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Update, 10:32 pm:
To see video of Reyes speaking to reporters, use the video player in the sidebar of MetsBlog.com.
Update, 8:01 pm:
Here is a transcript of what Reyes said – it’s towards the end, when he talks about how hard he’s been working, when he starts to choke up with slights tears in his eyes:
“I never thought it would take me this long to be back on the field… This is not an easy injury that I have. I have a tear in my tendon. People think it’s like a normal hamstring injury, it’s not normal. I have a tear there. When you have a tear it’s different. That’s gonna take a long time to heal. So, people have to understand that. Because, I like to be on the field and play with the team. Sometimes, people think, ‘Oh, Reyes, he doesn’t want to play.’ Why would people think I don’t want to be on the field with my team? I love to play baseball. I love to be on the field. I love to have fun. I love to enjoy the game. That’s what I do. So, I don’t know why people sometimes think like I don’t want to be on the field. I live for baseball. I’ve been playing since I was little. I can’t do nothing in my house but watch TV and spend time with my family. But, I love to be on the field. So, that’s my main goal. If I’m ready the last week of the season I’ll play the last week of the season. I’ve been working so hard… you guys… you guys don’t know… how hard I’ve been working. I’ve been working so hard, I mean, the past four months, but, so far it hasn’t worked. So, hopefully it works quick.”
…man, i hope the silver lining to all of this is that these guys appreciate the game more, work hard, bond, and are all better off – as a team – next season… i have a feeling it will… but, of course, i’m a baseball romantic…
Update, 6:30 pm:
…i just watched video of reyes speaking to reporters from the locker room, and he sounded very annoyed, and defensive, basically saying he is working hard and want to be back on the field helping his teammates… he said he doesn’t understand why people are saying otherwise…
Original Post:
Prior to today’s game, Jerry Manuel said Jose Reyes is still working to get back in the lineup this season.
“The more questions we can answer now, the better we’ll be in spring training,” Manuel said, speaking to reporters in Citi Field.
Reyes later said he will try to run the bases one more time this season, and if it does not go well he will consider surgery.
In either case, Manuel said it will be up to Reyes if he plays Winter Ball this off season, adding, “If he feels he needs to answer questions, it’s a good venue.”
According to the New York Post, “Reyes was very animated and angry on what he perceived to be the feeling among ‘some people,’ i.e., fans, talk radio, ‘the media,’ etc., that he has been milking the injury.
Speaking of injuries, and other stuff…
Manuel also said the chances of Carlos Delgado playing again this season have been ‘upgraded,’ as he could end up back on the field for the final two weeks of the season.
Manuel said he is not concerned with David Wright’s drop in home runs, though he is concerned about the increase in strikeouts.
“I think if a guy has that type of strength, it’ll come back,” he said. “When you have high a strikeout ratio, though, the lack of power becomes a concern.”
Manuel does not believe Citi Field has had a psychological impact on Wright.
I have little insight into Jose Reyes and his work ethic. What I see, though , is a guy who seems to get immense joy when playing the game of baseball. You don’t smile and dance the way that he does without enjoying what you are doing.
I am getting so depressed reading people questioning this guy, and especially from fans saying that he won’t mature or progress. It depresses me because I don’t want to see this guy run out of town. It depresses me because this team has a precious jewel in Reyes, and so many fans fail to see it. It means that so many fans will never be happy with the Mets unless they win the World Series. That has become the bar. And that means Mets fans have become, well, Yankee fans wearing blue and orange.
If you can’t enjoy the immense talents of Jose Reyes, I don’t know how you can enjoy baseball. His talent at his position is so rare, and I fear it will take losing him and watching the Coras and the Hernandezes and so on of the world manning ss before these “fans” realize what they’ve lost.
Please, open your eyes, and enjoy the gift that is Jose Reyes.
Tidewater……I always enjoy your insight into things, but I respectfully disagree here…..at least to a point.
Yes, Jose Reyes is a gift….he has a wealth of talent who seems to truly enjoy playing the game. However here is what I see….
A great talent that has yet to show that he is maturing, despite many years in the league. Someone who still makes stupid fundamental mistakes.
Someone who attempts to take the extra base when it is not needed
Someone who attempts to steal when it is not needed,
Someone who needs a 2nd baseman to “keep his head in the game” a la Jose Valentin, or Fernando Tatis (something Luis Castillo does not do because as has been explained, he is too preoccupied doing his own thing when he is on defense).
Someone who when up in some situations looks like he is trying to hit the living crap out of the ball, when in a moving along the runner situation. Someone who has that great joy, but along those same lines, will pout when things are not going well for him and carry it to other aspects of his game.
