Mets Obsessed Like a Drug Addiction but Without the Highs

Obsessed Even When Out of Race

I like reading the NY Post's Jay Greenberg but I disagreed with his Giant Mistake Not to Say Goodbye.

Gary Sheffield

The facts (apparently):

• The Giants claimed Sheffield off of waivers
• The Mets and Giants played chicken, the Mets demanding a legitimate prospect and the Giants offering next to nothing.
• The deadline passed with no deal, and the Mets pulled Sheff back and can no longer trade Sheff this season.

Greenberg argues (as do many others) that with the season hopelessly lost the Mets should just be moving on:

"He [Minaya] should have taken what he could get and moved on for the very reason that moving on should entirely be what is driving the organization, not the fear of empty seats near the end of Year One of a new ballpark."

I disagree on two points.

Greenberg writes that Minaya "should have taken what he could get" -- but that's not how you negotiate. The only way to get back some value is to make clear that you'll walk away if the deal doesn't meet your needs.

The more important point though is Greenberg's implication that Omar and Jerry Manuel's attempts to win games this year is part of some sinister plot to save their jobs.

I'm not a baseball professional like Greenberg or Minaya. Baseball isn't my livelihood, it's just my obsession. I love the game. Even when the Mets are out of the race, I can't stop myself from watching, from caring. Sheffield is the best hitter in the Mets lineup right now. If he goes, I have to watch Cory Sullivan (no offense, Cory) join Pagan in the outfield, and hit sixth because remarkably the Mets have at least two worse hitters in the lineup. The heart of the order becomes Daniel Murphy, Jeff Francoeur, and Fernando Tatis.

The Mets are paying Sheff minimum wage so waiving him isn't going to give them cash that they can use next year.

If the Mets can get value for him, great. If they can't, I'd just as soon have somebody in the lineup who can play the game. If Greenberg's point was that the Mets owe it to Sheff to let him go, that's a different argument, but I'd still say they owe it to their fans to demand value in return. And failing that, to play the best baseball they can.

In short, I think the guys who make a living from the game (including sportswriters) sometimes lose sight of the fans' need to see individuals and teams playing to win, whether tied in the bottom of the ninth of game seven or down for the count in a "meaningless game." All games are meaningless. And yet we watch because we love seeing talented players do their best. And all things being equal, I'd rather watch Sheff than Sullivan.

About Gil Reich

Mets Obsessed since 1977.