For the longest time I defended Jerry Manuel. I lived through the same disappointing finish in 2008 as 2007 but I said, he inherited a team mid season and if you extrapolate the winning percentage over a whole season he wouldve won 95 games.
In 2009 when a team wide plague befell the Mets I chalked up the poor record to an unforseeable set of circumstances.
But 2010 has been enough. I’ve seen all I’ve needed to see to know that Jerry Manuel has no control over the team and his lack of strategic skill has been on full embarassing display for all to see and mock.
I still think Jerrys personality is perfect for New York. You need thick skin and an innate ability to block out criticism and over the top headlines. Its even more important when you are fighting an uphill battle against the Yankees for the heart of the city. And by hill I mean Mount Everest.
But Jerry’s flaws are too big to be ignored. I’ve thought about how he managed to get himself off the hot seat during the first half and field a winner and perform above expectations and foolishly I believed he could keep it up.
Jerry’s problem is that he can’t manage a big league ball club and that becomes a problem when it comes to managing a big league ball club.
The list of puzzling moves include using Jennry Mejia in a relief role and using him off and on. His wearing out of Fernando Nieve and Hisanori Takahashi early on. His insistence of putting Jose Reyes bat righty while nursing an injured mid section.
Its those pressure cooker induced decisions that have me feeling that he’s acting scared and panic than sound baseball knowledge which does away with my theory that his personality doesn’t let the atmosphere of New York affect him.
Which brings us to this: Carlos Beltran should NOT be playing center field. I don’t care that he’s a good center fielder but Beltran has lost range and speed, something Angel Pagan still has, he’s becoming a liability.
Beltrans biggest contribution is being off the DL and with the group. Pagan’s wheels make him the better fit at center and the more defensively sound outfield. Its just common sense Jerry. He said it himself that the best players play and that should extend to where they play. Pagan should be the center fielder and Beltran should play left for Jason Bay. Give him a week off. Take him to the back and get him to re-learn how to hit or have a talk with David Wright.
Its as if joining the Met franchise has made him revert back to his first stint with the Mets, in their farm system.
The Mets are technically still in the race and should operate under the premise that they will remain. The Braves have pitching but not the great hitting that many think. The Phillies are going through a rough season themselves. In my opinion the division is wide open despite a 6 and a half game lead entering tonights action but I have no confidence moving forward with Jerry.
He knows how to manage the media but not his own team and that makes him a liability. When I heard Alex Cora yelled at teammates (of whom one was Mike Pelfrey, he of the 9 ERA in his last 5 starts and the 1.1 inning effort just Monday), I thought that’s awesome.
Maybe that’s what the Mets need, a fiery guy that can demand the teams attention. However Lou Pinella plans to retire after what should be the most trying of his career. Bobby Valentine continues to overprice his services out of every job but ESPN. Of course Wally Backman is an option but he should be brought up as bench coach so he can be groomed to eventually take over.
The Mets need a chews nails kind of guy to light a fire under them. They play with complacency but they run hard out the box usually. They have an interesting core that underperforms.
Don’t get me wrong, this team could just as quickly go on a tear and win 10 of their next 12 and climb back into it but I won’t be foolish enough to give credit to Jerry Manuel. It appears that everytime you do give him credit, the Mets eventually go on a sustained run of mediocrity that makes it hard for them to be rooted for. I’m done with the Jerry experiment and I’m sure most Mets fans are as well.
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The Lazy Eye of Sports 