Someone who was asked to bat farther down the order for the good of the team and was unhappy because of what it would do to his stolen base totals.
I believe we are a better team with Reyes, but the “hes young” talk must end (I know that isn’t what you were saying, but that speaks for most Reyes defenders)…….He shouldn’t be run out of town…but he certainly needs to mature a lot, IMO.
Yes, but if Reyes never got better he’d still be one of the best players in the history of this ballclub.
Yes, but if Reyes never gets one iota better he’d still be one of the best players in the history of this ball club.
There is no perfect ballplayer.
No there isn’t…..however the things I have brought up aren’t minor things. It is a major issue to see a lack of development from a player after years in the league. You put Alex Cora’s head on Jose’s body…..and you have a Hall of Fame player…….now…you have a very good player that gets by on raw talent. Eventually that won’t be enough anymore.
And if I had the strength of Hercules, I’d dominate the world, but I don’t, so I just do my job well, raise my family well, and root for the Mets. If If If. He doesn’t have Cora’s head. He has his head.
I honestly wonder if this crop of fans watched Willie Mays in his hey day if they’d complain he never was a 40-40 guy.
You are completely missing the point here. Reyes is essentially an underachiever because the tools are there, he just is incapable of putting it all together it seems. I refuse to worship this guy because he is a great talent…I see what could be, and become very frustrated. You having herculean strength is not a fair comparison…..you having that strength, and not using it is the fair comparison here.
To even suggest that these fans who get on Reyes would feel the same way about Willie Mays is simply foolish…….Reyes would kill to be Willie Mays,……he is not.
All of this back and forth and I think we are saying the same thing……..You acknowledge what I am saying, but are OK with it. I acknowledge what you are saying, and I am not OK (or I should say frustrated) with it. I am not the fan you are frustrated with….by looking to ship him out….but I also feel it is warranted to be frustrated by his play.
I have two words for you, STRAWBERRY and GOODEN. What was there potential and what did they accomplish? Yes, they where very good players, but, I think most fans will agree that they wasted talent and never really achieved what they could have. This is how I see Reyes.
They wasted their talents with substance abuse. If Reyes doesn’t have the head you seek to begin with, it’s not a talent. His talent is hitting running and fielding near the top of all ML shortstops.
And frankly, I think Reyes makes fewer mistakes than he’s being skewered for here. It’s not like he’s mistake-a-day-Jose out there. Nor is he as clueless as Pagan.
Thanks Yankee bias new york media for turning Jose Reyes into the enemy. And thank you readers/listeners who can not create an independent thought for allowing these people to do this. The guy is hurt, the guy LOVES playing baseball and most importantly is immensely talented and CANNOT be replaced. We should be happy to have this guy and hope and pray that he is playing SS and leading off for the next 10 years.
I’d also like to add that the day this team trades or releases Jose Reyes is the day I stop being a Mets fan.
I agree people dont appreciate Jose the way they really should.
I appreciate Jose……I just get frustrated with him. He certainly isn’t as bad as lots try to make him out to be, but he also isn’t infallible because he has talent and smiles and dances a lot.
nobody is perfect, maybe it’s best to accept jose for what he is rather than heaping expectations on him
I completely agree. It’s like because he’s not Derek Jeter – he’s not the captain type of player people want him to be, they don’t appreciate what he does bring to the table. I think the same can be said for the way people don’t appreciate Beltran.
If a guys not out there with a bloyd sock on all the sudden he’s not doing enough to fight thru the injury.
Is it our belief that the NY Media made up reports that his teammates were annoyed with his absence this season? Annoymous tips are given all the time by players….Hernandez used to be the biggest source on the 86 team.
Is it a coincidence that Reyes attempts to come back comes after Wright and Beltran both return talking about the responsibility they have to the team?
Let me be clear…..I don’t want Reyes to go. I want him here for the same reasons you all want him here. I see the impact he has on this team, and the offense. All my beef with him is, is he needs to grow up in some ways. He still seems to be “young” for a player that has as many years in the league as he does. If he ever learns plays fundamentally sound baseball (base running, situational hitting, etc) he will be an unstoppable force.
“Manuel does not believe Citi Field has had a psychological impact on Wright.”
Than Manuel and everyone else who actually believes that are M O R O N S!!!! Wright has already said he has changed his approach…What am I missing here?
different things though. recognizing a different playing situation and adjusting your approach to take advantage of it is a good thing.
being psychologically impacted means essentially becoming a mental case and not being able to perform.
so no, DW did not admit what Jerry denied.
