Bad News Friday

[Edgy MD]

Can't click thru to ESPN at work, but Rubin's got some downer headlines he's posting today:

> Mookie's apparently pissed that the team employs him more as a symbol than as a well-rounded talented baseball individual (I feel like that's been coming for years.)

> Burkhardt's leaving SNY (Hard not to see that one coming, too.)

> Scout critical of d'Arnaud (Well, he's hitting under .200. I didn't expect raves, but... well, who is this scout?)

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Mookie book was excerpted here: http://nypost.com/2014/04/25/mookie-wilson-feels-hes-become-mets-hood-ornament/

It's kind of tame and also, kind of lame. Cmon, Mook. The Mets employ about a million of your 86 teammates and continue to give you work if you want it. I can see where you might be dissatisfied with the higher-ups wrt what they said at the time of your replacing but stuff happens.

Burkhardt is already being dicussed in another thread. He's a good sideline guy in that he can interview a guy in a weird setting and call the game simultaneously but can't be sad that he's moving on. I'm sure SNY is a mini-wage job for all but the biggest stars, a place to be big before you're big.

d'Arnaud looks better to me in the last week.

[Edgy MD]

Seems like most of the regional sports networks use bubbly young women as sideline reporters. That's one place they've zagged.

[Guest Mets � Willets Point]

I'm having trouble comprehending the words "Mookie" and "pissed" in the same sentence. He probably still smiles when he's angry.

[Edgy MD]

Mookie's got a huffy side, man. He's long had mixed feelings about his stature with the team. He appreciates the fans' love and appreciation, but at times bristles and finds it a little patronizing. Perhaps more than a little.

[Edgy MD]

The mystery scout is quoted by Baseball-Prospectus:

Mets C Travis D'Arnaud: �I haven't liked him so far. He hasn't looked good defensively, including allowing a bunch of passed balls. I've seen him miss some fastballs, almost like he has a blind spot. It's slider bat speed and he just doesn't look very strong. He hasn't had a whole lot of energy either. It's been pretty rough overall.�

Defensively, I'm not going to worry. There have been errors, but they haven't looked like representative ones. I also disagree about the bat speed, as he's been more under the pitches than late on them.

What I agree is a concern is the energy. I think there's not a lot of difference between a starting catcher and a backup, as far as production goes, but a starting catcher has to be a little bit of a cocky rooster out there --- not only keeping his energy up despite the grind of the position, but feeding it to the team. Maybe it's a product of his slow start, that he doesn't think he's over the hump enough to carry himself like that yet, but he sometimes looks a little heartbroken out there.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

On d'Arnaud, agree a little about the energy but Piazza was as mopey as they came so think any demeanor is ok if a guy can hit.

But it might have been Burkhardt of all people who got more than expected out of a recent interview with Wheeler. When asked about working with tDa, you expected the boilerplate platitudes but instead got the impression that he and Travis did not see eye to eye but were working toward it, I suppose.

[Edgy MD]

�I feel that I deserve to hear just some words to justify the actions of an organization that I have honored and promoted every day of my nearly thirty-year existence in it.� ---Mookie

Well, every day until now, maybe.

[Edgy MD]

According to Wilson, members of that team can forget about having positions of authority within the current organization. �The Mets have shied away from that iconic club because they don�t want the current one exposed to that hard-partying culture which, while well-documented, has also been somewhat exaggerated at times,� Wilson writes. �The guys from that championship team are older and more mature now and can warn the current Mets about some of the pitfalls of fame.�

That's a head scratcher. I mean, Mookie, Hernandez, Darling, Ojeda, Teufel, Mazzilli, Gooden and Straw (for special assignments), Backman... . And if you go back to shortly before Alderson's regime, you also get Howard Johnson, Randy Niemann, and Gary Carter. Shit, everybody.

I guess one can quibble over the qualifier "of authority," but I'd question whether any single squad has ever been so over-represented in an organization.

[Ceetar]

I think there are a lot of us that would rather see less '86, more '99*.

Get me some Ordonez, or Rick Reed, Glendon Rusch or Brian McRae.

[Edgy MD]

I'm not trying to necessarily come down on the question of whether the 86ers are a good or bad thing for the organization, but only trying to cordon off whether Mookie's been sold or bought into an agenda or the movement within the zeitgeist that contrast-beloved-Mets-of-old-with-hateful-management-of-today-whether-it-makes-sense-or-not.

I mean, check out this bit:

�My concern was that the character of the players they were looking for superseded the talent they brought to the table. Character on a team is important, but you�ve got to have the horses to win.�

That's coming from Mookie, who supposedly brought character head and shoulders above many of his teammates. And he's speaking primarily of the 2011 team he rejoined the coaching staff for. Does anybody think the problem with that team was they were looking too much for high-character individuals over talent? Ronny Paulino? DJ Carrasco? Chris Capuano? They went out there with $25 to spend on free agents and this was what they came home with.

