"I do think there was a lot of activity…There’s just a lot of, you know, the band is going on, songs going off, there’s a lot of people, and that’s OK, but you’ve still got to remain in character, and that’s something we didn’t do.
Well said, Jerry. It was exciting to see baseball played in Puerto Rico last night but the Mets appeared to be somewhat caught up in the spectacle, especially since a few of the Mets are Puerto Rican and several others are from neighboring countries. Throw in all the in-stadium distractions and it’s easy to see why the Mets were not at their best. It’s hard enough to hit a 95 mph fastball or throw an effective knuckleball when it’s deafly quiet; it’s nearly impossible when you can barely hear yourself think. Only Canadian Jason Bay seemed to be comfortable in blasting two home runs, but if the Mets played a game in Canada he would probably be flustered too.
Expect the Mets to bounce back these next two days now that it’s out of their system. They will get back “in character” like Jerry said, which means that they will be the fundamentally sound, never-say-die team that we have come to know and love this season.
But if they don’t, the good news is that after this three game series their remaining games will all be played in the United States, where they are 43-32. They won’t have to deal with loud piped-in noises while the ball is in play. After all, the craziest an American baseball crowd during a game in June is when “the wave” makes it all the way around the ballpark. And next time they face the Marlins on the road there will be 10,000 people in the stands, most of which will be Mets fans anyway.
So chalk this one up to an aberration, Mets fans. Back in the states, R.A Dickey’s knuckleball will dance again. Jose Reyes will be stealing second rather than getting picked off. And Fernando Nieve will…well, you get the idea.
Post written by Mike Simon
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