New York Mets 2011 Banter

[larryinlc]

From an ESPN poster: I hope my Pirates throw batting practice to Braun tonight. Could happen.

Larry

[BigAsh]

Originally Posted by kelmac07

While I want to see Reyes become the first Met to win a batting title...todays move was total bush league!!

WEAK!!!!....Collins shouldn't have allowed it and NO RESPECT for Reyes!

[Dave128]

Originally Posted by kelmac07

While I want to see Reyes become the first Met to win a batting title...todays move was total bush league!!

Agreed.

[kelmac07]

With Ryan Braun 0-4 in the 7th and his average dropped to .332...looks like Jose Reyes is going to do it. Just wished he would have played the whole game...worse he could have done was 1-4. He'd have still won the batting title.

[kelmac07]

While I'm not ecstatic with the way the last day unfolded...I am glad that Jose Reyes was crowned the 2011 NL Batting Champion

Reyes crowned Mets' first batting champion
Shortstop bunts for base hit in what may be final act with team

NEW YORK -- The final act was not a buzz of electricity but a solitary pulse. Jose Reyes strutted to the plate in the first inning of Wednesday's season finale at Citi Field, bunted the second pitch he saw, raced down the first-base line and reached safely.

Seconds later, Reyes walked back to the dugout, racked his bat and helmet and took his seat on the bench, in what may have been his final acts as a Met. Within moments, fans realized what was taking place and began booing.

Reyes' average stood at .337, plus a few hundred-thousandths of a point. The shortstop hosted a private party at his Long Island home later Wednesday, watching his lone remaining competitor for the National League batting title, Milwaukee's Ryan Braun, go 0-for-4 to finish at .332 and officially crown Reyes the first batting champion in Mets history.

"That's not an easy thing to do, to win a batting title," Reyes said. "There are so many good hitters around the league."

Braun, whose career average stands 20 points higher than that of Reyes, is among them. But the Brewers outfielder entered Wednesday's play trailing Reyes by more than a full point in the batting race, prompting Reyes to plan his bunt-and-bolt strategy. After hearing on television that one hit would swing the race heavily in his favor, Reyes asked Mets manager Terry Collins to let him leave the game if he managed to reach safely in his first at-bat.

An emotional Collins recalled the conversation -- and the public reaction -- shortly after Wednesday's game.

"I've heard some comments in the stands," Collins said, fighting back tears. "I don't blame them. People pay a good price to come to these games, and they've got to understand that I ask these players to do a lot. I've worked hard to get their respect this year and they deserve ours."

"They have to understand what's going on," Reyes said. "They have to feel happy if I win the batting title. I do it for the team and for the fans, too."

In Milwaukee, Braun took a neutral stance after watching the scene unfold.

"I respect whatever decision he decided to make, and ultimately, he left the door open for me," Braun said. "I'm not really here to judge him."

If it was his final act as a Met, Reyes made certain to scorch it into the memories of all 28,816 fans in attendance, many of whom came to offer the shortstop cautious farewells. At the conclusion of the World Series, Reyes will officially become a free agent. And despite his stated preference to remain in New York, Reyes has been careful to avoid stating his intentions.

He plans to meet with his agents in New York before traveling back to his native Dominican Republic. The entire group will huddle and map out a plan.

Beyond that, Reyes has revealed nothing other than glimpses of emotion. He is nervous about the process. He is excited.

"It's in my mind, to be honest," Reyes said. "I'm comfortable here, but it's still too soon to talk about that."

If it is the end, it has been a long, eventful, sometimes successful and sometimes disappointing road for Reyes, who signed in 1999 as a skinny, clean-shaven 16-year old with little knowledge of the English language and American culture. The ensuing dozen years brought with them myriad leg injuries, an unsuccessful second-base experiment, a contract extension and a playoff appearance. Only one playoff appearance.

And yet, due to his long list of personal achievements, Reyes' career has been nothing short of a marked success. When the shortstop departed Citi Field late Wednesday evening, he did so as a confident, accomplished 28-year-old with tattoos, dreadlocks and a reggaeton record label, with a batting title potentially in tow.

