Nelson doesn’t like the Nationals
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- May
- 12
Kevin Devaney back with one final update. Here’s what Nelson Figueroa said after tonight’s 10-4 loss to Washington, in response to what he said was “singing” and “chanting” from the Nationals dugout in the third inning:
“They were cheerleading in the dugout like a bunch softball girls. I’m a professional just like anybody else, so I take huge offense to that. If that’s what a last-place team needs to do to fire themself up, so be it. I think they need to show a little more class and professionalism. They won tonight but, in the long run, they are still who they are.
“Even for the manager and the coaching staff to let that stuff carry on, it’s truly unprofessional. That’s why they are who they are.â€
Wow. I can’t remember standing in front of a professional athlete and hearing something like that.
When asked who the culprits were, Figueroa said “Don’t know. I don’t care.”
Whoever it is should probably expect a fastball at the chin over the next three days. Figueroa will make sure of that.
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on Monday, May 12th, 2008 at 11:40 pm by John Delcos.
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Great quote. I love it.
Nice job, Kevin.
[...]I present to you, Nelson Figueroa on the Nationals dugout antics[...] http://theropolitans.com/2008/05/classless-nats.html
I’ve always wondered about that. I’ve always wondered about “cheering” or “singing” in the dugout the way kids in Little League and College do.
Guess I got my answer, cheering and singing in the dugout is not viewed as a positive for other major leaguers. Although I don’t understand why, I always figure anything to have fun in major league baseball would be a good thing.
Guess not. ALthough I wish I could understand why its viewed as such a “no-no”. Not even Keith had a solid answer during the broadcast.
I dont know if Nelson is going to be around much longer to see to anything. That was a real stinker. They say you never know when you might see something new. Weve seen a batter bat out of order and cheerleading serenade from a major league team in two days. What next, I wonder.
Considering Figgy hit a few. I think the culprits already did.. ;-)
Keith had an answer he kept it clean. its Bush League .. They dont allow it in Little League where it actually belongs. but to see it in the majors?? celebrating a team mate is one thing. razzing your opponent like a 5th grader isnt professional.
Under the circumstances I dont think Fig did that bad. many of those runs were because of the hole between 2nd and 1st.
and since runs couldnt get producted because of the hole in the lineup that would break any kind of rally. there was nothing to salvage.
Listen there are plenty of guys on the team having a bad season but they do something for the team.
The player on the nationals who started that nonsense and was the lead cheerleader was Elijah Dukes. This is the same guy who in Tampa lost it and went after a umpire. The same guy who was arrested for beating his wife. The same guy who the Devilrays gave up on because he is nothing but trouble.
And if it was any of us. we would be in jail.
and out of a job.
So tomg cheerleading is a crime equal in nature to attacking someone physically, and equal to wife beating??? I think it was Figueroa who had the problem becuase he let it cost his team a game. Razzing from the dugout goes back to the beginning of baseball, most of it a lot nastier than a cheer. Enjoying baseball seems to be illegal in the Omar/Willie world. I guess Figueroa could never have been Jackie Robinson. A guy who’s been around the block several times lost his composure over a cheer?
Did any of you hear Jason Starks this morning on Mike and Mike? He panned the Mets for being dead to the world while the opposition was having a good time.
Good for Nelson….I mean really good. That’s a great quote.
“So tomg cheerleading is a crime equal in nature to attacking someone physically,”
Never said it was but Elijah Dukes is nothing but trouble and him starting the cheerleader Pom Pom chant is bush league. This is professional baseball, not little league. It’s one thing to yell from the dug out “lets go boys” or something to that nature but getting everybody cheer leading like little leaguers in professional baseball is a joke. That’s not the reason the Mets lost the game. They lost the game because Figueroa stunk out on the mound.
I’ll have to watch the US women’s Olympic softball team more often to see how they compare to the Gnats. Anything to check out the absolutely gorgeous and talented Jennie Finch. She can probably pitch better than Nelson Figueroa too.