[Ceetar]

"Blah blah blah, they disagreed with me and didn't let me make decisions and went with a different guy. Those bastards."

[Guest Mets � Willets Point]

Edgy MD wrote: Mookie's got a huffy side, man. He's long had mixed feelings about his stature with the team. He appreciates the fans' love and appreciation, but at times bristles and finds it a little patronizing. Perhaps more than a little.

I don't doubt it, and I expect it to be justified, I just can't imagine it manifesting in Mookie as "pissed".

I bet he wouldn't appreciate that (until the heartbleed virus) his name was part of my password at work.

[Edgy MD]

Ceetar wrote: "Blah blah blah, they disagreed with me and didn't let me make decisions and went with a different guy. Those bastards."

I would be loathe characterize his quotes that way. Yeah, maybe I shouldn't have used "pissed."

[Ceetar]

Edgy MD wrote: Ceetar wrote: "Blah blah blah, they disagreed with me and didn't let me make decisions and went with a different guy. Those bastards." I would be loathe characterize his quotes that way.

We probably shouldn't be characterizing out of context quotes in any way at all.

[Edgy MD]

How much context would you like?

[Ceetar]

Edgy MD wrote: How much context would you like?

the whole book.

or at least the chapter.

[Zvon]

Read the Mook article in the Post. That's nothing but a 'lil canO'worms. I'm surprised media vultures are not picking apart his money woes.

Trav does looked gassed even before the game starts. And a few balls that got by him were certainly stoppable. Especially to his left side low.

Some guys get stronger as the season progresses. We'll see about d'.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Mookie book was excerpted here: http://nypost.com/2014/04/25/mookie-wilson-feels-hes-become-mets-hood-ornament/

Mooooooooooooooooooookie wrote: Wilson also reveals that Gary Carter, who died of brain cancer in February 2012, never wanted Keith Hernandez to be named team captain. Hernandez wrote the forward for Wilson�s book. �Gary Carter let it be known he felt that Keith was unfit to play the role of captain,� Wilson writes. �Perhaps to appease Carter, the Mets made him co-captain of the team [in 1988].�

That quote doesn't surprise me. [crossout]Kid[/crossout] Baby Carter crybabied, pouted and tantrummed his way into a co-captainship deal.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Edgy MD wrote: According to Wilson, members of that team can forget about having positions of authority within the current organization. �The Mets have shied away from that iconic club because they don�t want the current one exposed to that hard-partying culture which, while well-documented, has also been somewhat exaggerated at times,� Wilson writes. �The guys from that championship team are older and more mature now and can warn the current Mets about some of the pitfalls of fame.� That's a head scratcher. I mean, Mookie, Hernandez, Darling, Ojeda, Teufel, Mazzilli, Gooden and Straw (for special assignments), Backman... . And if you go back to shortly before Alderson's regime, you also get Howard Johnson, Randy Niemann, and Gary Carter. Shit, everybody. I guess one can quibble over the qualifier "of authority," but I'd question whether any single squad has ever been so over-represented in an organization.

"What I'm trying to say is, I've made them an offer for the team, and it would be nice if they would give that offer due consideration."

[Zvon]

Ha. Ronnie chips in his opinion on the Trav/scout business. I'm paraphrasing here but he called the scout an idiot.

[Edgy MD]

Mookie book was excerpted here: http://nypost.com/2014/04/25/mookie-wilson-feels-hes-become-mets-hood-ornament/ Mooooooooooooooooooookie wrote: Wilson also reveals that Gary Carter, who died of brain cancer in February 2012, never wanted Keith Hernandez to be named team captain. Hernandez wrote the forward for Wilson�s book. �Gary Carter let it be known he felt that Keith was unfit to play the role of captain,� Wilson writes. �Perhaps to appease Carter, the Mets made him co-captain of the team [in 1988].� That quote doesn't surprise me. [crossout]Kid[/crossout] Baby Carter crybabied, pouted and tantrummed his way into a co-captainship deal.

Even back when it happened, we were so certain that Hernandez's captaincy was a snub to Carter's ambitions. The joke was that the equipment manager should fuck with Carter by taking the C off of the back of his jersey to use on the front of Keith's.

[Fman99]

Bored reporters/scouts/bloggers/ex-jocks. Not news.

1. If Mookie had more value as a coach he'd be coaching. Just go press the flesh, Mook. Wear the ring. Be that guy.

2. Hire a sideline reporter with tits. Giant tits. Next problem...

3. He's had maybe 200 ABs in the pros. Too early to judge.

[G-Fafif]

Paul DePodesta, allegedly a tool regarding the last Mets champions, according to Puma of the Post.

