“Greetings from Spring Training”

I always love it when the Mets show me they’re thinking about me while we’re apart by dropping me a mass-e-mail little missive from the road.  It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy.  This morning they sent me a video postcard from Port St. Lucie, starring David Wright.  David mentions how good it has been to see the guys, and that he loves the attitude so far, how many guys have showed up early to get ready for a championship season.  “In New York, it’s all about winning.  That’s what the fans want, that’s what we want.”  True, David.  So true.

Let me confess up front – I don’t believe in man-crushes, but the closest I will probably ever come to one is on David Wright.  He has the qualities I love in a ballplayer.  He’s low key and professional, not flashy.  His focus (when not interfered with by his coaches) tends to be on getting the job done, not on putting on a show.  The times I have been most frustrated with him have been when he strays from that model (see, e.g., Cubs v. Mets, 9/24/08, bottom of the ninth inning, tied 6-6 nobody out, 3-0 count, Murphy on 3rd.)  He owns up to his failures and the team’s struggles.  Prior to David, the last guy I got attached to was Edgardo Alfonzo, who was content to quietly hit and drive in runs while Mike Piazza soaked up most of the limelight.

But I have to admit, the really interesting — almost exciting — part of my little video postcard was not the images of David Wright taking grounders and getting his cuts in under the cage.  It was Jose Reyes.  There he was in the video, getting in his infield work.  Moving to the ball — quickly and with agility.   And he was smiling.  In fact, for a split second, he and David appeared to be palling around.

Remember 2006?  I know it seems like decades ago, but thinking back, one of the best things about that season was the sense of camaderie, of fun, surrounding Wright and Reyes as they went about their business.  Each was exciting for his own reason; with Jose it was his speed, his ability to ignite the offense, and with David it was his methodical approach, his ability to manage an at bat, even behind in the count, until he got a pitch he could work with and drive home runners.  When you put those skills together, you have a recipe for success.  Topping it off, though, you had two guys who seemed to enjoy complementing each other’s abilities, who liked being teammates, and who were just happy to be playing ball.  As a fan, you had to smile when you watched them together. 

2006 had many highlights, but one that sticks out in my memory was the All Star Home Run Derby.   Let me be clear — I usually hate the HR Derby.  I find it boring.  I’m  not overly impressed at guys who can take a batting practice pitcher deep, knowing that they’re getting a fastball down the middle, and that if they don’t like it they can stand there forever until they see one that they do.  A “homerun,” divorced from the context of an actual game, is usually pretty boring to watch.  The homerun derby is for fans that don’t understand the dynamics of the battle that goes on between a pitcher and a hitter.  That battle is as much about wits and strategy as it is about raw power.  Actually, I think it’s more about the wits and strategy.  That – and the instant effect it has on the score — is what makes the homerun so exciting.  All of this is missing in the derby.

But I digress.  Seeing as how there is no real baseball to watch during the All Star Break, I do sometimes tune in to the HR Derby.  I guess it acts like fan methodone for me.  That year, you’ll recall, the Mets sent 6 players to the game, including four elected starters.  Jose went on the DL prior to the game, though, and could not play.  But he went to Pittsburgh and sat with the other players on the field to watch the HR Derby.  And as his teammate was in the box, smashing homer after homer, Jose was sitting there and having the time of his life.  David appeared to slow down at one point, and the cameras caught Jose, with a big smile and a hint of that kid-playing-little-league glint in his eye, shouting, “Apple juice!  Somebody get him some apple juice!”

For whatever reason, that moment captured the spirit of 2006 for me.  It wasn’t just about the winning that year, but about the excitement of having two young players, happy to be out there, happy to be Mets, and looking like they would be winning and making us cheer for many years to come.

My “Greetings from Spring Training” postcard brought me back to that 2006 HR Derby, and made me remember how exciting these guys are when they are out there together, healthy, and having fun.  The Mets prospects for playing in October this season may look bleak right now — it’s mostly about pitching, after all, and “Johan + ?, ?, ? and ? isn’t going to get it done — but if we get to see Wright and Reyes doing their thing for the whole season, maybe we can still enjoy ourselves this summer. 

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On an unrelated note, there’s a nasty rumor going around that the Mets are exploring the idea of adding a character race to the inter-inning shenanigans this season.  You know, ala Milwaukee’s sausage race and Washington’s presidential race.  Let me just go on record and state how stupid this is.  I know the front office long ago proved how clueless they can be, but this is still ridiculous.  I’m all for “fun” at the ballpark (as long as it doesn’t interfere with the game itself, which IS the fun for me), but can it be our “fun,” please?  Why does the team constantly feel like it need to borrow “fun” from every other team?  How long and loud did we all have to boo Neil Diamond before the front office got the message that we are not only NOT Red Sox fans, but we don’t want to try to be them either?  Once again, ownership seems to have no idea who we are.  If you’re not going to bring back banner day or the Curly Shuffle — you know, one of those truly “Metsian” events (thanks to Greg Prince at FnFiF for the term), please try to come up with something new that belongs to us.  I’ll happily stick with Lazy Mary, Mr. Met and the t-shirt cannons, but let’s not start importing someone else’s stupid ideas.  Let’s at least come up with our own.