That latest accomplishment will always have its detractors, and yet, Wednesday's controversial strategy was not without precedent. Thirteen years ago, the Yankees removed Bernie Williams from the final game of their season to ensure a batting-title victory over Boston's Mo Vaughn; up to that point, Williams had been 2-for-2 with a walk.

Conversely, Reyes' early departure came on the 70th anniversary of Hall of Famer Ted Williams' decision to play out the final day of the 1941 regular season, despite the fact that Major League Baseball would have rounded up his .39955 average for record-keeping purposes. Citing a desire to exceed baseball's hallowed .400 mark on his own terms, Williams went 6-for-8 in a doubleheader to finish at .406.

In most cases, however, history tends to gloss over the details. Years from now, most will remember only that Reyes won the batting title -- not how he did it.

His teammates left Citi Field late Wednesday afternoon rightly assuming that Reyes would achieve his goal. A canvas with the shortstop's likeness and the words "2011 NL Batting Champ" leaned against his locker. Three bottles of wine, one of them uncorked, flanked an open bottle of Gatorade. Reyes left the stadium for good sometime after 4 p.m. ET, sporting designer sunglasses and a winter hat.

The Mets are not sure if he will return.

"I'm not very good at looking ahead or planning," third baseman and longtime teammate David Wright said. "I'm really expecting to see him in Spring Training."

"Every day, I hope the shortstop returns," Collins said, "because he gives us the best team."

[BigAsh]

No way Mac....can't give you that one, though I'd like to...ESPN just talked about Ted Williams decision when he was going for .400, and he decided to play a DOUBLEHEADER to end the season...went 6-8 and batted .406...that's the way the game should be played...

[Dave128]

That was the move of a coward.

[jonumberone]

Despite how awesome last night was in the world of baseball, this was all that was on my mind as I drove to work this morning.
Dave is right, it was an act of a coward!

Reyes's decision to remove himself from the game should be all that Sandy Alderson needs to decide not to bring Reyes back next year!
A pure "Me first!" Player and it shows!
To continue to build around a player who has already been a part of 2 historic collapses, and now shies away from the pressure is fruitless.

I love to come here and bust stones, but believe it or not I actually prefer it when the Mets are good!
Just not as good as the Yankees

If the Mets ever want to get back on top, they need to change the culture and identity of the franchise.
They need to bring in players who thrive under pressure, not run from it!
Parting ways with Reyes is a good first step!
The 20 million per that the Mets will save can be put to good use in other aspects of the team.
There is no doubt that Reyes is a top notch player(when he's not hurt )
But provides little more than statistics, and his antics have been a detriment to the team.
I tried to go over the players in my head, who are good enough to win a batting title, and would have pulled the same stunt Reyes did.
The only player that came to mind was Manny Ramirez.
The more I think about it, that is exactly who Reyes is!
A different skill set, but the same type of player nonetheless!

[yachties23]

I'm still not sure how he is a detriment to the team....

He is a gold glove shortstop, the best leadoff hitter in baseball, and a total game changer on the basepaths.

Is his character the cleanest? No, but remember what the team looked like when he wasn't on the field last year. Dead... No emotion, business like... oh yeah and the couldn't get a hit to save their own lives...

Was it bush-league, yes...

But Yankee fans can't even gripe on bush league. Your so called "greatest player in history" ran by and tried to punch a ball out of a pitchers hand who was covering first, and than ran by a 3rd baseman and yelled "I got it" on a pop fly. I mean lets face it, they are men... just like you and I.

The Mets are a better team with Reyes on it, and if doing what they did yesterday gets him to come back, than it was worth it... if not, no skin off my back..

[yachties23]

By the way Dom, they are all me first players... every single one of them..

[jonumberone]

Originally Posted by kelmac07

yet, Wednesday's controversial strategy was not without precedent. Thirteen years ago, the Yankees removed Bernie Williams from the final game of their season to ensure a batting-title victory over Boston's Mo Vaughn; up to that point, Williams had been 2-for-2 with a walk.

Just want to point out what a spin job this is!

