Yesterday, in a report for FoxSports.com, Ken Rosenthal quoted Omar Minaya as saying, while the team does not lack leadership, the team’s stars do lack ‘a certain edge.’
However, according to Newsday, Minaya talked with reporters from prior to last night’s game, tried to back track from his comments, and said:
“Let’s be clear, we have an edge. Our edge is different. Some guys are serious. Some guys are happy. There’s a different form of leadership. Yes, I feel this team plays with a lot of passion. To me, that’s all subjective. Our guys play with a lot of passion and a lot of energy.”
In a response to a similar topic, the New York Post quotes Jose Reyes as saying:
“Everybody here is competitive. Everybody here loves to win, and loves the game and tries to win every day we take the field and we give everything we have.”
…good… i hope the players hear the talk about passion and heart, etc.,, get mad about it, and play with a chip on their shoulder because they’re trying to prove fans, media and of the NL East wrong… because, then, ding ding, guess what, they’ll have an edge… that’s an edge… and i don’t mind us, the fans, being the wedge… whatever… if the players need to use us as the symbol of who to prove wrong, go for it… whatever it takes… maybe that’s the role we fans have all been waiting to play…
Following the game, Jerry Manuel was asked to respond to Minaya’s comments, and told reporters:
“Uhh, the team lacked an edge? What kind of edge are we looking for? If that’s what he said, he’s the General Manager, that’s good. So, I guess we had an edge tonight (laughing), yes we had an edge.”
Let me start by saying great win last night and that Beltran is my favorite player. I stuck up for him during the non sliding incident but maybe my eyes were playing tricks on me but in the 3rd when he was tagging up was he not running as hard as possible right off the base? A little picky but with whats been going on Im pretty sure my eyes were not deceiving me and he didnt run hard again until he realized it would be a close play.
I had to watch the Philadelphia feed of the game last night. Their take on Beltran tagging and running was that he was just off to what looked like a jog, but that his gait is deceptive. Much like Keith always points out about Beltran in the outfield. They said when it looks like he takes off it’s just him reaching full speed. I don’t know. I sure hope he wasn’t just jogging. I love the guy.
Oh wow interesting so they did mention it. All I know is he didnt put his head down and rub hard right away. he didnt reach full speed til more than three qyarters down the line. Oh well….We won.
….put his head down and “rub” hard right away….
Ummm, I don’t want to know anymore. j/k.
Yeah… because there’s nothing more to life than baseball.
They used to say the same about Kevin Mcreynolds.
that name should never be uttered on metsblog !!!
McReynolds was as solid a left fielder as their was in the game.
no doubt about it – but he lacked fire – he even admitted he would rather hunt and fish that play baseball – and he hated nyc
Yea he definetely was a country boy.
i was freaking out at this play. i know about how everyone loves to “watch that man run” and all but there was no way that play at the plate should have been close. werth does not have that good an arm and he couldn’t get his momentum going home because the wind played tricks with the ball.
the field was also wet it did rain there yesterday dykstraw
The outfield was wet, not the base paths.
Clearly, Omar doesn’t have an edge either … He says something that badly needed saying. And then as soon as the other reporters get on the story, he changes his tune.
If you team never comes from behind in late innings, it’s a sign they have no heart, Omar.
At the end of last year, Manuel said some players, not named, seemed more interested in personal stats than in winning. That attitude could be lethal at Citifield, where the moderate power of David Wright and Ryan Church is easily being contained.
I worry the dimensions are getting into the players’ heads and they won’t shake it off until August or September when the could be lost.
This team needs a Dykstra or a Backman … somebody who scraps
Beltran seems to have adjusted his approach at the the plate very quickly. I would hope others would figure it out before August. Delgado might be a lost cause because when he gets on a homer tear he will lose many of them at home, but Wright and Church are good gap hitters when they want to be.
Now if only Beltran could adjust to the new distance between the bases at Citi he would be all set…
Omar has done some good things. He turned the franchise around by getting Pedro. Getting Santana, and then Putz and KRod are more solid moves. He addresses weaknesses with bonafide solutions.