Bottom line is the Mets lost.
yep they lost. we still have 3 more games. I rather win the series.
Honestly, I would cut Figueroa. This guy needs to focus on getting outs instead of what the Nats are going. If he’s such a professional, then he should get his job done.
Secondly, I will never understand why baseball has all these stupid “unwritten rules.” It may be Bush League to cheer, but why is this such a capital offense. These guys need some perspective. They play a child’s game for a living. How is the Nats cheering any different than all of the Mets shaving their heads last season? Or Reyes having choreographed dances with players? Between Figueroa’s comments and the uproar over Joba’s fist pumps I’ve had enough of baseball players acting like baseball is taking place in Victorian England.
Lastly, when players and teams complain about this stuff, imo, it makes them even bigger babies. If you think what these guys are doing is Bush League, then either beat their butts on the field or buzz someone when they get up. Don’t cry about it to the press.
Figgy is more consistent tha perez. I think Fig is more fixable than Ollie. Fig will listen and learn. I dont think Ollie will ever learn.
Keith,
“Honestly, I would cut Figueroa”
I totally agree, I’ve seen enough, it was a nice story but enough is enough.
Steve C., in all honesty, that’s great, but I am more “fixable” than Ollie. I would listen and learn. But I also don’t throw 93 with a wicked slider… and Figgy doesn’t either.
Yeah, Figgy is more consistent: 4-5 innings, 4 runs every start. Ollie will actually go 5-6 with 0 runs and 10K every now and again. Gotta hate that inconsistency.
This is a dead team. I’ve said it before, this team has been a .500 team since the second half of last year. Is it because Omar has built a not so good team or is it the manager and the pitching coach. Something has to give here because if the mets organization leaves this situation the way it is this team will be like this the rest of the season.
Nelson would best be suited as a long reliever and a lost cause game innings eater. Unfortunately, that can be said about two or three other pitchers right now on the Mets staff. Until Pedro come back, however, with Oliver Perez being so inconsistent, Nelson, is not a bad option. The only other thing that could be done is to either send Nelson down and bring up Bostwick or the other kid who I can’t think of his name right now, or, cut Nelson and add Armas or Vargas to the forty man roster. Either way, I agree Nelson’s run with the Mets may end up with a less than story book ending.
true., but remember. you have a young starter in Figgy and a supposed Vet in Ollie. You can forgive Fig because he’s still young at the game.
tomg. Being a met fan means never saying die/dead. only .. there’s always next year. but in this case the season really hasnt started. there’s plenty of ball left .. keep the faith..
I will second that about Ms Finch. She’s a lot mor fun to watch and she cetainly would outpitch more than the sensitive Mr Nelson. I’m talking about you Sosa, Heilmann, etc…..
tomg: Do you really think in the old days the yelling from the bench was lets go boys? It was my friend, trash talk at its crudest.
And Steve C.. Come on get real, a thirty something minor leaguer is not more fixable than OP. And he is more consistent only in that you expect nothing from him every time out. The Mets got a couple lucky starts from him They should say Thanks and send him and Sosa away for good. They both suck…..
To Keith: I agree, you don’t like it, bean the guy but don’t look the fool walking of the mound or cry to the press. Everyone knows now you can’t take it. And a guy like Figueroa might just be trying out for a job with a lousy team like the Nats soon, so he should watch his words. Its not like he has a 6 year contract.
Right on sloppy.
Steve C. Ollie is like 6 years younger than Figgy.
I can deal with some of Omar’s lousy trades, because it happens. I can deal with being a .500 team, because they just aren’t any better than that.
I CANNOT stomach Joe Smith’s demotion. He is being sent to the minors to make room for Wednesday night’s starting pitcher. It is bad enough that the team will be without one of its best relievers for even one game. I will probably jump off the Brooklyn Bridge if he isn’t brought back soon. VERY soon.
If you listen to Gary and Keith. Tom is the odd man out because he is on options. If he didnt have the option, it would be a different decision. This is a knee jerk bureaucratic move. Once this happens if we need to lose another pitcher to make room all bets are off. and the terrible will be shown the door. They even said though to do other wise would be gutsy and different and send a message. Then they dropped it at that …
Because they need to earn a living too…
;-)
Cut Sosa.
