I know the negative press in this town loves kicking someone when they are down. But I have a simple question—Is a team that has won seven of their last 10 worth kicking? I know sometimes the facts get in the way of the narrative but please give me a break.
I am well aware that injuries and off the field news has Mets Twitter feeling the season is over but this team has shown us their resolve for the past 24 months and to me that gives them some equity because they have illustrated the ability to rebound no matter what the outside world thinks. Since they lost six in a row, this team has won seven of their last 10 games and to be honest, I think that has been underreported. But to me that is no surprise because these days the off the field news commands more importance to the media than the actual game.
I will tell you this—I am around this team every day and the next time I hear a player use an excuse to explain poor play will be the first time I’ve heard it. You talk to young players on this roster and they all say leaders like Neil Walker and Jay Bruce have never let them feel down for too long. And it is the conversations the media does not see—like walking to the clubhouse after batting practice or even offering encouragement after a bad day. The Matt Harvey story has taken center stage and rightfully so but the notion that his teammates hold any deep resentment towards him is TOTALLY overblown.
I go by what players tell me not what I think is in their minds and the last two years this team has been slammed with injury news that would make most teams wilt and die but this is not in the Met DNA. You could criticize their handling of medical issues or how they communicate those issues to the media. But to me that matters little because what really matters is how they react to the tough moments. You NEVER learn ANYTHING about what is inside a team’s soul in the good times. And in the tough times, I’ve learned all I need to know about this group of players.
And that ability to bounce off the mat will help this team get through those tough times and do something no Met team has done in the history of this franchise—go to the playoffs for a third straight year. I believed that on Opening Day and nothing I’ve seen this year makes me think it won’t happen. The last 10 games have reinforced that notion in my mind.