I’m a fan of Delgados, because he’s an independent sort, but I also thiink he sat out on Randolph and the Mets last year, and I would wonder if he’s doing that now. And meanwhile, if that’s true, to what extent is he spreading the wrong message in the house? I wonder what his motivation is. He sure did turn it on last year. Great hitter. Maybe he’s just hurt. Maybe he’s saving his best for last.
I think the contracts he handed to Reyes and Wright might have been ill advised. I don’t think they were quite due for contracts.
Other than that, … I’ve just got to wonder if being also-rans for so many years just guts the Mets of good draft picks, falling into a 1980s Yankees dilemma.
“Heart” and “grit.”
Undefinable nonsense.
Omar can be the biggest tool sometimes.
he’s a gm – they are all tools – including frank cashen
I went to see the Yankees last night, so this is a comment kinda out of left field. They imploded, from a 4-0 lead late in the game. Third baseman was afraid to get in front of a ball, which started a rally, and then he was afraid to get into the middle of a play at third. Now, that was kinda gutless. Not gangsta. Too bad.
Meanwhile, my main point in writing is that I think many of you will find that Shea (I can’t shake that name, but referring to the new stadium) is a whole lot more enjoyable, beautiful, pretty, easy on the eyes, than its cousin in the Bronx.
I hear Derek Jeter’s building a 5 ton mansion that takes up nearly every bit of the acreage it sits on. This is a certain sort of mentality that i’ve seen infecting Bay Ridge, my home town in Brooklyn. Nouveau Riche. Well, that’s kinda like Yankee Stadium in a nutshell. Almost.
Their Great Hall with giant pictures of great players is really something special, but other than that, its got all the glamour of the Korean DMZ. The restoration of the facade up top fails to make much of a difference. And I could swear the upper seats are a lot higher and farther away they used to be. And, oh yeah, the food is worse than McDonalds.
Time for a poll (too bad I can’t create one).
Which is the most important aspect of a winning baseball team?
1) Grit
2) heart
3) Edge
4) balls
5) Gumption
6) good tacos at the food court
7) hitting/pitching
I just added 7 as a trick answer. I know it actually has nothing to do with winning games.
i’d say its #7 – the blue smoke ale
oops that would be #8 – too many blue smoke ales this a.m lol
Clearly 6, with a tiny touch of 3.
is this like ordering from a chineese resturaunt? 1 from column a and 1 from column b? lol
You left off ‘chutzpah’ I think that should be one of the choices too. But I must say I like that you included ‘gumption’ I don’t think enough focus has been placed on that.
The team clearly needs a bunch of new cars:
Focus
Edge
Cavalier
Ram
Trailblazer
Achieva
Spitfire
and of course, Canyonero
Nice.
dont forget the charger challenger and if u want yougurt – activia with post menapausal jamie lee curtis – post menapausal jamie lee curtis mmmmm
It’s 65 tons of American pride,
Canyonerooooooooooooooo
unke herb is that u?
You forgot #8.
CHUTZPAH!
Yeah, I’ll take hitting and pitching over meaningless terms like heart and grit ANY DAY.
It’s also very mysterious… when a team wins, they suddenly have HEART. I’m wondering if the people who assign them these qualities could tell that they had heart that day BEFORE the game. I bet not.
And it’s because HEART is given to them by the Magic Teleporting Penguin from the South Pole. He teleports in and sprinkles magic dust on them and they suddenly have heart. I saw the MTP in their dugout before the game. He popped in and out really quickly.
i’m baaack – sorry i havent been around the last 2 days – the “core” kinda got to me
Hey buddy! Was wondering where you were….yeah, the core bugs the hell out of me too….
sometimes ya just need to realize that you can’t argue with brick walls toilets and children and thats what i was doing lol
Ha! Yeah, I do need to realize that…..
btw whats with the square box in the comment section next to each post?
It is some feature where you can put a picture there—Case has a swanky picture I think is of him!
I have no idea how to put a picture there…have not tried….maybe a little picture of Wright choking would be appropriate….
I think I’ve seen a few people use that square as a spot for an avatar, but I’m not really sure how that works.
Good to see you on here again, rusty.
does that mean i have to put a pic of either mason reese or danny partridge by mine?
