I will never forget the first time I saw Carlos Beltran in the flesh.
Just days after signing his seven year $119 million dollar contract with the Mets, I watched him on the jumbotron during a break in the action at Madison Square Garden during a Knicks game desperately trying to crawl and hide in his wife's purse.
With the Garden faithful cheering him to acknowledge them and share their excitement with him joining the "New Mets", the man literally wilted. After a few more moments when it became clear he wasn't going to respond with any sort of flourish, the crowd found themselves lost in a truly awkward moment.
"Who comes to New York and doesn't want THIS?" asked a friend rather indignantly.
A fan in the next section half—joking uttered, "Just wait till they boo him at Shea."
Ultimately you only get one first impression in life and from then on it was hard not to keep a wary eye on the man.
Fans in Kansas City and Houston may consider Beltran a fine ball player, by playing with grace as five—tool center fielder who made it all look easy. However for the past seven seasons Carlos Beltran has proven to be a riddle for Mets fans. Injuries aside, when healthy he has produced several solid seasons in Queens with numerous accolades and yet...
Sadly for the Mets during the past seven years no one player ever managed to step up as the leader, which one could argue led to the pain and heartache of this stretch. Beltran said, "Unfortunately, as players, we didn't do it, we didn't come through as a team." While one can sympathize with his lamenting when coupled with this statement of wanting to finish his career as a Met, it all struck me as hollow and awkward.
Did he really want more of an organization that has been in free—fall since he looked at strike three from Adam Wainwright in Game 7 of the 2006 NLCS?
Looking forward Beltran continued, "We need to improve as a team. We need to get better. We need to win ballgames against teams in our division in order to position ourselves better. But at the same time, David Wright being out, Ike Davis being out - I bet there is going to be a lot of pressure on the younger guys to step in and play better baseball. Only time will let us know what is going to happen."
Whether looking backwards, forwards, or at the present, he never seems to make himself accountable for the situation and even shifts pressure on others to deliver while doling out excuses.
Fortunately for everyone the time has finally come for him to go.
With the San Francisco Giants given their recent success Carlos would prove a fine complimentary piece as a power hitting corner outfielder they need in their push to repeat. Even better for him, since the Giants already have a championship, the pressure shouldn't nearly be as intense as he can take on the role of hired gun before making his next move. Hopefully he will remember to take his bat and leave the excuses.
For the Mets, one can only hope whatever package of prospects the team receives will pan out down the road whether they deal with the Giants or not as only time will tell.
Finally for Met fans, tough times lie ahead. With so much uncertainty it's hard to judge what should be done on several fronts, but this is a move that needs to be made to help turn the page and exorcise the demons of the past.
Chloë Sevigny Janet Jackson Georgianna Robertson Reese Witherspoon Jordana Brewster
No comments:
Post a Comment