13 years ago was 1998.
The Yankees won 114 regular season games that year.
The final game of the season, the Yankees had a 22 game lead on second place Boston.
Williams was pulled in the bottom of the 6th with the Yanks leading 7-1.
He went 2-2, but made 4 plate appearances. He also had a Walk and a sac fly.
Tino Martinez, Paul Oneill, Chuck Knoblauch, Daryl Strawberry, and Scott Brosius were all lifted from that game before Williams!
Besides pitchers, Williams was the last player removed from the game by the Yanks!

[jonumberone]

Originally Posted by yachties23

Was it bush-league, yes...

But Yankee fans can't even gripe on bush league. Your so called "greatest player in history" ran by and tried to punch a ball out of a pitchers hand who was covering first, and than ran by a 3rd baseman and yelled "I got it" on a pop fly.

I think this makes my point.
Despite being a much better player than Jeter, Alex is nowhere near as revered as him.
He's won two MVP's, hit his 500th and 600th HR and won a championship with the Yanks, and it's still Jeter's town!
Nobody except for Cameron Diaz Likes ARod more than Jeter!

When I came up with Manny, I also thought about Alex.
I didn't include him because I thought Jeter would never let it happen!

[yachties23]

I know Jeter is more revered... and it has nothing to do with his character. Jeter is a true yankee, up through the farm system, won 5 rings and always does/says the right thing.

Yankee fans had no problem rooting for Roger Clemens after he helped them win a pair of world series.

When it comes down to it Yankee fans are just as guilty of rooting for bad guys as any other team, if not worse. If Hitler could hit the curveball, and helped you win a world series or two, you guys would root for him.

You also try to make the point that Bernie was pulled from a meaningless game to win a batting title. How more meaningless could September baseball be, than a Mets/Reds game? SRSLY

[jonumberone]

Originally Posted by yachties23

You also try to make the point that Bernie was pulled from a meaningless game to win a batting title. How more meaningless could September baseball be, than a Mets/Reds game? SRSLY

My point wasn't that he was pulled from a meaningless game, it was that he was left in the longest in a meaningless game.
I also was trying to make the point that he wasn't pulled to preserve the batting crown.
He was pulled as a precaution by a team who had bigger fish to fry than the first year expansion Devil Rays.

[The Poet]

Now now, boys, let's calm down a little here. It's over and done with, and nobody can change that now. Let's see how the Met fans greet Jose Reyes next season, when he shows up at Citi Field in whatever uniform.

That is, if he's not on the DL again.

[yachties23]

Oh Tom, we are just having fun. Good luck starting tonight. The Tigers are the team I wouldn't want to see in a short series.

Originally Posted by The Poet

Now now, boys, let's calm down a little here. It's over and done with, and nobody can change that now. Let's see how the Met fans greet Jose Reyes next season, when he shows up at Citi Field in whatever uniform.

That is, if he's not on the DL again.

[kelmac07]

Originally Posted by yachties23

The Mets are a better team with Reyes on it, and if doing what they did yesterday gets him to come back, than it was worth it... if not, no skin off my back..

I agree with Chris here. The Mets are certainly a better team WITH Reyes. Not happy with what he did, but I can't see anyone else playing SS and batting leadoff.

[The Poet]

Originally Posted by yachties23

Oh Tom, we are just having fun. Good luck starting tonight. The Tigers are the team I wouldn't want to see in a short series.

Yeah, I know you're having fun. It's all good fun . . . until somebody loses an eye.

The prospect of facing Verlander twice is daunting, and the Tigers have some good hitters. There's no doubt about that.

The prospect of facing CC twice is daunting also, and the Yankees have some good hitters too. Plus, their middle relief has been remarkable so far this year, and better than Detroit's. There's no doubt about that either.

As true as is your statement, the fact remains that the Yanks are a team you should not want to see in a short series either.

[kelmac07]

Originally Posted by The Poet

As true as is your statement, the fact remains that the Yanks are a team you should not want to see in a short series either.

If they are throwing Burnett, Colon, and Garcia...I'd face 'em in a short series.

[The Poet]

Originally Posted by kelmac07

If they are throwing Burnett, Colon, and Garcia...I'd face 'em in a short series.

Against Dickey, Cappy, and the Gee-whiz kid? You're on!


Oh wait . . . my boys are booked tonight. Sorry. Wait 'til next year.