LOL!!
good to be back nova – reports of my dimise have been slightly exageratted
ok smurfs and smurfettes its time for the early sat edition of “this day in mets infamy with rusty” so lets get it started
first off happy b-days go out to Ed Bressoud (1932)
Joe Crawford (1970) – isnt he a umpire lol
Transactions:
New York Mets released Ray “sad sack” Sadecki on May 2, 1977.
New York Mets signed free agent Juan Castillo on May 2, 1988.
and on this day in 02 mo vaughns comeback attempt ended badly when he got mad and tried to turn over the buffet table but he ate everything on the table and promptly fell asleep in mid turnover
oh yeah guys as per mlbtr
MLB.com’s Marty Noble reports that Omar Minaya now says the Mets have an “edge”.
Noble adds that Oliver Perez could conceivably be asked to accept a minor league assignment if he pitches poorly today.
now pitching for the buffalo bisons with a e,r,a of 27.99 ollie “el toro” perez lol
he’d fit in. bisons are an epic 2-17.
they are the 62 mets of aaa
And here I was all excited to have our AAA team move to the city 45 minutes down the road from me. I’ll stick with the Rochester Red Wings for the time being. Though, I would love to go see Ollie pitch in Buffalo and just laugh everytime he walks a guy.
can always cross over the border to see the toledo mudhens and say “hi” to jammie farr lol
oh guys i was in the ceasers club sect on wensday – i highly recommend it – great view
i didnt log on last nite – was chan ho parlinglot happy? lol
If the team needs to use us fans as a focal point for actually playing with some intensity and getting a chip on their shoulders, I’m all for it. I’d be happy to be able to provide them with something to help win.
agreed – can we use fiya minaya and the core as punching bags? can we see rod kanehl used as a the saftey fence for the batting practice pitchers lol
Hehe, I’d be up for that.
i think we should take up a collection to make it happen – i pledge 5 bucks lol
Funny how we went from “no edge” to “edge” in one game. These press things are stupid.
Look…..sweep or minimum 2 of 3 in CBP, and then sweep in Atlanta, and let’s go.
thats the spirit fx !!!! – look omar is a gm and a gm is like a politician – lie through your teeth and say everything is hunky dory – and when you let the truth come out – deny deny deny lol
What I’d really like to see is the team finally winning the last game of a series. It’s really unsettling that we haven’t managed to win game 3 of any of our 3-game series yet. If we pull off a convincing sweep in CBP, I’ll have a lot more confidence going into Atlanta.
especially againt the philths!
yanks must be desperate – as per mlbtr
According to Chad Jennings of the Scranton Times Tribune the Yankees signed Casey Fossum; he will start for AAA Scranton today. Fossum pitched in one game for the Mets this year before they designated him for assignment. The 31-year-old veteran of 237 major league games pitched well in the minors this April, striking out 12 in 11 innings and allowing ten baserunners.
watch him turn into the second coming of eckersley lol
How bout the second coming of Ed Whitson??
Seems about right….
britt burns perhaps lol
btw anyone hear the soundbite of jerry manual saying we battled? i though i had a l.s.d flashback to the art howe era lol
Art Howe… *shudder* Yeah, I’ve got a big blank spot in my memory covering those years.
unfortunately they are seared into my brain lol
How about the Dallas Green era? I vaguely remember that one.
that is a little fuzzy lol – i do remember him hating burnitz and loving brent mayne lol also he overused generation k (ala girardi with the 06 marlins)
Yeah, that misuse of Gen K was ugly. Think of the years we could’ve had if those guys were used properly and stayed healthy, especially with Piazza coming in in a few years…. Sigh, this team is all about missed opportunities, underachievement, and what could have been. Still we love them. :)
see amos otis jason bay scott kazmir reggie jackson mark mcgwire ( mets drafted him – wouldnt pay him what he wanted in bonuses so went to college)
Ahhh, passing over drafting Reggie….he might have added some offense to those 69–73 teams….
i maintain the a’s wouldnt even of made it to the series – and the mets woulda been contenders throughout the 70′s btw kong when u goin to the games? – go aug 22 – they will salute the 69 team – ill be there
Don’t forget the Midnight Massacre and the trade of Nolan Ryan. Long time ago, but ugh.