Anyway, I’m all for Jose’s high fives and dancing, because it’s not directed to a player or the team. This, on the other hand, seems like taunting, which is downright poor behavior by “professionals.”
In his blog over at Newsday David Lennon stated the following: “There’s no question the Nats were out of line with their cheerleading from the dugout. I mean, chanting “Let’s Go Austin!” is ridiculous.”
Here’s my question. Why is it ridiculous? I have read similar comments from fans and reporters alike, however these are mere conclusory statements that are not accompanied with any type of reasoning. So I want to know, why is it ridiculous for the Nationals to chant “Let’s Go Austin!”?
PS: Not trying to bait anybody here, but I want to see someone make a legitimate argument here rather than just regurgitating the tried and true baseball cliches.
Keith,
Since I was at the game in the press box, I don’t know for sure what was said. But I was led to believe it was a lot worse than “Let’s go Austin.” From what I heard around the clubhouse – and this could be false, hopefully we’ll find out more today – the chants were directed at Figueroa. If you want to cheer your teammates, go ahead. But to rope in the opposing players seems a little juvenile.
HOWEVER, Figueroa should have handled it himself. I know he hit two guys, but neither was in a retaliatory situation. I don’t know like when guys make comments like this and leave it up to their teammates to take care of it. I’d also be annoyed if I was David Wright or Carlos Beltran, who will likely get the retaliation beaning after John Maine hits somebody tonight, as we expect he will.
JM: Agreed. What is Omar trying to do? Protect his great legacy? Sosa is terrible. At the very least, Figueroa should have been sent down instead of Smith. It’s insane.
I’m a diehard Mets fan, a hater of all division opponents, etc, etc. Watching the game last night i felt the chanting was a bit much, but i can’t say i mind a little noise to get a teammate going or to rally the troops. The game was 3-3 when the bench started getting noisy. As for Figgy, “professional” is a bit much for me. As someone mentioned earlier, these are grown men playing a child’s game, what do you expect? and for Figgy, c’mon dude, you didn’t step foot on a major league mound in nearly 5 years. Be happy you have a baseball in your hand and not standing behind a cash register. There will probably be beaning, ejections and suspensions during this week and even if the Mets win the next 3, it won’t matter because when Maine or Santana gets suspended, who’s the real loser?
Steve C. how do they not allow it in Little League?
I did it in Little League! And that was only like 5 or 6 years ago. In fact that’s a part of Little League, doing all those songs n’ stuff.
Actually if people heard worse things than “Lets go Austin” then I don’t know what they were listneing to.
I CLEARLY heard these three chants:
“Lets go…. clap clap Austin!”
“Lets go… clap clap Lastings!”
“Lets go… clap clap Zim – my”
Maybe there was a time he said something else but I heard those three. ANd if they were directing it towards Figgueroa then, you could bet your ass he would have done something worse than just taunt them on his way off the mound.
benny, i was going by what Gary and keith said. they claimed egging on the opponent was not allowed.
Kevin, I didn’t watch the game, so I am only going off of reports. The way I gauge these things is by intent. If the Nationals were just trying to get their guys going by collectively reliving their youth in an attempt to make the game fun for a last place club, I don’t have a problem with it. However, if it was aimed at Figgy, I have an issue with it, but Figgy still handled it poorly.
I used to manage a little league team a couple years back when I was in college (and had more time) and the kids used to sing songs and come up with cheers all the time. Whenever one of my pitchers had a problem with the other team’s cheers, I would tell them: “do not even acknowledge them… it’s just you and the glove out there. If you want the cheering to stop, you need to shut them up. Get focused on start striking them out, trust me, they’ll stop.” Soon our pitchers got a rep for getting “mad” when other teams chanted… lo and behold, the chanting stopped.
