Note: The Silver Lining in Wagner’s Injury
In case you missed it, Billy Wagner will miss the rest of the year with a torn ligament in his left elbow.
Mets GM Omar Minaya later told reporters that Wagner will have Tommy John Surgery this week, which will hopefully allow him to pitch ‘within a year’s time.’
…in other words, there is a very, very good chance wagner has thrown his final pitch for the Mets…
In a post to Faith and Fear in Flushing, Jason takes a moment to honor Wagner, who, he feels, ‘never got his due in New York.’
Minaya, during a conference call yesterday, said:
“Baseball is not about one guy - it’s about a team and the concept of togetherness.”
…the silver lining is that the Mets have had 30 days without wagner to develop a plan of attack, and it’s working…since wagner went down, Jerry Manuel has been able to learn who can do what in what role and when…had wagner been dominating, and the Mets had built their hopes around his stability, and then he injured himself and was then suddenly pulled out of the system with just two weeks left in the season, well, wow, this team would be in trouble…however, manuel and wagner’s teammates have been forced to live without him for a while now, and they’ve been winning, so, while i am sure they feel bad for their teammate, this reality should not dent their confidence…nor ours…
In a column from today’s New York Post, Kevin Kernan explains why the Mets can still win without Wagner, noting, “The odds of the Mets winning the NL East and making a mark in the postseason just got a lot longer, but remember the Mets posted a 22-11 record with Wagner on the shelf.”