So they’re honoring the 69 team on Aug 22. That’s a Saturday, right? I think I should be able to make that, too. Gotta plan these things way in advance with my schedule and distance from NYC.
let me know nova maybe a bunch of us will meet up and get some brews by the shake shack
That’s a great idea, Rusty.
Good for Darryl, Francesa just asked him what his best memories are, the mid 80′s Mets or his years with the Yankees, and he immediately responded “of course it’s ’86.”
put the pompus ass in his place darryl !!!
Gotta love the Straw! Way to go, Darryl! I’m really happy he and Doc are renewing their associations with the team. Two of my all time favorite Mets.
agreed nova – now if we can get kevin mitchel to come back we will truely be “gangsta” lol
if delgado goes to the DL, do you guys think the mets will call up f-mart?
no – i think tatis goes to first and the mets bring up a relief pitcher (kunz?) or willy mo pena
I forgot about willy mo, can he play 1B? we dont need more OFs.
missing the point – tatis would play first and pena would be of insurance if they dont call up a pitcher and remember sheff can be released still
Our OF situation will be such that we won’t have a spot for F-Mart unless Sheff gets DFA’d or Murphy changes position. If they bring up F-Mart and start sitting Church more often, I’ll be livid. I hate how they’ve been jerking that guy around all while he’s been one of our best hitters. I don’t see why Church gets no love, he’s been one of my favorite players on the team since he got here.
i believe f-mart is only hitting 225 in buffalo
Yeah, there’s that, too. ;)
i attribute that to more of lack of confidence team wide
Agreed. Church should NEVER be out of the lineup.
omar: uh, er, uh, well…
jerry: ha ha, well, he’s the boss! ha ha…
and they talk about “edge” and “gangsta”? This act is wearing thin.
wlcome back jamie !! come have a seat – ya want a beer ok so now “SHUT THE F&CK UP’!!!!!!!!!!
wow, what did I say to deserve that?
sorry man misread the comment – thought u were a member of the “core” my apologies
most def not, but I really am questioning the orginizational leadership of this team. I love a lot of the moves Omar’s made, and he restored us to legitimacy. But he and Jerry are beginning to look clowinish.
but like Matt said, if that steels the team, however hamfisted and, perhaps, unintentionally, then great. Maybe it will…a 10 game win streak against the division would suit me fine.
like i said – sorry
no worries, I’m hung over too :-)
To be fair, jamie, I don’t Omar needs ‘edge’ or ‘gangsta-tude’ (is that a word?), he’s basically a politician so what he says is worthless compared to what he actually does.
very apt statement – if the mets fail this season its more on omar than on jerry cuz omar adressed only 1 major concern of the team – but that being said if omar gets fired – the next gm might fire manuel cuz he might want his own guy at the helm
Next GM’s gonna be Jeff, with Leiter as manager and Franco as pitching coach…then we are all doomed…..
ricky henderson as the bench coach rich rodriguez as the bp coach and rabbi sculey boteach as the chaplin lol
Wow, I hope not. We really need to start going outside the organization for our front office and coaches/managers.
Next GM no idea. Next manager could presently be #8 who’s currently managing the LI Ducks with Ronnie as pitching coach and Keith as hitting coach and Wally as the 3rd base coach. This way if the team doesn’t pull it together the Wilpons can count the gate receipts from fans coming to wallow in admiration of past glory.
I’m actually curious to see how kid does up close in the neighborhood to see if he’s really viable as a candidate down the road.
on the upside, tickets would be easier to get.
one of the good things about being a losing team at shea was the ushers letting you move down, since there was only a few thousand at the park. I loved that part of it. But I much prefer 162 games of meaningful baseball (and hopefully more)
Ahh, yes. We used to go to the gate say the name Jimmy DiCardnale and slip the guy a 5 per head and waalaa field level box seats.
that’s a good point, and I agree to an extent. But he does have structural power…he’s all of their boss, so his opinion of their job performance has to affect them.
honestly i believe the wilpons statement of omar having complete autonomy is a load of b.s or we woulda had manny – and no im not one of those morons that are crying about not getting him or lowe
and the mets bats go to sleep
thanks murph for proving me wrong
thanks Castro also