I read the SI article on Minaya and the harmony of the diverse clubhouse. Then I read the below blog this morning. Of course the guy could be full of sh*t, but is there something to this? Thoughts? http://nyjerplease.blogharbor.com/blog/_archives/2007/6/18/3030627.html The Mets Are Falling Apart by Luke Halpert on Mon 18 Jun 2007 01:33 PM EDT | Permanent Link | Cosmos Right off the bat, I'd like to say that I expect you to be skeptic of what I'm about the write. This blog isn't even about breaking stories (not that we don't want to every now and then), this is the first real post at Nyjer Please and I'm a relative unknown in blogging circles. That trifecta calls for bullshit 99.9% of the time. Well, I'm here to tell you that Nyjer Please is the .1%. A source who will remain anonymous, gave me a couple of nuggets the other day that have come up during the club's recent stretch where they have lost twelve of their last fifteen games. First off, my source is told me that "the manager doesn't care much for the center fielder", obviously alluding to Willy Randolph and Carlos Beltran. In an off the record conversation, Randolph said Beltran "lacks passion" and is fed up with Beltran's lack of hustle on the base paths. Secondly, Julio Franco, who recently celebrated his 89th birthday, is becoming a "clubhouse cancer". Since the losing streak, my source told me that Franco has become the ringleader of a "racial divide" in the clubhouse between the Latinos and non-Latinos. While it isn't a straight divide, it was painfully obvious there was something going on during last night's debacle at Yankee Stadium, where the Latinos were sitting in the dugout while the non-Latinos were on the dugout railing the entire game. Finally, my source is telling me the non-Latino crew is convinced that the organization prefers Latino players. They feel that Julio Franco and his .200 batting average is "only on team because of his heritage" and are dumbfounded how Carlos Delgado is still hitting cleanup every day. The one player who is most unhappy about this is soon to be free agent Paul Lo Duca, who feels the club doesn't want him back because he "doesn't fit the profile", obviously alluding to the Latino bias of the club. Well, there you have it. The Mets, my Mets, who once looked like the perfect team, the Brangelina of baseball teams if you will, are going through what looks like a clubhouse shift that could completely destroy this team. The catcher, the unquestioned leader, the heart and soul of the club doesn't want to come back and our manager doesn't have the hots for the center fielder. Hopefully a nice five-game win streak will cure all this and all will be well in Metsville.
I read the same thing MParty....Halpert used to post on Metsblog but was always full of BS. He's still a teenager, he's got no legit sources. And also, he's allegating that the devout christian Julio Franco would be the instigator of this "racial showdown". That smell ain't roses, people.
The Willie being annoyed with Beltran's whining and "lack of passion" seems alot more credible to me then the whole race war thing.
Every team goes through peaks and valleys, the Mets will be fine. The problem is met fans expect every year to be as smooth as '06 and that isn't going to happen. The Mets will be fine.
Although I agree with you on the BS part, just because someone is a devout Christian does not make them perfect or non-bias.
I agree completely, and the recent conversations between Beltran and Willie and Jay Horwitz, and Beltran pointlessly scoring on the short sac fly yesterday support that. It's pretty clear that Beltran is not, and will never be, a leader on this team - he isn't good enough to do it on the field, and the whining and perceived lack of passion preclude it off the field. Fortunately, it doesn't matter - he can remain one of the top 3 or 4 CFs in the NL for years to come, while Reyes and Wright continue to become the true team leaders. If anyone on the team (Latin or otherwise) isn't mystified why Franco is still on this team, they just haven't been paying attention.
I agree, but I also don't like the chances of someone who is that religious being an instigator to this magnitude. It just seems like many times when we hear of someone cleaning up their act in sports that it coincides with them getting more religious. Just an observation, I wasn't trying to categorize religious folk as being able to do no wrong.
Metsblog.com has a post up refuting this and saying that Halpert had zero sources. Also, apparently Halpert is a teenager.
You know what annoys me the most about this? Luke Halpert is a god awful terrible writer. If you're gonna make shit up, at least do it eloquently.
I hate the term "nuggets" when describing information. and while I can buy that there are mysterious reasons why Father Time still plays, this blog deserves no credibility. I don't care if he brings up race and every controversial issue he can think of. Doesn't deserve the platform.
The METS Will be Fine. They will catch fire after the All Star break and everyone will forget this even happened. Especially once Martinez gets back to form...
