"That's why you fight for them because they are fighting for the game, the team, the city.
If that quote doesn’t send chills down your spine, nothing will. I was at the game last night and witnessed all 37,000 fans in attendance go crazy when Jerry got in the umpires face for an unprecedented call reversal and eventually got tossed. In that moment he won the respect of his players and the fans.
I’ll admit that I have never been a fan of Jerry as a manager. He may or may not think there is an official MLB rule that Pedro Feliciano must pitch in every game. He is so obsessed with the lefty-righty matchup that he would probably pinch hit for Albert Pujols if the other team brought in a righty reliever. And when the Mets are struggling there is nothing more annoying that hearing him uncomfortably laugh at every reporter’s question. I, along with many other Mets fans, was hoping he would be fired after last season.
However Jerry’s “gangsta” mentality, as he calls it, has clearly rubbed off on the team this year. Just like he fought back from the verge of being canned just weeks ago his players continue to show resiliency until the very last out, a hugely important quality of winning baseball teams. Last night the Mets responded to Jerry’s fiery ejection by battling back from a 7-1 deficit, and although they didn’t win they made it a winnable game. As I’ve said before, if a team comes back enough times they will eventually win some of those games.
Seeing Jerry defend his team in person has made me a supporter. Sure, he may not always make the best in-game decisions, but he will always fight for his players. We never saw this many comebacks and near-comebacks under Art Howe or Willie Randolf, two managers who looked half asleep every game.
Jerry Manuel is laid back as well, but he is willing to go “gangsta” when needed. I’ll drink (koolaid) to that.
Post written by Mike Simon.
No comments:
Post a Comment