Opinion: Jerry Manuel and the Media
Earlier this season, I wrote that the only way Willie Randolph would be able to motivate his under-performing, veteran players would be to do it through the media, because hitting their ego – and how they are perceived by their peers – is the only way to impact the modern, wealthy, comfortable, professional athlete.
On Sunday, Manuel hinted that he is willing to do ‘whatever is possible’ to help resolve the recent struggles in his bullpen.
Yesterday, he went further, specifically saying that John Maine, Oliver Perez and Mike Pelfrey could be called upon to ‘help out,’ thus removing them from the team’s starting rotation.
As expected, reporters immediately moved from Manuel to the locker room to collect responses from Maine, Pelfrey and Perez, as well as the team’s relief pitchers.
During SNY’s Pre-Game Show, Ron Darling noted how Manuel’s statement was not a realistic suggestion, but simply 
a ‘shot across the bow,’ in that mentioning Pelfrey, Perez and Maine would be taken as an insult by the team’s relief pitchers, thus hopefully motivating them to do better.
Later, Scott Schoeneweis held a private meeting with his fellow relievers, after which Joe Smith and Pedro Feliciano combined to throw two scoreless innings against the worst-hitting team in the league, locking down a win for the Mets.
Schoeneweis’s meeting or Manuel’s public statement may not have had a direct impact on Smith’s and Feliciano’s performance. However, what it does show is that – unlike his predecessor – Manuel understands how to use the media, and not fight them, to get better results from his players on the field.