As a certified Mets fan; 47 years, I do NOT care to see Delgado suit up for the last 2 weeks to enhance HIS career options next season..
That is a Mets chapter that needs to end.
Thank you very much and good bye.
Like the union players always say; hey, it’s just business.
Jose frustrates me.
Hope he can prove those of us who question him all wrong and become a durable player.
LGM
Steady:
How can you say he isn’t durable? He played over 150 games the past four years. If that isn’t durable then I don’t know what is.
You people amaze me with your “off the cuff” comments.
It’s not “off the cuff” lad.
He ain’t playin’.
And now in the middle of Sept I’m hearing what the injury is and how long it will take to fix.
“You people” who don’t find it strange that it takes 4 months to find out what the heck is “wrong” with the guy amaze me!
Anyways it’s been a tough year and you are a Mets fan and I love ya, brother.
We agree to dis agree! That’s baseball, baby!
Bye the bye; I can’t wait til Gary gets back. (off the cuff).
And I’m glad to see Tony Perez and Dawson in the Marlins dugout.
Thank heavens we got Razors R Shining! )off the cuff).
So do you agree or disagree that he is durable?
Because he is “durable”, right???
He missed 14 games over the pasty four years, that is durable…
and sorry for lumping you in with the “haters”!!
Yes Mr E
I do agree he has been durable and exciting for those previous seasons.
BUT, not this season and I have been very frustrated by him(?) or The Mets (?) in getting us info and him fixed!
Is this a one season setback or the beginning of the end to a promising career?
That, is the question!
Because this ain’t 2008 we are concerned with; it’s 2010!
agreed about Delgado. No point in taking 2 weeks worth of development time away from Murphy. Unless (god forbid) Omar wants to see him play before he resigns him!
DIsagree about Reyes. he practially led the lead in innings played from 2006-2008. This year was a fluke thing (a tear).
I also always doubted he was dogging it. Why would he? Is spending time in PSL (or wherever he is) doing boring rehab work more exciting than playing for real?
besides, if he was “selfish”, he would be playing to build u his stats. Not getting any SBs sitting on his couch at home!
Matt I got your twitter about “how many of us does jose reyes consider some people” well probably you Matt. I don’t want to jump all over this but this is a topic i feel very strongly about just like Tidewater and eric. Matt you posted that whole big long article about how you thought or some people though reyes is a “white whale” and may never reach his potential and inspiried this whole debate to keep going. I like this site but I don’t really come here for Matt’s opinion, I like to read it but it equals out to me the same as the other fan’s that I read in this comment section
jose is a GREAT player, this isn’t a new thought this year, jose plays a great game and we are lucky to have him. Yes he has some issues, in my opinion the biggest are some base running mistakes, sometimes not busting it but i don’t see the point on getting him for sometimes getting thrown out stealing bases, the same people that get on him for that are probably the people that want him to steal more bases to “reach his potential”
It’s ridiculous how this season has boiled down to this argument, the guy is HURT, there have been so many players hurt this year and i don’t understand why the one people are getting on is jose reyes. He has said time and again that if he felt eighty percent he’d play and when he was “cleared to come back” he injured himself furthur and furthur again in the rehab games. He has played the last four seasons mostly every game and he is a big part of our core. Not to bring up a name everybody hates but early in the year This whole thing is so ridiculous to me, of course Jose wants to play you can see it when he does play – he loves the game, he wants to play. I don’t see how that could be anymore clear to the fans out there. He loves the game and that is obvious. To quote Tidewater here – “If you can’t enjoy the immense talents of Jose Reyes, I don’t know how you can enjoy baseball.”
I don’t see how people are getting on him for being hurt, he’s hurt just deal with it, this is a lost season anyway. I’m sure if we wanted we could make a list of faults in every player because : NO PLAYER IS PERFECT and what we have in jose is pretty damn good.
i don’t know what i was going for with the line about ” a name everybody hates” i just lost my train of thought
I personally don’t feel he needs to steal more bases to reach his potential…..I’d rather see a player steal 30-40 meaningful bases (ones that are needed by my team) than bases when my team is up 5-0 in the 7th inning.
