinion, please. These are the last three paragraphs of Martino's game story in today's Daily News:

They also clinched a series win and, at 41-39, rose to two games above .500 for the first time since April 5. This is a team that was not expected to contend, and is still not contending - but it is playing respectably, and enjoying the moment. What does this modest success mean, and how far will it take this team? It is useful to remember that, exactly one year before Wednesday night's game, the Jerry Manuel Mets were 43-34, and that record did not even represent their peak. They finished the year 79-83, lousy enough to cost the manager and general manager their jobs. Our point? These Mets have not proven anything yet.

Is a game story supposed to have a "point"? It's not a column. He can have a theme or a thread but I don't care what he thinks is "useful" or what his opinion is as part of a game story.

[Benjamin Grimm]

He's been way too cutsey in his game stories.

[G-Fafif]

Your opinion, please. These are the last three paragraphs of Martino's game story in today's Daily News: They also clinched a series win and, at 41-39, rose to two games above .500 for the first time since April 5. This is a team that was not expected to contend, and is still not contending - but it is playing respectably, and enjoying the moment. What does this modest success mean, and how far will it take this team? It is useful to remember that, exactly one year before Wednesday night's game, the Jerry Manuel Mets were 43-34, and that record did not even represent their peak. They finished the year 79-83, lousy enough to cost the manager and general manager their jobs. Our point? These Mets have not proven anything yet. Is a game story supposed to have a "point"? It's not a column. He can have a theme or a thread but I don't care what he thinks is "useful" or what his opinion is as part of a game story.

In my Happiest Recap research, I'm surprised at how often through fifty years of Mets history game stories (and columns) are peppered with sentiments like this. It's as if "dismal until proven able" is embedded into the DNA of Mets beat writers. It's even more acute today in that there is increased impatience to figure out the endgame of any given moment. It's not enough to say "the Mets won, the Mets are winning, how might this set them up for the next few games?" It's "what about the rest of the season?" or "how will this affect next year?" We all do that to some extent, I suppose.

Specifically, Martino's showing himself to be a tool. WTF does last year's record have to do with this year, other than yeah, you never know if a team can keep it up? If this were the same roster and manager and GM, it might be relevant. It isn't so it's not. It's also sad that these guys (the Martinos, et al) have to rush to their default judgment that the Mets suck as a rule, thus you, gentle reader, should not be fooled.

Fooled by what? Does Martino have a handle on the future that nobody else does? He can offer an informed opinion from watching the Mets every day. So can I. So can you. Other than a credential dangling around his neck, thus giving him entree to ask players inane questions after games, I'm not gleaning anything particularly insightful from him, certainly not, "hey, Mets fans, your team hasn't clinched a pennant." Well who the fuck thought it did?

[Ceetar]

This is why the best I do is scroll through all the headlines and don't read most of them. game stories? ha!

I think it's fair to mention last year. But not to lay it out there as a recipe for disaster this year without breaking down why you think that. The "I'm a beat writer/analyst/reporter/GM candidate and therefore smarter than you and better at guessing" is not a reason.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Obama got health care passed. As far as I'm concerned, this says nothing about whether he can move comprehensive immigration reform down the road. And what about jobs, huh? He hasn't proven anything yet.

The ascendency of the punidtocracy has bid us all in a race to prove we see the big picture, not just what's on the table, even if what's merely in front of us is laden with plenty of powerful meaning in itself. We ignore these gorgeous trees because we want everyone to think that we're the big shots who can see the whole forest. We're seriously turning into a nation of assholes.

And in a game where even the smartest most able teams are subject to vagueries of fate and human performance, and are set against by the best efforts of 29 other smart and able and lucky organizations. Set against with all the will of these organizaions, the big picture for every team, ever year, is you're probably not going to win a championshp anyway. Great. Pulitzer for Tracksuit. Now put on your stupid Speedo for real next year instead of copping out.

[metirish]

I don't even read Martino anymore, he offers nothing I find. Increasingly I wonder what the beat writers roll is nowadays, pbp in done in twitter , you get real time analysis in various places , if I happen to miss a game I can get a run down the moment it's over from several sources online....the MLB app has videos up in a jiffy....I find the actual stuff in print the next day is rubbish that I have already read.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Snooze going up to 75 cents a copy starting Monday.

[Ceetar]

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: Snooze going up to 75 cents a copy starting Monday.

wasn't it's biggest appeal that you could throw a quarter at the guy on the corner and get a paper? Sorta like "I'm bored and have a 4 minute subway ride to grand central without 3G,a quarter ain't too much to pay for this rag to entertain me until I arrive.