The Golden Child

By Tom "Mr. Star" Starita
Posted Thursday, May 17, 2007

This week’s column has been a struggle to write, simply because every time I start typing I feel like Al Sharpton.

The comparison alone is never a good feeling! But in a way this is who I am today, because I am going to paint the New York Mets fan base and the New York media in broad, judgmental strokes. If the following does not apply to you I apologize in advance. Although I suspect maybe it does and you just don’t realize it…yet.

Two words ..... Lastings Milledge.

Two more words ...... Raw Deal.

Ever since the kid came up last year he has constantly received the short end of the stick. Immediate judgments have been reached regardless of facts or circumstances. The first time Lastings felt the wrath of the New York media, and some of the fan base, was on June 4, 2006. Bottom of the tenth inning, trailing 6-4 with everyone’s favorite reliever, Armando Benitez on the mound; with one out Jose Valentin clubbed a shot down the right field line, cutting the lead to 6-5. After recording the second out, the only thing standing between Armando and the save was Lastings Milledge. Suddenly, BOOM GOES THE DYNOMITE and the ball was sailing far beyond the left field wall. Tie game, Shea is a madhouse and the kid is floating on air rounding the bases.

What happened next has been discussed ad nauseam, but indulge me for the sake of the column. While running down the line to field his position at the top of the eleventh inning a couple of fans put their hands out to show gratitude for what Lastings had just accomplished. The kid, still jubilant decides to give out some high fives.

Next thing you know the entire right field line has their hands out and Lastings is high fiving all of them. Now I had Sunday tickets and not only did everyone in my section see what was happening, but not one person saw something wrong with it. Instead we loved the idea of the kid having a moment with the fans. It didn’t matter that my seats were Mezz section 18, if I was sitting down the line that day I would have high fived him.

So what happened?

The next day Milledge gets killed on the radio and in the papers for “showing up the opposition”. He pulled a “bush league” move. Does the fact that the majority of the media, both radio and print are made up of middle aged white men have anything to do with their opinion?

Two points.

The first is when Jose Reyes is on the top step of the dugout going nuts with his intricate high fives and a dance isn’t that showing up the opposition? Keep in mind that I am NOT bashing Jose Reyes. I’ve loved him (in a manly non-sexual way) from the moment they called him up, and plan on naming my first born son after him some day. My point is, if you are in the opposite dugout his antics might not sit too well.

The second point is if David Wright hit that home run and high fived the fans down the left field line would anyone say anything? Or would it be, “Wow you have to love the connection he has with the fans. I want my son to be just like him!”

But the media (again, middle aged white men) have had it in for the kid from the moment the Mets drafted him. The words statutory rape was in every article you read about him, ignoring the fact that although they were both young - he was sixteen the girl was thirteen - it WAS consensual. Not to condone behavior, but in today’s world most teens ARE sexually active. As long as he didn’t force himself on anyone, the only problem I see is the same of every teenager – out of control hormones.

Of course you can read deeper into this if you know the girl in question was white.

Milledge then exacerbated the situation by struggling at the plate and the field, then showing up late for a game in Philadelphia. His reputation was taking a beating, culminating in the famous, “Know your place rook” sign left in his locker by Billy Wagner. At that point a majority of folks wanted Lastings traded. People started comparing him to two other famous African American Mets players – Dwight Gooden and Darryl Strawberry. The conclusion being Lastings is on the same road as they were, and it’s only a matter of time before he gets involved in drugs and destroys himself.

Quite a huge conclusion to draw don’t you think?

This past spring training, Lastings shows up sans corn rows, with the explanation of, “I gots to get my grown man on”, which in my opinion is one of the top-five quotes of all time. The kid apparently rededicated himself to baseball, in an attempt to show management he won’t be a trouble maker. Willie Randolph and Omar Minaya took notice, complimenting him on his new outlook. In fact, you can say they were so impressed that as sign of good faith they brought him up to be on Opening Day roster.

Things were going great, predictions were being made that it was only a matter of time before he supplanted Shawn Green and became the starting right fielder. Shawn Green consequently wrecked those plans by starting out obscenely hot and not giving Milledge a chance to take his job. When it was time to bring up Pelfrey, the kid was sent down with the understanding that he would be back. Since then he has sprained ligaments in his right foot and is out four to six weeks. Simply put, bad luck on his part.

Today we accelerated from “bad luck” to “final straw.”

Lastings is a guest star on a childhood friend’s rap album and uses several derogatory terms, including the “N word” and “ho”. In this post Don Imus/1984 world where we are riding the slippery slope of banning words, this is apparently unforgivable. Never mind the fact that the track Lastings is rapping on was recorded back in spring training aka way before the Don Imus incident. He has offended the sensibilities of women everywhere, including the ones who listen to Foxy Brown and Lil Kim and have no problem with their content as well. The prevailing attitude is the Mets have an image to maintain, and these lyrics will be a stain that never comes out. Therefore it’s time to trade him while we can still get some value for him.

Athletes have been making bad music since the 1960’s, and will continue making bad music well into the twenty first century. If this truly is the final straw I really hope Jose Reyes watches what he’s singing about in his next reggaeton album.

The bottom line is this. Lastings came up from Single A at twenty one years old and had some rough patches, some of which were his own doing; others were a figment of the media and fans. Despite everything, all he has said is he wants to play here and win here. When asked this past off season if he will ever high five fans again, he responded by saying if he hit a World Series home run at home he would do it again. The kid wants to be a Met and wants to win as a Met. All I’m saying is, if David Wright was doing the same things would we be so quick to try and jettison him out of town, or would we love his “fire” and “passion”. If so, then the problem becomes less of Lastings and more of what you see when you look at Lastings.

Tom Starita doesn’t normally enjoy climbing up on the soapbox and writing serious columns but sometimes it has to be done. Send your hate mail, because God knows it’s coming to MrStarita@yahoo.com. Or let the arguing begin at our forums below!