Too Negative, Mets Fans Tune Out

Adam Rubin of the NY Daily News was a recent guest on WFAN this past week. Rubin has made a name for himself as a New York Mets beat writer. Most notably, he was accused of instigating the firing of former Mets VP of Player Development Tony Bernazard. In contrast to what Mets GM Omar Minaya strongly believed at the time, Rubin wanted to make it known that he had no specific agenda heading into this upcoming season. However, he did mention that that particular chapter in his career still wasn’t sitting well.

“I have a range of emotions about it…to question my integrity,” Rubin said. “It still bothers me.”

Many baseball writers according to Rubin see Minaya as a dead man walking a general manager whose job is on the line if his team is unable to put a winning product on the field this season.

“Maybe a GM vacancy soon,” Rubin said jokingly along with host Steve Somers.

It’s no secret that those that make their living covering the Mets have their doubts in the current structure of the Mets front office. Aside from signing free-agent Jason Bay this off-season, Minaya has made more headlines defending his autonomy than acting on it.

With assistant GM John Ricco and former Cincinnati Reds general manager Wayne Krivsky sitting on the back-burner, even the passing Mets fan can see the writing’s on the wall.

Rubin goes on to blatantly say that “the Mets are a joke” and predicts that they will end up being closer to five hundred than to the Phillies. Feeling somewhat “neutered” by all of Omar’s allegations, Rubin seems to put forth a challenge to Mets fans by sternly saying, “I don’t care,” when questioned for not having regard for the current Mets starting lineup.

In my opinion, Rubin may have lost some of his edge since being scolded by Minaya during that infamous press conference. However, any disrespect he has gained since then was brought on by his own doing. His tone now replicates that of other young baseball journalists who spend too much time criticizing how things are run instead of watching the players run.

Maybe it stems from most of them, the writers, having grown up witnessing the game of baseball suffocated by enormous payrolls and the stain that remains from the use of performance-enhancing drugs.

In closing, Rubin ends off the interview in fitting fashion. “There’ll be shorter lines at the Shake Shack this season.”

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For the Mets, It’s Not Just About Balls and Strikes

The first lesson for those who have been around the game of baseball, Adam Rubin of the New York Daily News included, is that it’s not what you know, it’s who you know. For Rubin, picking the brain of the Mets chief operating officer, Jeff Wilpon, for career advice is a great place to start. Prior to the opening game of the Mets current home stand against the Colorado Rockies yesterday, GM Omar Minaya held a press conference alerting the tri-state area that his second-in-command, Tony Bernazard, would no longer be employed with the Mets organization. Minaya’s decision to extinguish what was becoming a “cancer” in the Mets clubhouse stemmed from disturbing reports that were relayed to him from his human resources department.

In addition to what had previously transpired regarding Tony Bernazard, Minaya felt strongly that Adam Rubin’s tenacious attempt to land a front office job with the Mets also played a hand in the 52-year-old vice president’s dismissal. Minaya even went as far as to say that the reports trudged up by the Mets beat writer were made to trump up Rubin’s own standing as a perfect candidate for a player development position in the Mets organization. After Rubin’s press conference in which he relayed to the media that he was flabbergasted by the accusations, Minaya created a little opportunity of his own to clear the air with the Daily News beat reporter. The Mets GM tried to come off somewhat apologetic but ended up making matters worse by suggesting that the context of his comments directed at Rubin were accurate for the most part. It was the forum in which those comments were made that irked the Mets general manager. Interesting?

This type of smoke screening by the Mets front office goes hand-in-hand with the mishandling of the Mets injuries, the hesitation in addressing the needs of a struggling ball club, and the misguidance of their own personnel. It’s safe to say that Minaya and his tenure look to be on unstable ground.

Mets Fans Wait for the Latest Spin on Recent Injuries

In the game of baseball, news can travel fast and change overnight on a regular basis. Most recently, Adam Rubin of the New York Daily News posted on his Mets blog that starter-turned-long reliever Tim Redding was on the verge of being released. The Mets coaching staff had seen enough of the grizzly right hander and had given him a crude ultimatum: pitch effectively or else. However, like every Mets storyline this season there is always a twist. According to Mets vice president of player development, Tony Bernazard, parting ways with the veteran pitcher had never been discussed and was simply, not on the Mets to-do list. Nonetheless, after another ineffective performance last night against the Atlanta Braves, Redding may have one foot out the door.

Aside from the disappointing losses this season, the Mets organization has been reluctant at times in releasing pertinent information regarding their player personnel. When David Lennon of Newsday.com reported a couple of days earlier that Mets centerfielder, Carlos Beltran, was to undergo an MRI for his balky knee, Mets manager Jerry Manuel denied any information to that effect. Consequentially, Beltran went on to have the scheduled procedure and we all know what happened next.

In another instance, 20-year-old Fernando Martinez was kept out of the starting lineup complaining of soreness in the back of his right knee. Martinez however relayed to Jerry Manuel that he was able to pinch hit in an emergency situation. Prior to Martinez’ placement on the 15-day disabled list with inflammation in that very same knee, Manuel admitted he regretted using the young outfielder after watching how he struggled to run to first base. Little did Manuel know that five days after being placed on the DL, Martinez would undergo surgery to repair a torn meniscus on his right knee. The Mets prospect is not expected back until mid-September.

With all the uncertainty surrounding player’s injuries this season, Mets fans have to wonder what kind of spin they’ll get concerning 40-year-old Gary Sheffield’s cramp or right hander Fernando Nieve’s quad.