JD, who does a good job I might add, is a beat reporter for the Mets. He asks questions, gets answers and then writes it up. He is not (in job title comparison) Mike Lupica or Joel Sherman or Ken Davidoff. They are columnists…they are the one’s who write the opinionated pieces which drum up discussion.

If JD wants to be negative and a wise-guy on his blog, he has every right (though it gets a bit tiresome sometimes, other times funny). My point is, he ADMITTEDLY said he was sarcastic with Omar Minaya.

That is not professional in any manner and I don’t blame the Mets if they don’t want to answer his questions. Whether the team was completely wrong or is being accused falsely, Minaya or any other member of the team doesn’t have to answer that type of crap.

There’s a big difference between a hard question and one laced with sarcasm and tsk, tsks.

You’ve got to be kidding me! Are you comparing an incompetent war-mongering numb-skull who sold a fictional story to the American public, costing us billions of hard earned tax dollars and 4+K American lives and 10’s of thousands of Iraqi lives based on lies, to make him and his cronies rich to a baseball player and a general manager?

That is one of the most moronic comparisons I’ve ever heard.

No one is forcing you to buy tickets to the ball game and you are entitled to nothing—in baseball or life. And it is one thing to ask a question and another to be obnoxious about it. Would you like it if your employer treated you this way?

The prices for tickets are so high we as fans are entitled to
a team with competent management.

your thoughts on my post?

How about 5 ways to fix the Mets?

thanks

What the hell does politicians and big business have to do with a guy getting a concussion playing a game? When I’m too sick to work (and I need to be VERY sick), I make the decision to stay home. If I’m fine to come to work, I go back to work.

My job doesn’t tell me when I return…I do.

Again, all parties are at some fault here, but the majority lies with the player (who is not brain-dead…let’s be honest here) and, if the diagnoses were wrong, the doctors.

The Mets are trusting the player and professional medical people to direct them…so again, unless the Mets are flat-out lying about the results, JD is being way, way, way to harsh on the team.

I’m not saying they’re blameless, but I have seen NO other beat reporter harp on this as much as he has. And I’m not downplaying it either…head injuries are tricky and nothing to mess with…but the Mets aren’t Ryan Church’s father or conscience…he has a say, and if he said he felt fine, what were they supposed to do???

All JD is doing is holding the Mets to the same level of scrutiny that we treat business leaders and politicians.

If sports is a business then it should be held to this same level.

Unless the Mets are just flat-out lying through their teeth when they say the doctors “said he was ok” why should the team be raked over the coals when they were supposedly given the go-ahead?

When Church got hurt in ATL, he spent the night in the hospital and did not play (or show up?) the next night at the Ted. He PH on the 22nd, two days later.

Again, he should have been placed on the DL, which IS the Mets fault…but he appeared as a PH 4 times over the 10 days following his injury until HE SAID HE FELT FINE.

HE, RYAN CHURCH, said he felt fine. If the tests showed nothing at that time and he said he felt fine, are they supposed to just sit him on the bench???

Everyone is at fault here, but your crucifixion of the Mets brass for this is

1) over the top

2) disrespectful, as a professional reporter

Uggh…

Keeping Church around and playing him when he “felt ok,” even after only discussing his injury on the phone (wish my doctor would do that!) only shows the desparation that the Mets felt in needing to keep their best player with the team and on the field, instead of doing what was best for him. Also, had Church begged out of playing, the media and fans would crucify him, and he probably knew that. Just because you are not bleeding, doesn’t mean you’re not hurt.

Now John… On to the future…

I think that wholesale changes are in order starting at the top- Omar is equally responsible for this mess.

The Mets need a manager with not only some “fire,” but also one who commands the respect of his players- unlike Willie, who received half- or no-hearted votes of confidence from most of his “guys” after last mnth’s Black Monday meeting.

If they don’t have the guts to let a guy like Wally Backman take the helm (whose show I feel is partiall on SNY to gauge viewer and reaction), then make every effort to bring back Bobby V, who won with lesser talent and works well with younger guys. Otherwise, It may take a guy like Jack McKeon to come in and command/demand changes. Even Manuel seems to command respect and demand performance more than Willie. Id be ok with him on an interim basis.

John, who would you pick as next manager of the Mets?

I also think that HoJo needs to be out as hitting coach, as these players are far to aggressive and sloppy at the plate. If appeasing Wright is necessary, keep him as a base coach, possibly replacing Alomar, whose decisions at 3rd are often befuddling to all. Nieto is safe, as he is the “ghost” coach on the staff.

Peterson is baffling, his work with some pitchers has been great, but others (Perez, Pelfrey) has not resulted in performance we want to see. Unless Leo Mazzone comes in, or they want to bring up Dan Warthen, I think Rick stays.

It was mind boggling to see Castillo get a 4-yr deal last year and, when healthy, he performs ok, but with several contracts coming off the books next year (alou, delgado, etc.), wholesale changes are in order.

John, you are on the spot…

What is your 5 step plan to fix the Mets?

Thanks,

Steve

Next time I’m not feeling well I;ll be sure to call JD.

JD, you must be from the same hack institute as Jon Heyman and Wallace Mathews. In essence, you were being a wise a$$. Typically, the wise a$$ gets a punch in the nose, all you got was an email, and you’re still complaining, but with some sort of righteous indignation.

Find another career, you ahole.

I just appreciate that John is conveying the pissed off attitude towards the team that most fans wish they had the opportunity address. However, I would have like to hear something more smart ass like:

Why does the bullpen choke in games a lot this season?

Why does _ get a lot of playing time when his record does not show winning results?

Why does can’t the bats and the pitching work in the same game?

Why not trade _?

Where do you start to fix he problem?

How are things different this year than last year?

While thesemay seem rhetorical or stupid questions, they are questions that they manage to stay away from.

“I don’t have a medical degree. I also don’t know how to build a watch, but I can tell time.”

uh, hypocritical much, john?

i agree with marc’s post verbatim. sorry john, im not with you on this one.

It seems very little is handled well with this team.

Similarly, Fehr doesn’t care about concussions because contracts are guaranteed once they’re signed. Just like the NFLPA never cared about concussions until they were taken to court by the families of those with serious brain damage. However, Bonds is a big deal because he could sign somewhere for big money, which would help the Players Association out. The MLBPA doesn’t care about the welfare of its players, just making the maximum amount of money possible.