Is It Only About Winning? Or Do You Gotta Have Heart, Too?

By Deb McIver
Posted Sunday, July 29, 2007

I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m not really having a lot of fun this year watching this team play.

We’re in first place; the Phillies and Braves are fading faster than a bunch of tired and cranky children, and things are looking promising for another year of postseason play, but you know what? It’s just not feeling the way I thought and hoped it would.

So, guys and gals, riddle me this: is it only about winning????? Or do you gotta have heart, too?

Think back to last year. Was it just me, or did you look forward to the games and rub your hands in anticipation of how many different ways we were going to beat the opposition that day or night? Did you positively drool at the thought of Reyes (who by the way, was much improved in walking and getting on base, in general) getting on base, and was your only question the particular pitch on which he would help himself to second base? Did you love and adore The Two Carloses, who by most accounts were legitimate MVP candidates? And how about that David Wright, huh? Did you love the excitement of the season, the camaraderie of the boys in blue and orange, the grittiness, the love of the game, the childlike sense of wonder and the obvious pleasure of the guys playing?

So you did, too, huh?

And sure, I was disappointed that we lost in the NLCS to a decidedly subpar Cardinals team, but you know what? After the series was over, I smiled, and thought, wow, what a great season. What fun. To paraphrase an old commercial, we’ve come a long way, baby!

Well, folks, all that’s missing this year for at least this Mets fan. And I can’t quite put my feeling on why. Sure, the team’s winning, but not lighting any fires doing it. The Shirleys (Los Dos Car-los) haven’t made the watching much fun this year. The loss of Alou was bigger than John Lennon saying the Beatles were bigger than The Big Man (yep, J.C. himself). Lo Duca’s having a rough year. The guys don’t seem that enamored with each other this year. There seems to be a tension present, an aura surrounding the clubhouse that wasn’t there last year. And not in a good way.

It’s just off, it’s just not quite right. Today, Saturday, July 28, even Kevin Burkhart, Keith Hernandez and Gary Cohen seem to have had enough, talking about this very thing, and the "lethargic" play of the Mets so far this year. I think they might be trying to give the guys a wakeup call. Hey, boys, there’s a lot of season left. Turn it on, and nobody’ll remember the relative ennui of the earlier part of the season.

So, I have a couple of suggestions for our boys, to help them make the season much more fun and exciting for them and for us fans. Ready? Here goes:

1. Carlos Delgado And Do You Think You Can Possibly Catch the Ball? After watching today’s early game of the day/night double dip, I posted this in our forum: http://www.flushinguniversity.com/forums/showpost.php?p=22746&postcount=5. So whaddaya think, Carlos???? Do you think you can possibly catch a few balls? C'mon, Carlos, take some risks out there. Extend yourself. Make a better effort.
2. I Don’t Know What To Say Anymore About Shirley Beltran. And that’s a fact; I don’t. Does anybody else? But for lack of anything else to say, Shirley, this one’s for you – suck it up and play baseball. I’m sick and tired of your endless list of mysterious and ever-occurring injuries. Good thing you’re not a hockey player – you’d last zero days out there in the REAL world! One of the things that makes you such a highly paid and coveted (nope, I’m not going there!) player is that you PLAY. Yep, everyday, not just when the sun, stars and moon are aligned to your liking. You simply have got to find a way to stay healthy. I don’t know, consult a psychic, your trainers, fitness experts, sports doctors, or try praying – DO SOMETHING! You’re no good to us if you don’t play. It really is that simple, Shirley!
3. The Offense, In General. Wake the hell up! Yeah, you, I’M TALKING TO YOU!!!! Do you simply think you can turn it on and off at will? Here’s a news flash – that’s what you obviously thought last postseason, and look what happened. Yep, you went home, without winning the big prize. Didn’t like the feeling, huh? Ever think that it was something you did, or didn’t do, that caused it? If you don’t want to go home early this year, grit your teeth and tough it out in every at bat, on every defensive play. Use your heads, take a few walks, steal a few bases, and play good, solid ball. Stop looking as if I wish you were hitting the greenie pot again!
4. I Know This Is Hard, And Asking A Lot, But Do You Think You Could Have Some Fun Out There, Too? It’s nice to be professional, and it can be counterproductive to show too much emotion on the field. But for crying out loud, do you think you could possibly look like maybe, just maybe, you’re trying to hold back the smiles and love for the game? Or is there none of that left? Boys, IT’S A GAME! Sure, it’s your job, and you make Donald Trump-like money doing it. You should be tickled pink to turn what was probably your love and skill in the playing of what amounts to basically being a game into a financial bonanza. ACT LIKE IT.

Sheesh, I wish I were in the clubhouse right now so I could smack some of these guys upside their rather swollen major league heads! Could you just image me as a bench coach? I have visions of that, in another life. Maybe when I die, if I’m fortunate enough to go to heaven, that will be my job – Mets bench coach. I can dream, can’t I?

Here’s the thing. You gotta put the game before the winning, not vice versa. Because if you don’t, you see what we’re seeing this year, and like I said, it just ain’t the whole package. Not even close. So boys, let’s get back to playing the game the right way, toughing it out, showing our love of the game, and maybe, just maybe, having a little fun out there. Because it sure doesn’t look like you’re doing much of that stuff this year!

And you know what? Give us your best effort, consistently, and I guarantee you that you won’t disappoint any Mets fan. Help us to enjoy and look forward to the games, and help remind us of how much we all love Mets baseball.

And for heaven’s sake – remind yourselves!

For it's not only about winning -- you gotta have heart, too!