You don’t even have to hit another player to send a message. If you don’t like the chanting, you need to get in the zone and start dealing. Trust me, mowing down the opposition will cut the bush league nonsense a lot faster than acknowledging it with sarcastic clapping.
Here’s a little context: When he was managing the Mets, Bobby V. was nicknamed “Top Step” based on his penchant for standing on the top dugout step and ragging on the other team’s pitcher. This type of behavior earned Valentine the distinction as the most hated man in baseball. One of his players, Brian McRae, once commented that opponents tried extra hard to beat the Mets, because they disliked Valentine.
So, does this kind of thing happen? Occasionally. Is it well received? Almost never.
As for Figgy’s reaction, I wonder whether his comments reflect a larger problem with the Mets on the whole: Indifference. Their pitcher is out there, unable to throw strikes, and the other team is behaving unprofessionally—and, best we can tell, no one on his own team gives a damn. If nothing more, the Mets didn’t give the Nats any motivation not to behave this way.
I heard the same thing benny did. Cheering thier players on, not baiting figeroa. Maybe cheering and clapping would help the mets to wake up from thier slumber.
Good memory Tiffany on Valentine. I’d forgotten about the yelling he did. You also agree with Jason Starks this morning who called the Mets “a dead team”, while a last place team was enjoying themseles.
If anybody on the team had given a crap about it why didn’t Wagner blow one by Duke’s chin in the 9th? (You might have gotten away with one last night but not after the mouth roared to the press.) Wagner can talk big but he never shows he’s a leader. Talk talk talk, never walk walk walk…...
Why does anyone who thinks he’s on a good team stir up a bad team? Why do you want the Nats to be stirred up… This team stirred up Florida last year and remember the next day??? You want bad teams to be dead teams not teams with life…. Figueroa put the Mets in a very bad spot. If they do nothing tonite it will lok like they don’t care. If they whack Milledge or Dukes then a pitcher will be suspended and the Nats will be fired up in September when you want them at their deadest…...
Bottom line: The Mets worry about too much BS. Just worry about playing ball. The rest will take care of itself.
Keith your right! Your absolutely right, when I played for Little League all those years I would sing and chant and cheer as long as we were winning. If my team was losing, I wans’t having fun and I’ll be damned if I was doing any of it.
Maybe some of my teammates did it but I didn’t participate it in it so the noise was deffintily quieter.
maybe spoke to soon on Smith…see DN
Major news out of New Orleans today: Surfing the Mets has learned that the Zephyrs scratched Claudio Vargas from his start today, signaling they’ve reversed course and will promote him to take the start tomorrow against the Nationals.
Vargas wasn’t under consideration even yesterday afternoon because the spot starter was supposed to be returned to New Orleans right after the game to make room for Matt Wise.
Why did the plan change? It would look like Nelson Figueroa’s poor performance Monday night is the major factor. I’d be seriously worried arriving at the ballpark today if I were Figueroa, since a Vargas call-up would mean he’s in the rotation for more than one turn.
***
Additional major news: Fernando Tatis looks like he’s coming up, too. Perhaps Luis Castillo’s injury requires the DL.
UPDATE: Sounds like the Mets may have come to their senses and will spare Joe Smith, too. That could mean Jorge Sosa is in trouble.
It might not be Castillo going on the DL. Sounds like Angel Pagan was in discomfort with his shoulder last night.
“It would look like Nelson Figueroa’s poor performance Monday night is the major factor. I’d be seriously worried arriving at the ballpark today if I were Figueroa, since a Vargas call-up would mean he’s in the rotation for more than one turn.”
Wouldn’t that be something special if the Mets DFA Figueroa and the Nationals pick him up. He could be cheering with Dukes by the end of the week….... If the News is right, then baseball deisions are ruling the day vice money decisions. Like I said earlier sending down Smith would be a decision from the owners not the GM or manager.
Just announced on WFAN: Mets call up Claudio Vargas, Fernando Tatis, and Matt Wise; DFA Jorge Sosa and Nelson Figueroa; Place Angel Pagan on DL
Logic prevails…