Cover: Return of the Scapegoat

[Mike McGann]

Carlos Beltran, the man Mets' fans love to hate...going so far as to nickname him "Shirley" on this board. But are his issues from trying too hard?

Matt Himelfarb takes an in-depth look:

http://www.flushinguniversity.com/mo...-scapego.shtml

[debmc]

Man, as much as I love Matt, I have to really disagree here. And btw, Matt, this is a great and well written column, , I just disagree with your conclusions about Shirley B.

My opinion is that he is a very insular and fragile guy, and needs everything to be "just so" before he plays. I don't think he's trying too hard; au contraire, I think he isn't trying hardly enough. He's always either injured or starting to become injured, with various mysterious ailments that never really seem to ever get cured, and he never seems willing to let the fans, his teammates, or anyone else forget about his myriad of constant nagging injuries.

I've had quite enough of his act already. If he's injured, he should go on the DL and do whatever it takes to heal himself to the point where he can play without pussying around, and consult with whomever he needs to consult with to get past his consistent inability to stay healthy. He's like Jay Payton Lite, fcol, already, with all these injuries! LOL

[Mike McGann]

Um, I actually agree with Matt, here. He plays hurt when he shouldn't. He tries too hard (and David Wright suffers from a bit of this, too) and and tries to do too much.

Ironically, were Wright and Delgado more productive, I suspect Beltran wouldn't be pushing so hard and struggling.

[Coop]

My opinion is that he is a very insular and fragile guy, and needs everything to be "just so" before he plays. I don't think he's trying too hard; au contraire, I think he isn't trying hardly enough. He's always either injured or starting to become injured, with various mysterious ailments that never really seem to ever get cured, and he never seems willing to let the fans, his teammates, or anyone else forget about his myriad of constant nagging injuries.

I can't agree more with this assessment, Deb. As usual, you are right on. The reason Shirley has not endeared himself to fans is because of stunts like the one he pulled over the weekend. Shirley won't "suck it up" as we say (to put it mildly - massengill anyone?) and it's usually during high profile games, you know like vs the Braves or Phillies or something. I know, it's gotta suck when you play a game and you are injured and have to take a "break" - but this is long overdue for Mr. Temple. Enough.

[Coop]

Um, I actually agree with Matt, here. He plays hurt when he shouldn't. He tries too hard (and David Wright suffers from a bit of this, too) and and tries to do too much.

Ironically, were Wright and Delgado more productive, I suspect Beltran wouldn't be pushing so hard and struggling.

Mike, it's sort of the chicken or the egg here. He does play hurt, yes, but how many times does he hurt the TEAM when he's hurt -- when if he just sucked it up and took a 15-day "vacation," he might come back better than ever and actually PERFORM. What a novel idea.

You are right, however, when Delgado and Wright were "protection" for Shirley, he performed a lot better when the pressure was off. It also helped he saw a better selection of pitches too.

[debmc]

Um, I actually agree with Matt, here. He plays hurt when he shouldn't. He tries too hard (and David Wright suffers from a bit of this, too) and and tries to do too much.

Ironically, were Wright and Delgado more productive, I suspect Beltran wouldn't be pushing so hard and struggling.

But, Mike, dear, he is almost ALWAYS hurt. And as for playing when he shouldn't, well, if that were true, why has he been babysitting the bench for the past several games? He's not only not playing, he's taking up a roster spot on an already short bench. That's NOT trying too hard, not in my book. That's being immature, self-important and not doing what's best for everyone.

The guy needs to grow up, imo. And now's as good a time as any. He needs to get his head on straight, be a man, and if he's too injured to play, go on the DL until he's right. Which of course, in Shirley's case, might be NEVER, lol. Hee hee hee !

[mookie03]

lol, and the two camps diverge on the beltran issue...

First of all, Matt, great column, and for the record i agree with you completely.

I think one of the best examples is how much less Beltran is walking this year as opposed to last. Last year, because he started strong and gained the support of the fans and the Mets jumped out on top early on, Beltran was able to relax and he excelled for the team, especially by drawing walks and letting the guys behind him bring him in. This year, he is pressing at the plate, and not seeing the ball well, not walking, etc. All signs of trying too hard.

In fact, i think Beltran trying too hard is largely responsible for the fact that the entire team was pressing for the month of June. They couldn't break out of that long slump because they were all pressing, but i think that starts with beltran b/c of his leadership and position in the lineup.

[debmc]

LOL. This is pretty funny, actually.

Some think he's not trying hard enough, some think he's trying too hard. Interesting, and maybe a little bit of both. Perhaps he is misguided and thinks he is helping the team by doing what he's doing, which really isn't anything, when you look at it, lol. Trying too hard is not the same as performing, nor is it the same as sucking up and just playing, nor is it the same as helping your team.

In short, some think he's a Shirley BP, and others think he's simply a victim of his circumstances.

As I said before, I think Shirley Beltran needs to figure himself and the whole thing out, and maybe get some input from some people he trusts. Because he's just making a mess of things, imo, and inviting the BPP to come riding into town, crowning him in BPP glory... lol hee hee hee !

[Nana7]

Beltran reminds me of stories I hear/read about classic British sports cars. That when everything is good, they were fantastic. But on the other hand they were constantly plagued with troubles that caused numerous headaches and often led to breakdowns at the least opportune moments.

[mookie03]

LOL. This is pretty funny, actually.

Some think he's not trying hard enough, some think he's trying too hard. Interesting, and maybe a little bit of both. Perhaps he is misguided and thinks he is helping the team by doing what he's doing, which really isn't anything, when you look at it, lol. Trying too hard is not the same as performing, nor is it the same as sucking up and just playing, nor is it the same as helping your team.

In short, some think he's a Shirley BP, and others think he's simply a victim of his circumstances.

As I said before, I think Shirley Beltran needs to figure himself and the whole thing out, and maybe get some input from some people he trusts. Because he's just making a mess of things, imo, and inviting the BPP to come riding into town, crowning him in BPP glory... lol hee hee hee !

lol, well, certainly part of the difference is that I'm focusing on his problems when he plays, not when he is injured. I mean, it seems clear to me that when he's hurt and doesnt play, he doesn't help the team at all, so I'm just ignoring that in trying to figure out what his problem is and whether he's trying too hard... That's why I used '06 v. June '07 as examples - two times when he was arguably healthy but his performance differed by a lot.

I guess my point (if i have one ) is that it may not be inconsistent to say that he's Shirley/a member of the BPP AND that he has been trying too hard on the field this year, which is hurting his on-field performance.