You are absolutely correct…..no player is perfect…..but what Jose is lacking isn’t physical…….it is developing as a baseball player….and I would like to see him do so.
no player is perfect…..but what Jose is lacking isn’t physical…….it is developing as a baseball player….and I would like to see him do so.
i feel that as you wrote it is a fair point. I always would like to see a little more development from players, one of the things i’d like to see from jose is that to hit the ball on the ground more or learn to bunt for a hit and that would really make him unstoppable. sometimes when he pops up it makes me incredibly frustrated but i don’t think it means he isn’t a great player, it just means he swung at a pitch he shouldn’t have
the same could be said for all players in some situation or another (wright striking out with the bases loaded, f-core swinging at pitches in the dirt etc etc)
Yes, thank you for understanding my point.
F-Core is another good example. A good talent that for some reason or another has flaws in his game, that he refuses to…..or is unable to improve.
I just refuse to put Jose above any criticism because 1. I feel others unfairly criticize him (I think they do), or 2. he is already a very good ballplayer (I feel he is).
I understand your points better now, I am mostly ticked off that jose had to come out and say that he is trying to work back from this injury and that he is not “dogging it” for lack of a better term. I understand though that the points you are making are seperate from that issue.
Jose like any player clearly deserves some criticisms. At this point I just wish he were back on the field hoping to prove some of his critics wrong and somehow “elevating his game”. He is a great player, as long as he plays as he has in the past i will appreciate him for being a great player. I believe that every player can get better and that with jose as i said before the drag bunt and infield hit would be great additions to his game. During spring training I think Luis should try to impart some of that wisdom on him considering that (i believe) Castillo leads the league in in-field hits. I know Jose steals bases but I feel he could utilize his speed a bit better as he bats. Again, if he changed nothing at this moment I’d still believe he is a great player and I never will believe that he doesn’t want to get back from this injury and that this isn’t frustrating him as much as us.
I agree with your argument as well. I know I am taking some heat on this post because of the post I chose to take up this fight under.
I actually feel Jose is best suited batting a bit lower in the lineup and take advantage of his line drives and get him some RBI opportunities. Then again, a full season of Jose getting on base in front of Luis and his 400OBP batting 2nd, can be a lethal combination.
Related to the injury…..
I am concerned that he is trying again to come back, because I truly feel some players may have anonymously questioned his desire to come back, and he is feeling pressure that Wright and Reyes have returned…….I would hate for him to further injure this tear he has in his hammy.
Wright and Beltran…….is what I meant to say…
I too have debated (with myself haha) where reyes should hit in the order. When Jerry orginally said it was going to bat 3rd, i thought it was a really stupid idea. It hasn’t completely grown on me but when i think of it reyes may fit well in the 3 hole, it may cause him to utilize his speed to help drive in then runs or whatever especially with two outs.
I do like him at the top of the lineup because as you said him and Luis (well the Luis of this year) would be a great combo and it’s something we really didn’t get to see this year because at the beginning we had Luis hitting 8th in the order.
I hope he doesn’t hurt himself anymore, i almost wish he’d have the surgery so at least we’d know he was healed, it just puts a damper on this team (like so many other things have) that reyes is not with them. Watching his video and the clips of him in the pre-game show really made me realize how much i miss watching him out there. Jose loves the game, anybody that has eyes in their head can see that and i’m sure he’d be back out there if he could.
I apologize if it seemed as if i was attacking you, as i mentioned it’s really just frustration at how some people believe reyes isn’t playing just to sit on his sofa and eat ice cream all day
Its all good…..Lets Go Mets!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
haha yes i suppose that is all that’s left to say
Let’s go Mets!
I live up in Vermont, and yesterday I was watching the news. The sports guy was doing highlights, when he got to the METS, he showed the Marlins SS, Hanley Ramerez, hitting a 2 run bomb and he said ” think of Jose Reyes playing uo to his potential.” This is a Red Sox station and even they think he is NOT playing as well as he should. I just wanted to throw that in.
Talk is cheap. And Reyes talking about how he tore his tendon. He’s right, if he tore his actual hamstring he would have been out for the season no doubt. With a tendon once it’s completely torn, it’s felt that it’s easier to deal with than a partial tear where it can be more painful.
I’m sorry in a season where Carlos Beltran worked to come back and both Johan and Oliver Perez pitched with injuries until they couldn’t play anymore Jose Reyes looks really bad. You know at least with Delgado the guy is 37 years old and had hip surgery. With him being in his walk year he had every reason to come back. I tend to think that Delgado’s career maybe over,
If the Mets do decide to hold onto Jose Reyes he has a lot to prove in 2010. With his $9.3 million salary, an option for 2011 on the table and him due to be a FA after 2011 Reyes will be playing for what will likely be his big contract. If he wants to be paid the big bucks he has to take his game to the next level and prove he is worth paying paid like a superstar instead of just acting like one.