The Mets lost this game but for the majority of the fanbase the really revolting thing was that an umpire inserted himself into the game, overreacted and threw out Noah Syndergaard after the big Mets righty delivered a pitch behind Chase Utley. And then Utley hit two homers, including a grand slam. It’s hard to imagine a scenario where no one got hurt that could have been worse.
Utley seemingly got off scot-free after injuring Ruben Tejada last year. The Mets won the series and celebrated on the Dodgers’ field. That should have been all of the vindication required.
But our collective thirst for vengeance was not quenched. It’s reminiscent of the Roger Clemens kerfuffle way back when. If you don’t recall that, a pitcher who wasn’t even on the team when the incident occurred had the unpleasant task at throwing at a guy with whom he had no beef. All to honor an unwritten code that glorifies violence and vigilantism.
There’s nothing manly about throwing a ball at another person.
Somehow a romanticism has evolved around throwing baseballs at people. Old timers and youngsters who never even saw them pitch will wax poetically about Bob Gibson and Don Drysdale and how they would intentionally hit opponents. It’s not anything to celebrate; it’s vulgar.
“It’s how the game’s always been played!”
“When the suits didn’t do anything, what else could we do?”
Well, we can try to be better. We can move past this idea that violence is the answer. We can stop romanticizing the act of hurling 90 mph fastballs at people’s heads or midsections.
It’s dinosaur thinking. It’s the equivalent of Bear Bryant having practices in extreme heat and not allowing his players to have water. Or Bobby Knight throwing a chair across the gym. Or Woody Hayes punching a player.
We used to think those things were okay. Then we realized it was moronic and quit doing it. It’s time for throwing at people in baseball to have the same fate.
Brian – Over the years, Chase Utley has played a brand of baseball that is confrontational: he’s hovered over the inside of the plate like he owns it, thinks nothing of the consequences of his style of hard-nosed play and, to his credit, makes no apologies or excuses.
His take-out slide of Ruben Tejada last year was a dirty play. The umpires ratified his conduct. Their interpretation of the rules was a perversion, as they denied Tejada the protection the neighborhood play is intended to provide, called Ultey safe and completely ignored his gross interference and reckless play.
It’s gone on too long. I’m Utley’s senior – I’ve played and coached baseball for more than 40 years. I agree that a single act of retaliation to address a laundry list of misdeeds by an opposing player is a totally inadequate response. The appropriate response is not achieved by one pitch. Rather, one must apply consistent pressure over an extended period of time that imposes upon him the need to respect the Mets as his opponent.
Throwing behind his back proves nothing. Pitching him inside consistently with high heat and low sliders, and pitching him away with high heat and low change-ups will make it impossible for him to sit comfortably in the batters box and sit on 93 mph fastballs.
I cut my teeth watching the likes of Gibson, Drysdale, Ryan, Seaver and Marichal – they OWNED the inside black, not the batter. I recall watching Ryan deck Walt “no-neck” Williams who, Phil Rizzuto commented, if he had a neck, he wouldn’t have had a head.
You don’t teach someone like Chase Utley a lesson in one symbolic gesture, so you and your team can move past his aggressive play. You confront it at the gate, re-set the rules and use your power and concentrated effort to apply pressure in terms that he will understand and respect. Knocking the helmet off Utley’s head would be a by-product of that effort, but not the destination. It is one of innumerable acts the Mets must perform to help the opposing player that if he plays a certain way, he will be dealt with accordingly.
My take is he was told to hit him in the butt, and in trying to get him good, he overthrew it. Technically, it did get away from him. Collins’ worry about suspension was foolish. Just downplay it, don’t act guilty…
Onto the game. Once the Mets got into the seventh inning, with three lefties in the next four batters, Collins got caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Meaning, he tried to get one more inning out of Verrett. It didn’t work. The Dodgers were energized by the first Utley home run and conversely the Mets lineup kept waiting for a spark. Honestly, the only damage done to Maeda the first time was by Syndergaard only.
I like the Mets players and believe they are better player-for-player than the Nationals when TDA is healthy. Problem is that I feel the Mets lack an element in their lineup; an energy booster that can bunt his way on and cause some distraction on the bases. Granny is a #7 hitter, so is Flores and Cabrera. Conforto should be #2, Cespedes #3, Duda #4, Walker or TDA #5, Wright or TDA #6… Problem is, there isn’t a true leadoff guy unless someone gets hot like Granny did last year and stays at the top spot.
As presently constructed, this team needs Herrera to come up and lead off. Play him at third if Wright is out. Many players play another infield spot for a year and the kid won’t be the first to have to do it. Rendon did three years ago for the Nationals, and don’t tell me about Herrera’s arm because is Wright’s better? It may be a blessing in disguise to have our captain just replace Jay Horowitz and have Herrera replace him. I just don’t see another option or solution to the sit on your hands management of this lineup.
Tex…. Your proposed lineup actually demonstrates the biggest present problem—3 of the 8 position players are out!!!
They need to get healthy…. And they’re not going to play “smaller ball” without a major roster retool.
Brian, for just this one, can we rename it “gut punch reaction”? Chase Utley ia now public enemy number one. He has surpassed Chipper Jones. Had Thor hit him in the butt and just got the warning it merited, the crowd would have gone nuts, the team would have been energized and we’d have one this game like 3-1. That umpire was way out of line. Had the league issued Utley a suspension, I’d say this wasn’t necessary.
All that said, Verrett was good to a point but Bastardo and Robles turned it into batting practice with fat pitches over the plate.
that was a tough loss because it could easily be the start of a 3-game losing streak with Kershaw and Sale facing us today and tomorrow.
As for last night: sigh. I agree with Brian, the whole thing was awkward and unfortunate.
Just wanted to say that after some thought, I think the Loney acquisition was a solid organizational move. A minor upgrade.
As fans — and usually I try to avoid this type of thinking — we want to start moving players all over the field. Herrera at 3B! Conforto in RF! D’Arnaud at 1B! And so on. In this case, cooler heads prevailed. For a minimal cost, the Mets added a quality glove to 1B. A LH bat who has been there, done that. They did this at a time when Ty Kelly was on the roster. And Matt Reynolds. And Eric Campbell.
So, yes, surely there’s room for Mr. Loney. He can get some starts against RHP, and the Mets can respond accordingly.
From another perspective: If he was in AAA Las Vegas, he would have been the obvious call-up. So the Mets effectively moved him from San Diego AAA to NY AAA, and then called him up as a fill-in, veteran bat. Not a wide-eyed kid, mouth agape, saying, “Wow.” This is the right role for him. If it works, great. If not, no loss.
I know that some of you here were on the Loney bandwagon from the beginning. I hope you saved a seat for me.
Agree with TomCat– own the inside every at bat. Revenge is stupid. This, and the Estes pitch to what’s-his-name, were a total fail.
And although you’re supposed to turn the page, I’m afraid this is going to have an effect for a while. Not well played all around.
With Wrights emergent neck problem and the long term Duda absence, Loney became a necessary shot….. After all, Wilmer is now needed in the Infield rotation— once he gets back.
The next move might involve Dilson….. I’m sure they’re gonna wait until he has a shot at meaningful pt
In other news, Grandys walk off noted, but it’s time to push more abs at Lego. It addresses platoon advantage, rest, and making Lagares a more ready and productive part of the team—- I give him some credit. His conditioning and his plate approach have taken meaningful steps