News: Mets to Hold Player’s Only Meeting

May 16, 2008 at 16:56 pm · 43 comments

by Matthew Cerrone

David Wright told reporters today that the Mets intend to hold a player’s only, closed-door meeting prior to tonight’s game to discuss Billy Wagner’s post-game remarks, among other things.

from what i can gather, the meeting will occur after batting practice, just before the game, and wagner will lead the discussion and apologize and explain his comments to his teammates

Prior to the game, Carlos Delgado told reporters that a) he did not speak to reporters yesterday because he was forced to leave the park quickly due to a family emergency, and b) Billy wagner aplogized to him for suggesting he was avoiding reporters.

{ 43 comments }

Ceetar May 16, 2008 at 4:58 pm

Also according to Willie.

I just want to know who called the meeting.

Horseman May 16, 2008 at 4:58 pm

Why should Wagner apologize?? He is just telling it like it is.

mackey_sassers_arm May 16, 2008 at 5:00 pm

Because Delgado apparently had personal issues to attend to and cleared things with willie.

dave27 May 16, 2008 at 5:03 pm

Big surprise. There are alot of personal issues to attend to on this team, particularly with Delgado. I guess we don’t pay him enough to focus on his job.

dave27 May 16, 2008 at 5:04 pm

And by “we” I mean the Mets – I don’t claim to pay player’s salaries by buying tickets…

mackey_sassers_arm May 16, 2008 at 5:08 pm

I don’t know if that is entirely fair. Don’t get me wrong, the guy sucks, but if he had somewhere to be for family reasons or for any other reasons, then so be it. Who are we to say that talking to reporters should take priority over that? None of us know what the extent of the situation was, why can’t we ever give anyone the benefit of the doubt?

AlreadyMissShea May 16, 2008 at 5:12 pm

Here’s how I give them the benefit of the doubt. I already said it in this thread, but I’ll say it again.

Play better baseball.

Everyone has a family. We all have emergencies in our lives. If you have to go and be with someone, go be with them. But if you’re in the line-up… If you’re not asking for a day off because of something personal going on… then just play as hard as you can.

When baseball, and not even the games, but addressing the media, becomes more important that dealing with the problems everyone has in real life, then something is wrong.

But if they’re playing, play the right way. Then go and do what you gotta do, and get back to work as soon as you can. I don’t think that’s asking too much. They’re the same rules we common folk have to live by. :)

mackey_sassers_arm May 16, 2008 at 5:22 pm

That’s my point. If he had somewhere to be whether it was serious, or something less like dinner with a relative he hasn’t seen in a while, or to get home at a certain time for the cable guy to show up, that is more important than talking to some stupid reporter trying to get under his skin after a loss. I wouldn’t mind if reporters weren’t allowed in the locker room at all. It seems like nothing good ever comes from it.

AlreadyMissShea May 16, 2008 at 5:28 pm

Well I do think there should be a legitimate reason for leaving… Unless they just don’t WANT to talk to the media. I’m fine with that too, but then they can’t complain about what’s written about them. Those meetings aren’t just good for the writers. It gives the players a chance to tell their side of things. If they don’t want to, then that’s fine, but then they can’t complain about it later. Not that Delgado has. Just saying.

ravi3 May 16, 2008 at 5:03 pm

But its not like its an isolated incident…Several times, Delgado has bolted without talking to the press.

mackey_sassers_arm May 16, 2008 at 5:09 pm

And several times he is standing in front of his locker answering questions.

He hasn’t been doing his job, like getting hits… but talking to reporters as they ask stupid questions is not his job.

gipper82475 May 16, 2008 at 9:32 pm

Um, actually it is. Media availability is in players’ contracts.

yagottabelieve9 May 16, 2008 at 5:12 pm

where did you get this info from?

JetsnMets May 16, 2008 at 5:22 pm

Where did you hear that Delgado had cleared it with Willie?

mackey_sassers_arm May 16, 2008 at 5:23 pm

Willie just said it when he was on with Mike and the Maddog.

AlreadyMissShea May 16, 2008 at 5:01 pm

I would guess he’s going to apologize for telling it like it is to millions of people instead of a room full of select people in a closed-door meeting.

statnut May 16, 2008 at 4:59 pm

This should be interesting. Maybe Wagner shouldnt apologize, but try to stoke the fires of those players.

gameball May 17, 2008 at 10:13 am

Yeah, I hope they address a bit more than PR issues in this meeting.

Phantaroth May 16, 2008 at 5:00 pm

Listen – I know everyone is panicking and rightfully so – but if the Mets sweep the Yankees then win the Braves series, which, I think, is not that strange a possibility – things won’t seem so bad.

ness589 May 16, 2008 at 5:01 pm

None of that has happened yet. If it does, we’ll see how things go.

Phantaroth May 16, 2008 at 5:05 pm

Yeah, but I just don’t think we should completely bury the team and the players and the manager just yet.

AlreadyMissShea May 16, 2008 at 5:07 pm

I’m not panicking. I doubt the time will come when I will lose interest in getting to Shea this year, but if that time were to come, I would simply give my tickets away and find something else to do. But that’s highly unlikely.

Then again, I don’t care if they sweep the Yankees. I’m not even really concerned with the wins and losses at the moment. Play better baseball. Playing better baseball won’t automatically lend itself to sweeping the Yankees or beating the Braves, but it will get them on track so that what happened during this week won’t happen again.

