Observations From Friday Night's Game

On Friday night, the Mets were nice enough to allow other bloggers and myself to attend the evening's festivities.

Here are a few things that stood out.

It's a good thing David Wright is not a doctor.

Shake it up a little more, David. 

After crashing, head first, into the left field wall, Jason Bay left the game with what the team described as a possible concussion.

Now, any normal person would say things like, "Feel better, Jason," or, "I hope you're okay." Not David. No, he decides to get in there and shake Bay's head around even more.

I was pretty embarrassed to be a Mets fan when Bay exited the game. If you were listening to the game on the radio or watching it on t.v., you may have noticed that Bay left the field to boos. Yes, an alarmingly large number of Mets fans were booing their own team's player after being injured. Scott Hairston practically got a standing ovation when he entered to take Bay's spot out in left. This isn't Philadelphia. Knock it off.

Finally...

Will anyone ever put a stop to the wave? I don't know if 34,000 people were just extremely bored, but at one point the wave went around the stadium at least 6-7 times in a row. I would be impressed that such a large group of people would be committed to completing the wave that many consecutive times, but I hate the wave.

To Boo, Or Not To Boo? The Beltran "Debate"

I haven't quite figured out yet if there is a serious debate among fans as to whether or not they will boo Carlos Beltran tonight, or if a lot of it is media driven.

Either way, it's dumb.

The former Mets outfielder returns to Citi Field as the Cardinals take on the Mets in a four game series starting tonight.

If I asked ten random fans why they would consider booing Beltran, I would venture a guess that probably eight out of those ten would base their reasoning on something involving a strikeout in 2006.

Yes, Beltran stood there and watched strike three which ended the Mets hopes of reaching the World Series. It's been six years. Let's move on.

This goes for the media as well. It doesn't need to be mentioned in every article you write about him. We all saw it. We all remember it. We don't need to be reminded.

Stop judging a player based on ONE moment in his career.

If you're one of the fans who notes his major contract and injuries, well that describes most  of the Mets players. Highly over-paid and often times injured. Why pick on one guy in particular for it?

Beltran talked about the moment with WFAN, saying:

“If they want to remember that moment, that’s fine with me,” Beltran said. “For me, that was my best year in baseball. I don’t look at that moment as defining my career or defining my season.”

Neither should fans. Beltran went on to say:

“There were times I felt like, ‘What do I have to do in order to be one of their favorites?’...Fans choose who they want to cheer for. I’m a quiet player. You’re never going to see me out there showing a lot of emotion. I am who I am. When you try to be someone else then you’re being fake to yourself, and I don’t like to do that. I don’t know how it’s going to be (tonight). They’ll decide if they want to cheer or boo.”

Leader is defined as the following: a person who rules, guides, or inspires others.

Beltran took a lot of grief from the fans and the media about not being a leader. No where in the definition does it say that a leader must be vocal or in-your-face.

When Beltran steps to the plate for the first time tonight, take a moment to remember the good times, and cheer for the guy.

He may have ended the Mets run at the World Series in 2006 with that one strike out, but if it weren't for him, the Mets may not have been there in the first place.

He was an important part of the Mets. Cheer him on before that first at bat, then move on.