To understand the underlying tension between the Mets� current front office regime and the 1986 Mets, you only need revert to spring training three years ago in Port St. Lucie, Fla. Paul DePodesta, then in his first months as the Mets� vice president of player development and amateur scouting, stood in front of the assembled minor league staff for his first meeting and, according to a witness, dropped a grenade that still reverberates through the organization. �I�m tired of hearing about the �86 Mets,� DePodesta told the staff, according to the witness. Mookie Wilson, then about to begin his second stint as the Mets first base coach, certainly knew about the comment. Just about any member of that fabled world championship team who still had contact with the organization at the time heard about the comment. Regardless of the intent, many of the �86 Mets took it as a sign of disrespect from one of general manager Sandy Alderson�s top lieutenants. As one of the �86 Mets said Friday: �All those championship teams [DePodesta] played on at Harvard.� Said another member of the �86 Mets, referring to Alderson�s Oakland pedigree: �Those guys, the last time they had a good team, we were playing.� So maybe it should come as little surprise that Wilson takes shots at the Alderson regime in his soon-to-be released autobiography, �Mookie: Life, Baseball and the �86 Mets.� Wilson, upset he was never given an explanation for his firing as first base coach following the 2011 season, states he has become a �hood ornament� within the Mets organization as a team ambassador. He also gives his opinion of the Alderson regime in the one season he witnessed up close. �I felt like I was watching the deterioration of the Mets organization,� Wilson writes. �They seemed to have no identity.� And Wilson states there�s no room for any member of the �86 Mets in a position of authority within the Alderson regime. You would take that to mean the manager�s office or front office, given that Tim Teufel became the third base coach under Alderson�s watch. In reality, what difference does it make? The �86 Mets are certainly well-represented elsewhere within the organization, and Alderson has been entrusted with building a winner, not worrying about how the Mets� glorious past is honored. But the rift between the �86 Mets and this front office might come down to the fact Alderson has failed to produce a team with even a winning record since his arrival after the 2010 season. All the while, the �86 Mets feel as if they have been marginalized. �If they would have come in here and turned this thing around, it might be a different feeling,� said a member of the �86 Mets. �At this point they are still betting on the next roll.� The same player questioned whether Alderson, DePodesta and special assistant J.P. Ricciardi have an understanding about the love affair between Mets fans and the iconic �86 team. �New York fans are the most passionate there are in the world and they take sports heroes to heart,� the player said. �There is an emotional attachment and I don�t know if those guys have that kind of history with the fans.� For his part, DePodesta denies saying in a staff meeting he was tired of hearing about the �86 Mets. �I have reverence for the �86 Mets,� DePodesta said in a text message. �I have too much respect for everything that has come before me in every organization I�ve been in to say something like that.� But many of the �86 Mets don�t want to hear it. When one player was asked if there is a disconnect between that world championship team and this front office, his first comment was, �You know what DePodesta said, right?� It doesn�t make Mookie Wilson right in his attack on the front office, but maybe lends some perspective to the situation.

I would guess -- purely a guess -- that "tired of hearing about the '86 Mets" meant "it's time we create a new championship legacy" or something like that. I can remember as the '86 team was building toward its destiny a little bit of "enough about '69" emanating from the then-current players who wanted to supplant or at least match their predecessors.

But if true, it's a stupid thing to say and a stupid attitude to have. Even if it's a matter of lip service, the franchise you serve existed before you came along and is built on its champions, particularly when there are only two. You know goddamn well "I don't want to hear about the '82 Cardinals" was never said by anybody working for the Cardinals.

Doesn't mean the top 24 positions in the organization needed to be filled by everybody from Carter and Hernandez to Niemann and Sisk. Doesn't mean Mookie Wilson was a better first base coach than Tom Goodwin. Just means don't stay stupid stuff like that.

As for the unnamed '86 players, I assume it's a combination of Darling, Ojeda and HoJo. The latter is always disgruntled, the middle is jaundiced in his take on most things and that Harvard crack had to have come from the Yalie. Sounds like him.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

I had the same three suspects in mind.

What an entirely stupid controversy though. There has always been rotten institutional memory in the organization, I'd say almost entirely because Fred doesn't know such things are important. The 86ers are about all that's remembered.

[Edgy MD]

I would guess -- purely a guess -- that "tired of hearing about the '86 Mets" meant "it's time we create a new championship legacy" or something like that.

I would bet my "Chocolate Strawberry" 12-inch on it.

VERY stupid controversy. Thank God they won last night.

Another suspect for the money quotes defending the honor for the 86-ers is the gay-bashing pitching-coach-with-a-chip-on-his-shoulder for a recent Mets opponent.

[Zvon]

Mookie was on The Daily Show tonight and he was really a great interview and guest. He was very outspoken and well spoken. They also talked about the racist basketcaseguy.

[Guest themetfairy]

Zvon wrote: Mookie was on The Daily Show tonight and he was really a great interview and guest. He was very outspoken and well spoken. They also talked about the racist basketcaseguy.

You can watch it here.