Winning five of six and then going back into a slumber is not better baseball. Start getting consistent. Do that and the wins will take care of themselves. Don’t do that, and in a week they’re right back to where they are now.

shinjosplints17 May 16, 2008 at 5:00 pm

I used to get pissed at Wagners rants but now i’m over it. Something has to set a spark not sure what it is. But im willing to light myself on fire cause you can’t lose 3 of 4 to the Nats during a 7 game home stand.

Nightlife May 16, 2008 at 5:04 pm

I have to, painfully, agree. I usually can’t stand Wagner, but he actually made some good points.

HoJoWright May 16, 2008 at 5:04 pm

This is great, I think this is what they need. (in fact I may have even posted this is what they need earlier today) Get all the boys on the same page. Lets play for ourselves and get the Met pride back. Also, no apology needed by Wags, if any one should be apologizing its Delgado and anyone else slacking so far this year.

Further, I think WRight is tricking the media, there will be no apologies everyone is just getting fired up with or without Willie.

Hows the weather in NYC anyway, will they get the game in?

yagottabelieve9 May 16, 2008 at 5:10 pm

clearing up, radar shows it’ll stop raining in time for the game most likely

Free Aaron Heilman May 16, 2008 at 5:06 pm

I think Wagner should apologize The way he said it was more antagonistic than the way Lo Duca did last year.

I agree with Wagner’s sentiments, but he should have tried to do things internally first. Or at least he should have been more tactful about it.

It’s a good sign that he’s apologizing. I don’t believe he apologized to his Philly teammates when he dissed them, but I could be wrong.

mackey_sassers_arm May 16, 2008 at 5:11 pm

Well, who’s to say taht he hasn’t already tried to do something internally first? Perhaps that is why he was so bent of shape this time. He obviously didn’t realize that Willie had already spoken to Delgado and was fine with him leaving right away.

Free Aaron Heilman May 16, 2008 at 5:16 pm

When did Willie talk to Delgado and tell him it was fine to leave right away? Link?

We don’t know if Wagner has said something before. But even if he had, would it have been proper for him to curse out his teammates in public before reporters? Maybe he should have taken it private a second time.

I think my main concern is that this could make things worse for a team that is already struggling. It could drive a wedge between players and that’s the last thing they need.

Free Aaron Heilman May 16, 2008 at 5:20 pm

Also, mackey, from your comments above, it appears you are saying Willie gave Delagdo permission to leave early just yesterday?

But yesterday is not the extent of the issue, according to Wagner and Lo Docua. It’s a long-standing thing where Delgado is just not generally available to reporters after games. Not just yesterday.

AlreadyMissShea May 16, 2008 at 5:22 pm

Or they can finally address some of this stuff and agree to put it behind them and play baseball at the level most of us believe they should be playing.

mackey_sassers_arm May 16, 2008 at 5:29 pm

Willie referenced it in his interview with mike and the maddog. I have seen plenty of post-game interviews with Delgado this season and throughout his tenure with the Mets.

Free Aaron Heilman May 16, 2008 at 5:29 pm

True. And hopefully that happens.

But still, I think it was risky calling Delgado out in public. It would have been better to do what Mex did when he would criticize Staw but in private. Their relationship evolved into a fistfight, but at least it was a private thing for the most part. Maybe if the current Mets threw a few punches at each other it might not be a bad thing for this club!

AlreadyMissShea May 16, 2008 at 5:36 pm

LOL!
You know what the difference between the players of that era and today is in my opinion?

Today these guys would get in a fight, and six people would go on the DL. The two guys in the fight, and four people trying to break it up.

RPsJacket May 16, 2008 at 5:11 pm

I heard willie reference planning to talk to the players during the regular pre-game meetings, I didn’t hear him mention a players-only meeting but I have to keep the radio low here.

For every LoDuca/Wags that imply there is a problem in the clubhouse, there is a schneider/church that say its one of the best they’ve ever been in. I don’t pretend to get whats going on here.

Aquadealer May 16, 2008 at 5:16 pm

Well …..being as the only other clubhouse schneider and church have been in was washington and montreal i think about any situation would be an upgrade.

AlreadyMissShea May 16, 2008 at 5:25 pm

Not only that, but what are the two new guys who have been received very well going to say?

“We appreciate the support the fans are giving us, but we wish they could know that most of these guys are boring buttheads who smell like sour milk!”

Of course they’re happy.

RPsJacket May 16, 2008 at 5:30 pm

True, but they don’t have to say anything, either. Who knows. maybe someone comes out tonight with a shiner, that would be interesting.

The Stache is on FAN now

AlreadyMissShea May 16, 2008 at 5:39 pm

“True, but they don’t have to say anything, either.”

That’s true.

NegativeFan May 16, 2008 at 5:36 pm

So it takes THIS to get a team meeting going?

Good for Wagner I suppose. Bad on the rest of the players for not seeing this needed to be done earlier.

mrose May 16, 2008 at 5:56 pm

typically…yes..it takes a bad losing streak or really bad play

0h the ag0ny May 16, 2008 at 6:03 pm

its not like these meetings do ANYTHING… theyve happened before and it hasent fixed this sinking ship… truth is …these meetings go as such…

willie talks
wagner talks
wright talks

everyone else listens, ignores, or has some sick reggae-ton beat going on in their head…

I_Need_More_Cowbell_Please May 16, 2008 at 6:31 pm

And the drama continues… oh please kiss and make-up and let focus on BASEBALL as it is the name of the game they are all set out to play not auditioning for soap opera

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