NEW YORK, NY – Another, Are-You-F***ing-Kidding-Me move has been made by the New York Mets, in tabbing Carlos Beltran as their new skipper. But really, with the Mets, Knickerbockers and J-E-T-S all in the same town, why should we be surprised by such a choice? Indeed, this town’s Boulevard of Bad Coaching Moves is littered with mind-numbing choices like Rich Kotite, Ray Handley, Mike D’Antoni, Jerry Manuel, Adam Gase… Let’s take a look at the latest, so that sports fans of teams in other cities can feel better about themselves… and for this guy to vent.
Worst Coaching Hires In Sports History All In NY: Carlos Beltran, Take A Bow
CARLOS BELTRAN
After failing miserably with their Managerial hire in Mickey Callaway, the Mets went cheap, yet again. Passing on Joe Girardi has me seeing [Philly] red.
Sure, one could almost rationalize bringing in The Mick, as he was a pitching coach and the team’s arguable strength lies in their staff. But Callaway was a rookie Manager coming from tiny market Cleveland, and another league. He bombed. So what does GM Brodie Van Wagenen do? He hires another rookie but one without any working knowledge of a now-or-never staff that is showing signs of diva-sprouting. (Looking at you, Noah). Sure Beltran was a Met for 7 years. But the organization is spinning him as a different cat than what many of us Mets fans remember. I remember a guy that didn’t play hurt as much as one would have liked and how he dodged speaking to the press, relying on the Language Card. This was AFTER he was making millions with Royals BEFORE coming to the Mets. And before you defend Carl for the language barrier, both Billy Wagner and Paul Lo Duca criticized him and Carlos Delgado for hiding behind the excuse, leaving them to always answer questions.
Oh, and did I mention Beltran wouldn’t come out for a curtain call and had to be pushed out of the dugout by Julio Franco?
Check out this piece from the SNY website:
Just three games in to 2006, on April 6 against the Nationals at Shea, Beltran popped a two-run homer in the seventh inning, his first of the season, but needed a push from Julio Franco to accept a curtain call from the fans…
…beltran’s lack of initial reaction, as he sat stewing on the bench, snubbing the fans, was a true indication that the booing had actually been bothering him, no matter how much he tried to tell the media that it didn’t…
…with the crowd calling for beltran, who was clearly snubbing the shea faithful on purpose, franco talked some sense into the young center-fielder, who leaped to his feet, hopped up the steps and waved his hand to the fans…the place went wild, and, more importantly, beltran let out a small smile…
Beltran, after that night’s win, as quoted by the Journal News, the Daily News and Newsday…
“They have been booing me for two days and I hit a home run and suddenly they love me. What I can do? I go out there and try my best. You have to understand there are good days and bad days…
“They want you to come through in every situation. Sometimes I’ll come through and sometimes I won’t. That’s part of the game…
“Let me put it this way, I’m a friend for you when you’re doing well and I’m there for you when you’re not doing so well. Here, it’s different. I won’t say they’re bad fans. They’re great fans.…The fans stayed with us last year when we didn’t win the division, but I do believe they can be better…
“Every time you get booed, it doesn’t feel good. If anyone says it doesn’t, they are lying. What can I do? I just do my best.”…”
THIS IS THE GUY THAT’S GOING TO HANDLE 162 PRESS CONFERENCES?
Brodie Van Wagenen and The Wilpons have done it again. They’ve decided that a guy upstairs with a laptop can handle the oft-fragile pitching staff and problematic catcher situation, that the manager’s job in New York City is an easy-peasy thing that just needs the rights statistical analysis. Oh wait, that failed miserably the last two years.
That’s all for now. I’m sick to my stomach. Come back tomorrow for Ben Whitney, a tower of a man who always answers the bell, not matter how hard the going.
