Welcome To New York, Carlos

By Stefi Kaplan
Posted Monday, November 12, 2007

Many fans seem to feel a bit of resentment toward Carlos Beltran, whether it is because of his great big contract or the fact that he is a reserved, quiet guy whose personality does not exactly scream "New Yorker." Call him thin-skinned, call him the leader of the BPP, call him whatever you want, but he certainly has taken some grief for it in the media and with the fans.

Friday night, I’m sitting at the Knick game and all of the sudden “Meet the Mets” starts playing. It actually took me a few seconds to realize the disconnect – after all, I go to so many Mets games that it just seemed natural to hear the song at a sporting event – and then when I realized how out of place this was, I looked up and saw Carlos Beltran sitting front row, waving (and giving a peace sign) and smiling to the crowd. But he seemed genuinely happy and more importantly, comfortable, and he received resounding applause from the crowd.

Watching him on the big screen with the huge grin got me to start thinking. Has Carlos come into his own here in New York? I mean, think about it. When the player first came here, he was touted as one of the most private players, who didn’t really like to be in the public eye. He seemed overly affected by the media scrutiny, the boo birds and all the other quintessential virtues of New York sports.

Last year, Carlos really arrived, in the sense that he had a stellar year and started to earn the love and respect of fans. But I think it was this season that Carlos completely adjusted. He seemed so much more comfortable in his role both on and off the field. On the field, the most telling example was that game where he almost ended his season by busting his knee going after a ball. After he went down, I was sure our season was doomed (turns out I was right, but not because of that). And after the post-game interviews, I honestly did not know what to expect. Yet, the very next day, there he was out in the field. And I’m sure he wasn’t 100% -- I don’t even think he was 50%. So a ball is hit that appeared destined to result in extra bases and what does Carlos do? He runs full speed on his bum knee and makes a game saving catch! The guy has heart and he really showed that down the stretch this year. Just like in 2005 when he played with a broken face immediately after the scariest collision I’ve ever seen.

Off the field, Carlos seems more comfortable in New York. His last few media interviews were longer and more revealing than he had been in the past. It seems that Carlos is finally starting to adjust to living in New York and is actually beginning to enjoy the bells and whistles that come along with the uniform. Like being on the big screen at The World's Most Famous Arena during the offseason.

I’ve always liked Carlos Beltran and I’ve generally supported him. But this year, Carlos really became one of my favorite players. I admire his ability, determination and resilience. Apparently, so do a lot of people, as the player earned both a gold glove and a silver slugger award this past week, deservedly so. I can’t wait to see what 2008 will bring for him, now that he has had surgery on both patellas. No, really, I cant wait...how many more days until pitchers and catchers?